What are your 2011 season project plans?

[sixdogs]

OK, first project done. It didn't start out that way but a funny thing happened on the way to the barn. I decided to drag my lawn with a chain harrow and rip up all the dead grass and bare spots so the lawn would have a better chance to spread out. Plus I wanted to break up all the dog doo from winter.
I bought a chain harrow a few years aog to smooth an alfalfa field and discovered it worked great on dead grass and the lawn witout excessive damage.
It's dry enough here so yesterday I hooked to my B7800 and dragged the lawn two directions to scuff it and rip up the thatch. Not sure if I did the right thing or not but it works for hayfields so here goes.

One photo shows the grass as it was before I started. You can see the dead spots. Another photo is the chain harrow.
One more of the grass ripped up and one of the enormous pile of dead grass I would up with. I had no idea it would be that much from maybe 1 1/2 acres.
Soon I'll fertilizer and I believe it will work as intended.
Project one is done.


.Photos fixed

 

[Gizmo2]

***Photos won't post for some reason--give me a minute.
I can't figure it out--I have a newer camera but it won't poat the photos. I'll check back later today.

 

[sixdogs]

Second project this year is a "low-buck" potato hiller and digger.
I started last fall with a toolbar from an auction and some old cultivator pieces. The blue parts are off a Ford 1970's? 8 row cultivator I bought at auction for $15. Nobody wants these things any longer.
The red toolbar is off an old Ford or Dearborn planter from the 1950's? The toolbar size is too small but you can see I spaced it out with angle iron.
What makes it work is the clamp arrangemnt on the blue Ford cultivator parts in that they will hold the shank from the discs I bought. Anyway, it works perfectly.

For the digger part I have an old Massy Ferguson cultivator shank that I fitted with a new 15" shovel. Swap out the discs for the shovel and i can dig like a mad man and not break a sweat.

One note is that I hill the dirt to some degree before I plant the potatoes and then will hill a few times during the season. I have one long row that I succession plant in so we have new potatoes all season.
Here's some photos--

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