tilling and boxblading

[wkasr1]

I've been doing a little landscaping for some extra money-new home construction type. On the yards with little grass I usually till, boxblade and level. BUT on the yards with wild grass already growing when I till it and then boxblade the blade fills up with clumps of grass. No matter how many times I till I still have too much grass that clumps up. Is there a different attachment that will work better? I will still need to boxblade to level the lot. Thanks for any replies. Billy

 

[JimMorrissey]

I guess you'll need to take the sod off first with your loader and a heavy duty tooth bar. Move it off without removing too much top soil, then level with the boxblade. -I'm certain you thought of this. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

I've used a landscape rake to drag all the extra turf off first and then used the boxblade to finish leveling. Sometimes the landscape rake has gotten most of the leveling done and I just smooth it out with the boxblade. John

 

[Jackrabbit_Slim]

I've encountered the same problem in this part of the world far too often. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I find one of the key elements is to make sure I've got a really good kill on the grass and weeds before I even start to think about going to work on the job. If possible, I'll let it sit for at least two or three weeks to desiccate. (I know... not always gonna happen, but in a perfect world...) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Then I like to mow things down as close to the ground as I possibly can. No point in fighting with any more trash than necessary.

After that, it's till, till and till some more.

Generally works really well, and, unlike some of the competition, I bring my jobs in on time and on budget.

Next on my "must have" list is a Rock Hound.

Slim

 

[Moon]

I have some similar terrain I'd like to tackle this fall. Lots of grass / weeds on it, but it needs leveling. Would discing first then till and box blade work? Seems like this would be less time consuming than removing the sod or killing it all and waiting 3 weeks (I try not to use the chemicals if I can avoid it).
thanks,
Moon of Ohio

 

[meledward23]

Rockhound. Yes that is your best bet, however I dont know whether this is offered for a Tractor. I have about ten years working in the commercial landscape contracting industry.

Love the rockhound.

I am still learning best use practices for my personal equipment (ie the tractor).

 

[Jackrabbit_Slim]

I think the first thing I'd be inclined to do is mow it down as far as I possibly could. I haven't had great success incorporating trash with light discs, and the more you can chop it up the better. I like to wait for the kill so I get a better mulch on the trash and the roots start to break down a bit.

I've never seen rock like where I live now, and I always drop the scarifiers on my box scraper as low as they'll go and "prospect" for the big rocks and roots. (This whole area has been logged at least once - big, big fir and cedar that don't put roots in very deep.) After I've got that out, I go straight to tilling. And I till everything hard. It really frustrates me when I've got a chunk of "something" hung up on a scarifier or wedged under my blade when I'm trying to landscape. I think the key to success is having the material as fine and homogenous as possible. If you can get that, it'll work well for you.

Slim

 

[ByronBob]

My new home is in an old farm field. The farmer down the road is going to help me redo the yard as it's a gut wrencher. I told him whatever he tought was best do it.

He's spraying it with Round-up in midOct
Next spring he's discing it after the grass dies
Finally using a harrow to spread it out for me.

My yard is 400X1100 feet. Way too much for me to do. Sucks my yard will again be a mess but I can't mow the thing anyway.

The grass/weeds are the problem. He said the disc will just make a mess unless the grass is gone. Then the soil will be workable. He's been doing this for 30+ years. I believe him

 

[meledward23]

ByronB

-RoundUp in MidOctober ? Seems a little late to be messing with that. Well I work in the South, so I am not going to comment on much else about it.

- Very Good Points - of course you need to scalp the area you plan on preparing and then scrape the surface as clean as possible. I think that goes for just about any implement and method you use.

- As far as spray out and killing the vegetation that depends on what is there and what you are putting down.