Kubota dirt work help

[Agrantina]

All the pine logging is over and the clean up is here. We have leased this property for 23 years and seen these pines trees planted, grow up and now strip cut. The field before you get to the pines was my food plot and we knew they had to go thru it to get all the equipment set up. The loggers where pretty good and made it a point not to rip our deer stand down and to stay out of the food plot as much as possible. So now what do I do? They opened the on side of my food plot and in the back some (pics) but now its raw rutted dirt. We spent most all day Sunday cleaning all the debris out so now I am ready to level the ruts. My questions are: (I don稚 have FEL, but have box blade, 7ft disc, brand new 5ft tiller)
1. should I level with box blade 1st then till for spring planting
2. till 1st then level with box blade-till again and plant
3. or disc then level?

The main idea is to get ready so I can plant clover in April..

AndyG

 

[nspec]

If it were me, I'd disc it several times. Chain a small log or something similar so that it tows a few feet behind the disc. The whole place will be fairly leveled out after multiple passes and the ground will be ready for some clover. Disc will chop up any remaining debris also. I'd hold off on the tiller for such a big area.

 

[Tnbilly]

Depending on how deep the ruts are, you're just gonna have to see which works best of your implements to rough it down. I tend to think a few passes of the box blade with the tines all down will loosen and level it the quickest. You could probably rough in some of the worst with your bucket, all you're really trying to do is break it all up.

 

[TripleR]

If your ground is fairly soft a disk may work OK for you. We have a high clay content and anything less than a really heavy disk just scratches the surface, so we break the ground up with a plow or something and then disk with a spike tooth harrow dragging behind it. Other types of improvised drags will also work.

You can do a fair job with the rippers on your BB, but you will probably be getting off the tractor to dislodge debris.

You are probably going to just use the trial and error method.

 

[LD1]

An inexpensive implement you havent mentioned yet would be just a regular old rear blade. Can be had on c-list for under $200.

The tiller is going to be painfully slow and rough, especially if the ground is hard clay as mentioned.

The disk isnt going to do much on hard clay either.

And the boxblade id going to be difficult as well. Idealy you would want to straddle the ruts but a boxblade is going to pull too much material to the ends instead of depositing into the rut. And trying to go across the ruts is going to be rough and the boxlbade will drop and raise as the axles drop in the ruts.

BUT a conventional rear blade you could use one of two methods.

1. straddle the rut and angle the blade to roll the dirt into the rut.

2. spin the blade around and push straight back as if you were backfilling a trench.

I know you nly asked about the implements you have, but IMO this is a very inexpensive and better alternative.

 

[bikerdib]

IMO, they left that in pretty good shape compared to some I've seen. You don't even have any ruts to deal with. Like nspec said, disk with a back drag. If you could find a section of RR track (or something similar) as long as your disk is wide...

 

[bigbull338]

the best thing for you todo is to disk it twice to get the ruts out.an then run a harrow over it to bust up the clods.an yes i know its alot of work.but you might as well get it nice an level an smooth.

 

[LD1]

I guess I should have liiked at the pictures:laughing:

The deffinatally aint bad at all. I've see ruts 2' wide and 2' deep left from loggers before. Even when they say they will come back and take care of everything, there equipment is usually too big to do a good job and usually results in a bigger mess.

Given that I have now looked at the pictures, the disc will make the quickest out of it. If it were mine and since I dont have a disk, my nest two options would be either a landscape rake, or a rear blade backwards. Both of those would leave a good finish as well.

 

[NCRetiree]

I just had 3 acres cleared with mostly pines and oak for food plots up in Virginia. Your area left by your loggers looks pretty good. I had a lot of debris to deal with. I Box bladed it with the scarifiers until it became too much to unclog then so I used a 7' rake to get the majority of the roots and larger rocks. Then I did use my 6' rotary tiller to see what would happen. It actually brought a lot of medium sized rocks to the surface as well as roots I would want out.

Clearing this stuff was painful, just basically piling up a dumping on the side of the plot. Its on pretty good shape now but need 4 tons of lime per acre and fertilizer of course. I plan to plant Imperial Whitetail clover and alfalfa and Brasica (turnips).

Hopefully I can get a good stand before it become DRY in the summer. :thumbsup:

 

[wvpolekat]

For the first go, it may be worth finding a local farmer with a big tractor and a big disc to do the rough cut.

