Equipment to do lawn restorations???

[Patriot]

I’ve been doing lawn repairs for over six years now, these repairs range from tire track damage caused by utility crews accessing homeowners properties to repair outages, to complete lawn restorations in which the old lawn needs to be completely removed and then hydro seeded, and everything else in between.

As far as the tire track damage goes, the best way I’ve found to repair it was to simply back into the tracks with my dump truck and shovel topsoil into the depressions as I work my way out to the street, then tamp or roll, rake, level and seed. But I can't always get in with the truck!

Ok, now I’m looking for a way to utilize a small compact tractor (or compact track loader) to make my job easier, especially when it comes to the really big jobs, including lawn restorations.

So my question to those of you that may do this type of work is; are you doing it the hard way like I am?, or have you found that the use of a tractor or skid steer gets the work done quicker with equally good or better results?

I’ve rented both compact tractors and track loaders (ASV RC-30) for the bigger jobs.
I experimented with york rakes, rototillers, and harley rakes to do lawn restorations.
The harley rake on the ASV worked well but to do a finish pass it needs to be done in reverse which is a pain, and setting it at a consistent depth to do the initial pass was a pain as well. I never tried a harley rake on a compact tractor, seems like it would work out better, but I need to keep the size of the equipment small and most tractors out there with enough pto power to turn a harley rake are just too big!

I’ve also seen other contractors in my area use a tiller to renovate an existing lawn, but it looked like crap when they where done!

So what do you use to do this type of work?

 

[schmism]

the guy that installed my septic system used one of these to come back and smooth things out (course me tilling the area first helped)

gill pulverizer

 

[ChuckinNH]

I think Woods has a smaller harley rake now that is at the top edge of what a subcut can handle, but would work really well with a Kubota "B" series, or the equivalant.

http://www.woodsequipment.com/literature/pdf/EstateSeries 10-04.pdf

 

[KentT]

Have you considered a vertical mower? If the lawn is relatively smooth, as it is, I've found that vertically mowing it, raking off all the old stuff, then overseeding works well -- but can only be done effectively in a relatively small window of time in the spring and fall. It's too stressful on the lawn to do it in the heat of summer -- unless they're going to really keep it watered well...

This is the least "damaging" way I've found to renovate one...

Not sure if they make them 3-pt sized, but I have a 38" one for my garden tractors that works real well. For the CUTS/SCUTS you may be limited to only Harley-rakes or similar things...

 

[Patriot]

Thanks for the replies.
Anyone else?

 

[FULLPULL]

My T6 Harley rake does a good job on what you want to do . The pulverizer is a good investment also with a little more work you can get a yard ready to seed.

 

[Patriot]

Fullpull,
Are you saying that you would use the pulverizer after you've already went over the old lawn with the T6?
Doesn't the T6 leave it "ready to seed".

I can see maybe going over the yard with a rototiller and then follow up with the pulverizer. Do you think that would work out ok?

Anyone know what the Gill Pulverizer sells for?

 

[bigdad]

My experience with Skid Steers.... kinda tough on lawns/sod. Great machines otherwise. Great in close quarters.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Fullpull,
Are you saying that you would use the pulverizer after you've already went over the old lawn with the T6?
Doesn't the T6 leave it "ready to seed".

I can see maybe going over the yard with a rototiller and then follow up with the pulverizer. Do you think that would work out ok?

Anyone know what the Gill Pulverizer sells for?

I believe FullPull was saying the pulverizer/tiller combo was an option to the Harley, not in addition.

Just saw that JD's Frontier line now offers a Harley style power rake. Given history, my guess is that it is the Woods with green paint.

 

[FULLPULL]

A Gill pulverizer used could be picked up for the 5 to 700 range maybe alot less my guess. We used a pulverizer to reseed yards .It had only one roller on it and we adjusted the center link to lean the unit foward. The tractor reverse set it down on the lawn it will rip the front teeth through the turf and teeth marks for rows of seed. It was also used in the last pass or two for grading a yard then scratch the seed in lightly. The Harley rake is just more automatic and does a good job. It deals with rock better and breaks up clods .It imo doesnt scratch the seed in as good as the pulverizer. If you dont want to spend big bucks you might opt for the pulverizer. But keep in mind the laybor savings of a Harley.

We never used a rototiller to fix yards it was alway a blade or box then the pulverizer .The Harley rake was just a investment to use as a laybor saver. With my front loader and the Harley you can fix a yard and not have to change equipment around .The Harley will also work wet/damp soil with great results .I would rather it be a little damp to knock the dust out.You can take your front loader and scoop wet dirt out of a ditch it will mix it with dry dirt on the spot then replace it your done .What they say about the Harley rake on ther video is all true since owning one i can say that.

