Chain Harrow VS homemade weighted chainlink fence

[stevenf]

I went and looked at a chain harrow at TSC last week as all the rain is killing my roads. I'm going to have crushed gravel delivered as soon as it dries up a bit and would like my roads to look nice I'm considering whether to buy the TSC one or just pull some chainlink fence with logs wired to it to do a final smooth on the roads but I also need to plant numerous small maybe 50' x 50' or less food plots around the ranch and have no very good solution for covering the seeds I'm planning on trying my boxblade with it curled fully and rippers extended to plow with.
What are ya'lls experiences with these methods I've read where most use the chain harrows like the one soundguy talks about in his posts but I'm not sure I need to spend the $400. to get one.
Also what do you do on a drag type chain harrow if you need to backup can you lift it with your 3pt arms or do you have to unhook it and get it out of the way. I know somebodies already smiling saying I don't get myself into that predicament but I'm just asking someone mentioned they had theirs in a frame and used there boom which I don't have yet is now the time to start looking at a boom also if I want to back up?
Steve

 

[Soundguy]

I don't blame you fo not wanting to pay 400$ for a chain harrow. I got mine as a 'haul it away and it's yours' kind of a deal. If I had to pay for one.. and had some old ratty fence.. I think I'd go cheap.

If you have a boom pole, and some extra metal fence posts or t-posts.. you can make a frame lift for your drag.. just use chain to give it a loose flexible attatchment to the frame.

chain link fence won't be as agressive.. but is cheaper if ya already got it.

Soundguy

 

[greg_g]

I believe as soon as the gravel starts to become actual roadbed (compacts), you'll be disappinted when your piece of fence (or old bedspring) doesn't do much more than make noise. You can see a photo or two of my chain type tine harrow HERE. It should help with your TPH question.

//greg//

 

[bigtractor]

I have a yard chain harrow and if someone is interested but not believer I throw it in his P/U and the next day they buy one.
It is like combing the ground where as the fence is like using the back side of the comb on your hair.

 

[cowboydoc]

I completely agree with big tractor. All a chainlink fence is going to do is maybe smooth things a little. You won't have near the versatility that a chain harrow will give you. A chain harrow can be aggressive or non-aggressive depending on how you use it. My personal opinion is it's pretty much a waste of time using chainlink fence compared to using a chain harrow.

 

[stevenf]

Bigtractor, do you have a picture of yours by chance, are you a dealer and if so are there any close to me that sell your type I'm in San Antonio or close anyway. How much does yours cost and if no dealers would you be willing to ship one and if so how much for say a 6' or 7' one. Id be pulling it with a M9000 so weight is not an issue but strength of harrow is certainly a consideration as some of the chain yoke ones look like if you were dragging aggressive side down and hung on a root or lrg rock it would fold it up.
Steve

 

[mathey]

I bought one from this guy on EBay and its worked out really well for keeping our pastures "groomed" so to speak...theres a picture of the different ways to use it (aggressive, less aggressive, combination and smoothing) IMHO, the only way worth using it is in aggressive mode.

 

[Mith]

here is a pic of a 3pt version, so you can reverse with it

 

[have_blue]

Steven,

Never personally used a chain harrow, but I have used a chain link fence. Depending on weighting and hitching, they can work pretty fair. However, be warned not to use chain link fence if there's a lot of weed/grass roots/stems in the tilled soil. I tried it and it turned into a big furball. It was so clogged with weeds and grass roots that I just threw my hands up and hauled it to the trash.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

We used to use an old boxspring to grade out driveway. It worked pretty well for as much as we needed it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif