Grading [How to] level & break in new field

[crmorse]

I have 2.5 acres that I just reclaimed from mostly small trees. I've done a soil test so I know what I need to do amendments-wise but I need to get it leveled first and then cultivated.

What I'm not sure of is how best to break up, smooth out, and level the field. It was cleared via the push over method with a track loader so I have about a dozen stump holes scattered around. I also need to put in a drainage swale. Since I have a drone available, I figured this was as good an excuse as any to go fly so here's an overview video of it.

[video=vimeo;228749754]Field 2 Flyover[/video]
Field 2 Above All on Vimeo

Tractors available:

• John Deere 455G Track Loader (great for digging but sucks for leveling because you can't tilt the blade)
• Kubota L47 TLB with loaded rear tires and 3PT w/TnT (brute force but I do wish it had R1 tires... R4s just spin in mud).
• Ford 8N with R1s (Tired and worn out but still works harder than I can)

Implements in the barn:

• 6' double-gang disc
• 6' Rototiller
• 7-tine chisel plow
• 6' box blade with scarifiers
• Subsoiler
• Single row cultivator
• beastly spring tooth cultivator of some sort (What is this thing called? - OrangeTractorTalks - Everything Kubota)
• 6-way back blade

What I'm currently thinking I should do.....

1. couple of passes with either the monster rake thingy or the chisel plow depending on whichever seems to break it up better and pull up the roots
2. many passes with the box blade to level out the highs and lows. Probably have to alternate with chisel above unless tipping forward the rippers can re-dig deep enough
3. spot cut/fill high and low places with front bucket
4. disc or rototill
5. plant

My short-term goal is to plant winter wheat in October. But, I'd rather take the time now to do it right so the field stays nice than rush and fight issues every time I work it from now on.

My biggest challenge, at least for me, is what I'll call "macro" leveling.... I can see a hole and drag some nearby dirt into. It's much harder for me to see if all I've really done is just create a wider but shallower depression. I guess that's the really the trick anyway? I guess I just have to frequently get off, get low to the ground, and look around... If you experienced hands have any tips on how to do this better, I'm all ears... (Note: I only have about 100 hours under my seat spread across all 3 of the above)

On the swale, there's already a rough path I put in with the track loader just to get it to drain all this extra rain we're getting this year. But I really need to move it over and straighten it out so it won't be a pain to work around forevermore. For that, I'm thinking I take the transit out and drive in grade stakes to set a straight path and establish the drainage slope. Then use the backhoe to excavate the swale bottom. From there, I'm not really sure what to do. I've tried using both the back blade and the box blade to slope the sides and all I really did was get the Kubota stuck a bunch of times. (Seriously, it's rained so much this year I've consider relocating to Seattle for the sunshine!) The tracker loader doesn't get stuck but it's basically impossible (at least with my skill level) to set any kind of intentional angle with it. The best luck I've had so far is backing up perpendicular to the swale with the box blade and dragging forward a few times. I can't get a consistent angle that way but at least its sloping the banks. It just kills my neck craning around for hours at a time.

Assuming I do the above correctly. The second challenge will be moving the dirt excavated out of the new swale back to the existing drainage ditch location leveling that back out. I guess it'll just take getting muddy a bunch and then waiting for the old path to dry up enough to work it again after the new swale has taken over the water flow. I realize this paragraph probably doesn't make any sense. If this thread sticks around I'll post pictures along the way that will help a lot.

If you read this far, thank you. If you can offer any suggestions or help thank you twice!

Sincerely,
City boy learning the country ways (and loving it)

 

[CalG]

problem with land improvements of the "cut and fill" variety is that the top soil is only so deep.

If you want anything to grow but weeds after you are done "smoothing", You need to push off the top soil.
do your levelling, then redistribute the fertile top soil.

Now if you were talking about the Red River Valley of the Dakotas, or even the fertile plains around Dearfield and Greenfield Mass, both places where the "top soil" is 100 feet thick, (bottom of glacial lakes and all), well, then your plan to push and shove dirt around can be done with the box blade (hydro top link advised!). The winter wheat will come in just fine!

