Land Pride grading scraper

[Jaylegger]

Next to the boxblade the Land-Pride blade looks like it's aluminum and that's exactly how I would expect a soft mild steel to behave not the hardened high carbon variety. The wear of the blade just doesn't seem quite right here but don't want to approach my dealer or Land-Pride half-cocked.

 

[jenkinsph]

I am no metalurgist but that does seem like lots of wear for five hours of use. Looking at the ripper tooth I would consider going over all the teeth with a hard surfacing rod such as Stellite.

 

[Jaylegger]

I am no metalurgist but that does seem like lots of wear for five hours of use. Looking at the ripper tooth I would consider going over all the teeth with a hard surfacing rod such as Stellite.

I visited the owner of a local metal/fabrication/repair shop and brought in a photo of the wear. He feels the blade likely is an example of steel not tempered or quenched correctly or not in spec for the intended application, or simply just more junk from China . He also advised he could run a hard surface bead along the edge to improve the wear quality. I'll contact Land-Pride first to see what they have to say.

 

[BlueChips]

...the wear witnessed so far appears abnormal and not what I'd expect for a quality blade...

I'm new to this forum, but not to farm equipment. Here are a couple of thoughts:

I own a Land Pride GS1572 Grading Scraper, and so far I'm very pleased with the way the blades are holding up. I've put roughly 30 to 35 hours on the scraper in a variety of very rocky soil and road conditions here in Maine, and the blades still look very good, with much less wear and tear than I expected. I've also used the scarifiers a fair amount, and they still look good.

Other factors besides metal composition can affect the longevity of the blades, such as the mass, shape, hardness, toughness, and texture of the rocks that they strike, how firmly embedded the rocks happen to be, how numerous the rocks are, the mass of the scraper, how fast the scraper is moving when the blades strike rocks, etc.

I'm quite conservative when it comes to operating speed. I always try to use my equipment at speeds that I consider safe, efficient, and easy on the equipment. It appears to me that when ground engaging equipment is operated at higher-than-optimum speeds, the cutting edges seem to accumulate more damage or wear relative to the amount of work done, due perhaps to increased linear momentum and greater collision energy with rocks or other obstacles.

I don't know the speeds at which you operate your scraper, and I could not venture a guess as to what your optimum grading speeds would be for highest safety, efficiency, or blade longevity, since I am not familiar with your specific operating conditions and equipment. However, you may want to research the topic carefully. Perhaps the manufacturer has some technical support people who could give you some suggestions regarding operating speeds or other factors.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Boy I hope they haven't gone the chinese route. I worked for a company that made precision heavy industrial equipment that relied on big US made castings. We were top of the line in quality and reliability for over 50 years. Then we tried to get the castings made in china. The product turned to crap. It was shameful watching customers getting burned because they believed in our past reputation. And it was embarrassing for me to go out in the field and work on the junk and face the enraged customers.

 

[davcog]

The Dr. Power Grader looks more like an implement for a garden tractor or ATV. If you've got a CUT I'd stick with the big boy implements like the Duragrader or similar like my Land Pride.
Dr works well for what it is. Two suggestions 1) Go with the 5ft wide model 2) Modify to get longer teeth on scraper.

 

[irvingj]

I've finally used the DR Power Grader!

After removing seven 4x8 trailerloads of brush (from our ice storm), I had the time to try it out yesterday. Had some issues with the "keyhole" hitch that drops over my trailer ball --found I couldn't back up very well-- I switched to the alternate pin-type attachment.

As my area is a bit cramped, I really needed to be able to back up reliably and accurately. The pin hitch solved this.

The driveway wasn't in terrible shape, but was beginning to get some ruts and several annoying high spots. The DR Power Grader handled it just fine, though I did use 4wd while going uphill on the steep part of the driveway.

