Brainstorm with me!!

[HawkinsHollow]

I would like to make something to attach to my bucket to help me breakup and level some areas at my property. I have been doing a bunch of fill work and have gotten these areas close to how I want them but there are some inevitable dips and rises that I would like to level out. These areas have been driven on a lot and rained on some, so a regular old bucket back drag no longer does the trick. I was thinking ideally I could make something to attach to the bottom of my bucket so as I back drag it breaks up this surface, knocking down the high spots and filling in the low spots and finally smoothing it out a bit. I was thinking about having some chainlink fence trailing the bucket for the final smoothing. Has anyone seen a product like this? Does this make sense to do? Is there something cheapI could buy?

I was thinking something along these lines.

Have some teeth at the leading edge, a leveling bar then some chainlink pulled behind it for the final smoothing. Made into a nice implement I could chain under my bucket for areas that need smoothing.

 

[zzvyb6]

Land Leveler Saw this on Facebook Market place. Made to order.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Land Leveler Saw this on Facebook Market place. Made to order.

I have seen those, that is what I am going for. Those are $800 to $2000, depending on the fanciness. I think I can make something similar for WAY cheaper

 

[LD1]

Have you considered an attachment for the rear. Like a box blade or a land plane?

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Have you considered an attachment for the rear. Like a box blade or a land plane?

I have a box blade but I am not impressed with the finish a box blade leaves. I am looking for something to do final leveling and smoothing. In my opinion a box blade gets you close but not to a finished product

 

[zzvyb6]

Traditional unit is an old bedspring with a few logs on it.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Traditional unit is an old bedspring with a few logs on it.

Yeah, something along those lines. Maybe a bit more technologically advanced.

 

[bcp]

Build a float.




Bruce

 

[oldnslo]

Are you going to be dealing with sod clumps or dirt clumps or both. Either way do you require some type of rolling clump buster vs just dragging and hope they break up vs leaving gouge marks?

 

[Streetcar]

Is the dirt bare or growing things now. I have seen drags that are pulled behind small three wheeler on baseball fields

 

[Yander]

I'm interested in this thread also. Would love to have something on the bucket to help out with the implements (landplane) on the rear. Especially for up around a house where it may be hard to get a land plane in tight spots.

 

[Yander]

 

[Xfaxman]

I used this from the scrap pile:

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Is the dirt bare or growing things now. I have seen drags that are pulled behind small three wheeler on baseball fields

Bare new dirt. For at least the next few weeks, I live in the south. It's like a jungle down here in the summer.

It is a little too hard already, needs something with a little down pressure I think.

 

[CliffordK]

You could try a couple of passes. So, pull something behind to break it up a bit. Harrow? Then come back or a final pass with your back dragging, or land leveler.

 

[jmc]

Saw a loader bucket at a farm show with scarfiers mounted on its back surface and pointed toward the tractor, for back dragging. With the bucket bottom flat on the ground, the scarfiers didn't touch the ground. With the bucket curled back, the scarfiers penetrated. If you floated the curled bucket, the bucket's chamfered facet worked the chunks thrown up by the scarfiers. Weight in the bucket might help.

 

[Yander]

If it's hard, you may need a land plane and follow it with a drag harrow or any kind of drag. The land plane will get it really close but then I have a drag harrow to go behind for the final grade.

I just ordered this also. to follow the land plane.

 

[DGZRT]

Find a good 10 ft of heavy chain link fence. Bolt together two 2x4 on one end with the fence sandwiched between. Put 3 or 4 cinder blocks on the front and drag with 4 wheeler. Turns out nice .

 

[Offroadtek]

Lots of good and cheap options. I use an upside down wooden pallet with a couple concrete blocks on it. Cuts the high spots and holds the dirt/gravel till it crosses a low spot.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Lots of good responses here. I think it needs to be relatively rigid and able to be placed under the bucket to allow the tractor to apply downward pressure. I am thinking a frame with a couple pieces of angle iron welded crossways, maybe one with teeth to cut and a third one to pull material with it to fill in low spots and then a trailing piece of chainlink to do the final leveling. I will see what I can fab up and report back.