Box Scraper Smoothing a Bumpy Pasture

[jseebold]

@jeff9366: Thanks a lot for the link to SMOOTHING PASTURE threads! I like the sound of this one... "Ive had luck with a set of disc's set non agressive, as straight as possible, north -south then east-west to make "sod squares" then squash it with a heavy roller. If that wont smooth it then you try a long term method like plow, till, grade then seed."

This sounds like a slightly less aggressive approach, something I can try first, before discing it more aggressively.

 

[jseebold]

Thanks for your excellent ideas Jenkinsph! Your property is AWESOME!! Where are you located? What type of grass did you use? What is a landplane?

 

[jseebold]

Thanks pmsmechanic! That sounds like a good idea and also the least expensive and least aggressive. It sounds like something I could do as a matter of routine maintenance until it gets evened out.

 

[jseebold]

Thanks a lot Brandi, great reference with excellent pics! Hey, I have a cat named Brandi!!

 

[jseebold]

I "reclaimed" about 14 acres with a bottom plow, disk harrow and then a chain harrow. Worked well and now, three years later, I have a 14 acre lawn. I really worked the area with the chain harrow so now its smooth & flat as a pool table.
Saw a field that was top dressed. The top dressing soil was just "different" enough from the native soil to make the grass grow in stripes & patches. Ended up having to redo the entire field and mix all the soil for one even soil type.

Great input oosik! "Flat as a pool table", eh?! That's great!!

 

[jseebold]

get a mower for the 9n, mow with it no the Garden tractor, after or during the building process of your house, work the surrounding ground you want to be a lawn up with a disc or tiller the remainder fence for pasture and mow with the ford.

Your situation is none too different than mine way back in 1995..... I made 2 acres a lawn which I know mow with a zero turn to the rest is pasture grass mown with the Kubota

Thanks a lot for you thoughts!

 

[El Wood]

I'm in the same boat. I have about 7 acres of old farm land land I'm building on. I plan on planting about 7 acres of grass. I also have deep ruts in the soil from years of farming. My plan is to disk the soil and then use a chain harrow for final smoothing and covering of seed.

Later today I will be picking up a soil testing kit. Based on the results I'll use that type of grass that is recommended.

 

[jeff9366]

Thank you very much Corl and Jeff! It looks like the general consensus is disc first, chain harrow next, and then seed.

Be sure to acquire a Disc Harrow with 20" diameter pans. I would recommend 22" diameter pans but I doubt gearing on the 9N would let you pull it fast enough to be optimally effective.