How to level pasture

[MNBobcat]

Hey everyone!

Looking for some advice as I did not grow up on a farm. I have an 18 acre field that hasn't been touched in 10 years. I need to level out the gopher mounds and get the field as smooth as possible. I know how to take care of the gophers and that is not a problem - not looking for gopher advice.

The soil here is sand. I want to retain as much of the current grass as possible.

I have a heavy steel plate that I dragged the field with and it knocked off the high points on the gopher mounds to where I could mow it with my 15 foot bat wing mower. Now that it's mowed it's a lot easier to see what needs work. I'll be trapping and poisoning (I have a 3-point gophergetter) the gophers.

One-time dragging didn't do a lot. It needs a lot more work.

My question is, what to drag the field with? I have a lot of steel and can make a tool. However, I was thinking about a spike tooth harrow and adding cement blocks for weight. I can get enough sections to make one about 20 feet wide. I've played with them in the past though and they don't seen to do much.

Do the rollers that farmers use for flattening work very well?

Suggestions?

 

[MNBobcat]

You are asking for advice

BUT: No location and no tractor information. Both Location and Tractor Brand & Model should be in your T-B-N PROFILE.

Location doesn't matter (soil does and i mentioned that) and the tractor is 70 hp so not an issue.

 

[Thomas]

I'd try attachment with gauge wheels like rake with fold down grader blade.

 

[BertZegers]

Hey everyone!

Looking for some advice as I did not grow up on a farm. I have an 18 acre field that hasn't been touched in 10 years. I need to level out the gopher mounds and get the field as smooth as possible. I know how to take care of the gophers and that is not a problem - not looking for gopher advice.

The soil here is sand. I want to retain as much of the current grass as possible.

I have a heavy steel plate that I dragged the field with and it knocked off the high points on the gopher mounds to where I could mow it with my 15 foot bat wing mower. Now that it's mowed it's a lot easier to see what needs work. I'll be trapping and poisoning (I have a 3-point gophergetter) the gophers.

One-time dragging didn't do a lot. It needs a lot more work.

My question is, what to drag the field with? I have a lot of steel and can make a tool. However, I was thinking about a spike tooth harrow and adding cement blocks for weight. I can get enough sections to make one about 20 feet wide. I've played with them in the past though and they don't seen to do much.

Do the rollers that farmers use for flattening work very well?

Suggestions?



View attachment 612000

Rollers do not flatten, neither do cultivators or disks. The way we level the field, like after plowing when dead furrows are left, is with a disk or cultivator to loosen the dirt, and than use a land leveler. Than after a rain, when the dirt sets, we do the same again (and sometimes again).

 

[TheMan419]

Our farm was in corn when we bought. To get it ready for horses I hit it w a tiller then a chain harrow. Not level enough for a lawn but good for horse pasture. Of course that will not preserve the existing grass.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Plow, then disk, then chain harrow would work. May take several passes with the chain harrow, but with sandy soil I think it would work. Do you have a neighbor you could borrow the attachments from?

 

[oosik]

Honestly - that field in your picture is pretty flat to begin with. I see MAJOR work if you want it flatter than shown in the picture.

I would think some type of heavy crawler tractor and a large, massive land scraper.

I guess it's all in perspective. Around this part of the world - that is a flat field. All undulations are easily handled by any farm equipment.

 

[duffer]

Since you want to preserve all the grass you can (good idea to control erosion), I'd use the spike tooth with teeth "down", (no additional weights) and go over the area 2-3 times. This should loosen the sandy topsoil, and still keep most of the grass.

If you have significant "high spots" in the field, you might want to use your FEL (if you have one) and back drag it, or a box blade to knock it down.

Once you have the area flattened out to your liking, broadcast some inexpensive 1 season seed, and/or additional existing grass seed to control the erosion.

Then turn the spike tooth up-side down, and drag the area one more time. This will cover the seasonal seed, and give you a nice finish on the area. Then pray for light rain.

 

[mljenkins]

Since you want to preserve all the grass you can (good idea to control erosion), I'd use the spike tooth with teeth "down", (no additional weights) and go over the area 2-3 times. This should loosen the sandy topsoil, and still keep most of the grass.

If you have significant "high spots" in the field, you might want to use your FEL (if you have one) and back drag it, or a box blade to knock it down.

Once you have the area flattened out to your liking, broadcast some inexpensive 1 season seed, and/or additional existing grass seed to control the erosion.

Then turn the spike tooth up-side down, and drag the area one more time. This will cover the seasonal seed, and give you a nice finish on the area. Then pray for light rain.

Totally agree with this advice. I was thinking worse case use a box blade on the holes. I don't have issues with my box blade ripping up grass as long as I set the angle (top link) so the blade on the back is not aiming down where it wants to cut in. It will slide right over the grass unless it hits a mound. Granted the sides of the box cause slide marks since they are riding on the ground, but you're not leveling a golf course and what grass is damaged will come back quick. I'd give it a try before I invested a lot of money in other new attachments (unless you don't already have a box blade).

 

[Egon]

It’s a difficult question as we don’t know how solidly and bound together the sod clumps will be. I’d suggest a little experimenting on what will work to rip thru and loosen the mounds.

I’m thinking the teeth on a box blade might work for loosening things and then use the blade for scrapping & levelling. Might have to do this a few times as clumps dry out.

 

[CobyRupert]

(IMHO) A couple good recommendations to preserve (most of) existing grass:

Chain harrow.
Spike tooth harrow (-maybe wouldn't rip up grass, depending on soil and grass conditions at the time)

Has anybody mentioned using a landscape rake?

 

[MNBobcat]

Totally agree with this advice. I was thinking worse case use a box blade on the holes. I don't have issues with my box blade ripping up grass as long as I set the angle (top link) so the blade on the back is not aiming down where it wants to cut in. It will slide right over the grass unless it hits a mound. Granted the sides of the box cause slide marks since they are riding on the ground, but you're not leveling a golf course and what grass is damaged will come back quick. I'd give it a try before I invested a lot of money in other new attachments (unless you don't already have a box blade).

I was also thinking a pull-type box scraper with gauge wheels on the back and then sitting it about 1 inch off the ground. It's good to hear that you suggested this as I wasn't sure how well it would work.

I want to get this smooth enough that I can mow at a pretty good clip.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

You pretty much use the implements you have. I have a smaller tractor and an old JD cover crop disc, plus spike tooth harrow, so did a 1-pass disc and harrow to level my pasture. I set the disc to about 50% depth. It turned out to be a 2-pass, but ended up pretty smooth. Then I broadcast some grass seed, though quite a bit of the old grass rooted back in. Pick a time when it's good seed bed moisture but not muddy to do something like this.

 

[MNBobcat]

Larry,

How did you go about seeding after you disc'd and harrowed? I don't think I'd be able to use my tractor to seed as the tires would cut into loose sand about a foot deep. I could see seeding with an ATV. Was just curious how you went about it.

Thanks!

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I borrowed a 3-point fertilizer broadcaster from a neighbor, filled it with seed, and spread it around. With the PTO at full speed, it would toss grass seed about 20' on each side of the tractor, so one pass was 40' wide. I used perennial ryegrass seed, which is fairly heavy for grass seed. If you went to something like low endophyte fescue, it wouldn't fly so far. Oats will re-seed well if you leave them alone. If you plant oats and field peas, you can take a really high quality hay crop.