Sandy, I've never used a land plane before so it was educational to see it in use. Someone below pointed out that it's a 'finishing tool.' I would be prone to use the box blade to repair those deep ruts and knock down the shoulders, then finish it with the land plane. I don't recall a float position on a 3-point hitch, maybe it's there and I've never used it? The excavator has a float position on the blade, and that makes it handy for light grading and leveling a job after refilling a dig. One thing about it, if 20 people comment, you're going to get twenty different... "THIS is how you do it's." Take what I say with a grain of sand - or clay - try it out and decide what works best for your application.
To my knowledge the three point hitch is always in “float” mode. You don’t set the level at which it digs. You set the maximum it can drop or go down into the soil. For example if you set it to “5” it will not drop or dog below “5”. It will however bounce or lift up above “5” if roots or rocks or other obstacles are encountered. The “float function” is a front end loader function typically. Hope I made sense lol. Terry
Great job Sandy! Your building up a nice arsenal of tractor implements, the land plane is a nice addition and looks like your gonna really use it and love it! ✌🏼❤️🙏🏼
The land plane did a very nice job. I have never seen one of these in person either but I have watched videos with people using them and have wanted one for a while now I think this is going to be a very useful tool that makes your life easier. Great video Sandy
With the scarifiers down, if you get some momentum going and catch a root, you'll rip the tooth off or bend one. I've done both. The replacement cost isn't bad though
Another great video, and I'm really liking your channel! Gotta love the land plane. I don't have one yet, I just use my box. The land plane is nice for complete finish work like this, though. Also, if you need to do a crown or just a grade down towrd one side, just use your lift rod adjustment to tilt it one way or the other. Keep up the great work!
For a gravel drive, you want to scarify and loosen when damp (not wet-just packs up), and then put your final grade when dry. When dry the big rock stays on the top...rain comes, washes the fines off the big rock and you're GTG.
These short land planes do a good job leveling side-to-side, scraping off high spots and filling pot holes, but not so great if you have undulating trails. The longer the better if you have whoop-de-doos. I didn't appreciate how bad some spots were until I was hauling in big round bales and my tractor bucked over spots like a saddle bronc. This is yet another way to break a tractor. If you think about the huge road graders, they might only have 1 blade, but it's all about that long front to back axis. I've been able to help some of the worst spots with a box scraper, but it's super slow and tedious when you need to constantly change the height of the box blade to compensate for the tractor rolling up and down on the long axis while going over knolls and dips. I'm sure I looked like a total nut job when I got out of the tractor seat to eyeball a spot I was trying to fix and started swearing at the trail. 😆 The dirt was so workable by then that the best fix was back dragging with the bucket on the front end loader. I have a derelict 22' flat bed trailer to repurpose. Rather than update the axles with wheels they still make tires for, it has a long beefy frame I think would be perfect to attach scraper blades and weld 3 point hardware on the front taken from a busted brush hog they no longer have gear box parts for. (Hmm, I might actually be able to weld together the brush hog's swinging blades to make a scraper blade?) I'll need to figure out some kind of trailing wheels that can be adjusted up and down since only the front end could be lifted with the 3 point hitch, but I think the long axis of the 22' trailer is what I need to stop cussing at dirt.
I have only every used a box blade for leveling our roads and trails because like you,I have never seen a land plane before. I am curious how well this would work for leveling gravel,so if you ever try it please let us know.
Love my landplane. Can’t get by without it. Mine doesn’t have the scarifiers tho. Did not know that was an option. I always learn something from your videos.
When you first show that you boughs a land plane i was sure you were going to like it Now you really will have to put speed limit signs up to slow you down ha ha ha have a great day
Did you notice there was a bunch of movement of the blades when your front tires would drop in a rut or low spot? Making the back end lift? Was that an issue at all?
Awesome new tool! I have done quite a bit of dirt work in construction over the years and wanted to mention a couple of things. The land plane is a finishing tool. It worked well in your application, but again, it is primarily a finishing tool. As for your box blade. You shouldn't be having to constantly work the up and down controls. On your height control, there should be a "float" position. Typically you should be able to push the control lever all the way forward (full down position) and there should be a detent to hold the lever . This allows the attachment to do just what it says, float. This will allow the blade to do what you want it to, deposit the spoils in the low spots. It took me several years before I learned this from an old timer. For cutting crowns, do the same thing as your plane. Put the blade in float then adjust your side to side tilt lever to run your crown as steep or shallow as you want. Hope some of this helps.
Nice vid. Like the land plane. I would recommend where ever you had some deep ruts to maybe pack it down a few time with the tractor add a bit more fill and pack it down again. This will help keep the material in the ruts.
His 3 pt control lever doesn’t have a detent. If he lowers it all the way, then it will float up and down. His box blade problem would be much easily solved with a hydraulic top link. Tilting a box blade will greatly determine how it performs. Tilt it forward to move dirt, and back to smooth it. There’s too many people who really don’t know how to decently use a box blade,…and then they end up being dissatisfied with it and spending more money than they should.
Really love this video Sandy. This is exactly the application I need in both a tractor and a land leveler. What level HP tractor would you think is the minimum needed to pull that land plane and still get the same results that you did?