It was able to dig down 2" or more without too much trouble, and the grading function worked quite well to level things out. It was also easily able to pop out the odd 5" stone. The remote height adjustment worked very well, if a bit slow... it was great to be able to "feather in" the grader at the beginning of a pass, then gradually raise it at the end; pretty slick; worked well. I also used my FEL in float as a back-dragger in a couple of spots; it and the DR grader worked well together.

Probably my GC2310 could have handled the Land Pride unit OK, but the DR grader seems to fit the bill for now. I only worked it for an hour or so --black flies are HORRIBLE this year!-- and will hit it some more later on. Right now, though, driveway looks a lot better!

 

[kubotal3130]

I am getting ready to pick up the GS1560 today. The guy that is selling the implement told me I have the option to add scarifyer to my 7' woods rake. I think this would be a much cheaper option although I really like the looks of the Landpride GS. What do you think? I would be using this implement for grading my driveway and leveling ground/loam.

 

[wijmcinwi]

Has anyone found an alternative source for the Shear Pin Bolts on the DR Power Grader ?

For a package of seven (7), they charge $ 19.95, plus $ 7.95 shipping, or a total of $ 27.90.

Is $ 4.00 per shear bolt a reasonable price, or is there an equivalent alternative source ?

Thank you.

 

[jenkinsph]

irvingj,
Looks good, glad that worked out for you.:thumbsup:

 

[irvingj]

Thanks, jenkinsph-- I did go ahead and remove the pin connector and replaced it with an 1-7/8" ball connector (most of my stuff is that size). That should hold it even better for backing up. I plan to try it out on a neighbor's driveway soon- that should give it a good workout, theirs is a lot worse than mine.

wijmcinwi- welcome to TBN! I haven't yet had to replace my shearpin, but I was surprised to notice it's already been bent a bit. Still have the two spares that came with it....

It doesn't yet have a lot of use, but I'll admit it looks as though that pin will break easily --and most likely often! I might try to replace it with a "standard" grade two shearpin bolt from a local supplier; I've used those on my snowblower with no apparent ill effects. They're a lot less expensive.

 

[Machold]

Interesting thread because I have mixed feelings about my LP LGrader, probably because I haven't yet mastered its proper use.

One thing that helps is having a hydraulic top link on my B3030. I don't use the scarifiers because my 500 yard-long lane way has gravel over larger stones below. The larger stones if lying on top are murder on tires.

I should think the grader with scarifiers would be excellent for new road grading. Not so much for maintenance of existing gravel road.

As someone here posted, an instructional video on the use of the grader would be a big help.

 

[TripleR]

Interesting thread because I have mixed feelings about my LP LGrader, probably because I haven't yet mastered its proper use.

One thing that helps is having a hydraulic top link on my B3030. I don't use the scarifiers because my 500 yard-long lane way has gravel over larger stones below. The larger stones if lying on top are murder on tires.

I should think the grader with scarifiers would be excellent for new road grading. Not so much for maintenance of existing gravel road.

As someone here posted, an instructional video on the use of the grader would be a big help.

How To Video Demos - Implements & Attachments

 

[jenkinsph]

Interesting thread because I have mixed feelings about my LP LGrader, probably because I haven't yet mastered its proper use.

One thing that helps is having a hydraulic top link on my B3030. I don't use the scarifiers because my 500 yard-long lane way has gravel over larger stones below. The larger stones if lying on top are murder on tires.

I should think the grader with scarifiers would be excellent for new road grading. Not so much for maintenance of existing gravel road.

As someone here posted, an instructional video on the use of the grader would be a big help.

When the scarifiers are not needed simply raise them up. I know the next grader I build will have hydraulic scarifiers similar to my boxblade. My landplane/grader has straight blades without scarifiers and seems to do a good job for me. I also find the hydraulic top link is invaluable for this work as you need to adjust the trim to different settings when changing directions. I also experimented with the blades at different settings and have found that I get best results with them set flush with the bottom of the skids. This enables you to remove a slight mound while still dropping the extra material in the depressions.

