LPGS sizing

[UncleBuck1]

After talking about it for a couple of years I'm finally buying a LPGS to maintain my gravel roads and need some quick advice on what width. I have a 70hp tractor that is just a hair under 7' wide (80" to be exact). The price difference between a 7' and 8' unit isn't that much, but I'm not sure if I need to match the implement to my track width or is there an advantage to having a bit of overhang on each side?

 

[oosik]

I have a Land Pride GS2584. Its, obviously, 84" wide. You will find that a grading scraper does not move near as much material as, say, a box blade. However, it does a wonderful job of leveling, smoothing & filling pot holes. I drop the scarifiers and "rough up" the pot holes real good at first so the new, brought in material will bond and not just sit on top.

If you already have adequate crown/slope on your driveway - going up one side and back on the other side will not remove this feature. Its somewhat difficult to create crown with a grading scraper because they really don't move much material from side to side. I "scuff up" the few bad spots on my driveway with the scarifiers and then move material to create a crown with my rear blade.

The rear tires on my tractor are exactly 80" - outside to outside. For 25 years I tried to maintain my mile long gravel driveway with just my rear blade - what a joke. The LPGS is a real Godsend and is very easy to use.

The overhang on the 7' unit should satisfy all those who are in the "wider than rear track" group. Personally, I've never found that it makes that much difference.

I guess you could say that the 8' unit will allow you to grade clear to the edge without getting the tractor right on the edge also. If you have some significant drop offs or need to stay away from the edge, then the 8' unit might be the way to go.

 

[UncleBuck1]

If you already have adequate crown/slope on your driveway - going up one side and back on the other side will not remove this feature.

Thanks for the information. Although my original question was about sizing, your comment about road crown caught my attention - my road is already crowned, so will I just drop the LPGS and drag, or do I need to tilt it to maintain the crown?

 

[Gordon Gould]

My tractor is smaller than your but things should be relative. The tractor tire spacing is 59" outside. My LPGS is 60" wide inside (blade width). It works like a charm. I don't ever wish it was wider. It does a good job. Actually my tractor could not handle a wider unit well.





gg

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

I'm in a different boat. Mine is only 36" wide with a 60" tractor as my wife likes the grass strip down the middle of the lane so I only do the tire tracks, not the whole thing. Either way with a 7' or 8', you'll still have to do a minimum of 2 passes to get full width on most lanes. If it were me, since the 7' will cover your tracks, I'd go that route and keep the extra few hundred bucks in your pocket.

My biggest advice is to buy the heaviest one you can find. The weight is your friend for keeping it planted and working properly. I'm well past 800 lbs for my 36" and wouldn't want it any lighter.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I have a 75hp, 12,000lb tractor, I use a 7' 1400lb LPGS. A perfect match for my applications. If I had to purchase a new LPGS today, I would most likely get one of these in the industrial series with NO HYDRAULICS.

The majority of my roads take 3-4 passes and would be the same if I had an 8' unit. So an 8' unit would serve me no purpose and just work the tractor that much harder.

Good luck with your decision

 

[oosik]

Thanks for the information. Although my original question was about sizing, your comment about road crown caught my attention - my road is already crowned, so will I just drop the LPGS and drag, or do I need to tilt it to maintain the crown?

I would go with the 7' unit. If you find the unit you have purchased needs to be heavier - make a temporary form and pour a concrete block with a lifting handle in the center. I have a 400 pound block that I always add to my disk harrow.

If you go up one side and back the other it will not remove the crown in the road. If you continually go up and back on the center it could eventually flatten the crown.

 

[andy1981]

I have a 7' cammond industrial that weighs 935 lb that I pull with a deere 4720 and if I get it full it will all most run out of traction in four wheel drive . I have loaded tires and the loader on I would assume I weigh around 6500lb. If your tractor is considerably bigger You might want to go with an 8'.

 

[TSO]

I also have a 2584. My tractor is 72" wide. When the gravel is wet, you will need speed for the job to avoid clumping. When wet, the 2584 works my machine harder than my 84" BoxBlade. When dry, I could easily handle a 96" scraper.

I like to run mine in medium range (speed) to mix everything up and fill in holes... Then High range to really smooth out the finish.

For mine, I certainly wouldn't go any narrower than 84".

 

[Gordon Gould]

Thanks for the information. Although my original question was about sizing, your comment about road crown caught my attention - my road is already crowned, so will I just drop the LPGS and drag, or do I need to tilt it to maintain the crown?

If your road is crowned and you run your LPGS along the edge of the road and on one side of the crown in general you will not lose your crown. If you run the LPGS centered on the crown down the center of the road you will start to flatten the crown.