which Implement for clay and rocks

[Cade]

I am looking to do some landscaping this spring/summer and my property is mostly clay and rocks. I have a drainage problem and I want to slope the ground away from the house. I will also have to create a swale and or a ditch. I live on a wooded lot and I cleared out the underbrush (by hand prior to the Kubota) and removed some trees. I want to eventually plant some grass. I was thinking of using a tiller attachment for starters and then a box scraper and then something to smooth out the ground. The problem where I live is drainage. There isnt any and there are underground springs/ high water table. Besides selling, what other options do I have? I wanted to get others opinions on this.

Thanks

 

[RonR]

Tillers make a lot of noise and can be damaged by rocks.

If I were doing it, I'd put the scarifiers down on the box blade, maybe controlled easier with gage wheels, and work the ground as much as possible.

Then till what's left, after you pick up the rocks. Not fun, I know, but wrap a rock through your tiller once and you'll go to this method.

I ordered my tiller with a slip clutch, to keep from replacing shear bolts.

ron

 

[KeithInSpace]

Used a tiller in a rock/root infested area. Bent the thing to heck. Real shame...and a waste of time. Borrowed it, too, which makes the whole thing worse. Bummer.

I would go the box-blade route at first, definitely. THEN maybe a tiller, but only after you've hand-picked all the rocks and stuff out of the project area.

 

[RonR]

After further thought----------

I've not built this yet, but I'm thinking of building a 3 point implement that has a 4 x 4 (or so) box beam about 60" wide that I can mount about 10 scarifiers on, spaced 6" apart, stagger front and rear of the box beam. I'd like to make it so the scarifiers could go fairly deep.

It would do the same job as a box blade w/ scarifiers, but hopefully in half the time.

If the BX couldn't pull it with 10, I'd drop it to 6 or 8. But I think that it would rip the ground up easily and help pull up the rocks easier/faster.

ron

 

[MikeS_in_GA]

Here is what I use. Spring tooth chisel. Breaks up the clay nicely, pops rocks to the surface. 1 shank per 8 hp or so for a very general rule of thumb. This 7 shank unit can really pull hard behind my m5400. I know there are 5 shank units available new. Big spring on each shank so chisel will ride up if large obstacle is hit underground.

(Sorry about the pic size - I haven't found a pic resizer for Vista yet - haven't looked for one very much either)

 

[teeravis1]

I started putting in my yard last year, and have the same type of soil as you....rock, gravel, & clay. I used a landscape rake to get the bigger rocks out, and then dragged with an old bedspring with weight on it. It worked pretty good, but I think if I add the box blade to the package this year I will be better off yet.

 

[kwolfe]

After further thought----------

I've not built this yet, but I'm thinking of building a 3 point implement that has a 4 x 4 (or so) box beam about 60" wide that I can mount about 10 scarifiers on, spaced 6" apart, stagger front and rear of the box beam. I'd like to make it so the scarifiers could go fairly deep.

It would do the same job as a box blade w/ scarifiers, but hopefully in half the time.

If the BX couldn't pull it with 10, I'd drop it to 6 or 8. But I think that it would rip the ground up easily and help pull up the rocks easier/faster.

ron

Ron,
I have a BX1500 and a Box Blade with 4 rippers. I have clay with rocks as well. 4 rippers will stop that tractor quick if they go too deep to quick. Your 2230 only weighs a few more pounds than mine. With 6 to 8 rippers, you are going to loose traction quick. The other option is to do multiple passes with smaller bites (maybe only 2" at a time). That might work.

 

[Buckeyeman]

I have the same problem, 3 acres of clay, stone, and rocks. I haven't put my yard in yet because of all these rocks rising to the surface every spring. I just bought a used 4' King Kutter box scraper for my B7610 that I plan on using once the ground drys out, then renting a power rake for final grade. I hope this works.
I've heard landscape rakes clog up too fast and don't work too well.

 

[rdsaustintx]

Ditto. 3 acres of clay and interbedded stone, BX23.