Seat time and a little experimenting is all it takes to learn to use these implements.

 

[rkeith]

I have one that looks very similar made by Dirt Dog.
Dirt Dog

I paid $760 for mine and it works great! I just used it on my driveway that's about 75 years old and it looks brand new... nice and smooth!!!

I have the 60" version and pulled it with a MF1529 and with the scarifiers at full depth it was easy.

 

[TO_Bud]

Coming late to this discussion but I couldn't resist. As others have done on the forum I built my own road grader copying the design of the LP and other heavier graders. Was able to come by some used County Plow truck blades that were 7 feet wide. I placed the two blades on an angle and ended up 6.5' wide. Front blade .75 inch below the side skids and the back blade even. I've got a 40hp tractor with a hydraulic top link. The grader weighs 800 lbs. and I groom our 1/4 mile road of crushed limestone.
The road becomes hard as concrete in some areas after 6 months of travel on it by 10 homes and all their vehicles. I don't have scarifiers on it but I thought the 800 lbs would be plenty and it is for all parts except the really hard packed areas. I have added an additional 500 lbs to the sled for a total of 1300 lbs. Long story short is I grade it over and over again for about 4 hours to thoroughly cut through all the potholes and fluff and mix the stone with the fines. I finish with my rear blade to recreate the crown and then roll it with a water filled roller. The surface is beautiful when I am done and all the neighbors love it. We used to pay a contractor on a full size road grader $1000 for the service (took him a few hours as well). The home made grader does as good a job as he did so I can vouch for their effectiveness. Lastly, I tried to do the road before with my box blade with scarifiers and it was totally ineffective.
Bud

 

[RDrancher]

Dragging this great discussion on grading / scrapers back up.

I've been looking at Befco, Dirt Dog and Land Pride. Dirt Dogs closest dealer is out of state, and the only dealer for Befco in the DFW area is REAL proud of their product line. Land Pride has several dealers close, including my local Kubota dealer that will price match any deal that I can find.

So...

I thought that I had finally made a decision to go with the Land Pride model, but I am concerned about the post concerning the blade and shank wear. The main bulk of my business entails new gravel driveways / parking areas and restoration. I'd sure hate to be replacing blades every couple of months. I've been using a Bush Hog box blade for several years now with very little wear showing on the blade.

While I'm at it...are the Land Pride skids replaceable?

 

[jenkinsph]

RDrancher,

I wouldn't worry about the steel quality too much on a name brand product. As far as the blades are concerned if you need to change them there are a multitiude of companies that have good blades that you could use. When I built my landplane/grader I bought two good 8' blades 5/8"x6"x96" double edged and after two years of use I can't see much wear.

 

[PaleFX]

Well I have been following this topic for a bit and I have to say that it seems obvious these drag type graders are the tool of choice for driveway maintenance!

Here is a link for what appears to be a heavy duty model... I'm intrigued by the rear gate idea on these that allows for more precise control of the spread of material!
Domor Equipment | Hydraulic Adjustable Grader

Anyone have any experience with this manufacturer?

 

[KML]

Dragging this great discussion on grading / scrapers back up.

I've been looking at Befco, Dirt Dog and Land Pride. Dirt Dogs closest dealer is out of state, and the only dealer for Befco in the DFW area is REAL proud of their product line. Land Pride has several dealers close, including my local Kubota dealer that will price match any deal that I can find.

So...

I thought that I had finally made a decision to go with the Land Pride model, but I am concerned about the post concerning the blade and shank wear. The main bulk of my business entails new gravel driveways / parking areas and restoration. I'd sure hate to be replacing blades every couple of months. I've been using a Bush Hog box blade for several years now with very little wear showing on the blade.

While I'm at it...are the Land Pride skids replaceable?

I know there was at least one report of wear problems but my LandPride GS has a few hundred hours on it, mostly doing gravel roads and the wear parts are holding up very well. Yes, the skids are replaceable.