For a little reference We do not have a land plain. We have a Kubota B2650. 26 HP. We pull a 60”. Box blade with no problem even when the box is full and our soil is mostly Carolina red clay. I would think this land pain would be far easier to pull. One note we had our box blade built with only 4 digging blades. It lessons the stress on the tractor compared to having five blades which is possible on a 60” box. Hope this helps. Terry
@sawingwithsandy I'm trying to make a 350 X 50 ' landing strip, it looks like land plane is better than box blade. I might buy one and rent the tractor. No one is renting land planes
Sandy, as a land owner of a forest property I can appreciate your trail grading. We have occasional tree thinning, where the logging equipment ruts many of our trails. They grade them before departing, but I have learned that if there is a ridge on the down hill side of a trail the water will follow the trail and dig impressive washouts. Making sure that every dozen feet there is a place for the water to leave a trail, especially on a slope is essential to my maintenance efforts. I have gotten into the habit of digging water bars to direct water off of the trails in wash prone areas. It is a lot more enjoyable to maintain the trails with the right tools. I think the land plane will work well on your land. I enjoy your sawmilling, had am looking to get one for personal building projects.
I move dirt for a living, been doing it for nearly 40 years. Your roads need to be built up. I’ve used just black dirt when that’s all that available. Built up and shaped and given time to cure, it will hold up to light traffic even during the rainy season. No I don’t mean log trucks going in and out. Good job, I love my land plane, top and tilt kit really helps.
awesome job. Before you started I thought that you would not be doing so well because of roots but am pleasantly surprised with your results. Great job. Man, if I keep watching your videos, I'm going to go broke ;)
It actually takes less to bend some of those scarifiers than a person might expect. I've bent a couple on my box blade (on two separate occasions) by unknowingly catching roots/buried objects that were large enough to bring my 5,000lb-ish tractor to a complete & sudden stop. Thankfully I wasn't going all that fast, but it was still a bit of a surprise when it happened - am also glad the shanks bent rather than the damage occurring elsewhere. The shanks are still (mostly) usable, but to get them out of the way when they aren't needed I just flip them over so they are sticking out the top as they bent enough that they won't to slide through the mounting slots to the bottom hole on the shank.
It’s not Rocket Science. You need to open relief trenches towards the low side to allow the rain water to drain off the trail. The land plain will smooth it out but you’re still left with a big channel for the water to collect.
Thanks again Sandy for taking us along on your adventures, always good to see new attachments. Hydraulic top link is a great add on for your tractor, you already have rear hydraulic hookups so easy add on. I know with my box blade I can easily adjust how much material is staying and how much is flowing under to fill. Princess Auto has a hydraulic top link for a decent price and once you try one you will wonder why it took you so long to install it. Have a great day and enjoy the smooth trails with the golf carts.
With the sides being higher than the surface it's just holding water in the trail just making your issues worse. Definitely need to work on getting your trail higher on the edges so water runs off like it's supposed and doesn't just hold it on the trail because you just have a 6'wide ditch and not a trail.
wet soil and mud are not your friend when grading . Also if you have a grader blade you could put some side ditch’s in on both side to get the water off your road, thats going to require some clearing your trails out wider. If you adjust your three point so you ca put a slight slope to let the water run off
This is a great point. With each pass, the land plane is not taking much dirt but it is taking some so it is making the road lower than the sides. That will make the road catch more water and turn it in to a river causing bigger problems. Learned that the hard way. LOL So be sure to look at where the water is coming from and where it is going and help the drainage out in those areas so it gets across the road and doesn't stay on the road or drain down the road. I love a land plane though. Keep playing around with it and you will get it figured out. When to raise the front to be less aggressive, when to lower the front and put the tines down for really aggressive work. Buit, I tend to keep the front up. I'm using ours after spreading roadbase or topsoil out then smooth it out and finish it with the land plane. Also, you will want to pack that dirt in after planing it while it is dry.
Very nice job there Sandy !!!!! The more u use it the better it will be !!!!!! Myself I try to alternate directions to even the ground !!!!! Great investment !!!!!!
This is a big improvement over a box blade as the dirt most of the time escapes out the back. Unfortunately for me with my rock filled property I would bend this up pretty good.
I don't think the adjustments of the blades will allow a different height from side to side. It will only adjust how far below the skids the blades will sit. If I'm wrong, let me know.
A Land plane is fine for doing basic road smoothing. But that's about the only thing they can do. A box blade takes more skill to operate but you can do a whole lot more with it That's why they use box blades on construction sites. You can use a box blade very easily for doing road. Once you get the angle set on the box blade just leave it on float as you drive, you don't have to watch it that closely. And if your tractor has draft control you could use that to automatically set the amount of material that ends up in the box. When you get close to the end of your run just start feathering out what's in the box. Just like you should with the land plane. Never leave a pile or hump unless you're going to turn around and drag it back the other direction.
Awesome video. I know a fella whos driveway is about as long and as narrow as this one and he could use this tool for sure. Is there a minimum size tracor you need for an attachment like that?
Nice tool to have. With the scrapers angled the way they are, try going in different directions to let the excess dirt to flow the other way and fill in the ruts. Just a thought.
Sandy, you have the best "toys." I appreciate the explanation of how this plane works. It's nice to see how luscious and green your property is. I thought you'd still be thawing from all that snow. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for coming along for this one. Sure is green around here now that we've got a touch of rain. Bugs are starting to go away as well. Now if only the forest fires would go away we'd be in business!
Material tends to pile up on the outside edge of the roadway. You should pull all that stuff from the side into the roadway. Once you make your crown, all that water will run off the sides instead of staying on the road.
I'm in the market and debating a 60" vs. 72" I have a kioti 3520se. I'm thinking I want the 60 but my closest dealers only stock the 72" Look like it sticks outside your tires maybe 6" on each side. Forgot your tractir HP. Your thoughts?
