I think I need some magic...

[SGBotsford]

I run a tree farm.

I've had a serious problem with pocket gophers for years. I'm currently more or less on top of the pocket gophers, but they have left the aisles between the trees very very rough and bumpy.

So far all the articles about smoothing fields have been variations of till and reseed. This isn't practical with trees, where I alternate 9 foot and 12 foot aisles.

I don't need billiard table flat, but I do need it flat enough for both customers and workers to walk without breaking their ankles off at the kneecaps.

What I *think* I need to do is something like this:

• Mow the grass as short as possible. If this is done several times in the weeks before, the clippings will be fairly short and won't bunch up much.
• Rework a rototiller with gauge wheels so that the rear tractor wheels to tiller is the same distance as tiller to gauge wheels.
• Set the rototiller to run in reverse. (Means you need a reversable PTO or reversable tiller gearbox. Not common) You want to throw the dirt forward so that the teeth have a chance to chop the sodlets up, and to have a reserve to fill in the collapsed gopher tunnels that are everywhere.
• Pick your season and 'scalp' the field. The idea is to set it to take an average of half an inch off the top. Probably would take several passes.
• Tooth harrow to do the final smoothing of ridges of sod scalps drifting off the ends of the tiller.

Any other good ideas?

 

[jcummins]

I've never used one, but what comes to mind is a Harley rake.

 

[ericm979]

Many of the orchards here disc between the trees.

We have a serious gopher problem too. The best solution I have found is cinch traps. You have to keep on top of it- the trap needs to be placed in an active burrow. If you can do that there's a good chance of getting the gopher. I get them from Gophers Limited.