Tell me how to flatten pasture

[airbiscuit]

I would try mowing (twice) with the flail mower, and then tackling the humps and hollows with the box blade with rippers. If that doesn't work, I would rent, borrow or buy a tiller.

 

[Diggin It]

A lot of the other posts have touched on things like future use and different methods of working the area.

My front yard is some sort of greenish stuff part of the year. Can't call it a lawn. Winter it's basically brown with little apparent vegetation. Pock marked with mole runs, washouts, rocks that have risen ... sort of a mess. In Summer it gets rock hard and unable to be worked. Today I decided to try the landscape rake since the 'grass' hasn't appeared yet and then soil is soft-ish from rain. Set the rake as low as it would go. It cut off the high spots and dragged the spoils to the low spots, filling them in as I passed over. After several passes, I left the rake up and just drove around, packing it down with the machine and tire weight. Repeated that process of raking, then packing a couple of times. Also tore up the surface enough to take new grass seed (if I had any). It's a lot better than it was, but I may need to repeat the process after a few rains when I can see how it settles.

Remember, there was no growth more than an inch above ground, so I didn't have to deal with mowing first.

I'd say mow it as low as you can, then go at it when the ground is softer from rain, if you get any.

In my view, discing will turn up lots of dirt clods and make it rougher than it is until worked further. That may be a necessary first step though.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I use a roll-over plow, then I drag a log sideways over the field.

The deep tillage really fluffs up the soil and allows the soil to be moved about. And the log, with its shape, presses rocks into the soil.

The bigger and longer the log is, the better grade you will get. A smaller, longer log though is better than a short one, because the longer the log, the smoother your field will be. You will just have to make more passes over the field the lighter the log is.

For years we would use a disc harrow and it was silly; all it did was kick rocks up so we had to pick more rocks, and marginally graded the field smooth.

In this picture I am using a bigger tractor to pull the log, but the concept is the same no matter what you tow the log with.

 

[Egon]

You want smooth and even pasture?

Cultivation to agricultural farm field standard that is used for grain cropping. Use whatever equipment that is available or required to get the field into this state. A plough, disc and diamond tooth harrows would work with smaller tractors. So would a rototiller and the harrows. If your tractor is large enough disking and harrows will work. The box blade with rippers will be an exercise in futility as well as drags.

Sod has to be broken down to loose dirt before it can be worked with ease.

 

[shooterdon]

If you have crop farmers in the area, they might be of assistance. They know the soil and have the equipment. I doubt they will charge more than $250 and they be done in a couple of hours. Buy or build a drag for finial smoothing.

 

[deserteagle71]

1. Mow first. Otherwise the vegetation will bunch up and tangle up in whatever implement you use to level with.
2. Make at least one pass - more if that's what it takes - with a disc to loosen up the top layer of soil.
3. Pull a large drag of some sort over the ground. It will shave off the high spots and drop the loose material in the low spots.
With several passes you can make the ground smooth and level.

Years ago I made a drag out of 4 railroad ties fastened together and spaced out by large thick planks I had laying around. It measures about 9' x 9'. I use it several times a year to maintain my fire breaks. Here's what the drag looks like. Kind of dilapidated now...I'm going to get some new railroad ties and build a new one this spring:

This is what the firebreak looks like after discing and dragging. The land to the sides may look smooth but it is anything but!

 

[airbiscuit]

That is clever, inexpensive and effective.

 

[Thejoj]

Very good suggestions. I should say that I am still waiting on flail mower and grapple. They are supposed to be in by end of week. If I had the mower, I would hit it first.

With that said, I got a little antsy yesterday after work and decided to take the box blade out there. I set it down and just made a bunch of passes. It would scalp the high spots and kind of float over the flat/low stuff leaving most vegetation in tact. One thing I noticed is how much the 3 point would ç´*loat? I would set the box all the way down and as the terrain went subtly up and down, it would too. This has its pros and cons. Just wanting to know if thatç—´ normal with these tractors?

My only experience is with a construction skip loader. That wouldn稚 move up and down, it just tore through everything. Less room for error on that machine, but also dug in when you wanted.

 

[jeff9366]

I noticed how much the 3 point would float? I would set the box all the way down and as the terrain went subtly up and down, it would too. This has its pros and cons. Just wanting to know if that is normal with tractors?

YES Tractor operators are reliant on implement weight for effectiveness with Three Point Hitch implements performing ground contact work. Adjusting the Top Link will vary Box Blade cutting some but ultimately heavier Box Blades cut better than light Box Blades. Weight per unit of width is the key metric. Bush Hog (brand) Rollover Box Blade in photos is 120 pounds per foot of width.

BOX BLADE ADJUSTMENT: adjust Box Blade site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

 

[ovrszd]

If you think you are making progress with the BB I'd just continue doing that. And it's a great opportunity to get seat time.