lawn rollers

   / lawn rollers #1  

ALPS

New member
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
15
Location
Finger Lakes, NY
I got about half my lawn mowed last night for the first time this season. I'd forgotten how lumpy it is and how slow I need to run the mower to keep from being rattled off the machine. It definately needs to be rolled.

My question is: when it comes to rollers is bigger better? My neighbor has a small (maybe 18 by 36 long) roller he will let me use for free, but to roll out my 1 1/2 acres (and growing) it might take all summer.

I could buy a larger one from TSC (I think 24 by 48 long) that would be heavier and faster.

OR, I had an idea I could build one to pull behind the Ford 901 --
like about a 6' length of 36" pipe with caps welded on both ends
and an angle iron frame. That, filled with water, might weigh half a ton. Yeah, that maybe a little overkill, but I really don't want to spend days or weeks rolling out this lawn. Would it be worth my time to build it??

What are your thoughts?? What are your expreiences with rollers? How much rolling is required for a decent smooth lawn?? Thanks in advance...
 
   / lawn rollers #2  
Right now im going to tell you the proper way now-
You should NEVER use a roller to iron out bumps in a lawn, it will compact it and leave low grade turf, the proper way to do it is to top dress and level for a good quality turf. Do a search on the intonet to find out the method. Its basically spreding a thin layer of good soil into the hollows and building them up the the height of the bumps

Now the bad way-
concrete pipes as used for big sewers ect, fill with concrete and iron out them bumps, YEE HAA
you have enough tractor for a BIG roller
have fun!
 
   / lawn rollers #4  
As I recall the 48 incher from TSC runs about $180-200. As with all fillable rollers you can use various fill material. I think the TSC model label says if you fill it with sand it weighs approximately 900#. I do my 11/2 acre lawn with a 48" poly drum filled with sand. I go slow and take a couple hours to do it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / lawn rollers #5  
I don't think 1000 pounds is too heavy. I used my Father inlaws roller this spring and it weighs around 1200 pounds. I used it when it was still pretty wet and I have a very smooth lawn. I have a friend who does landscaping and mowing and his weighs around 1500 pounds.
 
   / lawn rollers #6  
I've got the 24" X 48" steel roller from TSC. It is not made all that well. I had to reverse the bolts on the frame as they kept catching on the plug in the side of the roller. I would definitely not fill it with sand because the paint is not the greatest and it rusts pretty quick. I fill mine with water and then drain it before winter. The roller didn't do what I wanted it to do, so I ended up top dressing and using a home made drag which worked much better.
I rolled about 2 acres in around about 2 hours or so.
 
   / lawn rollers #7  
This may sound crazy, but what about renting a vibrating roller for packing road base and such /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif It may put a hurtin' on the grass for a few days, but it would come back. I don't think a machine that wide and tall could put too many psi on the topsoil that it would be detrimental. I imagine the rear tires would be the worst part. I'm thinking about it for field of mine that is almost mowable. I guess I'd roll it without the vibrating action. The roller (with rear wheels) alone should do the trick. Yeah, this is some overkill, but for a large area it might be a solution and you'd have a flat surface to mow /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
 
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