I like having the ability to rake a little off the edge of where I drive which the 7’ allows. I also like that when the 7’ is angled it can still cover the width of my tire tracks going down the trail
Great Vid as usual Sandy, I think, as mentioned below, you should ensure the trails are drained as well as possible. A run off every so many feet would really benefit the how well the trail holds up. Maybe a good little project for the Mini Ex?? Cheers from Australia
I've seen those in use. I enjoy watching you learn to use yours. As for getting outside and getting fresh air? 111F, 43C, says nope. I still am outside most of the time, but that ain't fresh air no more, lol. Good vid. Thanks.
It looks nice but you didn't fix the problem. The high side are the issue not the center. Go wider knocking down the sides, build up the middle. The water will flow off the road. When pulling down the road the side of the land plane with the blades in the lead will move the dirt to the center. You need a crown to get rid of the water issues. Also a layer of gravel is badly needed! Try to be helpful not trying to criticize hopefully you take this that way!
Thanks for coming along for the video. Unfortunately time , cost and overall trail length prevents me from creating dedicated roads so I’ve found the more practical approach for me is using the land plane from time to time to smooth things out
Stay to the right side of your trail and it will pull the dirt from the right side to the left. Then turn around and grade it the opposite direction and your low spots will fill in quicker.
How about when you get a large amount of material, you raise the plane, back up and the use the bucket to move the material where you want it. Just a thought. It works great Sandy and I’m sure we will see it in action again and again. Stay safe. 😮😮😮😅😊😊😊😊
They do a great job, but over time you will need to bring in truckloads of limestone to shed water and keep the mud down. i know it's costly but a little over time will make your life easier. Good luck.
Those sure are nice to have I bet! I’ve always wanted one to be honest but was worried about adjusting it by having to go back and forth into the cab for the control lever when trying to hook up implements
Still working on my trails. Usi g a lot of slabs and smaller logs as filler kind of building Corderoi road I guess, topping it off qoth wood chips. Looking for the best option for something to "groom" the trails. Looks like this might be an option.
Sandy, my landplane was a game changer for me. I have found it works best when soils are dry. But if you run it when its wet just wait a couple hours after that first or second pass. It will dry out and you can go to town. That will let the dirt flow better over the top of the scraper blades. I also use mine in revers almost as much as I do forward. You can now use a back blade to dig the side trench for water flow.
Boy if they could invent something like the land planer to be used at the gym to take down some of those bumps, lumps and humps. Impressive devise and Tractor attachment.
That Land Plane is perfect for your trails. Great purchase! Envious of all your projects. I think once you have everything you can possibly build and purchase, then your Red Pine forest will be large enough for you to start cutting it for sale and replanting. It will eventually need to happen and it might as well be you that does it. I'm looking forward to seeing that day too. Keep up with the great videos of all your many projects. Very informative and entertaining.
Suggestion that spots on the trail especially ones that have bit angel grade need water bars installed basically deliberately made raised ridges at an angel to diverting water off the trail eliminate rutting and standing water on trail
I have use one those before, i found it better to go back and forth to work the sand across the ruts and try to work right edge in to widen your trails and give water some where to go.
Its all about the material flowing smoothly. Rake it first if you have sticks, roots, and big rock. You can scarify and break it up when DAMP, but it just makes a big mess when wet and material doesnt flow. The downside of a big machine and little road is that it is tough to crown. Crowning is best achieved by lowering the left shoe since the material can flow under and over the blade. When the terrain slopes one way or another, just plane the drive to the downhill side and forget the crown. Which means picking it up when you are going the wrong way. Crowns are for flat terrain.
Another thing I have noticed is if you HAVE only one day, keep making passes and the soil/gravel will dry out due to being exposed to air and (maybe!!!) friction. The more passes you make the drier it gets and better it flows.
Nice piece of gear. Interesting that the two blades angle at the same direction. I would have thought having one angled one way, and the other the opposite would be the way to go. Would distribute the material to one side, then back to the other. But I guess if you do runs in both directions, it accomplishes the same. I have enough scrap around the shop to build one. But it'll need to be made to drag behind my truck. I've got a huge 9' length of 8"x10"x5/8" thick angle iron that might do the trick on it's own. Rake, scraper and shovel is getting a bit much by myself on a 1/4km+ gravel drive on a pretty steep hill...... LOL! Instead of hooking up to the single trailer hitch at one point, I'm gonna eye-ball having a 1" steel round pin run through the back tube of the hitch frame and mount some pivot arms on that. Would keep it level and prevent wagging on the hitch ball.
If you want it to level really well unhook your top link on your 3-point and then when your tires on your tractor go up and down it won't pull the plane up and down, it will get rid of any bucking
Didn't even know there is such a beast. I think it works great. I just dragged a weighted articulating blade behind my tractor. Does the same job but your land plane is probably 3 times slower. When you're done levelling....maybe add a bunch of 3/4 minus and spread it out. Best to do that late spring. I only have 1.2km of driveway to do.
Sweet! Just purchased a new L3902. I have mostly dirt and some gravel that needs attention. I could only afford one implement at this time besides the front loader. My dealer highly recommended the Land Plane even for dirt, which I hesitantly bought. They're delivering the equipment this week and I almost had myself convinced to change to the box scraper until i saw this video. I think my dealer was correct. That thing seems to do fine in dirt, and i won't have to spend extra bucks and store 2 implements. Thanks for putting this out there and great camera angles by the way!!
