Not sure how to level a large area

   / Not sure how to level a large area #1  

Mosey

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2002
Messages
1,565
Location
Conifer, Colorado
Tractor
2000 New Holland TC29D with 7308 FEL, and top & tilt. 1950 John Deere B. 1940 Farmall A.
I have a large area that I'm trying to get level. It's about 150' x 100'. It has humps and low spots, etc. I had my garden in part of it and took dirt out of it to use other places, which left a large low spot. So, I hauled dirt from another part of my property to fill it in. I'm mainly concentrating on getting the old garden area level first. It's about 40' x 40'. I can't seem to get the hang of getting it level! I have a FEL, 5' tiller, and 6' grader blade. After hauling the dirt in, I tilled it all up so it's loose and easy to work with, then got it roughly evened out with the FEL. I put the 6' back blade on and angled it, then started trying to level it good. But, when I drive over the dirt, it packs down (mostly clay, so very "packy") making it hard to work with again. Plus, it doesn't level good because the tractor is driving over uneven terrain, so the blade just goes up and down and I end up with uneven terrain again. I tried going over it a bunch of times and going in different directions including diagonal, and finally got it decent, but it took me well over an hour and it's still not really flat. If I go backwards, it's not long before I get a sore neck. I need to learn some better techniques before I do the rest of it. How do I go about doing this in a more efficient and less neck stiffening manner?
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #2  
Tilling it up my have been a mistake. Your best bet would have been to drop the dirt in the low areas, then, preferably box blade it. Dragging the high dirt to the low areas.. etc.

You can do the same with a grader blade, though not quite as easilly, and you can also back drag with your fel.. however.. as you have noticed.. now that the dirt is fluffed.. you are having compaction issues while trying to level. In fact.. trying to level fluffed dirt to existing earth is going to be very difficult, till you get the tilled area 'drove down', and can then work it and get it to level.

Soundguy

Mosey said:
I have a large area that I'm trying to get level. It's about 150' x 100'. It has humps and low spots, etc. I had my garden in part of it and took dirt out of it to use other places, which left a large low spot. So, I hauled dirt from another part of my property to fill it in. I'm mainly concentrating on getting the old garden area level first. It's about 40' x 40'. I can't seem to get the hang of getting it level! I have a FEL, 5' tiller, and 6' grader blade. After hauling the dirt in, I tilled it all up so it's loose and easy to work with, then got it roughly evened out with the FEL. I put the 6' back blade on and angled it, then started trying to level it good. But, when I drive over the dirt, it packs down (mostly clay, so very "packy") making it hard to work with again. Plus, it doesn't level good because the tractor is driving over uneven terrain, so the blade just goes up and down and I end up with uneven terrain again. I tried going over it a bunch of times and going in different directions including diagonal, and finally got it decent, but it took me well over an hour and it's still not really flat. If I go backwards, it's not long before I get a sore neck. I need to learn some better techniques before I do the rest of it. How do I go about doing this in a more efficient and less neck stiffening manner?
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #3  
Can't help with the level problem but for the neck problem get a couple rear view mirrors. You'll only have to turn around half the time you did before. I've got one on each side and one up on my canopy.

Harris
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #4  
A box blade would be the best implement for that. Set it about 1" above level ground and drive around in all directions. It will knock off the high spots and fill in the lows. Then drag that old section of chainlink fence around to finish it off.
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #5  
The clay makes this more difficult. Perhaps some topsoil might be a good idea.

I would use a rake or blade with gauge wheels to drag the dirt to fill in the low spots. Having the rake suspended between the tractor and the gauge wheels, allows you to set the length of the top link and the spacers on the wheels so that the rake acts just like a road grader. Start out with the rake just touching the ground and riding on the wheels. Lower the 3 pt. hitch so the rake is freely hanging between the tractor and the gauge wheels. Drive in every direction while gradualy lowering the rake by shortening the top link. This will cut down the high spots and deposit it in the low spots. After a while it will be as flat as a pool table.

You can also use some chain link fence stapled to some 10 foot 2x8s. It will take longer but it will cut the high spots and fill the low spots.
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #6  
A box blade does that.. only easier..

Soundguy
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #7  
I've been wrestling with the same problem. I've got a horse arena that was mostly level to begin with, but the more I used the box blade on it the worse it got. As you approach a high spot, the front wheels of the tractor go up first, making the box blade dig in deeper and scoop up a box full of dirt. Then when the back wheels track over the high spot and the front wheels are heading down hill, the box blade goes up in the air and empties its load at the top of the hill. In no time at all, I took a relatively flat arena and turned it into a motocross track!!!!

I tried everything everyone suggested. Using the blade backward helped some, but driving around backwards for a couple of hours got pretty tiring. Using the front end load loader as a blade was bad too. The blade would dig in a little, leaving a little dip, which the front wheels dropped into, making another dip. In not time at all a series of ripples formed that got bigger and bigger until riding the tractor (L3400) seemed like riding a bucking horse.

Finally, after many hours of backwards box blading, and a little dirt moving with the FEL, I got it back to almost as level as it was before I started. Now I just used a drag harrow on it. Doesn't level it much, but at least it doesn't screw it up. And each time I drag it, it gets a little better.

I'm sure my problem is just improper technique combined with no patience, but I'm surprised it is so hard to level a plot of soft ground.....

Terry
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #8  
Correction: You should gradualy lentghen the top link to lower the rake.

I helped my boys run a lansdcaping business for 10 years. They would make a trip all the way home to switch from the box scraper to the rake when they needed to finish grade property.
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area
  • Thread Starter
#9  
At least I'm not the only one with this problem! I have a 3' landscape rake, hand operated, that I got at Lowes and it works real good on the smaller areas. I just hold it at an angle and pull it along the loose dirt. I do that in several directions and it smoothes and levels real good. I have to go over it a lot though, so lots of repetition. The repetition technique seems to work with the rear blade, but it takes a lot of passes and takes a lot of time. The technique of starting high and gradually lowing the blade/rake sounds good, but once again it sounds like lots of repetition. I guess I'll just have to face the fact that this is going to take a lot of time!

There seems to be some dispute about if a box blade works better than a landscape rake on guide wheels. I don't have either. I guess what I really need is a road grader, I can see where the long wheelbase would help de-amplify the effects of the tractor going over the uneven terrain. I guess I'll just keep playing around with what I have.
 
   / Not sure how to level a large area #10  
KubotaTerry said:
I've got a horse arena that was mostly level to begin with, but the more I used the box blade on it the worse it got. As you approach a high spot, the front wheels of the tractor go up first, making the box blade dig in deeper and scoop up a box full of dirt. Then when the back wheels track over the high spot and the front wheels are heading down hill, the box blade goes up in the air and empties its load at the top of the hill. In no time at all, I took a relatively flat arena and turned it into a motocross track!!!!.....I'm sure my problem is just improper technique combined with no patience,
Terry


Classic problem. people think because they have a tractor, land, and an implement, that everything is magic. ( but in actuality.. it all requires work.. etc... there is no free lunch.. etc.. )

You probably have 2 hands.. thus.. keep one on the steeirng wheel, keep the other on the 3p control. As you go up the high area, raise the 3pt to keep it digging into the flat soil before the high spot. As your box blade cutting edge starts to approach the rise of the hump where it goes from flat to angle, drop the box blade and start your cut.

Yes.. this may require you turning around and looking at your implement from time to time.

Soundguy
 

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