Mowing Level (soon to be lawn) with tiller, disc or box blade?

[MUDONTHETIRES]

I recently started mowing more and more land around my house to have a nice lawn. It’s about four acres, the rest I brush hog. It was pasture land and is rough on the kidneys and back so I want to level it. Should I start with a pto tiller, disc or box blade? I have access to all three. I’ll finish it with an eight foot piece of railroad track that’s heavy and flat. Thanks in advance!

 

[TractorGuy]

Any way you go the grass clumps will hinder the results. I've been using my tiller but then it has to get dry enough to rake out the clumps. After I finally work it down to bare dirt I can till again then drag or rake it smooth.

Till, rake, till, rake, till, drag.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Any way you go the grass clumps will hinder the results. I've been using my tiller but then it has to get dry enough to rake out the clumps. After I finally work it down to bare dirt I can till again then drag or rake it smooth.

Till, rake, till, rake, till, drag.

Thanks for the heads up, I had a feeling the clumps were going to be an issue.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Last time I did a rough 'lawn' I tilled in a cross hatch, dragged it to remove the crap and clumps, then added the peat/compost/etc, and tilled again before seeding.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Last time I did a rough 'lawn' I tilled in a cross hatch, dragged it to remove the crap and clumps, then added the peat/compost/etc, and tilled again before seeding.

That’s a good idea, thank you! Two for two on a tiller!

 

[Scar0B2150]

What I did; I needed about a week of good weather(its wet here in the P.N.W.).
First step is very hard on a mower and blades. Scalp mow best you can without tearing up the mower to badly. Till one direction, Next day till again at 90 to first, next day till again at a 45. All tilling was done at a very slow forward travel rate. (One could drag prior to next day tilling. I did not) The reason I waited a day between tilling is to let the grass root trapped dirt dry up a bit.
Took a piece of chain link fence and attached it to the bottom of a large timber, 4" from the front end of the fencing, with a 2nd piece attached on top about 12" from the back end of the chain link, I tied the front end of the chain link to the tractor (4 points on fence to the hitch). This lifts the chain link and first timber up a little and allows the clumps to get mashed under it. Which leveled and broke up the "root dirt". Rolled it with a tow behind water weighted roller. Aerated it with a tow behind plug aerator, then over seeded.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

What I did; I needed about a week of good weather(its wet here in the P.N.W.).
First step is very hard on a mower and blades. Scalp mow best you can without tearing up the mower to badly. Till one direction, Next day till again at 90 to first, next day till again at a 45. All tilling was done at a very slow forward travel rate. (One could drag prior to next day tilling. I did not) The reason I waited a day between tilling is to let the grass root trapped dirt dry up a bit.
Took a piece of chain link fence and attached it to the bottom of a large timber, 4" from the front end of the fencing, with a 2nd piece attached on top about 12" from the back end of the chain link, I tied the front end of the chain link to the tractor (4 points on fence to the hitch). This lifts the chain link and first timber up a little and allows the clumps to get mashed under it. Which leveled and broke up the "root dirt". Rolled it with a tow behind water weighted roller. Aerated it with a tow behind plug aerator, then over seeded.

Great description and thorough explanation. Thank you so much! I’m planning on about a week and I’m waiting on some clear weather. Lots of rain here in northern Louisiana as well.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Tiller best of the those options. Box blade to fine tune it if needed after its tilled.

Scar post if a pretty good one

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Tiller best of the those options. Box blade to fine tune it if needed after its tilled.

Thank you for your input. Looks like tiller hands down.

 

[Ford850]

Till as shallow as you can, and drag between tills to flatten and level the surface. Till, drag, till, drag, etc. The problem with deep tilling or disking is the disturbed soil will continue to settle (unevenly) for a couple years and you'll end up with dips and humps again. A shallow till and many drag passes gets you good compaction and a smoother finish in the long run.

 

[nyone]

Personaly I would go with the box blade and the scarifiers all the way down first..to find the rocks then till it.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Box blade followed by a drag.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Till as shallow as you can, and drag between tills to flatten and level the surface. Till, drag, till, drag, etc. The problem with deep tilling or disking is the disturbed soil will continue to settle (unevenly) for a couple years and you'll end up with dips and humps again. A shallow till and many drag passes gets you good compaction and a smoother finish in the long run.

Thanks so much for the great advice. That makes perfect sense!!

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Personaly I would go with the box blade and the scarifiers all the way down first..to find the rocks then till it.

Thanks for your advice! Luckily we don’t have any rocks to speak of around here so it’ll be smooth sailing on that part.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Box blade followed by a drag.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Now that you have those options I'll toss in your other one: get a mixed load of sand and topsoil, drag, push, pull it level and seed it.

The sand will created an aerated, compact lawn that will take weight and be easy to maintain (it is how golf courses manage theirs), weeds will be easy to pull if you are OCD about your lawn.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

Now that you have those options I'll toss in your other one: get a mixed load of sand and topsoil, drag, push, pull it level and seed it.

The sand will created an aerated, compact lawn that will take weight and be easy to maintain (it is how golf courses manage theirs), weeds will be easy to pull if you are OCD about your lawn.

I just watched a YouTube video on someone using a certain type of sand and his lawn did look like a golf course. Thank you for your advice!!!

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

I just watch a YouTube video on someone using a certain type of sand and his lawn did look like a golf course. Thank you for your advice!!!

I have been told mix ratio generally varies based on your soil and the topsoil that is mixed in. Once the root mat is established the surface is generally pretty resilient.

... I need to dump a load of sand on my lawn actually

 

[OhioCowboy]

I recently started mowing more and more land around my house to have a nice lawn. It’s about four acres, the rest I brush hog. It was pasture land and is rough on the kidneys and back so I want to level it. Should I start with a pto tiller, disc or box blade? I have access to all three. I’ll finish it with an eight foot piece of railroad track that’s heavy and flat. Thanks in advance!

My vote is the tiller. You'll never get the finished lawn you want using the box blade or discs. I've used them all plus a land plane, box spring, dozer, FEL & spring tooth harrow. With time and effort you can make any of them work to some degree of satisfaction I guess, but the quickest and smoothest is to start with the tiller. Just IMHO.

 

[MUDONTHETIRES]

My vote is the tiller. You'll never get the finished lawn you want using the box blade or discs. I've used them all plus a land plane, box spring, dozer, FEL & spring tooth harrow. With time and effort you can make any of them work to some degree of satisfaction I guess, but the quickest and smoothest is to start with the tiller. Just IMHO.

That’s what I wanted to hear, thank you for your input!