Knocking dirt down?

[Zerk]

I got a lot of mounds in the woods,if there wasn't so many I would think they are indian mounds. Lots of mounds around 12-18" high. Mingn country I have wondered if mining test rills, or just weird stuff left by glaciers.

What is the best way to flatten these for a trail? One of the biggest dissappoints was how hard it was to move settled dirt. Practice has helped, different angles of FEL. Wondering maybe need some teeth for the FEL. Have to be removable because I sue it for snow removal.

I am thinking one of my first purchases will be back blade or box blade. For rough work an knocking stuff down, would box blade be better?

For rough work should I practice more with the FEL, get teeth, or is an attachment better? Thanks.


I always thought a brush hog woud be my first purchase.


New Holland 2120 diesel 4wd.

 

[4570Man]

Some teeth will work wonders. A back blade is nearly worthless. A box blade would help. I prefer to use a box blade for knocking stuff down, but since the BB isn't usually on the tractor and I'm lazy I use the FEL. Some ballast will also work wonders.

 

[Rustywreck]

Could it be old, decayed tree stumps from past logging? My property is much the same as you describe: looks like the surface of a golf ball.
I think a box blade would be better than a back blade. I have a back blade, which is of little help.

 

[Looking4new]

The very first thing I did with mine was move 105 tons of gravel. Two weeks later I put some teeth on the bucket. Night and day difference in loader work now. Get some teeth.

 

[4570Man]

The very first thing I did with mine was move 105 tons of gravel. Two weeks later I put some teeth on the bucket. Night and day difference in loader work now. Get some teeth.

I don't think teeth make much difference for loose dirt or gravels. For digging hard packed dirt like in the OPs case teeth make a huge difference.

 

[jeff9366]

Tractors are fundamentally engineered to PULL. Heavy draft force loads should be applied to the rear of the tractor, through the Three Point Hitch, not the FEL.

A Box Blade is what you want. Like all ground contact implements, Box Blades are dependent on weight for cutting force. To be effective Box Blades should weight a minimum of 100 pounds per foot of width; 125 pounds per foot is better.

There is a pin adjustment, on the stirrups at the lower ends of the right and left Lifting Rods, which raise and lower the Lower Links of the Three Point Hitch. If the pins are set in the lower holes, as opposed to the default upper holes, it allows implements to settle 3" to 4" lower. Changing the default setting to the lower holes often helps Box Blades cut, especially when pulling down mounds, where front of tractor is down, raising rear of tractor and rear mounted implements.

A Rollover Box Blade, which has rippers built in, is preferable if you do not have rear hydraulics. A Hydraulink Top Link is useful with a Box Blade, in lieu of a standard Top Link.

LINK: Google


Also consider a Field Cultivator (AKA: All Purpose Plow) for deeper penetration but slower earth moving ability. A Field Cultivator requires less power to pull than a Box Blade. Filed Cultivators are versatile implements. No need for a Hydraulink Top Link.

VIDEO: How to Use a Ripper / Field Cultivator - Gardening Series - YouTube

 

[oosik]

I have teeth on my FEL bucket and it DEFINITELY helps "digging into" mounds of dirt. The teeth don't seem to affect snow removal - just remember that they are there. The teeth on my bucket are a more or less permanent attachment.

A box blade or roll over box blade would be my choice to attack the mounds with a 3-point implement. Scarifier teeth on the box blade would be a big help also.

Using a rear blade is going to be almost useless - it will tend to simply ride over any mound and will take repeated passes to get anything accomplished.

 

[Zerk]

Could it be old, decayed tree stumps from past logging? My property is much the same as you describe: looks like the surface of a golf ball.
I think a box blade would be better than a back blade. I have a back blade, which is of little help.

The mounds are a few feet wide. Though some may have been virgin timber 100 some years ago.

Looks like box blade and teeth are it. Thanks everyone.

 

[DeutzFahr85]

Id leave the tractor at home and rent a tracked skid steer. You will be a pro in no time and make short work of it. Then have plenty of time for a beer at the end of the day.

 

[rd_macgregor]

A woodland with none of these mounds is usually a re-grown (old) field. The mounds (actually pits and mounds) accumulate in the woods over many decades as trees die and rot or topple and rot.
A complication in trying to level these for a trail is (well, can be!) remaining tree roots (eg from trees alongside your intended path)...this is the voice of experience.