Restoring a former loading yard

[Rock Rancher]

All,
We are looking to restore a former loading area for a rock mine into a useable pasture area. The soil is a mix of cobble (1" to 12", hence the rock mine) and sand, very little organics. There are two problems to be solved. One, the soil is so compressed that any water in a low spot just sits there until it evaporates. Two, I want to amend the soil to support a good mix of pasture grasses.

For the first problem, it seems like I need (1) to break up the crust to a sufficient depth to get the water moving down and then out, and (2) put a fine grade on it to get any surface water moving to the existing drainage trenches.

Given that I have 25 HP to work with, I'm thinking that I might not get anywhere trying to furrow the soil with a plow. Or am I wrong about that? If that's right, then I was thinking about using a box blade with the teeth as deep as they'll go for a few passes, and then running a rock rake over the ground to try to get the worst of the rocks out. I'm guessing I'll only get down four inches or so, but maybe that's enough?

After that, I'm thinking I'll break up any big clods with a disker, but I'm worried that the remaining rocks will chew it up. Is that a valid concern?

As a last step, I'll use some manure from the dairy operators around here to place on top of the prepped dirt, and till it in a bit with the disker. Then I'll pass over it with the box blade (teeth up) to try to get a fine grade to the drain.

Any perspective on my plan would be much appreciated. There's nothing set in stone about my plan - are there better tools to use? Are there other steps I should take?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[kebo]

As hard packed and rocky as the loading dock sounds, it's quite likely you will not make any headway at all with a 25hp tractor. It may not even be able to even penetrate the top layer with a subsoiler or single plow.

Imho, without seeing the loading dock, it sounds like a 25hp tractor is not the right tool for this job. With a hard, crusty top layer, you will need something with considerable downforce to break though it. I think a dozer with rippers on the back will be needed to break it up, and then use the blade to make several piles of rock. Depending on how that turns out, it might need to be ripped again until you get down to something that resembles decent soil that might grow some grass.

My hunt club has one particular lease of 65 acres, and the front 12 acres used to be a lumber yard for loading timber onto rail cars. Over the years they had hauled in several layers of fill dirt (with some rock mixed in) to level it up with, and then it got compacted really hard with all the 18 wheelers and heavy equipment running across it for many years. One year the club decided to try and plant a dove field there with a tractor bigger than yours, and they couldn't hardly get anything to break through the top crusty layer. That was the most pitiful dove field you ever saw!!! Good luck with whatever you try!

 

[Rock Rancher]

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to hear. I've got a strong suspicion that somebody with a dozer could do in two hours what would take me two days and would save me a lot of broken gear and headaches. Still, I'm going to spend half an hour on it tomorrow, just to see what happens.

 

[StanR]

Keep us posted and also post pictures of the area before and after....

 

[clemsonfor]

Lodding docks from a logging operation in the woods usually when trees are planted will always have chlorotic(light green instead of drak healthy green trees) and shorter stunted trees, due to soil compaction. And this may only be from operating on them for a month or less on the one area, and usually onlything to occur is the skidder on that site as well as trees laying down. But often times the top soil is pushed up into piles when they clear the branches off the site.