I’ve had a 7’ Dura grader for years to maintain my road, it’s a 1/4 mile. It does a fantastic job for me, it takes the gravel and sifts it out the back and re-deposits on the road to give it a fresh look. It does not crown but scrapes flat and to me it is a nice clean look. I don’t know what they sell for now but years ago when I bought mine seems like $750.00 is what I paid, but well worth it. Very durable piece of equipment and I’m still satisfied with it. I know you will enjoy yours.
Another great video Sandy. Just last Thursday we brought in fresh dirt and used the box to level it. Took a bit. We have 50 acres of woods with 1/4 mile of road on a tributary River (Wapsipinicon)to the Mississippi in south Eastern Iowa. Been in family since the 30’s. We struggled with that road all this time. Mostly we tried to clear the canopy (very tough to do with old growth)to expose the road to sun for drying. We finally cleared 25’ on each side with a D7 bulldozer and laid 3” rock. All situations vary and the man conquers nature ( not a fan of its appearance now)look is like a high and tight haircut but you can easily transit road in winter and spring. Keep it as close to natural as you can.
Just not going to advise you on this.... I am not there, can't tell what is going on proper... your system might hold off the regrowth of weeds on your trails
i keep my driveway up with a land plane an d rarely us the scarifiers i find it clogs the cutting bars. also the higher you can keep the ground speed the better. nice job,
No expert here, but I remember seeing outers using a land plane, but the rear blade is at the opposite angle of the front blade. I assume this would work to distribute the soil, and not build up on one side. Curious of your thoughts on this
before I drank my coffee I read "Before You Buy a Tractor Land Plane" I think have tractors become so expensive Sandy is comparing the price of tractors to the price of airplanes? Then I drank my coffee and watched and learned what a Land Plane is. If Sandy gets over enthused with planing trails and disappear off into a maze of old forest trails he will leave a nice trail to follow.
I thought the ground was going to be too wet for it to work well. But it did much better than I expected for the conditions. The trail looks like you will be having golf cart races soon. You will be hitting top speed on the straight away!! Thanks for the video
I used a pallet under the blade portion to adjust the blades to be less aggressive with the 3 point hitch raise or lower so you dont have to lift the heavy blades, I only use the scarafiers on old gravel overgrown hardpack places cause they seem to plug up with debris easy. Most of the time i insert them upside down so they are out of the way but still there if needed.
I never took the time to read all of the comments but I leave my land plane blades adjusted evenly. I adjust the 3 point hitch to be lower on usually the right side if I am aiming to crown a road or trail. Thanks for the videos
Sandy, I've never used a land plane before so it was educational to see it in use. Someone below pointed out that it's a 'finishing tool.' I would be prone to use the box blade to repair those deep ruts and knock down the shoulders, then finish it with the land plane. I don't recall a float position on a 3-point hitch, maybe it's there and I've never used it? The excavator has a float position on the blade, and that makes it handy for light grading and leveling a job after refilling a dig. One thing about it, if 20 people comment, you're going to get twenty different... "THIS is how you do it's." Take what I say with a grain of sand - or clay - try it out and decide what works best for your application.
Could the "Float" position mentioned be the "draft" control that is usually part of a 3 point linkage system?
To my knowledge the three point hitch is always in “float” mode. You don’t set the level at which it digs. You set the maximum it can drop or go down into the soil. For example if you set it to “5” it will not drop or dog below “5”. It will however bounce or lift up above “5” if roots or rocks or other obstacles are encountered. The “float function” is a front end loader function typically. Hope I made sense lol.
Terry
Great job Sandy! Your building up a nice arsenal of tractor implements, the land plane is a nice addition and looks like your gonna really use it and love it! ✌🏼❤️🙏🏼
Will get a lot of use for sure!
The land plane did a very nice job. I have never seen one of these in person either but I have watched videos with people using them and have wanted one for a while now I think this is going to be a very useful tool that makes your life easier. Great video Sandy
Thanks Jeff. I'm very happy with what it can do so far
With the scarifiers down, if you get some momentum going and catch a root, you'll rip the tooth off or bend one. I've done both. The replacement cost isn't bad though
Yeah can definitely do a bit of damage on a scarifier. I bent one on my box blade before
Another great video, and I'm really liking your channel! Gotta love the land plane. I don't have one yet, I just use my box. The land plane is nice for complete finish work like this, though. Also, if you need to do a crown or just a grade down towrd one side, just use your lift rod adjustment to tilt it one way or the other. Keep up the great work!
Great Job Sandy, on getting the Land Plane and using-it to grade ur back roads.. Ur roads will be better come snow season..
For a gravel drive, you want to scarify and loosen when damp (not wet-just packs up), and then put your final grade when dry. When dry the big rock stays on the top...rain comes, washes the fines off the big rock and you're GTG.
That does do a good job.
Thanks Gene
These short land planes do a good job leveling side-to-side, scraping off high spots and filling pot holes, but not so great if you have undulating trails. The longer the better if you have whoop-de-doos. I didn't appreciate how bad some spots were until I was hauling in big round bales and my tractor bucked over spots like a saddle bronc. This is yet another way to break a tractor. If you think about the huge road graders, they might only have 1 blade, but it's all about that long front to back axis. I've been able to help some of the worst spots with a box scraper, but it's super slow and tedious when you need to constantly change the height of the box blade to compensate for the tractor rolling up and down on the long axis while going over knolls and dips. I'm sure I looked like a total nut job when I got out of the tractor seat to eyeball a spot I was trying to fix and started swearing at the trail. 😆 The dirt was so workable by then that the best fix was back dragging with the bucket on the front end loader.
