Advice on smoothing, leveling a field

[Number15]

I have a big field I want to keep mowed. Not feeling super good on the tractor doing it. It is rutted and wavy and has some pretty severe slopes. I feel nervous on the tractor at times as I go 20 degrees sometimes more. A good bit of it is at 15 degrees. But it is the ruts and wavyness that makes it scary.

I would like to smooth it out. I know getting it level is a dream that won't be realized, but if I can get it less bumpy I think I can handle it. Sometimes I feel like the tractor is the wrong tool for the job, but it's what I have.

I am willing to spend money to get it done. I am willing to truck in dirt if I have to. I might even get a professional, but I prefer to do it myself.

Pictures are hard to see the issues but here are some, it's the area past the fence

 

[chris.benjamin1]

That is a large area. Trucking in dirt to fill ruts not practical Need a large drag / disc box blade etc to scrape and fill

 

[jaxs]

It is easy to create erosion with that much slope. I get the the feeling you should hire a pro to smooth and terrace the field.

 

[Number15]

I have a pro coming to look at it and give a quote. BUT, I am retired and like to learn stuff. I would prefer to try and learn how to do it and maybe I can tackle some other areas I have that are similar. I have a good chunk of property that need attention, or it has to go back to nature

 

[Egon]

Cultivate and then drag from all angles till it’s smooth. Then replant.

 

[AWSubie]

I’d start out spending the money for a six foot box blade then try doing one acre at a time. The technique is to drive figure-eights within the chosen acre, pivoting the figure-eight about the center of acre. If u feel you’re making progress and get the hang of it; continue on to the next acre. If u can’t quite grasp the skills, sell the box blade and call in a professional.

 

[jeff9366]

I have a big field.........

How many acres is big to you?

T-B-N ARCHIVE: smoothing a sloped field site:tractorbynet.com


Sometimes I feel a tractor is the wrong tool for the job.

Plowing and smoothing fields are what tractors are designed to do. Operating experience is important too.

1. Mow field as short as possible. Scalp.

2. When soil is moist, use a Tandem Disc Harrow with 22" diameter pans, 72" wide, set aggressively, to till soil to the bottom of ruts/holes. Repeat in different directions at least twice.

3. Adjust Disc Harrow to less aggressive set. Till once.

4. Adjust Disc Harrow to less aggressive set. Till one or two final times.

5. Drag if you want the field smoother. I recommend a Chain Harrow to drag 60 acres, not an improvised drag.

Grass may regenerate. You may need to overseed.

ADJUSTING Three Point Hitch Mounted TANDEM DISC HARROWS

If you are considering the acquisition of a Disc Harrow, first read this LINK covering Disc Harrow selection: LINK: Disc Harrow Selection For 18-45 Horsepower Tractors (Revision 2b) The Three Point Hitch mounted Tandem Disc Harrow is a secondary tillage implement. The Disc Harrow is a...

www.tractorbynet.com

Chain Harrow videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Tractor+TPH+Chain+Harrow

 

[jeff9366]

Branson 5520C Dimensions​

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase​	71.1 in (1,806 mm)
Overall Length (W/ 3PT)​	127.4 in (3,236 mm)
Min.Overall Width​	64.9 in (1,650 mm)
Overall Height (W/ ROPS)​	97 in (2,463 mm)
Ground Clearance (4WD)​	15.5 in (394 mm)
Min.Turning Radius (W/ Brake)​	9.18 ift (2.8 m)
Weight (W/O Front Weights)​	4,349 (1,973 kg)

Sufficient tractor to pull effective ground contact implements.​

 

[3Ts]

I had the same issue as you. I did similar to what Jeff suggested, but I rototilled my area multiple times and in different directions. Then I compacted it a little (took my lightest tractor and drove back and forth over the whole thing - I don't have a roller) Then I drug it with a 6' concrete beam that I made. Then water it.

If you don't till it too much the grass will regrow, otherwise you'll have to seed it.

 

[Number15]

Sometimes I feel a tractor is the wrong tool for the job.

How many acres is big to you?

I have about 60 in that front area. Some of it has trees/woods, but a large portion is either grass that you see or many acres of blackberrys, which I happily mow down if I can.


I had said that because I am getting in situations where I am not comfortable with the way the tractor is leaning. The slopes on the end are to steep my lev o gauge is at 20 degrees lean and 15 tilt.

I am having the tires put at their widest and getting beet juice or something in the tires

 

[jeff9366]

First time tractor owner. I have very little experience with tractors.

I am splitting time between Tampa where I have .5 acres and a lawn service and Spring City TN where I have 92 acres.