Did a MASSIVE amount of regrading last year (250 hours, I figure about 800 buckets of spoil, plus maybe 30 cu yards of rip rap picked out). We lowered a back yard, built an artificial "creek" channel to collect/divert drainage and then raised a downslope paddock about 8" with the spoil. It turned out very nice.

Use a heavy box blade. It will still beat you to death if your clay is tough.

Landscape rake is handy for loose dirt only. It won't do diddly to rocks bedded in packed clay. Mine is semi-worthless without gage wheels (which KK says are available, but really aren't).

No WAY I could pull 10 scarifiers with my puny tractor. EVER.

Russell in Texas

 

[Z-Michigan]

After further thought----------

I've not built this yet, but I'm thinking of building a 3 point implement that has a 4 x 4 (or so) box beam about 60" wide that I can mount about 10 scarifiers on, spaced 6" apart, stagger front and rear of the box beam. I'd like to make it so the scarifiers could go fairly deep.

It would do the same job as a box blade w/ scarifiers, but hopefully in half the time.
ron

Landpride and Unverferth make a similar implement called a scarifier. It's basically the scarifier bar of a box blade, without the side plates and rear blade that make it a box blade. Only difference is that it is a single row and the spacing is 12".

 

[seapea]

Ditto. 3 acres of clay and interbedded stone, BX23.

Landscape rake is handy for loose dirt only. It won't do diddly to rocks bedded in packed clay. Mine is semi-worthless without gage wheels (which KK says are available, but really aren't).

Russell in Texas

They are available. At first TSC told me that they didn't have KK landscape rakes with guage wheels. Then I showed them the KK catalog with part #506005 for the guage wheels. The were able to order them from KK for $195 + $12.50 shipping. I got them along with a 72" rake last week. I hope to try it out this weekend.

Chris

 

[art]

For the size of your tractor and the looks of your woods in the background of your picture you might be working in tight quarters! I'd try and find a top and tilt kit for your tractor and a 72" box scraper so you could move more dirt easily by dragging it! I've used tillers and it is hard to just skim the ground with out making it unlevel. I recomend tillers for food plots and gardens. You only need an inch of topsoil to grow grass in!

With a top and tilt kit you would be able to adjust angle of cut from front to rear as well as side to side making it easy to cut a gentle grade for drainage.
You could just get the box scraper and manually adjust the links but with any amount of grade work what might take only a day with hydraulics might just take a bit longer.

 

[Tom_H]

I have hard clay with rocks too, and a BX2200.

I would rip it first with a subsoiler, which will not cost you all that much. This single shank will be able to go deeper and not get hung up like the multiple scarifers on the BB. This will bust and loosen things up for a good start. (If I had a set of discs, I'd follow with those.) Then, I would go at it with the box blade with scarifers down, to excavate and shape the swale, while moving the excavant to a new location. (Do you have Top 'n Tilt? This would help a lot.) Next, a landscape rake should probably do well to move out rocks (depends how big & how many). Come along lastly with a drag screen to smooth things out.

 

[StrangeRanger]

My area isn't so much clay, but it's hard pan with shale, ledge and billions of rocks. Rocks ranging from golf balls to beach balls.

While you will find the box blade an amazing tool, once you figure out how to use it right, it's not what you want for the first few passes. It will simply clog up w/ rocks and then ride over leaving piles all over. A sub-soiler or scarifier bar will work great for loosening things up first. Then you can bring in the box blade and/or rakes. The rake isn't even going to scratch your clay.

But you've got a tough decision to make, when is enough, enough. I'm going on my 3rd year of putting in my back yard. My wife thinks I'm insane. I just can't stand the new crops of rocks that come up in the spring. I've got to stop before I have enough rocks to duplicate the great wall of China. But I can't. Evil little beings they are I tell you. Evil!

 

[Leon Wittner]

You should take a look at Box Blade and Rock Rake they do wonders for me I do not kbow how I did without them. See the below Thread to see how they worked for me.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/116096-l-2800-before-after.html