What attachment do i need?

[Kenneth in Texas]

After clearing some land of saplings, bushes, vines, trash and small trees with a combination of the FEL and landscape rake i want to get the dirt as smooth as possible, meaning things like knock down the couple inch high lines made by the rake or tires or just clumps of dirt.

I need to drag something around to do this. Ive seen people (but never looked at anything in depth) dragging old chain link fence but that wont work for me because I have small sticks and roots sticking up from the clearing process and anything like chain link or resembling it will just get hung up. Ive also seen people dragging around a railroad tie. The tie seems like it would work for me but how is it attached to the tractor? By chains or? if so how do you handle things if you have to back up? Plus i have many trees i have to steer around.

Appreciate any suggestions or maybe someone knows some attachment i dont know about that will work?

 

[dirt ditch]

A length of 1/4" or 3/8" thick I beam works well. I have also seen folks just drag around a wooden post by chains attached to the ends.

 

[jeff9366]

You have not specified how much ground you need to finish.

To remove small sticks and roots:

1. Ratchet Rake on your FEL bucket. This will tear vegetation out by the roots down to 2". Reasonably good at grading.

2. Rotary Cutter (Bush Hog) set to cut at 1" to 1-1/2"

3. Disc Harrow with 20" or 22" diameter pans; lighter will not do it. Moldboard plow, 12", if you want to turn soil 5"-7" deep.

4. Spray with Bayer Advanced Brush & Stump Killer Plus. Bayer is a RELATIVELY safe, non-persistant, residential herbicide for vegetation total kill over 60 day period. (Bayer is NOT Roundup/Glycophosphate.) Highly effective. Properly mixed, will not kill grass.

To smooth:

1. Landscape Rake with gauge wheels. Gauge wheels make all the difference for fine smoothing.

2. Chain/Drag Harrow


Remove sticks and roots AND smooth:

(or) PTO powered Harley Rake and complete two tasks with one implement.

 

[jenkinsph]

I do a lot of this type work, spent the weekend cleaning up about 5 acres. I would recommend a pine needle rake followed by a roller. The tines on the pine straw rake are not as aggressive as the landscape rake so will smooth out the surface enough that you can run a roller over it to tamp it down. I have had good luck with broadcasting grass seed and adding an additional pass with the PSR before finishing with the roller.

Everything Attachments has the Pine straw rake in two sizes, I have gotten my money's worth out of this tool for sure. EA makes the best one I have seen so far.

Here is a picture of the finished ground on a project a few years ago where the PSR and roller worked well between the trees.