Box Scraper Land Plane

   / Land Plane #1  

Tractorable

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Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
1,326
Location
Marshall, Va
Tractor
Tractorless, 2022 F350 Tremor, 24ft Diamond C HDT Equipment Trailer, 1980 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
Our gravel driveway is being taken over by grass. We also share a 1/3mi long gravel lane with two other neighbors that needs maintenance. I'm looking at purchasing a 5ft land plane from Everything Attachments. My question is, would my 1952 Ford 8N be able to pull the 5ft land plane? No 4wd or diff lock, air in the tires.

I'm currently saving up to replace the 8N with either a Kubota LXX01 or a Yanmar YT235 but the CFO hasn't approved the purchase yet. My neighbor has a new L2501 which I might be able to borrow if needed.

Also, we have a riding ring for horses that's also being taken over by grass. We presently don't have horses but would like to maintain the ring for use in the future. Would the land plane work on that too? Or would a landscape rake with gauge wheels be better?

Here are a couple pics of the driveway:

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   / Land Plane #2  
It will pull it. Similar to my TO20, it was made for pulling. First gear might be a little fast, so you may be working the clutch. Fluid in the tires would help for sure.

My suggestion would be definitely get scarifiers with the land plane. Maybe glycophosphate the drive first?

At some point a new stone layer will help too.

Hey if it doesn't work well with the Ford...you just have to get a new tractor! Good luck.
 
   / Land Plane #3  
Get the biggest one you can afford, a land plane pulls very easy, as long as you do not over-fill it.

If I were you, I would get a 7 foot LP...
 
   / Land Plane #4  
I'm not trying to be contrary but....I like the grass in your gravel driveway. I think it looks nice and, for sure, it adds a level of structural integrity to the driveway surface.

I have a Land Pride 84" (Land plane grading scraper) - GS2584. They are a VERY EASY implement to pull. Your 8N will have no problem pulling a five foot LPGS.

Small facts - the LPGS DOES NOT move material horizontally. So - - it will neither build or tear down the crown in a driveway. I will smooth a driveway out very nicely but WILL NOT move material from here to there. You will need a box blade to do that.

The LPGS will not remove grass well from your horse arena or driveway. A LPGS does not work well with sod. It lumps, bumps and sort of jumps over sod and accompanying grassy areas.

As Tompet has suggested - first, kill the grass. Second - a LPGS will handle sod much better if it has scarifiers that can first tear out the sod. Its still going to have difficulties dealing with the clumps of sod. Some form of rake will best remove the sod and leave the gravel.
 
   / Land Plane #5  
My LPGS cuts sod pretty good. It is 5'wide and 650 lbs. So that is 130 lbs per foot of width which is the important number. 150 or more per foot is even better. I have no scarifiers.

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gg
 
   / Land Plane #6  
There is no question - a heavier LPGS will do better and even cut sod as G Gould indicates. My 84" unit weighs - 796# or around 112 pounds per foot.

There is no question - when dealing with land engagement implements - weight is your friend.
 
   / Land Plane #7  
I have found that making a point to drive on the whole width of the driveway is the most effective way to kill grass and reduce the center ruts and associated washouts and potholes. Grass in the drive makes it very tedious to grade and the result is often bumpy, though after a frw weeks the sod will break down and eventually it can be graded reasonably well with a blade type tool (scraper, box, etc.). A york rake is good with a soddy driveway, but it tends to pull the coarser gravel to the top where it gts flung out of the driveif it is used too agressively. The most important thing is to keep a crown on the road, and that needs a box or scraper.
 
   / Land Plane #8  
My neighbor just purchased a B2310 Kubota along with a number of attachments, including a 48 inch land pride grading scraper. It doesn't weigh very much but was surprising good at removing the grass in the middle of my driveway. He also was able to smooth and clean up the driveway into his property that had not seen a lick of maintenance in about 20 years. It was a lot easier to use than a traditional scraper blade with a much shorter learning curve, I'd say just about perfect for a novice tractor owner.
 
   / Land Plane #9  
My 2501 pulls Kubota's heaviest 5 ft plane just fine and without 4x4 on the flat parts of our 2500 ft drive, on the hilly sections and being very steep, I lock it in. I for one, like the center drive grass down the middle so I plane one side, then the other. WE all make choices we like, I like grass but my friend rips his up from time to time..I can manage the middle by going right down the center with top link pushed out, this lifts both blades high enough not to dig the grass strip to bad and in a few days all looks great. Your 8N is not very heavy unless loading the tires and even then they can spin easily if to much bit with an implement, I know my Dad's used to do just that using a back blade on his drive unless taking small cuts. We have both box blade and land plane, both come with scarifiers but have never needed them on the driveway, just level the gravel fills in the holes and removes washboard on the hilly section. If your drive is dirt only, scarifiers can be a good thing, but here where it rains lots I don't care to exchange my gravel for the dirt underneath as things get slippery on the hilly parts for 2 wheel drive vehicles. Getting a new tractor with 4x4 will rock your world big time over the 8N...

Ricn
 
 
 
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