Chainlink fence drag to smooth dirt

[monkeybreath]

I have graded a few areas to smooth out high places, and create more gentle slopes, etc so I can mow easier in the Spring, and so it will be as level as possible - the area is now a gently sloping -rolling landscape. What I am now contemplating is attaching a length of chain link fence to either the FEL or pallet forks or to the back of a box blade and dragging it over the area to take out the small ridges of loose dirt and small clods. I did this in a small area - before I had a tractor (weaving a piece of re-bar into each end of a 6 x 6 section of chain link fence to keep it somewhat flat) and it worked fairly well as I dragged it by hand back and forth - the fence sort of disbursed the loose dirt and clods and flattened the loose ridges - now I want to use this idea with the tractor and on a larger scale. Any suggestions as to how I might embark on this task ? Anyone done anything similar ? By attaching the correct length of fence to the front or back, I will be able to drag it and reposition by lifting it out of the way with FEL or box blade. I can't simply drag around in circular fashion given the area, and slopes and restrictions.

 

[RBManufacturing]

Monkeybreath,
I made a similar drag that worked fantastically. I used a 6ft.
x 6ft. piece of chain link. Attached a 2x6 to one end and used
two clevices to attach it to the 3 ph. I used the u shaped
fence nails to attach a short piece of railroad tie to the other
end for weight. You can roll the tie up toward the 3ph. and
use two s hooks like you would hook two chains together
with, and then hook it to itself, and you can then raise it
and move it around. Works best with the railroad tie as
weight. Breaks even clay up into powder if you drag it
over ground enough. Attach the 2x6 to the two lift
arms of the 3ph. I used it for years dragging a ball field at
our local park. I pulled it with a Kubota B7100. Hope this
helps. Rick

 

[GregJ]

I have done this several times and it works fairly well. My "hi-tech" setup involves a section of chain link fence about 6x20 that is fastened to a log. The ends of the log have eye bolts in them which are tied to a bridle that I tie off on the hitch on my tractor. To really make this work well, I have someone else drive my tractor and I stand on the log, hanging on to another piece of rope that is tied off on the hitch, kinda like water skiing. This way I can shift my weight from side to side to fill where needed. My neighbor loves it when I do this because this is the only chance he ever gets to drive my tractor. This process fills in the low spots, knocks down the high spots and usually balls up the debris like roots and other vegetation. I really works best when the soil is dry. It's not perfect, but it's a cheap, quick way to prep an area for lawn.

Greg

 

[Deerlope]

A set of bed springs single or double also works well.

 

[jinman]

I haven't tried this, so you have to take my advice with "a grain of salt," but I have several welded wire rebar sections that look alot like cattle panels they sell at TSC. Most chainlink fence is pretty narrow, so if I wanted something 12' wide to pull, I think I'd use two of these panels (turned sideways and attached one behind the other so they will flex in the middle.) You could weight them with crossties or any other method used on chainlink fence. Remember this is just a suggestion, I've also used chainlink fence and it works well, but I was limited in width because my section was only 4' wide.

 

[monkeybreath]

Thanks guys - you have given me some great ideas - and your suggestions I think will work better than what I would have come up with on my own. I will give it a try next week when I can get some more seat time.

 

[lamarbur]

the professional landscapers use exactly this around here. They drag a good sized piece of chain link and always have four or so concrete blocks wired to the chain ink to weight it down.. I've seen the after affects , and they are really decent

 

[8561]

I just did my whole property (new house) about six weeks ago with an old bed spring. I have found this to work extremely well on more than one property. Your grounds will look like carpet when you're done. If you need to, add a couple of rocks (maybe soccer ball size) to the rear of the bedspring, if necessary. Just string some chain through the bedspring and hook it to the tractor. Ride, ride, ride. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[PineRidge]

It's amazing that some of the best ideas are also very simple. I just wish I had thought about that chain link fence idea when I was prepping our lot for grass.

 

[IDjunker]

I use a chain link fence gate 4' x 6' with two long chains from the top of the FEL bucket to the far side of the gate, and two short chains to the near side of the gate. This setup lets me left and tilt. This work good to rake in grass seed before rolling.

 

[mikim]

Somebody here at tbn built one that he hooked to his boom pole and used it to raise & lower - looked like a good idea

 

[BrettW]

Here's my question,
What did each of you do before dragging the chain fence around? Shallow till? Box blade ? And after dragging the fence, did you roll it? It seems to me that the dirt would be so soft and fluffy that if you dont roll it, the tractor would leave nice deep ruts when you seed it or even cut the grass. thanks, bw

 

[CTyler]

Fill all the old pairs of boots up with sand/dirt and drag em behind the horses. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Soundguy]

Like everyone indicated.. there are countless ways. I've even seen a telephone post cut, and then had fencing wrapped around it multiple times.. ( think hotdog.. etc ).

Worked good too. I did the same, untill I 'inherited' a real old heavy 6x8 flexible drag harow from my stepfather. He got tired of seeing it rolled up in the corner of his property and told me to come get it. While there he also helped me load an old ford dual ganged disc harrow.. old, rusty, and beat the heck out of. I disced up about 10 ac of my pasture 2-3 times, before it finally really really needed repair and attentaion. I removed the 2 rear axle sets as they were too far gone.. but fixed up the fronts nice, and welded and beat on it enough so that it is a decent disc for garden plots, etc.

If I ever need to disc alot of stuff again, I'll just buy a cheap new one.. KK has some 6' for 4 something I think..

Soundguy

 

[songhunter]

I used the chain link fence to drag the infield of little league baseball diamonds when I maintained ball fields back in 1972. It's still the best method I've found to get a smooth flat surface on loosened soil or sand.

 

[Jordanbear]

I use a 4'x'6 piece of chain link with a section of 6x6 tied to it to drag the riding arena. Sure cheaper than the harrows they sell for the same purpose!

I tried a bedspring, but it was really old and kept shedding bits & pieces - not what you want to be riding on, so we got the chain link - I think it was sold as part of a dog run.

Another home-made "drag" is a 6x6 or 8x8 with spikes driven into it every 6 inches or so.

 

[Slamfire]

I had a piece of 6x6 that I was going to do that with. When i was looking for some railroad spikes, I found a pile of spike harrow sections. Bought the best two for $40 and made one good one. Works for me, the chain link fencing clogged up too fast.

 

[chim]

Is this what you remember? It is not as flexible as fence, but with four holes spaced top to bottom where the chain hooks onto the first beam, it can be set anywhere between "dig" and "gloss over"................chim

 

[chim]

In-use shot..........chim

 

[bebster]

Chim- your invention looks like it is functioning almost like a box blade. Dirt fills up in between the irons, and then spills out under the back iron. Probably a lot cheaper than the one I'm looking at! Does it move the high spots off and into the low spots?