I have a derelict 22' flat bed trailer to repurpose. Rather than update the axles with wheels they still make tires for, it has a long beefy frame I think would be perfect to attach scraper blades and weld 3 point hardware on the front taken from a busted brush hog they no longer have gear box parts for. (Hmm, I might actually be able to weld together the brush hog's swinging blades to make a scraper blade?) I'll need to figure out some kind of trailing wheels that can be adjusted up and down since only the front end could be lifted with the 3 point hitch, but I think the long axis of the 22' trailer is what I need to stop cussing at dirt.
I can imagine with round bails on you want things as smooth as possible
Hi Sandy. Might want to try out your tractor draft control. Also you should be able to set the blades below the shoes to widen the trails.
Thanks for that. I"ll give it a go
Nice work! I wonder if a load or two of #2 crushed stone might help you get up off that clay a bit?
I think you’re right
I have only every used a box blade for leveling our roads and trails because like you,I have never seen a land plane before. I am curious how well this would work for leveling gravel,so if you ever try it please let us know.
Will do Wallace!
Love my landplane. Can’t get by without it. Mine doesn’t have the scarifiers tho. Did not know that was an option. I always learn something from your videos.
Great to hear that Howard!
Just make sure land is damp / wet when you want to cut without scarifiers, then finish dry so material will flow. Wet material won't flow correctly.
Hey Sandy should help a lot for snowblower . Very entertaining video. Thanks. Craig. Pa.
Glad you came along for the video Craig
Great review.
When you first show that you boughs a land plane i was sure you were going to like it
Now you really will have to put speed limit signs up to slow you down ha ha ha have a great day
hahah I"ll be flying around here before long with a nearly-paved trail
Did you notice there was a bunch of movement of the blades when your front tires would drop in a rut or low spot? Making the back end lift? Was that an issue at all?
The 3 pt should be in ”float” when dragging a box blade or plane like this.
Awesome new tool! I have done quite a bit of dirt work in construction over the years and wanted to mention a couple of things. The land plane is a finishing tool. It worked well in your application, but again, it is primarily a finishing tool. As for your box blade. You shouldn't be having to constantly work the up and down controls. On your height control, there should be a "float" position. Typically you should be able to push the control lever all the way forward (full down position) and there should be a detent to hold the lever . This allows the attachment to do just what it says, float. This will allow the blade to do what you want it to, deposit the spoils in the low spots. It took me several years before I learned this from an old timer. For cutting crowns, do the same thing as your plane. Put the blade in float then adjust your side to side tilt lever to run your crown as steep or shallow as you want. Hope some of this helps.
Thanks for the tips
@@sawingwithsandyl think planing in both directions ie. back and forth would be beneficial.
Nice vid. Like the land plane. I would recommend where ever you had some deep ruts to maybe pack it down a few time with the tractor add a bit more fill and pack it down again. This will help keep the material in the ruts.
His 3 pt control lever doesn’t have a detent. If he lowers it all the way, then it will float up and down. His box blade problem would be much easily solved with a hydraulic top link. Tilting a box blade will greatly determine how it performs. Tilt it forward to move dirt, and back to smooth it. There’s too many people who really don’t know how to decently use a box blade,…and then they end up being dissatisfied with it and spending more money than they should.
@@amandadavis9726agree , he would need a hydraulic top link to adjust pitch while in the tractor . Or an electric link I’ve seen people add.
Really love this video Sandy. This is exactly the application I need in both a tractor and a land leveler. What level HP tractor would you think is the minimum needed to pull that land plane and still get the same results that you did?
For a little reference We do not have a land plain. We have a Kubota B2650. 26 HP. We pull a 60”. Box blade with no problem even when the box is full and our soil is mostly Carolina red clay. I would think this land pain would be far easier to pull. One note we had our box blade built with only 4 digging blades. It lessons the stress on the tractor compared to having five blades which is possible on a 60” box. Hope this helps.
Terry
Yes. Thank you very much. @@ForestToFarm
Hydraulic top link. I don’t have one either… yet
It was nice to see a land plane being used to grade land. Typically you see it being used on gravel driveways.
These spots in the trail look like ur favered spots for chips
Yeah near the sawmill I put down a lot of chips. I think if I spread the chips in other spots as well would be good to keep the dust down
Nice video
Thank you!
hydraulic top link would be a awsome
That's for sure Carl
👍👍
Super highway now thanks for show
hahah. The golf carts will be flying now
Noise from pro doesn’t sound very good
Dirt zamboni
Hahah accurate
@sawingwithsandy I'm trying to make a 350 X 50 ' landing strip, it looks like land plane is better than box blade. I might buy one and rent the tractor. No one is renting land planes
Sandy, as a land owner of a forest property I can appreciate your trail grading. We have occasional tree thinning, where the logging equipment ruts many of our trails. They grade them before departing, but I have learned that if there is a ridge on the down hill side of a trail the water will follow the trail and dig impressive washouts. Making sure that every dozen feet there is a place for the water to leave a trail, especially on a slope is essential to my maintenance efforts. I have gotten into the habit of digging water bars to direct water off of the trails in wash prone areas. It is a lot more enjoyable to maintain the trails with the right tools. I think the land plane will work well on your land. I enjoy your sawmilling, had am looking to get one for personal building projects.