I am having the tires spread to their widest and adding beet juice or something in the tires.

Rear wheel/tire stance is the #1 factor in improving tractor stability. "Loading" rear tires 50% or 75% with liquid helps too, but not nearly as much.

Let us know how much this helps.


Another implement you could consider is a Harley Rake/Power Rake.

VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tractor+power+Harley+rake

 

[Number15]

Just talked to a pro. He will smooth the land, dig or bury boulders, stumps and mulch as much acreage as I want for 2k a day. He has a forestry mulcher and all the other equipment. Seemed like a nice guy which is important.

Also said we could steal dirt from areas I don't want to improve for the areas I do which makes sense, as long as I don't end up with a dirt pit

 

[Number15]

Still contemplating this and reading other threads.

Just got the tractor back from Kubota of Chattanooga. They put in 122 gallons of rim guard and put the tractor at its widest stance. 72" a gain of 8". Funny thing, I read a lot about people saying rim guard is expensive but for me it was the cheapest option of all the places I called. I called 4 or 5 places and everyone wanted 5 dollars a gallon for methanol and water mix. The Kubota dealer was $3.61 a gallon for rim guard. Still pretty expensive but I think it will be worth it. I know it would have been cheaper if I did it myself with rv antifreeze, but I did not want the hassle.

 

[Number15]

Please lets us know how you evaluate these modifications in the field.......for the record.

Feels better, glad I did it. It is not a huge difference, but enough that I can tell I am more stable. Problem now is the extra weight is smashing down the grass,weeds to much and they are not getting mowed the whole way. Hopefully gets better as I intend to keep the plant life shorter than it has been.

 

[Number15]

So WOW I just had a close call. Apparently there may have been another structure on this land in days of yore. I just found a very large, very deep hole that appears to be a cistern or well. It was very grown over and difficult to see. I wish the PO would have mentioned it, could have been a disaster.

Now I have to figure a way to fill it.

 

[shooterdon]

Just talked to a pro. He will smooth the land, dig or bury boulders, stumps and mulch as much acreage as I want for 2k a day. He has a forestry mulcher and all the other equipment. Seemed like a nice guy which is important.

Also said we could steal dirt from areas I don't want to improve for the areas I do which makes sense, as long as I don't end up with a dirt pit

$2k a day might be a decent price but I have no idea how many acres he would get done in 8 hrs. If it was me, I would have a quote for the worst area and see if it is a good value and then determine if the results are acceptable before doing the whole job.

In the first post, I did not see boulders, stumps or areas needing a forestry mulcher?

 

[Number15]

$2k a day might be a decent price but I have no idea how many acres he would get done in 8 hrs. If it was me, I would have a quote for the worst area and see if it is a good value and then determine if the results are acceptable before doing the whole job.

In the first post, I did not see boulders, stumps or areas needing a forestry mulcher?

the mulcher would be fro the acres of blackberry and some smaller trees that have started to grow in the fields. The plan is for him to smooth and remove rocks in the front field and we will evaluate after 2 days. if we want to continue our choice.

I did not take pictures of the rocks but there are a bunch out there. They stick up just far enough to be an issue, Let's just say I went through a bunch of shear bolts the first time I mowed. They appear to be large, probably why the PO did not remove them. You can for sure see they have been hit a bunch of times, so I am not the only one

 

[amhicks21]

So, this is just my 2 cents as a professional finish grader and i cant get the whole scope of the job from a picture but i wouldnt till any more of the existing ground than you have to. if you break that ground up you may end up in a world of problems if you get much rainfall. i'd first cut it as short as possible and bag the clippings if you can. then I would use a harley rake or preferably an ATI preseeder (if you can find one and have 2 rear remotes) set very shallow to just skim coat clean soil over the surface without uprooting too much of the existing grass. I guess the biggest determining factors are what kind of soil you're dealing with, how much rock is in it, and how easy and expensive would it be to get your hands on that type of implement. its important to note that if you did go this route that the pitch and depth setting of the harley rake/preseeder is incredibly important and even 1/4" makes a huge difference. If done right, the root systems of the grass wont be too badly damaged and most will grow back quickly except where ruts and low areas were filled.

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[oosik]

I have leveled a couple of my meadows. They are two to three acres each. Advice I got - burn the meadow in the late fall. Kill all the weed seeds - especially the Canadian Thistle. Thistle will sprout and aggressively grow wherever the ground is broken. I ended up using RoundUp on the edges of the meadows.

I only have a light duty Land Pride dish harrow. MULTIPLE passes, then smooth with my homemade drag.