Grading an uneven field for haying with 50 HP?

Dirtslinger2 · Jan 10, 2009

I've got a 10 acre pasture that has never been worked. It needs to be level enough to hay- it was hayed once and that farmer didn't come back as it was hard on his equipment. It also will be rotationally grazed.

Overall it is flatland, but quite uneven/bumpy as you drive across it. When the last ditch was dug the soil was "spread out" in a swath, probably 2-3' deep, and maybe 20' wide, the length of the ditch. That needs to be spread out level with the land.

It is flood plain, it's silty peat, no rocks/stumps etc. But it is a generally boggy field that is only dry mid summer. The pasture stays green all summer, water table is high.
Water pools after rainfalls due to compaction, and being flat overall.

The field needs sub-soiling and is ditched on all sides. I have a sub-soiler.

I have a 50 HP Kubota MX5100. I really don't know what attachment I need for this project. Finding farmers with larger tractors available for hire hasn't worked- looks like I need to do this myself.

Any ideas? Is this something I can do? Thanks!

skipperbrown · Jan 10, 2009

For smoothing it out, I would think you could pull a hd breaking disk over it a couple of times and then move to a regular disk. That would go a long way to smooth ruts and holes out and could be done w/ your tractor. If you need to spread earth from point a to point b in a timely fashion, you are going to need heavier equip like a bulldozer or a big bobcat style machine w/ a blade or root rake.

Maybe ask your county extension agent for ideas?

Farmwithjunk · Jan 10, 2009

Find (buy/rent) a "pasture renovator" or small chisel plow. That'll open up the soil. Then disc with some sort of heavy drag behind the disc. Seed, then cultipack.

ns_in_tex · Jan 10, 2009

If you can get it plowed or tilled enough that grass does not ball up while dragging, I think it would be easy. I use a 15' long x 16" I beam. We started using it by dragging it behind a disk, but found we can do a really good job by connecting it to the front end loader. You can drive forward, pick it up when you want to, or drag backwards. By raising or lowering the loader so that the chains are pulling either down or up, you can control the amount of cut you are getting and also how much it lets pass out.

This works really well for us.

pitt_md · Jan 12, 2009

A tiller works wonders.

Soundguy · Jan 12, 2009

50hp should be fine to work on that 10ac.

soundguy

Egon · Jan 12, 2009

If you have a rough field and want it smooth cultivation is the easiest means to get it level and smooth. That means you have to work up the ground with whatever equipment is available to you then and replant with seeds of your choice.

Dominique01149 · Jan 12, 2009

I don't find tillers to work well, but discs work pretty good from what I know.
I'm gonna follow this thread as I'd like to do the same.

EddieWalker · Jan 13, 2009

Getting it smooth enough to hay and drive equipment over it is one thing, but making a ten acre field level is a whole different task.

First, I'd cut the grass down as low as possible. If it's good grass and what you want to grow there, then leave it there. If you want to replace it or plant something different, then spray it and let it die.

Plow it up disk it. Then take a soil sample to see what the soil needs to grow the type of hay that you want to produce.

Add your amendments to the soil and disk it again.

Then drag is smooth. There are allot of different types of drags that you can make, but for this, a big log will work as good as anything else. The bigger, heavier and longer, the better the results will be. Especially with ten acres.

Don't forget to have a cushion on your seat, you will be sitting there for quite awhile.

Eddie