Ideas for Leveling Dirt and Seeding for Grass with Tractor

[saxon11]

I'm new to my 47hp tractor, got about 15 hours on it this winter/spring. Working well. There is an acre or so of my land this Spring i'll need to seed. Right now it's getting leveling by bulldozer, and black dirt of being saved for me to put on top for grass. Working with my bucket, I just don't have the skill to get that dirt even close enough to level and ready for seed. My current implements are bucket, rear-mount tiller, forks. I've see others with bobcats make miracles with spreading dirt for grass, i just don't see that happening with me, perhaps I need to practice. If using implements (could need to buy two new ones), I've don't some research and let me know if this is a good plan:

1) use my tractor's bucket to dump the dirt around (result wont be flat but each bucket i can slowly dump just while reversing). My guess is about 100 yards to spread.

2) come by next with a landscape drag or here is slightly different model. I can pull this with my tractor or even my 18hp craftsman lawn tractor. With concrete blocks for extra weight, reviews tell me this implement works wondering on leveling.

3) finally, a chain-link harrow drag, throw the grass seed down, the hit it one more time to cover the seed.

Suggestions?

 

[Rockbadchild]

yes some guys are really good to spread black dirt with a bobcat ... just a note I have seen a guy doing it with a track bobcat and he was operating on the black dirt and not the other way around so he was spreading from the pile out and not the other way around ... That way your black dirt stay black and clean.

I don't know if you will get the result you want with the landscape drag, I feel like it won't spread like sand or gravel since black dirt compact way more and tent to stick together I would suggest having a harrow spike tooth with the chain link harrow drag behind it. My thought is the spike harrow would make some loose and break the chunks then the chain like would spread evenly but I could be wrong ...

I am wondering if its better to cover the seed or the pack the seed ?? I know for hay seeds it is recommended to pass a lawn roller after seeding, but I don't know for grass

 

[Str8 6]

Get you a 6' land plane. They level dry dirt just as well as they level gravel. You won't be disappointed and it takes no previous skill to use, just set it flat on the ground and drive around until you have reached your desired results.

 

[jeff9366]

2) come by next with a landscape drag or here is slightly different model. I can pull this with my tractor or even my 18hp craftsman lawn tractor. With concrete blocks for extra weight, reviews tell me this implement works wondering on leveling.

Consider a Landscape Rake or an ABI TR3 Rake in lieu of above.

Landscape Rake is 1/3 the price of an ABI TR3.


VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tractor+Landscpae+Rake+width?

 

[shooterdon]

The guy who did my place (about 2 acres of grass) used a landscape rake and it did a decent job. I did not have a tractor back then.

Like you, no way I could level a yard with a FEL. Just not talented enough.

 

[2manyrocks]

A landscape box is about the easiest implement to get a relatively smooth surface because the edges of the box roughly self level themselves provided that the dirt is workable. If you have a bunch of clumps that stick together, that's another story.

A landscape rake is better for breaking up clumps of dirt and would be better for mixing in seed.

If you have a gravel driveway to maintain, I'd suggest thinking about the landscape box.

You can buy a cattle panel at TSC for $20ish dollars whatever the price is these days and use that as a drag. Maybe weight it down with an old tire or two.

 

[saxon11]

A landscape box is about the easiest implement to get a relatively smooth surface because the edges of the box roughly self level themselves provided that the dirt is workable. If you have a bunch of clumps that stick together, that's another story.

A landscape rake is better for breaking up clumps of dirt and would be better for mixing in seed.

If you have a gravel driveway to maintain, I'd suggest thinking about the landscape box.

You can buy a cattle panel at TSC for $20ish dollars whatever the price is these days and use that as a drag. Maybe weight it down with an old tire or two.

Would the landscape box you talk about be the same as a box blade?

 

[2manyrocks]

Yes. One of these. 191415.html

They typically go for $450 ish used around me. Hard to tear one up so no reason to buy a new one.

 

[3gunr]

He probably is talking about a box blade which has many uses, Box blades use the top link on your tractor to adjust the angle front to back, angled forward more and the ripper teeth will dig in allowing more cutting of the surface and moving material , angle back and you are scraping and smoothing more , you have to play with it to get the right feel for it .

 

[2manyrocks]

Yes, I mean box blade. Thank you.

The FEL is good for moving material from A to B.

The box blade is better for moving and evening out things like ruts, holes, uneven ground.

The rake is better for finer work if the ground is pretty even. But it's not the tool to move a lot of dirt around.

It depends on what soil conditions you have and what kind of a mess the bulldozer leaves.