Reveal 4-N-1 & refurbishing pastures

[tjkadar]

I'm looking to refurbish about 35 acres of pastures. At one time, the fields were row-cropped and you can still feel the rows whenever you're mowing or dragging. My goal is to pretty much start over. I would like hit the current stand of grass with Round-up, turn it over, smooth it out, prepare a seed-bed and broadcast some Cheyenne Bermuda seed. Because we currently have horses on some of the pastures, I can only do a few fields at a time.

I was originally thinking of using a large tiller to prepare the fields, but then I came across the Reveal 4-N-1 when I was looking for something to keep up the footing in the riding arena. It looks like this thing might be able to do double duty. That would save me from buying a tiller, using it for a couple of years, and then selling it.

The Reveal has a set of 8 chisel plows on the front bar, dual iron channels, followed by harrow teeth, and then a roller. It weighs in at 1,470 lbs and has a working width of 8'. I'll be using a Kubota M6800 to pull it (62 PTO hp).

I don't think I can get the fields perfectly smooth in a single pass, but with a few multiple passes, I believe I can get a nice, smooth seedbed.

Do you all think I'm on the right track, or is this all just a pipe dream? Suggestions, comments?

 

[PineRidge]

I have no personal experience with a Reveal 4-N-1 however it looks like it would do a nice job or ripping up and smoothing out from the looks of the equipment pictures.

If you decide to go this route I for one would really like to see some pictures of the before, during, and after stages of your project.

I hope it goes as planned for you.

 

[billbill1]

I'm with PR, that's an impressive looking piece of equipment. It looks like it would do the job.

 

[ScottAR]

They have a website?

 

[MadReferee]

Here is the web site:

Reveal 4-N-1 web site

 

[tjkadar]

I'll try and remember to get some pictures of the whole process. It might be a bit of a stretch for me though... I had my daughter's second and third birthdays on the same roll of film. I'm a bit better now that there are digital cameras, but not by much.

I'm feeling better about going with a single piece of equipment as opposed to several. The Reveal has an excellent reputation for getting the footing in riding arenas just right no matter what your discipline. I'm just hoping I can do a lot more with it to justify the cost of the 4-N-1.

Now about the root grapple...

Y'all have been an invaluable reference source for me. I do appreciate it guys.

 

[gabby]

The Reveal unit is designed for clean, sandy arena footing. An old pasture is a different animal because you will be dragging up grass roots, old dead grass and weeds, and other debris that will clog up the pegs and clump up and make a mess.

Use a bottom plow or multiple passes with a heavy disk harrow to break it up, then smooth it with a smoothing harrow with a peg tooth drag attached, and hope for the best. Smoothing old pastures ain't easy.
gabby

 

[tjkadar]

I tried doing about two acres a few years ago with an offset disk followed by a disk harrow, but didn't have much success. It was a smaller disk (about 7') and with a smaller tractor (about 32 hp). I don't think I had enough weight or enough traction to get what I needed done. These fields haven't had much done to them aside from some fertilizer and herbicides for a good twenty years or more. Before that, they were in peanuts, corn, and I'm sure at one time cotton.

Hmmm... back to the drawing board?