Land leveler / land plain

[tjptrs]

Just starting to build. Got some blades off an old road grader and some 8" channel for the sides. I have a question about the the blade setting. Are they set below the level of the sides and is it necessary to slot the angle iron that they are bolted to make them adjustable? Thanks

 

[rustyshakelford]

I put my cutting edge about 1/2" below the edge of the frame. It works great.

Brett

 

[tjptrs]

I put my cutting edge about 1/2" below the edge of the frame. It works great.

Brett

Thanks Brett that is just what I needed.

Tom

 

[jemclimber]

I'm in the process of building a lpgs as well. My sides are 12" high and 5' long. My scrapers will be straight not angled, and I'm going to make the height adjustable to "dial" it in whether it's used for dirt or the stone driveway. I'm looking for suggestions on how far from the front the first scraper should be and what distance should be between the two scrapers? I intend to put adjustable "spikes" on the front and a swinging and lockable back on as well if that impacts where the scrapers should be located?

 

[Gordon Gould]

I am not sure if the spacing matters to much but you want to put your first blade far enough back so that the material build up in front of the blade stays in the box. The one thing you do not want to do is put a cross member over the blade or any where near the blade area. Leave as much room as you can for material to build up and flow over the blade. If you put a member over the blade the material will have to squeeze between it and the top of the blade and your lpgs will always clog up.

For what it is worth my lpgs is 4-1/2 feet long and the first blade is 10" in and the second is 2 feet behind the first. Straight blades 3/4" below the skids. Works good but they all do.



gg

 

[sixdogs]

Where did you get that coil that wraps around the hydraulic hoses? That's a great problem solver and just the thing I could use

 

[Gordon Gould]

Where did you get that coil that wraps around the hydraulic hoses? That's a great problem solver and just the thing I could use

I got it at Bond Auto. They sell it by the foot with various coil ID's. That is 1" but I got it stretched about double that. A little pricey if I remember but a two foot long piece was affordable. I think it is called hose armor but it works good to hold a bunch together like that.

gg

 

[sixdogs]

Thank you.

 

[jemclimber]

Thank you gg

 

[jenkinsph]

Just starting to build. Got some blades off an old road grader and some 8" channel for the sides. I have a question about the the blade setting. Are they set below the level of the sides and is it necessary to slot the angle iron that they are bolted to make them adjustable? Thanks

I built mine in 2009 and tried it with the blades about 1/4" below the skids and then added 1/4" wear strips to make the blades flush with the sides. No problem digging in with either setting, I would not bother with making the blade depth adjustable as I have never experienced the need for it.

The important things to consider when building a land plane grader scraper (lpgs)
weight, at least 100 lbs./ft of width, 150lbs/ft would be better imo.
long skids, longer skids help true up the surface for smoother results, true with most straight edge uses.
rigid frames. You want the frame to be rigid and non flexing on a plane in order to shave the ground flat and true.

Gordon is correct in that you want plenty of clearance for the dirt to flow through without piling up. There have been a few cases where leveling a field that trash has been gathered with my design. Next time I build one I will make the necessary changes to prevent this.
''
So far I have built two lpgs models one 8' and one 4', the smaller 4' has rectangular box tubing sides to reduce the gravel from being carried on the skids. It is a pain to turn around and have the gravel fall off the skids into the grass. Limiting the horizontal surfaces helps with that.

Some things I would change on the next build would be taller skids, thinking about 4x12 rectangular box tubing with the skids being 8' long. Wider width of 14' for better pasture smoothing but can still transport on a trailer with no problems.

Here are a few pics.