Best way to flatten a new lawn after tilling?

[Nathan_OR]

So I tilled a 1/2 acre or so in and around our fruit orchard. I want to make a nice flat lawn that the kids won't trip on. I rolled it with a water-filled roller pulled behind a small White lawn tractor, but it still didn't compact enough to support my JD 3320, and besides it left lots of shallow bumps and dips. I started trying to flatten it with my box blade but the JD 3320 is too heavy... it left ruts in the dirt so I backed off.

So I'm wondering: how do I get a smooth finish with solid enough dirt to drive the JD on? Seems like anything I pull over it with the JD won't be able to cover up the tire ruts. Working up our hay field was compared to this: subsoil, disc, chain harrow, and each pass gets more stable... but the tiller left it so fluffy that I can't get back to a flat surface to drive on. Hmmm... any tips?

Thanks,
Nathan

 

[Z-Michigan]

One option is to wait for rain. I imagine that won't be a long wait in Oregon.

Another possibility, if you have a rear blade, is to run a windrow back and forth with the blade angled, which will eventually level it very nicely, and compact it a bit in the process (for both good and bad).

I have no personal experience with tillers, but if the soil is actually fluffy you may have have tilled it too much. In that case waiting for rain is your best/cheapest option. Running a disc over it might be another option, but discs are quite pricey if you aren't going to use them a lot.

 

[PhilVA]

I recently did the same thing in a 1 acre piece my kids use for riding their horses. I'm fortunate to have a spike harrow and used it to somewhat smooth the surface out. After that I sued an old section of chain link fence with a 5 foot 6X6 sitting on top for weight. I used my JD lawn tractor to pull this rig around. Did a very good job.

Z is on track with waiting for the rain. That will definitely help compact the soil.

Good luck!

Phil in VA

 

[Bob_Skurka]

If you have a landscape rake for you tractor, turn it 180 degrees to the tines are facing backwards. Pull it over your dirt, it helps but it not going to actually compact the soil a lot. It will also repair some of the box blade rutting. Even with the rake's tines pointed backwards, it will drag some dirt around and help smooth things out. If you want more compaction you can bind a concrete block (or a few of them) to the top rail of the landscape rake to add some weight to it.

 

[Timber]

I would say your Box blade is your best bet, Making a chain link harrow is a good Idea too. After 2 or 3 rains and then box blading it after it drys out you will find it easier to work than the fluffy tilled soil

 

[Nathan_OR]

Thanks for the helps guys. I don't have a landscape rake, so I'll wait for some rain and then go to it with the boxblade. I guess if I end up with tire ruts I can always till it again

I was thinking maybe I tilled too deep, but I wanted to break up all the mole and gopher runs. They're mostly dead now, thanks to my cats and traps, but years and years of burrows still make the ground really unsafe for kids and animals to run on.

Anyway, I've heard of a chain link harrow with a railroad tie before. Anyone have any tips on how to contruct it? What do I put on the leading edge? Do I use some angle iron and attach it to the 3PH so it's rigid, or do I put a V of chain from each leading corner through the draw bar... I can think of lots of ways to build it but I bet most of them are wrong

Thanks again guys, this forum is the best.

Nathan

 

[wushaw]

There are so many ways to build a dirt drag/harrow or whatever one wants to call it. I built mine out of 1" square tubing and attached horse panel to it and attached a couple of sections of chain and pull it with my little 15hp tractor.
I recently altered it and added more tubing to make it a box 4'x4' with the horse panel welded to it, I will try it out this summer to see how it works, It worked just fine before so imagine it will work just as well, I may not have to add weight to it with the added tubing but one never knows.

 

[JerryG]

Bolt two rows of truck tires together. Two in the front and three on the second row or if you want a larger drag use three tires on the front row and four on the second row. Then hook a chain to each side, hook the middle of the chain to your draw bar. I have seen a several made like this and plan to make me one some time or an other.

 

[rdbrumfield]

What works for me is to take a 2x6 and bolt it to the bottom of the front loader bucket. I just lay it on the ground and place the bottom flat down on it and lag it down good. Having it a couple of feet sticking out both sides gives you a wider level. You can float it backwards or use down pressure as you need it to take the high spots off. It also tends to pack down the soil if you use a shallow angle as you back drag. A little practice will tell you how to use it effectively.
Good luck.

 

[thcri]

I have tilled about 4 or 5 plots in the last few years to seed with grass. And I tilled pretty deep just like you did. Run your tiller across it again then if you have access to a ATV to pull a chain link fence over it that will work fine. I pull a drag across mine. Seed it first by broadcasting it then drag it. Once the grass comes up after a few rains you can run your tractor across it.

murph