Land Plane

[ironpen]

I have a land plane I have never used. The church I go to has some rather large gravel "overflow" parking lots that are becoming unlevel and have areas that need gravel redistributed back on to them. First question....is this a good tool for this? Next, can a fairly experienced tractor guy....but one who has never used one of these....not make a mess out of the lots. Any hints would be greatly appreciated. A friend gave me this thing several years ago, and I forgot I even had it. I really would appreciate some advice on how to use it properly. TIA

 

[texasjohn]

We need a photo to know for sure what equipment you have.
One kind of land plane has two slanted blades and no back end. The material rides up over the blades which cut the top off of the surface and holes are filled in.
If you have this, then it is exactly what is needed and unlikely you would make a mess of things. You can search TBN for "land plane" and see numerous threads and photos and discussion about how to use. EVERYTHINGATTACHMENTS.COM also has a video showing how to use it.

 

[Halftrack]

How about a photo of the land plane, width of the blade and which tractor you are going to use, to get us started on this discussion. We need to visualize this operation.

 

[ironpen]

It is 6 feet wide. It has two blades that are angled and about 5 inches tall. The back is open. I wish I had a picture but I don't. I plan on pulling it with my tc33d New Holland....but if that puts too much strain on it, I could use my New Holland TN75 (unless you guys think I should start with the TN75. The TN75 has a cab and I kind of wanted to be able to hear what was happening behind me). I did watch the video as you suggested (that looks very similar to mine) and that was helpful. Do I want to have this thing level or should I have the back blade slightly higher or lower than the front blade?? Also, what do you do when you get to the end of the area to keep from having a mound of gravel when you raise the blade? Anything to AVOID doing that might make a mess?? I hate to ask dumb questions, but I will anyway!!

 

[texasjohn]

Great tool, wish I had one. I'd do some experimentation in the center of the parking lot...my experience is that different weight attachments, different ground conditions, etc. give different results. Mistakes you might make in the center of the lot will be easier to fix than those at the very edge. You'll learn as you go. Is it a 3ph or does it have wheels? If 3ph, length of top link will make a big difference.....do you have a hydraulic top link? These are very handy with this kind of implement.

 

[hosspuller]

When you're using the land plane on gravel... When you get to the end of a pass, Make a sharp turn. Depending on the angle of your blades, it could be better left or right. This leaves the gravel in a long row parallel to the direction of travel. Back over the pile, drop the plane and continue your pass. When you get to the finish, slowly lift the plane and the gravel will feather out.

Before I got the plane, I spent more time fixing the divots and bumps from using the back blade than smoothing the road gravel.

 

[ironpen]

It is a 3 point hitch. I don't have a hydraulic top link on either tractor. Would you start with front and back blades approx. level with each other?? The idea about the quick turn at the end sounds very good. Do y'all think the 33 hp tractor is likely to pull this thing ok or should I start with the 75??

 

[Halftrack]

Stick with the TC 33D, as the 3 pt control is more sensitive and will give you better control of the plane. The plane is designed to operate in a level mode and the top link will not have great influence on its operation. Set the plane and tractor on a level piece of concrete and as you lift it off the concrete, it should lift evenly, not front or back first. As you approach the end of the lot, gradually lift the plane out of the gravel to lessen the buildup. Work the gravel towards the low spots first, then cover the entire lot to give an even appearance. It will be easier than you think. Before and after photos please.

 

[ironpen]

I hopefully can give a try tomorrow. No later than Thursday. I really appreciate all you guys helping me out. How do I attach pictures??

 

[ironpen]

I hopefully can give a try tomorrow. No later than Thursday. I really appreciate all you guys helping me out. How do I attach pictures??

 

[wcampbell47]

I have this attachment and use it often to maintain drives and parking lots. I find that a slight turn left or right and lifting the plane at the point I am going to drag next works very well. On my unit if I make the top link shorter that makes the front blade cut deeper. Making the top link longer raises the front blade and just lets the rear blade level everything out. I start with the plane level and get the material loosened up. The more you work the lot the better it will get. Cut down all the high spots and fill in the low spots. I typically extend the top link two or three turns when finalizing just to keep the front blade from digging in. Once you get used to it you will be amazed at how easy it is. The 33 hp might bog down a bit with a big load on a 6 footer. Put some weight in the FEL and run in 4wd.

 

[TO_Bud]

I tow my grader (land Plane) with a TC40D and at times if I fill the box too much with gravel I can slow the tractor to a stop. The wheels will still turn but I'm not going anywhere. I grade our gravel subdivision road and it's about 1/4 mile long. Your TC 33 will have less pulling traction then mine so you may have to feather the 3 pt up and down a bit to help clear the box if you get too much product. Another method is as stated above lengthen the toplink to lift the cutting blade so it is not as aggressive. If the parking lot is particularly hard packed the plane may have a tendency to just clatter around and not cut in. If that is the case then waiting for a good rain will help. When I get to the end of my road I just turn toward my next pass, stop and lift the plane, leaving a spoil pile, then I reposition and drive thru the pile and continue on my way. I don't worry about feathering each time and only do it at the very end. Be patient, the longer you work it the better it will turn out. These planes do a remarkable job smoothing gravel.

 

[ironpen]

Thanks. Going to get started in a bit.

 

[gwdixon]

To upload photos you have to click "Go Advanced" at the bottom of the quick reply text box. A new text box will appear.

Scroll down under the box to "Manage Attachments" and click on that box. A new window will appear.

On the right top of the new window click on "Add Files". Hopefully, you will have put the photos in an easy place to find on your computer. Find the photo file and click on it.

If you want multiple photos just hold down "Control" key on your keyboard while clicking the photos. Then then click "Open" at the bottom of the page.

If you need more help just ask.

 

[ironpen]

Well here is an attempt to add pix. This worked out very well and the lots looked great when I got through.

 

[gwdixon]

Mission accomplished. The lots do look well done.

A before photo might have made it even more remarkable.

 

[ironpen]

The two with the water tower are before. There were lots of ruts that didn't show up well. Lots of bare spots, too. The two middle ones are afterwards....same area, just a different angle. The angle on the after shots was really to show the difference in the bare spots and actually was taken further up the hill, right down the middle of those bare spots. It took me a little while to get the hang of what to do at the end of the rows, but with a little patience, I felt like a "pro" by the end of the day. To start with, I was leaving a mound of gravel at the end that I was going over to smooth out. But with a little practice on feathering and making the sharp turn as described above, I got the hang of it. We haven't had any rain in a while and the dust on me and the tractor was about an inch thick, but this was a fun and productive day.

 

[Halftrack]

Looks great. Hope you didn't have too much fun and disguised it well, so when people ask, you can say it was quite a chore. Now expect the requests for additional grading jobs.

 

[Kioti Tom]

Looks great. Hope you didn't have too much fun and disguised it well, so when people ask, you can say it was quite a chore. Now expect the requests for additional grading jobs.

Tell me about it. I did a co workers drive a couple of months ago and this morning I went to vote at the Union office and he saw me BSing with others and asked me to to more work for him. loved the job I did for him previously. Drive was done with a landplane. Now I have Boxblade and bucket work scheduled.
:thumbsup:

Tom

 

[ironpen]

Thanks for all the kind words,