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TriHonu
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2007
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There are many manufactures that build them and all have slight differences in the options they offer. The soil in your area and what you want to accomplish will determine what options you may want.
Screens - some have expanded metal screens in the floor of the plane. Depending upon your needs these can be good or bad. In granular soils they help to break up the clumps and the soil can move through the screen. You can also scoop soil and screen out the rocks and debris. Cohesive soils tend to clump up and stick to the screens. They also tend to get roots/etc stuck in the screens. I have seen some units that the screens are removable.
Scarifier - if you are working in hard packed soil or want to rake out roots they can speed up the work considerably. Most operators want the widest plane their machine will handle. The extra width also makes it harder to penetrate the soil. I run a 84" on a 763. When the clay/silt in my area dries up it is like concrete. I can't penetrate without scarifying first. Note that some manufactures point the scarifier teeth forward and others point them to the rear. The teeth will lift up when operating the opposite direction. You will have to decide whether ripping in reverse and grading forward or vice-versa is more productive for you. Hydraulic operated scarifier is a nice option. You can engage or disengage the teeth at will. If you have power Bobtach and switch attachments frequently the hydraulic scarifier will force you to get out and hook/unhook hydraulic lines. When I got my plane it had a manual scarifier. I added the hydraulic cylinder and it pins on. I can remove or mount the hydraulic cylinder in 15 seconds. Some jobs I want the hydraulics, others I'm switching attachments and don't want to deal with the hydraulic connections.
Cutting Edges - most are welded on. I have seen a couple units where the cutting edges are bolted on. If you are in highly abrasive soil you may want the bolt on edges. It is job to cut out the edges and weld in replacements. You will put more wear on the leading and trailing edges. The bolt on edges allow you to flip them and use the back edge before replacement.
Other than the above, look closely at the quality of construction and welds. If you weld you might just want to build your own. I found mine used in excellent shape at an equipment dealer and they had it marked at $450. With the scarifier, I didn't think I could build it for that price.
Screens - some have expanded metal screens in the floor of the plane. Depending upon your needs these can be good or bad. In granular soils they help to break up the clumps and the soil can move through the screen. You can also scoop soil and screen out the rocks and debris. Cohesive soils tend to clump up and stick to the screens. They also tend to get roots/etc stuck in the screens. I have seen some units that the screens are removable.
Scarifier - if you are working in hard packed soil or want to rake out roots they can speed up the work considerably. Most operators want the widest plane their machine will handle. The extra width also makes it harder to penetrate the soil. I run a 84" on a 763. When the clay/silt in my area dries up it is like concrete. I can't penetrate without scarifying first. Note that some manufactures point the scarifier teeth forward and others point them to the rear. The teeth will lift up when operating the opposite direction. You will have to decide whether ripping in reverse and grading forward or vice-versa is more productive for you. Hydraulic operated scarifier is a nice option. You can engage or disengage the teeth at will. If you have power Bobtach and switch attachments frequently the hydraulic scarifier will force you to get out and hook/unhook hydraulic lines. When I got my plane it had a manual scarifier. I added the hydraulic cylinder and it pins on. I can remove or mount the hydraulic cylinder in 15 seconds. Some jobs I want the hydraulics, others I'm switching attachments and don't want to deal with the hydraulic connections.
Cutting Edges - most are welded on. I have seen a couple units where the cutting edges are bolted on. If you are in highly abrasive soil you may want the bolt on edges. It is job to cut out the edges and weld in replacements. You will put more wear on the leading and trailing edges. The bolt on edges allow you to flip them and use the back edge before replacement.
Other than the above, look closely at the quality of construction and welds. If you weld you might just want to build your own. I found mine used in excellent shape at an equipment dealer and they had it marked at $450. With the scarifier, I didn't think I could build it for that price.
would you mind taking this link to the land plane and land leveler and let me know what you think of each. it just occurred to me that the land plane is really only working going backwards, thanks again, steve
sorry forgot the link http://www.qualityweldingservice.com/landplanes.html
