• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Spectra GL422N review and digging for the plumbers

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,467
Location
washington
We just got the dual slope GL422N, and I have had a couple of jobs to check it out.
It has been good on battery life.
The target and remote control both take regular AA batteries, but also good. I have not changed batteries in the target yet.
It took a while to figure out the functions as the included instructions are just trash.
My biggest single takeaway is the dual slope and how to use it on plumbing jobs.
It will do the single mainline slope and the branches to one side without moving the laser or the grade rod, which seems natural and helpful.
What I figured out is, if you set the laser directly in line with the main trench, it will do the other branches rather easily as well if the slopes are the same.
You simply turn it off, rotate the laser 90 degrees and line back up with the trench. Turn it on and it will re-level and go. Now the branch slope becomes the main trench slope, and vice versa but now to the other side of the main trench.
If you do it right, you won't need to reset the grade rod either. That was not so intuitive but it works and saves a whole lot of time.
To speed this switchover up, use a regular level to set up the tripod as level as practical. This speeds up the laser's automatic leveling when you rotate it.
Now we can march down a whole plumbing job without resetting the grade rod each time you dig a branch.
 

brianbulldozer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Messages
186
Location
W. Washinton, USA
The beauty of having a remote control is adjusting the grade on the fly without disturbing your setup. If the branch slopes are the same either side of the mainline and the laser is in line with the mainline as you mentioned, you should be able to toggle between + and - slope for the cross axis, depending on which side you are working on (and never get off the machine).
 

DGODGR

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
1,062
Location
S/W CO
The beauty of having a remote control is adjusting the grade on the fly without disturbing your setup. If the branch slopes are the same either side of the mainline and the laser is in line with the mainline as you mentioned, you should be able to toggle between + and - slope for the cross axis, depending on which side you are working on (and never get off the machine).
This will only work if the branches are perpendicular (at 90 degree angles) to the main trench. If they are 45 degrees (or anything other than 90) the indicated slope percentage will not be accurate.
When digging plumbing trenches, I have always re-set the axis to be parallel with whichever trench I'm digging. In fact, the story pole/receiver height is usually changing regardless as most plumbers want the branch lines to enter the main line at either the 10 or 2 o'clock position, not at flow line.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,467
Location
washington
"the story pole/receiver height is usually changing regardless as most plumbers want the branch lines to enter the main line at either the 10 or 2 o'clock position, not at flow line."

not so much. if they are bringing a 4 into a 4 it is a flat combo. The rod does not change at all if i toggle from + to - as long as I have the laser really close by or directly off the end of the primary pipe. The only rod changes are from one pipe size to the next. I have my ground guy bump the rod ~1/2" per inch of pipe size change.
The primary pipe is running at 1%, and the branches are either 1% or 2% depending on pipe size. Since that primary slope does not change, the rod length does not change except for that pipe size adjustment.
Sometimes they do 45 a combo and shallow up a branch line because they can. I just make a note of the base setting because we will be back on it soon enough. It has been a big labor saver for me, as I get all sorts of ground guys who may not know or remember what is going on. It's like groundhog day in the ditch LOL!
 

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,439
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
I think you should pair the laser with a CR700 to make life easier digging too, you can assign the rod man to other jobs then :D
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,467
Location
washington
I have the magnet but I want a guy in the ditch because I put pea gravel back, and he rakes it perfectly on grade plus minus 1/16" and the good plumbers throw the pipe down and run, without even glancing at that 10" long pipe level in the tool bucket.
 

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,439
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
Guess it's a good tool for those working alone or not putting anything down. Gets tiring jumping up and down my backhoe or loader to check grade so I got one for my laser.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,467
Location
washington
your grade does not need to be that 1/16" beep that my plumbers like. Like I said, the good ones just throw down, maybe plumb bob it for lateral location and go go go. The old skool ones will get their 10$ little level and start screwing with my perfect grade.
 

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,439
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
your grade does not need to be that 1/16" beep that my plumbers like. Like I said, the good ones just throw down, maybe plumb bob it for lateral location and go go go. The old skool ones will get their 10$ little level and start screwing with my perfect grade.
Hehe no it doesn't, I just don't have a rod person, not as experienced as you are and makes life simpler with this worn out machinery I can see it going off grade and try to correct course before it's too late.
 
Top