Land plane for driveway

[hosspuller]

I would not build the center higher. 10 feet wide is a lot of load. A 7 foot LP requires 4WD or loaded rears for traction (I have 2 Deere 5xxx tractors) Crowning my 10 wide foot road is done in two passes. One to the mailbox and one back. I set the 3 point lift to raise the left side first before the right moves. This slack lets the center of the road build up while the right digs in and moves material to the left.

 

[Doughknob]

I would not build the center higher. 10 feet wide is a lot of load. A 7 foot LP requires 4WD or loaded rears for traction (I have 2 Deere 5xxx tractors) Crowning my 10 wide foot road is done in two passes.....

Lol, i was thinking same thing - better have a big tractor for a 10' plane.

 

[dirt clod]

I would not build the center higher. 10 feet wide is a lot of load. A 7 foot LP requires 4WD or loaded rears for traction (I have 2 Deere 5xxx tractors) Crowning my 10 wide foot road is done in two passes. One to the mailbox and one back. I set the 3 point lift to raise the left side first before the right moves. This slack lets the center of the road build up while the right digs in and moves material to the left.

I have a 4wd 75hp valtra tractor with front end loader, large loaded ag tires, wheel weights, cab and creeper gears. If I made it pull behind I could also use case 580se

 

[dirt clod]

Lol, i was thinking same thing - better have a big tractor for a 10' plane.

Something like this?

 

[dirt clod]

Here's what I made. The rear gauge wheel maintains the crown.
View attachment 715116

Now that's a Good idea.
I

 

[Smokeydog]

Main driveway is 1/2 mile, winding thru the woods with 300’ elevation change. Most slopes to the right going up, some to the left and a little crowned. 6’ EA land plane is about all the 60hp 4x4 tractor can pull at times. Land plane easily and quickly maintains a durable surface that resists traffic and water.

 

[PILOON]

We maintained a 3 mile much travelled gravel road for over a decade using a drag about 2-3 times a year.
It was quite simple.
About 8 ft X 8 ft with but 3 blades.
Front and rear both angled slightly to the left and center to the right with an angle about 2X the other 2 Angles.
Front chops highs , next angled blade moves loose material sideways and fills the voids while the rear blade finishes the job.
Usually 2 passes left a very nice roadbed that lasted a few months of modest traffic.
This basic concept was what the highway department used in rural Quebec back in the 40/50's even using a team of horses early on B4 they adopted trucks.
3 blades was the trick as they kind of established a reference base. Less blades would tend to add to the ups/downs much like the frustration of using a simple back blade on your tractor.

LOL, our drag was bolted wood frame with 3/8 X 3 inch flat stock simply lag bolted to the faces as cutting edges. 2 chains attached to an old Willis jeep provided the power.
Couple of guys, 2 hours and a few cool beverages completed the ritual.
We later on got even fancier as we added a slight platform and hand rope so that a volunteer could ride the drag and steer it by shifting his weight from side to side (not OSIA approved, but it worked) much like riding a surf or wake board.

Now if U wish a super fine finish simply drag a section of chain link fencing.

 

[zzvyb6]

Why make it 10' wide ? You planning a 1 time use and leave it in the main road? I found a landscape rake with 300# of suitcase weights worked the best for me. 8' rake angle 45 degrees. Makes a nice crown after going both directions. If the gravel was too rough or buried, I took my rototiller out there after a rain and was done in an hour. Then the problem becomes a speedway for all the visitors.

 

[sandman2234]

I agree with needing a lot of HP to pull a landplane 10 feet wide. The one I built is 7 foot, 2 blades and when it gets full of dirt, it easily picks up the front wheels on a 6500 pound JD2555 which is 70hp. The M7040SU 4wd will pull it better, but only because of loaded tire weight and FEL and tire design.
The reason for angled blades on a land plane is so that you can control the crown of the road. Lower the front and it cuts one side more, raise it and it flattens out the surface rather than crowning it. The direction you angle the blades makes a huge difference, since you don't want to have to crown a road going against traffic.
David from jax