I move dirt for a living, been doing it for nearly 40 years. Your roads need to be built up. I’ve used just black dirt when that’s all that available. Built up and shaped and given time to cure, it will hold up to light traffic even during the rainy season. No I don’t mean log trucks going in and out. Good job, I love my land plane, top and tilt kit really helps.
awesome job. Before you started I thought that you would not be doing so well because of roots but am pleasantly surprised with your results. Great job. Man, if I keep watching your videos, I'm going to go broke ;)
It actually takes less to bend some of those scarifiers than a person might expect. I've bent a couple on my box blade (on two separate occasions) by unknowingly catching roots/buried objects that were large enough to bring my 5,000lb-ish tractor to a complete & sudden stop. Thankfully I wasn't going all that fast, but it was still a bit of a surprise when it happened - am also glad the shanks bent rather than the damage occurring elsewhere.
The shanks are still (mostly) usable, but to get them out of the way when they aren't needed I just flip them over so they are sticking out the top as they bent enough that they won't to slide through the mounting slots to the bottom hole on the shank.
I've bent one or two on my box blade as well when I got overly eager and try working the laneway before frost was fully out of the ground
Great explanation of how a land plane works and why it's better than a box blade.
Glad you liked the video
It’s not Rocket Science. You need to open relief trenches towards the low side to allow the rain water to drain off the trail. The land plain will smooth it out but you’re still left with a big channel for the water to collect.
Thanks again Sandy for taking us along on your adventures, always good to see new attachments. Hydraulic top link is a great add on for your tractor, you already have rear hydraulic hookups so easy add on. I know with my box blade I can easily adjust how much material is staying and how much is flowing under to fill. Princess Auto has a hydraulic top link for a decent price and once you try one you will wonder why it took you so long to install it. Have a great day and enjoy the smooth trails with the golf carts.
With the sides being higher than the surface it's just holding water in the trail just making your issues worse. Definitely need to work on getting your trail higher on the edges so water runs off like it's supposed and doesn't just hold it on the trail because you just have a 6'wide ditch and not a trail.
wet soil and mud are not your friend when grading . Also if you have a grader blade you could put some side ditch’s in on both side to get the water off your road, thats going to require some clearing your trails out wider. If you adjust your three point so you ca put a slight slope to let the water run off
This is a great point. With each pass, the land plane is not taking much dirt but it is taking some so it is making the road lower than the sides. That will make the road catch more water and turn it in to a river causing bigger problems. Learned that the hard way. LOL So be sure to look at where the water is coming from and where it is going and help the drainage out in those areas so it gets across the road and doesn't stay on the road or drain down the road. I love a land plane though. Keep playing around with it and you will get it figured out. When to raise the front to be less aggressive, when to lower the front and put the tines down for really aggressive work. Buit, I tend to keep the front up. I'm using ours after spreading roadbase or topsoil out then smooth it out and finish it with the land plane. Also, you will want to pack that dirt in after planing it while it is dry.
Very nice job there Sandy !!!!! The more u use it the better it will be !!!!!! Myself I try to alternate directions to even the ground !!!!! Great investment !!!!!!
This is a big improvement over a box blade as the dirt most of the time escapes out the back. Unfortunately for me with my rock filled property I would bend this up pretty good.
Can imagine it would do some scraping of the rocks
Those trails are looking really good Sandy, I think you'll be spending alot of time grading the trails just because it fun.
it is a great time making them nice and smooth. Great to have them get back into shape
Top link adjustment is the secret
I have one , with a gravel sloping driveway its a necessity
I don't think the adjustments of the blades will allow a different height from side to side. It will only adjust how far below the skids the blades will sit. If I'm wrong, let me know.
A Land plane is fine for doing basic road smoothing. But that's about the only thing they can do.
A box blade takes more skill to operate but you can do a whole lot more with it
That's why they use box blades on construction sites.
You can use a box blade very easily for doing road.
Once you get the angle set on the box blade just leave it on float as you drive, you don't have to watch it that closely.
And if your tractor has draft control you could use that to automatically set the amount of material that ends up in the box.
When you get close to the end of your run just start feathering out what's in the box.
Just like you should with the land plane.
Never leave a pile or hump unless you're going to turn around and drag it back the other direction.
Awesome video. I know a fella whos driveway is about as long and as narrow as this one and he could use this tool for sure. Is there a minimum size tracor you need for an attachment like that?
I just bought the Landpride version of the grading scraper you have
Nice tool to have. With the scrapers angled the way they are, try going in different directions to let the excess dirt to flow the other way and fill in the ruts. Just a thought.
That would do the trick!
Sandy, you have the best "toys." I appreciate the explanation of how this plane works. It's nice to see how luscious and green your property is. I thought you'd still be thawing from all that snow. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for coming along for this one. Sure is green around here now that we've got a touch of rain. Bugs are starting to go away as well. Now if only the forest fires would go away we'd be in business!
Great Horse trails
Great video. I like the close up action shots to see what the land plane is really doing.
Thanks, glad you liked that
Material tends to pile up on the outside edge of the roadway.
You should pull all that stuff from the side into the roadway.
Once you make your crown, all that water will run off the sides instead of staying on the road.
I'm in the market and debating a 60" vs. 72" I have a kioti 3520se. I'm thinking I want the 60 but my closest dealers only stock the 72" Look like it sticks outside your tires maybe 6" on each side. Forgot your tractir HP.
Your thoughts?
I like having the ability to rake a little off the edge of where I drive which the 7’ allows. I also like that when the 7’ is angled it can still cover the width of my tire tracks going down the trail
A trick to get the scarfires out of the way is to flip the so the teeth are sticking out the top
try a grader blade on the sides to remove the high edges and then work the landplane over the excess
This is a great tip. That is a planes weakness. Luckily blades are one of the cheapest implements!