Moving loose dirt is always easier than moving undisturbed soil. That's where the scarifiers come in.

 

[crmorse]

problem with land improvements of the "cut and fill" variety is that the top soil is only so deep.

If you want anything to grow but weeds after you are done "smoothing", You need to push off the top soil.
do your levelling, then redistribute the fertile top soil.

Well poo.... that's not what I wanted to hear... but probably truth. But maybe this is just my naiveté but it doesn't really seem like I have much for "topsoil" right now anyway. I think I'm starting out from scratch. This was very heavily wooded --logged about 10 years ago; so almost nothing over 4" thick except a few pines-- and from the top of the ground to the bottom of all but the deepest stump holes, it's all been about the same; gray clayey soil with a lot of organics. This is bottom land just a couple feet above a stream so I figured it's all run off from high ground when the land was last logged. But, as I said, I'm a newbie so I could be totally wrong.

I don't plan to move feet of soil around, but maybe a couple of inches at the worst. Is that still too much?

 

[CalG]

Well poo.... that's not what I wanted to hear... but probably truth. But maybe this is just my naiveté but it doesn't really seem like I have much for "topsoil" right now anyway. I think I'm starting out from scratch. This was very heavily wooded --logged about 10 years ago; so almost nothing over 4" thick except a few pines-- and from the top of the ground to the bottom of all but the deepest stump holes, it's all been about the same; gray clayey soil with a lot of organics. This is bottom land just a couple feet above a stream so I figured it's all run off from high ground when the land was last logged. But, as I said, I'm a newbie so I could be totally wrong.

I don't plan to move feet of soil around, but maybe a couple of inches at the worst. Is that still too much?

The forest in my back yard is over 100 years of tree growth since the sheep walked off to the mutton shop.

Top soil is at best an inch deep. I can kick it off with my boot. That has always been a puzzle to me. All these years of falling leaves and the work of earth worms etc. Some "science" BLAMES the earth worms for the lack of top soil here in NE.

Forest is the worst, really.

So level to your hearts content, get soil samples and add the amendments until the bank says no more credit

I wager you get one good year for every time you full "amend" the plot.

There is a reason that "slash and burn" is the agriculture of forested regions. Then they move on. Repeating the cycle.

But if you pour enough diesel into the land by driving over it with your tractor and implements, the lands will be smooth and someone will plant green grass that will need to be mowed. or else struggle with "food plots" which are really just "weed development regions" and do NOTHING to support wildlife except to give the "foodplotter" a warm fuzzy feeling.

Can you tell I'm not optimistic about your wish for winter wheat this fall ?

But, the box blade is a good tool when you learn to use it. Better would be any pull behind implement with trailing wheels to take the tractor attitude out of the equation.

 

[jenkinsph]

Well poo.... that's not what I wanted to hear... but probably truth. But maybe this is just my naiveté but it doesn't really seem like I have much for "topsoil" right now anyway. I think I'm starting out from scratch. This was very heavily wooded --logged about 10 years ago; so almost nothing over 4" thick except a few pines-- and from the top of the ground to the bottom of all but the deepest stump holes, it's all been about the same; gray clayey soil with a lot of organics. This is bottom land just a couple feet above a stream so I figured it's all run off from high ground when the land was last logged. But, as I said, I'm a newbie so I could be totally wrong.

I don't plan to move feet of soil around, but maybe a couple of inches at the worst. Is that still too much?

I can't help you with the topsoil thickness issue but the USDA conservation office in your locale can and will help.

For the leveling I can offer a couple of suggestions as I do a lot of this type work.
A grade laser that can be adjusted to the average slope or slopes and a laser receiver mounted to a pipe on your box blade or pull type drag box can provide visual indication of blade height, plumb and tilt. This would be a simple way to grade accurately and know when you are on grade or not. As you move across the field you can feather the hydraulics for height and tilt according to the receiver indicator lights which will tell you to raise, lower or adjust tilt.
You can buy this equipment or rent it depending on how much you plan to do now and in the future.

