Box Scraper grading for large lawn areas

[Wedgie]

Terry

Roundup is a contact killer so it works best when the plant is growing. It takes about two weeks from application date to total kill. What is nice about this approach is that the grass roots basically dissolve and you don't have to deal with clumps of roots when you are working the dirt down. Roundup does not have much of a residual holdover, so you don't have to worry about it interfering with later plantings. Roundup also seems to do a fairly good job at killing poison ivy also. Roundup, or its generics, can be found almost everywhere and it isn't a restricted chemical, at least not where I live.

Good luck in getting a good yard established.

George

 

[jenkinsph]

Terry,
What you are trying to do is why I have tractors and equipment, one of my main focuses is taking rough grown over properties and establishing new smooth lawns.


First call in a locate for all utilties so that you know where these are.
Next I would first remove any undesirable trees, stumps, brush and debris.
I would then till the entire area you wan't to smooth.
After tilling I use a landplane/grader with straight set blades to smooth and average out the ground. These things work fast with excellent results.
After getting the grade correct I will usually retill to make sure I have all the ground uniformly tilled to the same depth.
Next I install sprinklers systems with pop up heads at grade or slightly below grade.
I broadcast my seed when the soil temperature is about 60 degrees or better. I seed very heavy on bare ground.
I cover the seed with a 3pt spiked tooth harrow then roll with a water filled poly roller for good seed contact.

Couple of pics of the landplane/grader I built with straight set blades, tiller in background, pictures of a harrow I built for $250 and pictures of the tractor and heavy duty boxblade to cut down large mounds. Last is a picture taken one year after seeding the new lawn, before I started there were erosion ditches crooked trees, stumps and brush.

 

[flusher]

I'm new to having a few acres instead of city lot and I have a Kubota B2320. I need to know what attachment would be best for me to buy to do a lot of grading on gently rolling hills and some flat areas which all was grown over with brush/scrub from property being unused for several years prior to me buying it.
I am guessing the box scraper would be best but I may need to turn everything over before I can regrade and I may need to move large amounts of soil around or bring in a few semi loads here and there. Hopefully I am providing enough info for someone to give me some good advice. All will be greatly appreciated.

Here's how I did the preparation for landscaping around my new house a few years ago.

Plow with a middle buster (aka potato plow, $150 from Tractor Supply) using my 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, ~15 hp drawbar, 4WD, hydrostatic tranny, power steering).



Bust up the clods with a used Yanmar RS1200 rototiller ($300 from my local grey market tractor dealer).



Smooth with a simple tire drag and my riding mower which has turf tires (the B7510HST had ag tires that would put ruts in the soft soil).



You don't have to spend a lot of bucks on implements for this type of work if you shop around (eBay, craigslist, tractor dealers who handle used implements, etc).

Good luck.

 

[TO_Bud]

Terry, you are getting some great advice on several different methods to achieve the final results you want. One mistake that many of us have made when we are new to the equipment is to give up on it too early. In most instances the first few passes we make with say a box blade don't render a favorable result. What I'm trying to say is you have to work the land over and over and you will be rewarded for you effort. This is something farmers have known and done for years. The longer you use a particular implement the more adept you become with it and your skill level increases so whatever method you employ stick with it, you'll be happy.

Good luck, Bud

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Terry,
What you are trying to do is why I have tractors and equipment, one of my main focuses is taking rough grown over properties and establishing new smooth lawns.


First call in a locate for all utilties so that you know where these are.
Next I would first remove any undesirable trees, stumps, brush and debris.
I would then till the entire area you wan't to smooth.
After tilling I use a landplane/grader with straight set blades to smooth and average out the ground. These things work fast with excellent results.
After getting the grade correct I will usually retill to make sure I have all the ground uniformly tilled to the same depth.
Next I install sprinklers systems with pop up heads at grade or slightly below grade.
I broadcast my seed when the soil temperature is about 60 degrees or better. I seed very heavy on bare ground.
I cover the seed with a 3pt spiked tooth harrow then roll with a water filled poly roller for good seed contact.

Couple of pics of the landplane/grader I built with straight set blades, tiller in background, pictures of a harrow I built for $250 and pictures of the tractor and heavy duty boxblade to cut down large mounds. Last is a picture taken one year after seeding the new lawn, before I started there were erosion ditches crooked trees, stumps and brush.

Come on now, do you really need all those implements just to put in a lawn? Can't I just use a landscape rake and get the same results? :mur:

 

[jenkinsph]

Come on now, do you really need all those implements just to put in a lawn? Can't I just use a landscape rake and get the same results? :mur:

Probably, tell you what I will send you my landscape rake and you send me your extra nice hydraulic rear blade.:laughing:

 

[donn12]

I did not use a tiller for my project just a box blade and landscape rake. I think you will need both of these at a minimum so start spending money! TSC has several drag harrows if you don't want to make one. I never thought I needed one after several passes with the landscape rake.