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Pasture leveling

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Knoxville
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 7 Knoxville
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2003-04-22          53582

I am new to all the various implements, however, I am sure that something is made for this job. I mow about 3 acres and it has a lot of bumps and rolls in it. Can anyone suggest what implement I can drag around to knock off the tops and fill the low spots WITHOUT digging up ALL my grass? I have a 4' box and it seems to follow the ground swells. Does anyone think a "pulverizer or clodbuster" would work for this application?
Thanks


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slowrev
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 231 Winchester , KY
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2003-04-22          53589

What type/size of tractor do you have ? Knowing that would help us to help you.
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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2003-04-22          53601

Perfect job for a drag scraper. I converted my box scraper to a drag scraper and would be glad to furnish pics and specs. It was way cheaper than buying a whole new implement. ....

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mainiak1
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 22 Maine
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2003-04-23          53607

I'd like to see it Mark.

Mainiak1 ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-04-23          53608

I think that the idea would make a mess unless it's just a few problem areas. Cutting is going to leave bare ground at the high spots and the fill likely would kill the grass and leave chunks of dead sod in the low spots. For minor bumps and dips, a heavy roller used in the spring over some years might improve things without the mess.

We sort of like our lawns of former fields that have reverted to meadow. I just set the mower high enough so it doesn't scalp anywhere. Besides, my wife wouldn't tolerate the mess it would take to do anything else quickly. There's an opinion expressed here occasionally that the easiest way to get from pasture to lawn is to kill everything and start over and I think I agree.

A second subject here may be how to use a box scraper. There's a bunch of discussion about scrapers in the archives and plenty of people here who will respond to further questions. Most people when they first start using a tractor find the same thing. 3ph implements float up and over bumps. Leveling rough ground with a 3ph implement is tricky because the implement goes up and down whenever the front wheels go over bumps or into dips. MarkH's drag scraper makes it easier but some tricks to level grades with 3ph scrapers can be learned.
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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2003-04-23          53612

Not knowing what size tractor you have I've seen the harley rock rake used to clear the tops of ridges from years before from plows and also just frost heaves in lawns around driveways. It works quite well as you only loosen the highs and the rest of the ground stays compacted the same so it doesn't later come back as a low as when filling. ....

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AC5ZO
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 928 Rio Rancho, NM 87144
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2003-04-23          53630

I think that a scraper is the right tool. If you do not need to do a lot of this, perhaps it would be possible to rent one from a construction yard. I used to sell a line of scrapers that pulled from the drawbar. I think the name was Eversman or something like that. You raised and lowered them with hydraulic cylinders. They look like the baby brother of the large construction scrapers that are used for road construction. I expect that you would need a 60+ HP tractor to pull them at any reasonable cutting depth.

These type scrapers will shear off the high spots and carry the dirt in a box to be dumped where you want to place it. But, as others have said, this is not likely to be pretty. When you start scalping the high spots you might just uncover rocks or soil that won't support grass.

Other "Brute Force" methods will change the landscape, but will definitely not leave the grass in place. You will also have large variations in topsoil depth with any method that you choose. It may be better to work with the contours than to try and change them. ....

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knoxville
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2003-04-23          53634

I have a Yanmar 2210 - Thanks for all of your responses!
I would like to see a picture of Marks drag scraper and I understand Tom concern that it is going to kill & fill the rest. I can locate the humps with my finish mower, and visually, it looks smooth. It will almost bounce us off of the go-kart though!
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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2003-04-23          53638

The pictures of the convertible box/drag scraper are posted under my pics. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-04-24          53668

I haven't seen a Harley Rake in action so Art's comment is interesting. I would have guessed the action would be aggressive enough to tear up sod but you learn something here all the time. Sounds like something to keep in mind. Perhaps a similar idea is a core aerator on the high spots repeated for a few years.

I read an overly 'cute' comment sometime ago: 'Worms leveled the prairies.' I'm not sure what the comment is supposed to mean exactly but maybe the idea is similar to Harley Rakes, core aerators etc. If the soil loose then use and time will level things out. There might be trouble staying on the cart while waiting for it to work though.
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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2003-04-24          53680

I hate to be the spoiler in all this, but here goes anyway, LOL.

Anyone who does something for a living can tell you the two ways to do something, the hard way, and the way they do it. In the fixing of similar situations, golf courses will very seldom will ever try to shave off high spots. The logic is like this, if you lower the high spot wiythout over-excavating you are really reducing the amount of topsoil in that location, and since there is no such thing as too much topsoil. Besides, this method is a 10th the work or time to accomplish.

The preferred method is to topdress the low spots regularly until the area reaches the desired height. If the topdressing is done in smaller, regular, applications you will never have any bare spots during the work, a real bonus on a piece of working turf, and very desirable on a lawn. Even if you don't completely fill them, you can take the sharpness out of the slope and help keep the wheels on the ground.

Best of luck. ....

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