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laser that would work to finish slope on terrace channel

salkan

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
28
Location
kansas
Occupation
farm
I have been having trouble getting the final slope (drain) on my terrace rebuilds. Is their a laser and receiver that I could use to get this done? Of course the terrace does not run straight but follows ground contour. Want to finish these with my box blade, but the bulk of work is done with my d7 cat. It would be real nice to use something on both pieces of equipment. I just do this work on my own farm and have used grade stakes but trying to get 3 inch drop in 100 feet of run is next to impossible. Any and all suggestions would be above and beyond.
 

JDOFMEMI

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2007
Messages
3,074
Location
SoCal
I do not recall the model, but I have a receiver and three light display for work like this. It is a Spectra Physics unit, and Topcon makes one too.

Mount the receiver on a pole on the blade, put your blade to the grade wanted, then adjust the receiver to grade. The three light display will show an arrow for cut or fill, and a green light for grade. You can adjust the tolerance for course or fine.

These are older units and usually available used for a good price.

A quick ebay search turned up this. I am sure there are cheap ones similar to this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPECTRA-PRE...060442?hash=item20fc5f585a:g:hC4AAOSwKrhVXi35
 
Last edited:

salkan

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
28
Location
kansas
Occupation
farm
Thanks Jerry, does the selected slope follow an uneven contour and remain the same? It is a little of a head scratcher for me. Mark
 

JDOFMEMI

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Jan 3, 2007
Messages
3,074
Location
SoCal
With a little math you can work it out. If the bends are not too severe it will work fine to do the fall over from end to end in a straight line and just let the grade run a little flatter in the curves. If the curves are too much you would need to change the set up at the directional changes. That would be a pain, but could be done.
 

zhkent

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
294
Location
Kansas
Occupation
Earthmoving
Hey salkan,
To use the receiver you'll need a laser that can dial in a slope percentage.
.03 % is common, 3 tenths of a foot per hundred feet. Dial that in then check the existing grade on both ends and adjust as needed.
Then like Jerry said put your cutting edge on grade and mount your laser receiver on a mast, or piece of pipe.
Here's the laser receiver on my blade. It's hooked up for automatics and an adjustable mast.
KIMG0603.jpg
On the dozer and scraper I have a receiver with lights on it and I mount it too a 1 1/2" pipe, but don't have any pictures of that.
does the selected slope follow an uneven contour and remain the same?
So you dial the laser in, check high end and low end, adjust the dial in grade so both ends will have the same channel reading.
Now every where you check the terrace channel you want the same reading and will end up with a terrace that has no water holes.
Now the disclaimer: If your terrace turns corners it gets interesting. As long as your turn 45* or less from the direction the
laser is pointed the terrace channel will drain with no trouble. If it isn't possible to run close to the direction the laser is pointed
do a straight piece at a time, then move the level.
 

zhkent

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
294
Location
Kansas
Occupation
Earthmoving
This is kind of "normal" work.
The laser has to be set up at least 8' and 3 tenths and no more than 12' 3 tenths above the channel grade.
The mast has 4' of adjustment. The laser is probably in the channel of the next terrace up the hill on the tall tripod.
In these pictures the laser would be about 10' above the channel.
This is an existing terrace that has some age on it and needs revamped some before it causes trouble.
The crop is a cover crop that is just used to help the soil over the winter.
Seems like there were about 6 terraces in that field. As I recall we didn't do a lot to them, got them done in a day I think.

20131009_105702.jpg


20131009_105716.jpg
 

salkan

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
28
Location
kansas
Occupation
farm
Want to say thank you to all who posted. It is now clearer how this setup works. Also very nice pictures enjoyed them. Mark
 

Dozerboy

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
2,232
Location
TX
Occupation
Operator
This would be stuff you would probably want to find for rent at a Topcon or trimble dealer. The cost would be in the thousands to buy.
 

Twisted

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
389
Location
MN
You can get into a budget set-up for about $1000. Slope matching grade laser, receiver, tripod and stick. That will get you by but barely. It will also be slow to set-up. That's how I started. Once I started doing this full-time I purchased about $6000 of dedicated equipment. I couldn't be happier and still have my old stuff for back-up or to send to a second smaller job.
 

bam1968

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Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
528
Location
IA
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Excavating Contractor
I don't mean to hyjack your thread. I'm just curious, zhkent, from your pics it looks as though you are going kind of across the rows to rebuild the terrace. Is it normal practice your area to farm "over" the terraces or were the terraces in that bad of shape that the farmer just decided it would be easier to farm across them? In my area they follow the contour of the terraces but, for the most part, our ground is not nearly as flat as the background of your picures.
 

zhkent

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
294
Location
Kansas
Occupation
Earthmoving
Making the farmers terraces they can farm over has been good for business!
We get thunderstorms with heavy rain that get our fields, even fairly moderate slopes need protected.
I build new terraces that are big and wide, no problem farming over them.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
Install channel tile to grade and surface slope variations won't be an issue, if your dealing with a channel slope that flat in any field worked conditions and in a few years your going to be back reshaping it again in order to avoid low, wet spots.
 
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