 

[dqdave1]

You do not need a large cut to pull a Harley rake; they make different sizes. Price is high on Harleys.

 

[Dirthog]

Most of the time all we use is a Rototiller in fact just a new reverse tine one two or three passes and it brake's every thing up and levels out any ruts and you are ready to seed we doo hand pick out the large rocks though

 

[teeravis1]

Since last spring (2006), I have been working on putting in my yard. It was all trees when we started. Had a dozer come in clear it and do the rough grade. The issue is I have a lot of rocks. Now I am done except for a little corner. First I used a land scape rake to drag roots, tree branches, & rocks sitting on the surface out of the yard (and somewhat level it). Next I got a bed spring put 2 old grader blades on it for weight and dragged it to level it and pull some of the rocks out sticking above the surface. Then I hand raked it to get all the little rocks and gravel out. In the process of the hand raking I dug out the big rocks above, at or just below the surface and filled in the holes. This was way too much work over the last 2 years (my yard is about 2 acres), and I'm not even completely done yet! So my question is this, in case I ever have to do it again - How could I have made it easier on myself and eliminated the hand raking and maybe the digging out of big rocks? Is there any implements that would have made my life easier? Here are some details on the ground I put my yard in: red staining clay mixed with gravel & lots lots lots of rocks small big & very big. I put a thread out there somewhere showing some of my rocks. I would like to get any advice for the next time. Thanks -Trav

 

[teeravis1]

Oh and by the way, my whole yard is on a hill, so any time we get a good rain after I just planted a section of it, it washes it out with run off trenches, and also washes all the rock free soil on top I just raked clean out so its all rocks on the surface again. Then I have to re-hand rake it, out dig more big rocks that popped up, & fill the runoff trenches and rake them smooth -not good, rework is bad and I have done a lot of it over the last 2 years. I mulch it with straw, but the big rains still get the best of it. Couldn't afford to haul the black dirt to cover the yard, or the sod to sod the yard, so I bought the tractor and have donated lots of my time to it. Any suggestions on what I could have done that would have been better/smarter?

 

[FULLPULL]

The Harley rake will handle rocks and win row them and pull them into piles if there not to big .They told me football size at the factory is ok . On a hill if you cant afford sod the next thing for me would be stake straw on the edges in rows this will slow the water till you get a stand of grass . It also works good for deep ditch work if you leave room for the water to pass then offset the next row. On new yards we usally tend to get topsoil in place if it is to rocky to work . If the rock arent to big you might rent a Harley rake and try it . You can see one like the Harley at Woods equipment website in a video if you want.

 

[Patriot]

teeravis1,

I did a job very similar to what you’re dealing with.
For starters try a rockhound, it’s made by the same people that make the harley rake or Bobcats. The rocks are collected in a bucket which then can be dumped in a truck or in the woods, etc. You can usually find them wherever the Bobcat skid steers are rented.
After that, wait for a week without rain in the forecast, or at least 4-5 days then hydroseed it using extra mulch and tackifier, the required amount of grass seed of your choice, plus the same amount of quick grow annual seed.
The annual seed comes up fast and will help stabilize the soil while waiting for the perennial seed to sprout , otherwise you may need to use seed germination cloth on the slopes.
I know you said you have a big area to do but this is the best way I’ve found to get grass to grow on steep slopes and avoid washouts.

Brian

 

[Jay4200]

So my question is this, in case I ever have to do it again - How could I have made it easier on myself and eliminated the hand raking and maybe the digging out of big rocks?

That's easy. After the dozer was finished, I'd pick any big rocks out with my backhoe, then hire a landscaper to come in with a harley rake. I might consider renting a rake and running it on my tractor, but it might not be much more expensive to have someone come in and do it. They would run the rake over everything a couple of times, hand picking whatever big rocks you missed. You probably would need to have a couple of truckloads of loam brought in too, which would be spread and leveled by the aforementioned landscaper (I've noticed that tractors don't spread loam very efficiently).

It would probably take the better part of a day to do the raking part, maybe two if it was really bad. Once all of that is done, they would spray down the entire thing with a hydroseeder and that would be it.

It would take a weekend, and two weeks later you'd have a golf course.

JayC

 

[teeravis1]

It would take a weekend, and two weeks later you'd have a golf course.

JayC

A weekend, two weeks, and about $25,000, which is why I opted to buy the tractor and do it myself!