Need lawn roller advice pls.

[sixdogs]

I have never owned a lawn roller and want to use one to smooth the minor lumps in my clay soil lawn. I'll also use a plug areator later. Clay is new to me since most of life was on gravel soil that smoothed itself. How big of one I should get and should get steel or plastic or whatever?
The tractor I would pull it with would be 54" edge to edge of rear tires. They sell a five ft roller but I don't think it would pack as well as a four ft roller even though it would weigh more because of the greater distance spanned. Or at least I think that.
There is a metal shop nearby that could roll the drum for me so I could also make on if I had to. I could also find a five ft Brillion packer and weight it down but I don't know if that's a good idea or not. I have a three acre lawn.

For those with more experience can you clue me in please?

 

[beenthere]

I will be real surprised if you can roll out clay lumps. For sure, only if they are very wet, or if the lumps are sitting on top of soft dirt that will let you press them down.

But that would just be from my experience, and what I know about it may not be the same that you face.

I use a 600# lawn roller (concrete in steel with concrete silo blocks in a frame on top) that is about 3' wide. I can get some flattening early in the spring just after the frost goes out, and when I'm just pushing back the hills left by the moles. Does make a smoother ride on the mower during the summer.

A pic of your lawn with the clay lumps might help understand better.

 

[sixdogs]

A pic of your lawn with the clay lumps might help understand better.

A pictue would show a normal green lawn and you would see no irregularities. It's only when I mow that I feel the "bumps" and feel the vibration in the tractor and mower. It does shake stuff when I go faster.
Probably the bumps come from driving other tractors with ag tires or the truck or frost.
The lawn was smooth when I put it in and was harrowed, packed and seeded with a Brillion seeder. Now, nine years later, it needs a little help and guys here tell me that rolling ang plugging will take care of it.

 

[beenthere]

Then that sounds different from the first impression I had of "clay lumps".. Sorry...

Roll the lawn when it is good and well soaked...not standing water, but soft to walk on. Then you should see some results. For me, that is not long after the frost goes out, just not muddy.

 

[MW66]

This is the roller I purchased. It was made by a local metal fabrication shop and it's a beast!!!

 

[sixdogs]

This is the roller I purchased. It was made by a local metal fabrication shop and it's a beast!!!

Great roller. How much did it cost to have made?
I almost had one made but found a four ft used one nearby. It'l lwork for me.

 

[MW66]

It wasn't cheap. $1,000, but it will clearly last my lifetime. I have 3.5 acres to do and this will do nicely. I bought it after my brother received his and gave me good reviews. Solid steel, box tube design with roller bearing at each end.

 

[beenthere]

What are you going to pull that with?

Just thinking outloud, but don't let it push you down any slopes. They can be very unforgiving.

 

[jenkinsph]

This is the roller I purchased. It was made by a local metal fabrication shop and it's a beast!!!

Nice looking roller:thumbsup: I may build something similar with a piece of large well casing and two Weldolet ends. The weldolet ends are rounded over to leave less tracks.

Bennthere, maybe I should add disc brakes to mine.

 

[638]

I made my roller out of a 500 gal. propane tank. cut the ends off and welded 1/4 inch plate on each end. 1 inch shaft through the middle with pillow block bearings. It will hold about 350 gal. of water. I only pull it in 4WD, and it will push you around on a slope and in a turn. Sure does roll down the mole hills though. I do plug after rolling.