 

[Agrantina]

Thanks guys... I am kinda looking forward to working on it. I just need a 4-5 days of warm dry weather and I can start making a mess..It sounds like might try a box blade to fill in some ruts and then the disc with a drag behind it. I actuall do have a drag and didnt think of putting it behind the disc.:confused2: Well if the rain holds, I might start Saturday. I will take pics of my first dirt task with the new Kubota..

Thanks,
AndyG

 

[Grandad4]

All the pine logging is over and the clean up is here. We have leased this property for 23 years and seen these pines trees planted, grow up and now strip cut. The field before you get to the pines was my food plot and we knew they had to go thru it to get all the equipment set up. The loggers where pretty good and made it a point not to rip our deer stand down and to stay out of the food plot as much as possible. So now what do I do? They opened the on side of my food plot and in the back some (pics) but now its raw rutted dirt. We spent most all day Sunday cleaning all the debris out so now I am ready to level the ruts. My questions are: (I don稚 have FEL, but have box blade, 7ft disc, brand new 5ft tiller)
1. should I level with box blade 1st then till for spring planting
2. till 1st then level with box blade-till again and plant
3. or disc then level?

The main idea is to get ready so I can plant clover in April..

AndyG

Given what implements you have, here's what I'd do.
1. Wait for it to dry out some. There's standing water in some of the ruts, and the rest looks muddy, at least in the photo. You'll have a muddy mess if you start while it's still wet.
2. Pick up as many of the limbs and roots as possible. They'll jamb up your implements if there are too many, and generally make working the land a PITA.
3. The disc will break up most of the clods and ruts. You may find that continued working with the disc is all it needs.
4. Use the box blade to level and redistibute uneven ground. Trim the highs and fill in the lows. You can spend a lot of time at this, particularly if you're kind of new to using a BB.
5. After the box blade, you could go back for another discing to even up your box blade work. That might be easier than doing it all with the box blade.
These projects often require you to try different approaches as you go, so there is no single best plan to follow. If the clover is for pasture or game forage, that may be all you need to do the get it ready.

I would hold the tiller as a last resort. Since it was previously in woods, you don't really know what's in the ground. It could be rocky, full of hidden roots, or who knows?

 

[taborekle]

I'd let it dry out and then disc it to break up the soil. If your tiller is a reversing tiller, go over it. I've been pretty impressed about how the reversing tiller will push the dirt in front of itself, and will fill in the ruts and the holes in the ground.

 

[Agrantina]

Gdad4-- yes I will have to wait for it to dry alot.. I think I am fooling myself about this weekend.. Just got a little spring fever I guess.

AndyG

 

[spruce Deere]

Look'n at the pics the loggers did a fine job of minimal rutting and left a clean look'n sight

I would use the box blade first. Yea, them sticks will build up in the rippers but that saves you the bending over to pick them up Plus it will help level out the ground at the same time while gathering sticks.

Designate a spot on one side of the area where a pile can be built to burn the sticks, then work the area with the box blade towards that one side creating a "windrow" of sticks and debris that can to be pushed into the spot designated for burning after done box blading. A little time consuming, seat time is better than bent back time picking up sticks, roots, things.....

After that, I'd pull the disc around WITH the drag connected right to it.

 

[tk1469]

I had an area like that - a few years ago - that was logged off and pretty well clear cutted. I had friend of mine use a disc on it several times - then I took a "drag" made out of chain link fence and went over it again and again. It is now a nice field of green grass that looks like a nice "meadow". I agree with the prior posts - use a disc - then just drag it.

 

[crazyal]

You may want to just use the rippers on your box blade to loosen up all the roots. Set them as low as they go and keep the blade just off the ground.

 

[Agrantina]

Pictures to come this weekend..sorry forgot the camera today.. Well I am glad I listened to you guys and used the disc and not the tiller or box blade. As I was using the disc today on the food plot ruts I ran accross a log self that I guess they put down to keep some of the trucks from getting stuck. It was completly covered in dirt and once I got down that deep-- the disc would jump over them. After about 2 hrs digging them up I got 27 logs out of one spot, all were about 5 inch diameter and 8-10 long. WOW-WOW- just think if I would have run my brand new tiller over that!! Well after almost all day of finding small pieces and other wood debris I got the entire place disc and cleaned. Going to wait until Saturday and go back and till everything and get ready to plant.. I post some pictures this weekend..

AndyG

 

[bigbull338]

see using the disk saved you from completely trashing out a tiller.an look at all the fire wood youve got now.

 

[Agrantina]

Pictures of my first land leveling project... dics really did good. Going to use the new tiller Saturday... These are the before pics...