3 PTH Roller/Packer need help in design

[yelbike]

Can you guys give me some creatative input on my build? I want to built a roller to pack down some of my land. Some of my grass is rutted from a past tractor(1963 Fordson Super major w/FEL) which I used to mow the lawn with. I need to smooth it out because my ztr makes me sick on that area(too bumpy). Also, I'm thinking it will be useful in preparing a seed bed on other areas where I want to reseed some lawn.

I'm thinking of making it about 60-72" wide and using a 16"-18" sono tube filled with concrete.

So my intentions are to run a 1" schedule 40 pipe in the center of the sono tube. I'll put some 6-8 rebar pieces length wises and a few rings in there to keep everything together.

I need to build a frame, likely 2x2" angle iron, with an upright for the toplink the 4 tabs for the lower lift arm pins. The ends of the schedule 40 pipe will connect through a bearing on each side.

I will be using this behind my JD 2320 which can lift a little over 1000#. Should use a larger diameter sonotube? Is my width sufficient. I have very little obstacles to go around.

Has anyone built something similar in the past? Advise? Pictures?

Thanks for the input!!

 

[KennyG]

I've thought about this myself. If I'm correct, if you use an 18" sonotube and fill it with concrete, you will be at 1000 lbs at 4 feet wide. I think 4 feet will just barely cover the track on your tractor. To go wider, you would have to put some foam on something in the tube to limit the volume of concrete.

Instead of sonotube, think about using Cemetube HDPE plastic forms. I think it would be pretty durable.

 

[bcp]

Make it real smooth if you make it wide. With a one piece roller 5-6 feet wide, one side or the other will skid a lot in a sharp turn as it covers more/less distance than the other end. Rounded ends help, too.

Bruce

 

[newt92]

I have been rolling yards in the spring down here for 14 years. Started with a 3' steel Agri Fab, sold it and got a 4' and still have it. Dont use it anymore cause back in 2003 I had a 5.5' custom built. The 5.5'er weighs 3500 lbs full. Its built from a 500 propane tank and is pull type.

IMO, if you have cross tracks from the tractor, your gonna need to roll in the direction of the tracks, and it needs to be really soft. Having a roller like your wanting, 6-7' wide and weighing 1000lbs, its only gonna weigh 167-200lbs per foot. The 3' I had weighed 640 so it was 213lbs per foot. Now my big roller is 636 per foot. IMO, your not even gonna remove the 2320s tracks its gonna make while your rolling. If it were super soft, my big roller probably would take the original tractors tracks out, but I couldn't be positive of that.

For your plans preparing a seed bed it would be fine, but not rolling the yard and accomplishing what you want.

 

[B Rive]

newt92, would you be able to send a picture or two of your custom roller?
I have been saving my old cold water tank for a project and I think this is what it was meant to become. It is round on the ends which will help when turning and i think it is about 5 ft long.

 

[newt92]

newt92, would you be able to send a picture or two of your custom roller?
I have been saving my old cold water tank for a project and I think this is what it was meant to become. It is round on the ends which will help when turning and i think it is about 5 ft long.

Ill PM you later!!

 

[sixdogs]

I have built a few of these over the years and never been happy with the results. If the ground is soft enough to work it is soft enough to leave tire tracks that won't come out either and the issue compounds itself. The only way to use a roller, in my view, is after the ground has been worked and is able to be fluffy and compactable when bone dry. That will stay smooth.

A rototiller, followed by a leveling tool and then a small diamter but very heavy roller will do the trick. Smaller diameters do way better that larger diameters. I once built a five ft diameter, 13 ft wide "Chopstix Special" --to push rocks back to China, and an 18" roller did a better job.

Without tearing up the ground I have had good results with using a chain harrow in late August when the ground is dry and the grass near dead. The harrow is able to rip the ground up and redistribute the dirt from the high to the low spots. Also worth noting here is the fact that lawns can become "bumpy" from the turf type grasses growing in clumps. The dirt may be smooth but the clumping growth patter of the grass makes it feel like the ground is uneven. Just my two cents here.