11 acres previous cow pasture smoothing bumps

[jayyk42]

Must be wet/soft/lowland? Usually a tractor won’t do that.

Nope I'm up about 1600 ft on a hill/mountains, it does it in wet and dry conditions. I have 2 1720's, both with fel's but 1 has a woods bh750-2 backhoe and 1 i use to switch out implements. The one with the backhoe has the taller 12.2 tires and the one without has the smaller 11.4 tires and both leave ruts. Like I said before I think its because the tires are somewhat on the narrow side because my neighbors Deere 310d extendahoe leaves less ruts. Crazy.

 

[denchen]

Not knowing the land, but what about hooking up a long narrow harrow behind your mower. Every time you mowed, you would pull a little of the high bits into the low bits. It would take time, but if you want the job done in one hit, sounds like you'll need some heavy tools.

 

[Rockbadchild]

you could try a diamond harrow drag but it will make it worse before it get better, that will cut the bumps up and looses the material but also pulling the rocks out, so after you will have to pick them up.

 

[paulsharvey]

So I have about 11 acres of pretty descent grass but it was previous to 1970's was part of 100's of acres of cow pasture. I tell ya I mow it with a 4' Toro Zero Turn and I take quite a beating! Lol! To make it worse the northeastern PA soil is basically all rocks too. My question is how can I smooth this out and to do it without leaving ruts everywhere from my tractor pulling whatever I have to use to fix it. I have a 5' box blade and I use my '88 Ford 1720 to pull it. I wonder if I can pull a big heavy roller on my 4x4 atv? That doesn't leave ruts like the tractor. Any ideas would be great, thanks!

Spread clean sand on the low areas; approx 1/2" at a time until its smooth. Wait until the grass has grown up a few inches above the sand; cut; and sand again till happy. That pretty decent grass on 11 acres would probably be; 300-400 lbs seed; days of disking; days of leveling; and 12 months to get the grass back to ready to hay/put cattle on. Save the grass you have; treat the areas that bother you with cheap sand, and let that grass grow up through it.

 

[jaxs]

Some information in this thread defies laws of physics. When weight of tractor is distributed on tire footprints there are fewer psi than on cow hooves (especially when a single foot supports 50% of her weight while walking). Cattle would bog to their bellies, become immobile ,get sick and die. Either sugar sand or swampland unsuitable for grazing. Perhaps I'm missing the fact cows use afore mentioned rocks as stepping stones?

 

[paulsharvey]

If guessing the OP says the tires rut, meaning it leaves a tread mark, and he wants it smooth; don't think we are talking peat bog or quick sand. I would start with the cheapest methods first; then, progress if you feel the need for golf coarse quality. Dump some sand in the affending areas; drag the entire area with a very Non aggressive item (old round 8" fence post; couple chains; maybe a manure drag) to knock down some of the high and spread to the low; but unless you want to reseed 11 acres; avoid just ripping the heck out of everything. Cattle fields will have worn-depressed paths, especially if they had the round bale holders/waters in the same place for years; also mole hills; burial hole-hills, etc.

 

[jayyk42]

Some information in this thread defies laws of physics. When weight of tractor is distributed on tire footprints there are fewer psi than on cow hooves (especially when a single foot supports 50% of her weight while walking). Cattle would bog to their bellies, become immobile ,get sick and die. Either sugar sand or swampland unsuitable for grazing. Perhaps I'm missing the fact cows use afore mentioned rocks as stepping stones?

Most of these properties and still a lot of them currently, were used for grazing cattle, hay fields, etc..... They are excellent for this. I guess over the decades the cows hoofs have made a lot of these pastures a little rough. My problem is the tractor ruts. Before I came, and I mow with a zero turn, the previous owner used a tractor (Kubota l3400) with a finish mower or bush hog to mow. Before the house was built in 1985 they obviously used a tractor to harvest the hay so as you can picture there are tractor tire paths basically up and down in rows in my whole property. Not to mention the areas the previous owner with the Kubota drove over and rutted out some areas here and there.


I've driven my little Ford 1720 over the land some and it has made ruts. I compare it to using my neighbors big JD 310d here and I was very surprised how the 1720 left worse ruts than the JD. Not defying phtlysics at all, I just think the design of the tires might be the issue.

 

[LD1]

You will never have good results trying to level rough lawn/pasture with vegetation still there. It hinders anything you will attempt to do to it. It will wad up in a box blade....leave clumps of vegetation behind that will then decompose and leave things just as rough as before.

Topsoil (good pulverized stuff) aint cheap either.

Plowing and discing and re-seeding is the best approach....

Or mow as low as you can and have a farmer hit it with a finishing type tillage tool.