King Kutter 72" Arena Harrow

[To20Chris]

King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

I picked up a King Kutter 72" Arena Harrow a couple of weeks ago to maintain our ring - I've just gotten to use it this week and it seems to work really well. Unfortunately I had to do major repairs to the ring when it was pretty much trashed in last week’s storm (due to bad luck and the incompetence of the “professionals” I had do the major work). I used the loader and BB to fix it up best I could, and then ran the new harrow over and over it to smooth it out. Anyway, it seems like it will do a great job of regular maintenance after riding.

I originally planned on getting a drag harrow, but the spiked side of it looked like it would be too aggressive, and there is no way to control the depth. And the smooth side I think I could improvise well enough if I want to make something for final smoothing. Plus, I figured that I’d end up adding a boom pole on it so I could lift it, and by then the price was getting close to the arena harrow. So far it works great, it’s very easy to control the depth, and it distributes the sand nicely. It might be worth a look if you need to maintain a riding ring.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( So far it works great, it’s very easy to control the depth, and it distributes the sand nicely. It might be worth a look if you need to maintain a riding ring. )</font>
And here's a picture of it on my tractor in the ring...
Oh, sorry, you didn't say that. John

 

[To20Chris]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

I'll get to it - I will, I will! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[To20Chris]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

OK, here is the harrow

 

[To20Chris]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

Close up of the angled points - these make it spin when pulled through the sand.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

Cool. I've never seen one like that. Maybe you should make a video clip of it working!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I guess your position control can keep it pretty much where you want it? John

 

[To20Chris]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

And here is the partially finished, partially repaired ring. The gouge in the foreground is an emergency drainage device I made during a storm (the contractor had a problem with the "water runs downhill" concept). The area to the right is where I've built up some clay at the far corner so that I can expand the ring to be about the same size on each end (contractor had a bit of trouble with that too). There is a large pile of topsoil I'm moving in to grade down from the lower edge of the ring - I got delayed by the storm damage.

Since I'm already at it I may as well finish venting about this project! The weather pushed the project out until we had to leave for our family vacation - and I had a real bad feeling about it, but I figured I could fix it with the tractor. I guess I'll get a chance to prove it! They made it too small, it isn't square, it has the wrong kind of fines on it, and they rolled the fines out. There was a big rock they were supposed to take the top couple of inches off, but since we we're not there, they just buried it under the sand. I hit it every time around with the harrow now. He made a nice berm at the high side, but it only went downhill a ways and then back up again. When the water came down it pooled until it ran down into the ring.

The biggest probelm was that I had worked hard with the loader and BB to make a swale in the field above the ring. It was a double entrance swale to capture the water from two sources, and it worked really well. I just had to rake it out and seed it properly ( I had put down some seed just to slow erosion before I left). Well, they thought they would do me a favor and redo my swale, and make it look nicer. They built a real nice berm, but it blocked off the second entrance. I saw it, but didn't have time to fix it before the storm hit. So when the 5" rain came, all the water from one of the sources got trapped below the berm, and ran right over the ring. Without any ground cover established, it washed mud onto the ring, and about 30% of the fines out into the yard. There was mud and big trenches all through it. I cut my second entrance back into the swale with the the BB in the mud - the LK was a real trooper! We had a second hard rain 2 days later, and I was out with the BB doing some more emergency work. I have the drainage working now, just have to wait for the ground to dry out so I can make it look nice. I'm going to get another load of sand (the right stuff) to replace what I lost, and I'm going to have to cut off the top of that rock.

I've had a precious few contractors who did what they set out to do, and knew more about what their job was than I did. I stick with those people and talk them up all I can - but most of the time I have to fix and finish the job myself. It really pi$$es me off!

Oh yeah - I did learn that if you park your dump truck facing downhill, without chocks, and try to drive a heavy loader onto the trailer, the truck may end up down the road a ways in the ditch! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[To20Chris]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

The position control works like champ with this. The ring is really flat anyway, so you don't get much rocking front to back to change the cut depth. It is strangely addicting to use it - I keep wanting to go around and around to see if I can make it come out perfect! I should seek help! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It is strangely addicting to use it - I keep wanting to go around and around to see if I can make it come out perfect! I should seek help! )</font>
Man, do I understand that statement. I find myself doing the same thing every time I'm using the landscape rake turned around backward to level dirt. I go round and round and round constantly trying to get that last little bump out. Then I realize what I'm doing and quit until another time!
Sounds like you have a case for small claims to recover a good bit of the money you paid for that job. I hate the way it's so hard to find anyone who cares enough to do a job right any more. Thanks for the posts. I love to see the pics of what other people are doing/using. John

 

[gabby]

Re: King Kutter 72\" Arena Harrow

Where did you buy it? I can't find arena harrows on the KK website.