Great Vid as usual Sandy, I think, as mentioned below, you should ensure the trails are drained as well as possible. A run off every so many feet would really benefit the how well the trail holds up. Maybe a good little project for the Mini Ex?? Cheers from Australia
Common, he is canadian. He wants a Zamboni trail maker. These are currently his only affordable choices.😊
hahah you're not wrong
I've seen those in use. I enjoy watching you learn to use yours. As for getting outside and getting fresh air? 111F, 43C, says nope. I still am outside most of the time, but that ain't fresh air no more, lol. Good vid. Thanks.
That sure is a warm one!
It looks nice but you didn't fix the problem. The high side are the issue not the center. Go wider knocking down the sides, build up the middle. The water will flow off the road. When pulling down the road the side of the land plane with the blades in the lead will move the dirt to the center. You need a crown to get rid of the water issues. Also a layer of gravel is badly needed! Try to be helpful not trying to criticize hopefully you take this that way!
Thanks for coming along for the video. Unfortunately time , cost and overall trail length prevents me from creating dedicated roads so I’ve found the more practical approach for me is using the land plane from time to time to smooth things out
👍👍👍💙💛❤Felicitari SANDY, pentru imbunatatirea traseelor. Acest utilaj ,chiar face o treaba foarte buna si-ti va fi de mare ajutor.💙💛❤👍👍👍🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
I always appreciate the words of encouragement Mircea
Stay to the right side of your trail and it will pull the dirt from the right side to the left. Then turn around and grade it the opposite direction and your low spots will fill in quicker.
Thank you!
How about when you get a large amount of material, you raise the plane, back up and the use the bucket to move the material where you want it. Just a thought. It works great Sandy and I’m sure we will see it in action again and again. Stay safe. 😮😮😮😅😊😊😊😊
That would do the trick! Sure plan on putting some miles on it. Think it will be a great addition here
I wish I had that kind of soil where I’m at in nova Scotia. I don’t think the plane would last 20 minutes.
Thanks for watching Laurie
They do a great job, but over time you will need to bring in truckloads of limestone to shed water and keep the mud down. i know it's costly but a little over time will make your life easier. Good luck.
Stone would be nice for sure
You might want to consider a hyraulic top link. My baby Deere has one and I really like it.
Those sure are nice to have I bet! I’ve always wanted one to be honest but was worried about adjusting it by having to go back and forth into the cab for the control lever when trying to hook up implements
Still working on my trails. Usi g a lot of slabs and smaller logs as filler kind of building Corderoi road I guess, topping it off qoth wood chips. Looking for the best option for something to "groom" the trails. Looks like this might be an option.
I find those slab roads/corduroy roads work real well. I"ve got a few here as well.
Sandy, my landplane was a game changer for me. I have found it works best when soils are dry. But if you run it when its wet just wait a couple hours after that first or second pass. It will dry out and you can go to town. That will let the dirt flow better over the top of the scraper blades. I also use mine in revers almost as much as I do forward. You can now use a back blade to dig the side trench for water flow.
Great to hear that it's working out for ya and good tip about the dry soil! Thanks for that
Boy if they could invent something like the land planer to be used at the gym to take down some of those bumps, lumps and humps. Impressive devise and Tractor attachment.
Thanks for coming along for the video and glad you enjoyed it
Thanks Sandy.
You will notice the Land Plane works best in dry conditions. The Dirt will flow over and not pile up.
Mike M.
Thanks for that Mike. I"ll be giving it a go again real soon with a bit dryer conditions
That Land Plane is perfect for your trails. Great purchase! Envious of all your projects. I think once you have everything you can possibly build and purchase, then your Red Pine forest will be large enough for you to start cutting it for sale and replanting. It will eventually need to happen and it might as well be you that does it. I'm looking forward to seeing that day too. Keep up with the great videos of all your many projects. Very informative and entertaining.
Thanks for all your support Robert!
Good day Sandy , I would like to say you have a beautiful property and trails to go with that cheers my friend 👌🏻🔥🇨🇦
Suggestion that spots on the trail especially ones that have bit angel grade need water bars installed basically deliberately made raised ridges at an angel to diverting water off the trail eliminate rutting and standing water on trail
Thanks for that one Roberto. I think you're right. I do get some wash out on some big hills that could use the water bars
The 3 point hitch on your tractor will allow you to build a crown on the road. With either attachment.
For sure. I like that part of it
I have use one those before, i found it better to go back and forth to work the sand across the ruts and try to work right edge in to widen your trails and give water some where to go.
Thanks for sharing that Dale. Will give its try
Looks good, Interesting tool.
Thanks Doyle
Its all about the material flowing smoothly. Rake it first if you have sticks, roots, and big rock. You can scarify and break it up when DAMP, but it just makes a big mess when wet and material doesnt flow. The downside of a big machine and little road is that it is tough to crown. Crowning is best achieved by lowering the left shoe since the material can flow under and over the blade. When the terrain slopes one way or another, just plane the drive to the downhill side and forget the crown. Which means picking it up when you are going the wrong way. Crowns are for flat terrain.
Another thing I have noticed is if you HAVE only one day, keep making passes and the soil/gravel will dry out due to being exposed to air and (maybe!!!) friction. The more passes you make the drier it gets and better it flows.
Nice piece of gear. Interesting that the two blades angle at the same direction. I would have thought having one angled one way, and the other the opposite would be the way to go. Would distribute the material to one side, then back to the other. But I guess if you do runs in both directions, it accomplishes the same. I have enough scrap around the shop to build one. But it'll need to be made to drag behind my truck. I've got a huge 9' length of 8"x10"x5/8" thick angle iron that might do the trick on it's own. Rake, scraper and shovel is getting a bit much by myself on a 1/4km+ gravel drive on a pretty steep hill...... LOL!
