John47: I invited the conservation agent out and ask what I needed to do. I have found them to be very helpful over the years and in general practical as well. One solution he offered may actually be to go back and mow with a horse team. The idea is that deep cover keeps things too wet and that keeping the weeds mowed prevents reseeding giving the grasses a chance to take over. I was hoping to find some way to use my tractor instead of horses to mow but without rutting up the field in the process. (At the price of diesel the horses are looking better.)
kbuegel: Thanks for the advice. There is a thick clay base and I have been worried about any drainage that I put in not lasting. The cloth in addition to the gravel and pipe is defintely worth looking into. If I can get control by mowing I hope not to have to resort to that kind of effort/$$$. I will try to hit the dry spots and sneak up on the rest as you suggest. I had not considered raking but that should defintiely help. As for the loader; I wanted to get it off to decrease the overall tractor weight but as you suggest I have had to use it to "inchworm" myself out of the muck too many times!
I think I have a line on some used golfcourse tires and rims and will see where I can go from there. Thanks for everyones input.