Since I do a lot of this work it made sense for me to buy the equipment for full automatic machine control. This stuff can be rather expensive and I would not recommend buying it for just a 3 acre project. You should be able to rent the laser, tripod and larger receiver for a reasonable cost for a week or two. You may need to add the pipe and socket for mounting to your box blade/drag box at your own cost.

I would use the L47 and rototill it so it is smooth enough the the tractor doesn't pitch around much. Then attach the box blade with the laser set up and find the average slope from end to end of the field. Same for average across the field. Adjust for best fit to your field. Your R4 tires should work fine since you should not attempt this type grading while a field is too wet or muddy. You want the ground to crumble in small pieces for fine grading.

Here are a couple of pictures from 2014 when I started out with the simple system described above. No automatic machine control but I did get pretty good at turning around and stretching my neck. This will take lots of seat time but you get better at it as you go. A good heavy roller and a wide land plane grader scraper also help with smoothing and packing.

 

[powerscol]

Have you checked around to hire it out. Sounds like a job for a land plan or heavy plow, then a motor grader to do the detailed finishing like cutting the swale

 

[cat fever]

Here's what I use to tear up and smooth out my field.

 

[cat fever]

I can't help you with the topsoil thickness issue but the USDA conservation office in your locale can and will help.

For the leveling I can offer a couple of suggestions as I do a lot of this type work.
A grade laser that can be adjusted to the average slope or slopes and a laser receiver mounted to a pipe on your box blade or pull type drag box can provide visual indication of blade height, plumb and tilt. This would be a simple way to grade accurately and know when you are on grade or not. As you move across the field you can feather the hydraulics for height and tilt according to the receiver indicator lights which will tell you to raise, lower or adjust tilt.
You can buy this equipment or rent it depending on how much you plan to do now and in the future.

Since I do a lot of this work it made sense for me to buy the equipment for full automatic machine control. This stuff can be rather expensive and I would not recommend buying it for just a 3 acre project. You should be able to rent the laser, tripod and larger receiver for a reasonable cost for a week or two. You may need to add the pipe and socket for mounting to your box blade/drag box at your own cost.

I would use the L47 and rototill it so it is smooth enough the the tractor doesn't pitch around much. Then attach the box blade with the laser set up and find the average slope from end to end of the field. Same for average across the field. Adjust for best fit to your field. Your R4 tires should work fine since you should not attempt this type grading while a field is too wet or muddy. You want the ground to crumble in small pieces for fine grading.

Here are a couple of pictures from 2014 when I started out with the simple system described above. No automatic machine control but I did get pretty good at turning around and stretching my neck. This will take lots of seat time but you get better at it as you go. A good heavy roller and a wide land plane grader scraper also help with smoothing and packing.

You do very nice work. The road in front of my house is not as smooth as the pictures you posted.:laughing:

 

[MESSMAKER]

I agree. Well done.

 

[crmorse]

No kidding! Jenkinsph, that's smooth as glass! I'm not looking for anything nearly that smooth. Just to level out the stump holes mostly.

Incidently, Jenkinsph, I happen to have a Topcon GTS-802a which does do machine control. I have a 360º prism as well but no radios or data collectors. Being a computer nerd, I started writing a phone app to replace them. I've got the station interface all done and can talk both directions to the instrument to get readings. But when it came time to write the HUD display for the machine operator side, I had no idea what I needed... Obviously, it won't be remote controlling anything on my 1999 JD but if I had a display that showed me target grade versus current grade that seems like it would be plenty. The challenge is target grade... I feel like I'd have to load in a point cloud of elevations and have the app interpolate from my position. Does that sound right or am I overcomplicating it? (I tend to do that)

On a lighter note, it's still definitely too wet out there but the comments in my other thread about the heavy duty spring tine cultivator got me excited to try it out, so I did. Here's a quick vid of the 8N flexing her muscles.

[video=vimeo;229023204]Spring tine cultivator[/video]
New Implements on Vimeo