Instead of hooking up to the single trailer hitch at one point, I'm gonna eye-ball having a 1" steel round pin run through the back tube of the hitch frame and mount some pivot arms on that. Would keep it level and prevent wagging on the hitch ball.
Love your tube; You can accomplish the task with a box blade just put the blade in the "float " position.
If you want it to level really well unhook your top link on your 3-point and then when your tires on your tractor go up and down it won't pull the plane up and down, it will get rid of any bucking
Great tip William. Thank you for that
This could be really useful if you don't have a hydraulic toplink. Thanks!
Didn't even know there is such a beast. I think it works great. I just dragged a weighted articulating blade behind my tractor. Does the same job but your land plane is probably 3 times slower. When you're done levelling....maybe add a bunch of 3/4 minus and spread it out. Best to do that late spring. I only have 1.2km of driveway to do.
Sweet! Just purchased a new L3902. I have mostly dirt and some gravel that needs attention.
I could only afford one implement at this time besides the front loader. My dealer highly recommended the Land Plane even for dirt, which I hesitantly bought.
They're delivering the equipment this week and I almost had myself convinced to change to the box scraper until i saw this video.
I think my dealer was correct. That thing seems to do fine in dirt, and i won't have to spend extra bucks and store 2 implements.
Thanks for putting this out there and great camera angles by the way!!
Great video boss, appreciate you..!
I’ve had a 7’ Dura grader for years to maintain my road, it’s a 1/4 mile. It does a fantastic job for me, it takes the gravel and sifts it out the back and re-deposits on the road to give it a fresh look. It does not crown but scrapes flat and to me it is a nice clean look. I don’t know what they sell for now but years ago when I bought mine seems like $750.00 is what I paid, but well worth it. Very durable piece of equipment and I’m still satisfied with it. I know you will enjoy yours.
L lol open
Gonna need more banking on turn 4😊 Lol
Looking good.
hahha will be the sludge speedway before long
do that for a few years and your rods will be lower than the grade. gotta put some dirt or fill back to raise them back up.
Figure I"ll end up finding the low spots and adding some soil from all around
@@sawingwithsandy road to my place in oregon outback needs filled back up. plenty of dirt piles along side most of the road.
Mike from Outdoors with the Morgan’s is an ace with a land plane, might be instructional to watch a few of his videos. Looks good!
Another great video Sandy. Just last Thursday we brought in fresh dirt and used the box to level it. Took a bit. We have 50 acres of woods with 1/4 mile of road on a tributary River (Wapsipinicon)to the Mississippi in south Eastern Iowa. Been in family since the 30’s. We struggled with that road all this time. Mostly we tried to clear the canopy (very tough to do with old growth)to expose the road to sun for drying. We finally cleared 25’ on each side with a D7 bulldozer and laid 3” rock. All situations vary and the man conquers nature ( not a fan of its appearance now)look is like a high and tight haircut but you can easily transit road in winter and spring.
Keep it as close to natural as you can.
Just not going to advise you on this.... I am not there, can't tell what is going on proper... your system might hold off the regrowth of weeds on your trails
Yeah buddy, i know i love mine. Grass can be a bit of headache. It also does wonders on a gravel parking lot. Pulls the gravel back up to the surface.
i keep my driveway up with a land plane an d rarely us the scarifiers i find it clogs the cutting bars. also the higher you can keep the ground speed the better. nice job,
That thing looks like a dream to run. You should have taken your golf cart down it to show the difference. Call it the sludge shaker test :)
No expert here, but I remember seeing outers using a land plane, but the rear blade is at the opposite angle of the front blade. I assume this would work to distribute the soil, and not build up on one side. Curious of your thoughts on this
Man oh man if you can time it for just before freeze up...Best trails in Ontario!
That's a great idea right there!
@@sawingwithsandy Unfortunately...the snows usually come before the ground freezes.
before I drank my coffee I read "Before You Buy a Tractor Land Plane" I think have tractors become so expensive Sandy is comparing the price of tractors to the price of airplanes? Then I drank my coffee and watched and learned what a Land Plane is. If Sandy gets over enthused with planing trails and disappear off into a maze of old forest trails he will leave a nice trail to follow.
I find it good to use my bucket and the back blade at the same time. Cheers
I'll have to give it a try. Thanks Frank
@@sawingwithsandy it does a great job. Cheers
roads...
I thought the ground was going to be too wet for it to work well. But it did much better than I expected for the conditions. The trail looks like you will be having golf cart races soon. You will be hitting top speed on the straight away!!
Thanks for the video
I used a pallet under the blade portion to adjust the blades to be less aggressive with the 3 point hitch raise or lower so you dont have to lift the heavy blades, I only use the scarafiers on old gravel overgrown hardpack places cause they seem to plug up with debris easy. Most of the time i insert them upside down so they are out of the way but still there if needed.
Similar to a landscap drag
For sure. I haven't tried one of those before but I can imagine
I never took the time to read all of the comments but I leave my land plane blades adjusted evenly. I adjust the 3 point hitch to be lower on usually the right side if I am aiming to crown a road or trail. Thanks for the videos
I have one and love it. You can do minor ditching by tilting the unit by lengthing the adjustable 3pt lift link arm
Good job Sandy, I love your new Land Plane, I have one to keep a gravel road under control, great Video as usual.