Land plane/road grader

[coobie]

I am thinking about ordering a 7 ft. land plane/road grader from everything attachments.I am looking at there model they make for $1246 bucks.Has anyone ordered one yet?If so how do you like it?I am open to all options.coobie

 

[hosspuller]

I have a "road boss that I use for my gravel drive. I find the blades and skids wears considerably in gravel. Adjustable blades and replaceable skids are a "must have"for me.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

IMO, the ideal grader blade for your DK40 would be a 6 footer that weighs between 800 & 1000lbs. Whenever a person is grading, weight is your friend. Best to have as heavy a unit as your tractor will handle without problems.

Just my :2cents:

 

[RobertBrown]

I am thinking about ordering a 7 ft. land plane/road grader from everything attachments.I am looking at there model they make for $1246 bucks.Has anyone ordered one yet?If so how do you like it?I am open to all options.coobie

I wish I could say I know of these things...but I don't, I would like too but I don't. I need some type of grading attachment other than my scraper.
Soooo.... I will pass this along as I read it earlier this week, It's in this same forum about a page or so from your thread.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/254265-selecting-box-blade-2.html#post2962988
Should you buy one, let us know how it works and if it met your expectations.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think Ted has some nice implements but looking at the three choices of eqiupment lines offered the first one listed the house brand/build looks the best. The 6' model is listed for $1246 not the 7' model. Still it looks too light, runners (skids) too short, 3" box tubing is what I would consider to be the minimum.

My new plane for the x749 has 60" skids with smooth skids and high quality graderblades that are reversible and is 414lbs recently weighed after completion. This is for a 4' landplane. My larger landplane with 96" width, 60" skids and reversible blades weighs in at 984 lbs (recently weighed). If I had it to do over I would make the larger landplane with 72" skids.

In building these two landplanes I used good quality grader blades 6"x5/8" double edge with 5/8"plow bolts for mountings. Good blades are half the cost of the implement. The frame needs to be heavy enough to prevent any twisting and flexing, my 8' landplane uses 4"boxtubing with a .250 wall thickness.

I agree with Brian that weight is your friend but would add that this weight should be utilized to make the implement stronger without flexing at the same time.

Materials for a good landplane cost roughly $100/ft of width plus labor and consumables (welding supplies, beer and pizza for the helpers). Unless your helpers consume to much you wind up with a much heavier duty landplane for a few hundred less than a store bought model.

 

[crazyal]

From everything I've read the fixed blade grading scrapers require more work from the operator. I have a 6' Befco with adjustable blades and rippers. When starting off I'll use the rippers in the middle hole if the gravel is really packed hard to help break it up. If there's a pot hole I lower the rippers all the way down and really turn the gravel over. Once done I'll raise the rippers uo and put the blades flush with the skids (or even 1/4" lower) and then I'll start to drag the gravel back up the hills. Once everything is about where I want it I raise the blades to about 1/2" above the skids and do a final pass. Because the blades are adjustable I can just lower the 3pt all the way down and drive with no real input from me. With fixed blades (from what I've read here) require you to keep an eye on the GS and constantly make small adjustments to the height with the 3pt lever.

The only time I have a problem pulling my 6' GS is when I'm working some of the hills trying to pull gravel back up. After one or two trips up the gravel I'm driving on is stuff I've pulled up and traction becomes an issue. I think a 7' wouldn't be too much for your tractor but I didn't go with one because most of my drive is well under 12' wide. That's two passes wide for a 6' blade, one down and one back up. A 7' wouldn't save any time on my driveway. For land plane use it would be different.

 

[jenkinsph]

crazyal,
that is a good point about the adjustable blades taking more operator input, I know I personally have to adjust the pitch of the landplane all the time to get the right results. I might have to make some changes to mine to include hydraulic depth of cut since the third remote circuit is available for this purpose. It would certainly make finish work alot easier.

 

[coobie]

Thanks for your replies,I have a befco dealer near by and will give them a call today.I already have a 6ft. box blade,7 ft york rake and 7 ft back blade.I am trying to grade our 2 mile private road.I think the land plane would be good for what I am trying to do.coobie

 

[Gordon Gould]

With a road that long you will definately see the advatages of a landplane grading scraper. The road I maintain is only 1 mile. Building a grader was one of the best things I have done after previously using just a blade for 10 years. I still use the blade but no where near as much.

 

[djw250]

Yep, the little graders are great for gravel road maintenance. Before I built mine we were regularly ordering more gravel for the road, but we haven't added gravel once since I built it. Mine is fixed blade, but I have a hydraulic top link that makes adjustments pretty easy.

