Rear Blade Land leveler uses?

[BellyUpFish]

Hey guys-

Long time lurker, first time caller. I've recently found myself needing a land leveler to smooth out a 1,000 driveway I've had put in for a house I'm building. I'll be dragging it behind a Massey 4243, so I'm thinking a 7 footer..

I've been around tractors most my life, but nothing too far outside landscape boxes, bushhogs, hay rakes/bailers as far as attachments go.

What besides smoothing out this driveway can I accomplish with a land leveler?

Thanks

 

[ovrszd]

Welcome to TBN.

There are several avid LPGS owners here. They'll see your thread and chime in.

I don't own one. Have used one once. Perfect tool for maintaining a driveway. Requires little operator talent. With a new 1,000ft driveway I think it should definitely be on your "buy" list.

 

[jenkinsph]

With your MF you can handle a large lpgs 12' width and use it for field smoothing. If you plan on using for smoothing the driveway only then buy one that is half the width. That will allow you to travel each side without removing the crown.

Leveling is easier done with a box blade.

 

[ustmd]

So far, I have found my land lever to be a 1 trick pony, but it does that one trick really well.

I have about 3000 ft of unpaved shared road to maintain. I used to use my BB.

Last summer I broke down and bought a LL--talk about a world of difference--in a very good way. You drop it and drive.

I have used it to do some leveling in the horse pastures and it works great, but to be honest if all it did was the road work, it would be worth it.

 

[wcampbell47]

With your MF you can handle a large lpgs 12' width and use it for field smoothing. If you plan on using for smoothing the driveway only then buy one that is half the width. That will allow you to travel each side without removing the crown.

Leveling is easier done with a box blade.

I find that my box blade leaves waves in the surface where as on the other than my land plane does a much better job with little effort than I can do with the box blade. I do driveways and pads. I have used the land plane to do the finish grading for the concrete contractor inside the forms. I have use a landscape rake and box blade. Land plane is my choice for a smooth surface. It will not move dirt like a box blade.

 

[Gordon Gould]

It is basically a tool for making a flat plane as they said. I can use mine for removing sod but it is a little different than most.

When Steve said leveling was easier with a box blade I believe he meant in the case where the surface to be leveled was at an angle, ie not horizontal, where you have to move material from the high side to the low side to get it level. A smooth plane is not necessarily level is his point I am thinking.







gg

 

[ozley]

After 10 years of keeping my 1/2 mile driveway with a box blade I got a LPGS and when everyone got home that night they were thanking me. The best money I've spent.

 

[BellyUpFish]

So, for those of you using a LPGS (what is the G and S?) does it turn up the gravel a lot?

I'll have a chert driveway topped with crusher run when it's all said and done..

I'm a little curious about how the crusher run will wind up mixing with the chert when I start dragging a LPGS on it..

 

[JRobyn]

Land Plane Grading Scraper. It will disturb your existing surface as much or as little as you want. Most come with adjustable rippers like a box blade if you REALLY want to mix it up. And most have a blade depth adjustment relative to the side skids, from negative (above the skids) to maybe 1" or even 2" below the skids.

I haven't used my brand new one yet, but I plan to try it first set like I have read others on here have done - 2 or 3 paint stir sticks. Or about 1/2" or so. My road is similar to yours, a skim of crusher run over larger mixed river rock. I don't want to disturb the river rock much since it is a good, solid base.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Exactly, our chert is packed down pretty well, IMO.. I don't want to disturb it..

 

[oosik]

I have a LPGS. It works wonders on my mile long gravel driveway. Actually I've only used it once on the entire driveway. Thereafter its used on the potholes and washboard sections. Tried to maintain the driveway with a rear blade for years. No joy. The LPGS is the clear ticket.

 

[jenkinsph]

I find that my box blade leaves waves in the surface where as on the other than my land plane does a much better job with little effort than I can do with the box blade. I do driveways and pads. I have used the land plane to do the finish grading for the concrete contractor inside the forms. I have use a landscape rake and box blade. Land plane is my choice for a smooth surface. It will not move dirt like a box blade.

I use a heavy box blade and had similar issues with wavy surfaces. The thing that made the biggest difference was seat time. With enough time and practice waves are not an issue anymore. When cutting or filling to grade a box blade is much easier to control than a lpgs. That is why I use it to level work. A lpgs is better for smoothing and averaging out depressions and or mounds and leaves a flat finish. I make a distinction between level and flat/smooth.

The first picture is a small field leveled from left to right with a .250 % slope from background to foreground with a box blade.
The second picture is a field leveled with the box blade and then smoothed again with the lpgs.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have a LPGS. It works wonders on my mile long gravel driveway. Actually I've only used it once on the entire driveway. Thereafter its used on the potholes and washboard sections. Tried to maintain the driveway with a rear blade for years. No joy. The LPGS is the clear ticket.

I have one customer with a private gravel drive that I maintain that is 7,000 ft long. When I first started with it there were several pot holes that kept coming back. I found it easier to compact those potholes with my plate compactor, once I did that I haven't had problems the last 3 years. I run the lpgs over it about twice a year now and it looks good.

 

[jenkinsph]

It is basically a tool for making a flat plane as they said. I can use mine for removing sod but it is a little different than most.

When Steve said leveling was easier with a box blade I believe he meant in the case where the surface to be leveled was at an angle, ie not horizontal, where you have to move material from the high side to the low side to get it level. A smooth plane is not necessarily level is his point I am thinking.

View attachment 467011

View attachment 467012

View attachment 467013

gg

Correct, smooth, flat and planar is not necessarily level or on the desired slope.

 

[BellyUpFish]

So, with a fairly compacted base layer, would I need to use the LPGS on the base layer before bringing in the top layer?

 

[jenkinsph]

So, with a fairly compacted base layer, would I need to use the LPGS on the base layer before bringing in the top layer?

I prefer to smooth and even up the base layer as much as possible before putting a top layer of clean rock on top. As a friend of mine says the top layer of rock should be thin "about one rock high". With the base well packed below this reduces the vehicles from plowing through the loose rock on top.

So you should do all the shaping, ditching, crowning, smoothing and packing on the base layer first.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Excellent.. I'll look into that. I just didn't want to wreck my baselayer by using the LPGS on it before the top layer was down.

 

[oosik]

Just a suggestion - the base layer should be level, smooth & packed before you lay the top layer. All that should be done to the top layer is spread it and pack it.

 

[BellyUpFish]

My base layer is fairly smooth, but needs a little TLC due to the 18 wheelers that have been running up and down it during the house construction.

The 18 wheeler deliveries should be complete, I'd like to get out and level it up so the continued work on the house can continue to pack it.

 

[jenkinsph]

My base layer is fairly smooth, but needs a little TLC due to the 18 wheelers that have been running up and down it during the house construction.

The 18 wheeler deliveries should be complete, I'd like to get out and level it up so the continued work on the house can continue to pack it.

Good plan smooth and pack the base then add the top layer of clean rock when the house is finished. The extra time packing the base will help a lot.