Best way to level uneven soil?

[smartguyz]

Hi guys,

I've been gone quite a while, but my faithful 2003 PT425 is still going strong.

Only recent mods were that when the headlight bulbs burned out, I put in LED headlights.

OK, on to my question. Recently, I was back-filling a long trench (running power to the pole barn) and the ground is now uneven. I tried using a combination of the light material bucket and some wooden pallets to try and even things out. However, it's still quite bumpy and uneven.

How do you folks even out uneven soil?

Thanks.

Rob

 

[Scrambler82]

Depending on what's underneath, I fill, roll over it with either my tractor or a roller, fill some more, and wait till things settle; then start again until things settle and level out !

Sound my area after a few weeks the ground settles in and the top 12 or so inches harden up and we are back to normal.

Hope this helps some.

 

[SpringHollow]

I usually mound it, drive over it, water it sometimes, and then after it has settled, I will scrape backwards with the bucket, 3 pt rear blade, or 3 pt box blade. Often, I will do combinations of that equipment because it is easy to swap with a PT. That is for long runs. A short run (20' or less) I would just do by hand. If you do not want to leave it mounded, you can level and then add material as needed. But do not do that if the depression would direct water to a place you do not want it to go! That could be a problem with a mound too. If that is the case, leave a break where appropriate for water to run through.

Ken

 

[3Ts]

I used to fill the trench then run over it (lengthwise) with my tractor, level and repeat. After a good rain, do it again, and again, and ... Now, I have a harbor freight compactor. I put about 4" of dirt in compact it, repeat until full, then run the tractor over it. So far it hasn't sunk. And I finish up with a drag of something like a concrete beam.

Note on the harbor freight compactor. It doesn't have a good way of lifting it into the trench. I tried using straps on the handles, but that's to close to the centerline. I've welded on "I" bolts to the outside and run straps from there to my forks so I have 4 point harness to lift it. My backhoe has an 18" bucket and the compactor fits into the trench nicely.

 

[CADplans]

If it is only a trench,, I use a rake!! :thumbsup:

 

[SpringHollow]

Here, I am often digging 5' deep if water is involved so it has to be mounded quite a bit. The clay packs hard. 100 - 300' of that by hand gets old fast. I will definitely use my tractor to level it out! I am a strong believer in working smart. By hand might be a reasonable option if we ever had this mystery substance that some seem to have; I believe they call it soil.

Ken

 

[MossRoad]

Find an old length of chain link fence 5-6' long and bolt one end to a 4x4 or metal pipe the width of the short end. Then attach each end of about 10' of a rope or cable to each end of the pipe. Make a loop in the rope to hook to your hitch. Now you have a drag. You can put some weight like concrete blocks attached to the fence behind the pipe/4x4. Drive back and forth across the uneven area and it will even it out.