Failed attempt to smooth property, how to correct?

[JohnnyMX]

This is one reason I went with a Ferris ZT (full suspension) as I figured I'd always be fighting an uphill battle with bumpy ground or my back. It doesn't make sense to have a mower that can go fast only to be tortured while doing it. Airride seat for your current mower?? You can obviously fix the lawn, but 6 acres is no joke to re-work. Probably would till mine and use the landscape rack on wheels to get trash out and then roll.

 

[airbiscuit]

A field is not a lawn and a lawn is not a golf course green. All are flat and smooth on their own terms. My guess is that the farmer actually did a pretty good job of removing the ruts, smoothing and seeding and probably ended up with something between a field and a lawn. You seem determined to mow at wide open throttle. Your area will get smoother over time with repeated cuttings. In the meantime, you can either slow down, buy a wider zero turn, or buy a zero turn with a suspension.

If you want golf course smooth, then top dressing might get you where you want to be. Here is a clever DIY approach.

 

[HarryMonkey]

Maybe hire a construction-type dirt-moving outfit. They can come in with the equipment to smooth dirt out (like a skiploader) and then run a compactor with the "sheepsfoot" or smooth rollers to compact it down for real. Then it would probably require a light discing and planting with grass or whatever. But I come from a construction background, not farming so I see it differently, no offense to farmers.

 

[Varmintmist]

Lots of asphalt, green seal coat

 

[ruffdog]

We have no idea how smooth or rough the property is. We don't know the type of ZT mower the OP is using or the speed they want to go. We don't know the expectations of the OP either. Maybe the person wants a nice smooth big yard like a fairway.....good for them. Do they just want it smooth enough to mow twice a year and don't want to get stuck while doing it. A picture would be worth a thousand words.

 

[Danica]

Nice big boxblade is what I used to smooth out an acre then rolled with a water-filled drum, put down grass seed with rented pto spreader and cover with hay/straw don’t recall which...one is bad and has lots of seeds that will ruin your new lawn). Then set up sprinklers on timer and voila, your zero turn will not get ruined and u wont need to use a brush hog! The hardest part was distributing the cover...20 bales of straw/hay by hand. There are attachments to do that but I couldn’t find one to rent and didn’t want to invest that much on a one time project. The heavy chain harrow is also a good idea but it could have problems with small hills and bumps...

 

[airbiscuit]

A video showing the zero turn at speed would be even better!

 

[JackieM]

Gophers and moles! They make everything lumpy.

My 4 acre "lawn" is my ongoing project to try and get it at least a LITTLE less of an ankle breaker. I finally caught a gopher yesterday (and by caught I mean got). And a mole. FINALLY! They've been eluding me for months.

The field has its share of mounds, so I use a DR Power chain/drag harrow to comb the fresh ones out, or else they'll become hard mounds. Maybe that's part of what you're dealing with. Old gopher mounds.

It's actually very satisfying to spread those mounds out. It doesn't do anything about the gophers, just smoothes out their mountains. I also use cinch traps for both gophers (large) and moles (smaller trap).

Good luck!

 

[airbiscuit]

In fall 2020, the farmer disked, chisel plowed, and used a cultipacker to get the land looking better. Now, spring 2021, I mowed for the first time and I was still bouncing around.

I would have thought the farmer would have used some sort of drag harrow after discing for final finish, then using a cultipacker to enhance seed/soil contat. That said, this turf is very young - first mowing. As it grows thicker, the root base will self level minor imperfections and the surface will become smoother with subsequent mowings.

If you still have the need for speed, hire a greenskeeper to take things up to your expectations.

 

[Cameron Smith]

The tires on a farm tractor are much wider and taller than those on your ZT and therefore the bumps can't be felt. I'd get a person with a vibratory roller to hit it when the ground is relatively soft or buy the biggest tow behind lawn roller you can manage and roll it after every good rain. I've heard it said that the estates in britain have such perfect lawns because they've been rolling them for 500 years. I saw field rollers in Scotland two years ago that were HUGE!