 

[coobie]

I ended up buying the befco 6ft land plane/grader today.I like the idea of the replaceable skid shoes and rippers.It,s weight is almost double verses the same 6ft. king cutter.I will pick it up in a few weeks since it is very busy at work.Thanks to all who replied.I guess I will be selling my slighty used 6ft box blade.coobie

 

[crazyal]

crazyal,
that is a good point about the adjustable blades taking more operator input, I know I personally have to adjust the pitch of the landplane all the time to get the right results. I might have to make some changes to mine to include hydraulic depth of cut since the third remote circuit is available for this purpose. It would certainly make finish work alot easier.

I have thought about making the adjustments done by simply cranking a handle (currently there's three bolts on each side you loosen to adjust the height on the Befco). I would think that a remote to adjust the height of the blades would be fantastic. You would almost never need to leave the seat.

 

[crazyal]

I ended up buying the befco 6ft land plane/grader today.I like the idea of the replaceable skid shoes and rippers.It,s weight is almost double verses the same 6ft. king cutter.I will pick it up in a few weeks since it is very busy at work.Thanks to all who replied.I guess I will be selling my slighty used 6ft box blade.coobie

My Befco came set up for a quick hitch so where the three links connect it's wider than if set up just for standard links. With the rippers down the force tries to lift the rear of the scraper. This tends to force the top link to the side when enough force is applied. So I used some 1/2" steel pipe to make spacers to fit on each side, maybe 1/2" think each. You could easily use washers to do the same thing.

I think you're going to like the Befco very much. It was heavier than the woods and Landpride. It's solidly built. While ripping a section of road I found (the hard way) a 6' piece of stainless ductwork that someone buried to use as a culvert. It was enough to stop me dead. While looking for damage (there was none) I noticed that Befco puts a flat piece of steel inside the square tube that has the slots cut in it for the rippers. When the rippers bite in and are push back they hit the flat steel. About the only thing I did was replaced the hair pins clips with lynch pins. I also added a second set of holes for the blade adjustment.

 

[lhansman]

There is a company called DoMor Equipment that makes a land plane that attaches via SSQA to the loader. They make a 3 point hitch version too but I have a Kubota L45 with the backhoe attached and have never used 3 point implements and it seems quicker to me to remove the front bucket and attach the land plane there. What do you guys think of this approach? I am concerned about stress on the loader arms vs. the quick convenience of SSQA vs removing my backhoe and connecting the 3 point hitch bars and the land plane.

 

[jenkinsph]

There is a company called DoMor Equipment that makes a land plane that attaches via SSQA to the loader. They make a 3 point hitch version too but I have a Kubota L45 with the backhoe attached and have never used 3 point implements and it seems quicker to me to remove the front bucket and attach the land plane there. What do you guys think of this approach? I am concerned about stress on the loader arms vs. the quick convenience of SSQA vs removing my backhoe and connecting the 3 point hitch bars and the land plane.

When I bought the 110tlb I left the backhoe on it for the first three years with the 3ph and boxblade sitting idle. Very busy at the time and not really doing much tractor work. After that I started trying out the stuff and removing the hoe and adding the topntilt hitch I had, I found that it would save me alot of time to have an additional tractor with more hp for the 3ph implements so I bought the 4520. Does a good job with the 8' landplane.

I don't think I would recommend using a front mounted landplane on a tlb if you can use one on the 3PH instead. Too much unnecessary strain on the fel to save the removal and install time of the hoe, not a good trade of effort imo.

 

[lhansman]

Thanks Steve.

That is what I thought. I think DoMor is trying to add grader capability to a skid steer for those that do not have a tractor with a 3 point hitch.

I have to maintain about 600 feet of gravel driveway and about 3 acres of gravel parking lots. Based on a number of posts I have read here, it seems the land plane / grader is the preferred tool over a box blade. With your experience, would you agree?

I am having the rear remotes added to the L45 in a few weeks when I finally get the Laurin cab installed. Would you recommend a hydraulic top link for the land plane or is that overkill?

Regards,

Lauren

 

[RDrancher]

I picked up a landplane grader last week and have done five gravel driveways with it so far (re-grade and add material). In fact, I did a driveway this morning and actually left the box blade at home. That's a first for me EVER. There's a learning curve to getting the blade-depth set right, and I've got a lot to learn, but so far I'm very impressed. Less than one turn on the top link makes a difference in how the grader behaves, so hydraulic top n tilt would really help.

 

[jenkinsph]

Lauren,

I strongly recommend the topntilt hitch for grading work whether you are using a rake, landplane/grader, or boxblade. Having just the top link is a good start but get the tilt if you can. I feather the top link when working the landplane all the time when finish grading.

 

[Deerherd]

Lauren,

I strongly recommend the topntilt hitch for grading work whether you are using a rake, landplane/grader, or boxblade. Having just the top link is a good start but get the tilt if you can. I feather the top link when working the landplane all the time when finish grading.

+1 on what Steve said

 

[lhansman]

Thanks guys. Being a newbie to this area can you give me any recommendations on a top and tilt kit supplier? I would rather not pay Kubota prices if I don't have to.

Regards,

Lauren