removing 'ditches'?

[prof fate]

the horse pasture (about 12 acres) has ditches in it - been there 20 plus years before we got the place. No clue why they are there.

Now that i'm brush hogging I want them gone. How best to do that?

All are dry.

All but one are maybe 10-12" deep, more like a long V plowed across the field.

I have a loader, box blade to work with.

Thinking of maybe straddling the ditch and dragging the box blade .. should shallow the ditch some but not sure this is the best option. Better Half says maybe plow beside them to loosen the dirt, then ? There are 6 of them, maybe 1000 feet long each. Want something more effiecent than trucking in dirt and loading it bucket by bucket...

 

[Redlands Okie]

Place I am at had furrows that would bottom our the Tahoe from an old pumpkin patch. Had limited equipment originally to flatten it up some I used a box blade and rippers. Since it was the whole 10 acre field I ran at a angle to the ditches roughly 30 to 45 degrees. First pass was a lot of ups and downs but made a huge difference in leveling up. If you ditches are far apart you could still run at a slight angle sort of a S or snake pattern back and forth over the same ditch but keeping the tires on each side.

Grader blade on the 3 point would be really nice.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Better go through a wet season before you take them out, you may do all that work and have to put them back in....

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you have a 3PH disk harrow it will work well to fill in a ditch. I would disk it with the front gang and back gang cutting equal so as to get some loose dirt.
Then lengthen the top link so the rear is about the only one cutting. This will pull the soil from each side over into the ditch (note all work is while straddling the ditch). Most likely if the ditch was put in with a grader blade, the dirt was spread over each side so the disk should pretty much level it up. It may take several passes to accomplish this and it may not totally fill in the ditch but at least is should smooth it out a bunch.
After you do this, wait till a heavy rain to see where water is standing so as to determine any remaining high spots.

 

[RNeumann]

I know this sounds sarcastic but I’m thinking you have 12 acres to figure it out.

In one soil the loader would blow through everything and in another soil it’s multiple passes with the box and rippers down.

The box going backwards will cut well with the proper angle.

 

[prof fate]

Never used disks..a double bottom plow and disks are on the lilst..figures a plow would be the first..but you say disks will dig enough and I can see them moving the dirt due to angle..Hmm. Probably have to hit up youtube to see disking in action.

thanks

If you have a 3PH disk harrow it will work well to fill in a ditch. I would disk it with the front gang and back gang cutting equal so as to get some loose dirt.
Then lengthen the top link so the rear is about the only one cutting. This will pull the soil from each side over into the ditch (note all work is while straddling the ditch). Most likely if the ditch was put in with a grader blade, the dirt was spread over each side so the disk should pretty much level it up. It may take several passes to accomplish this and it may not totally fill in the ditch but at least is should smooth it out a bunch.
After you do this, wait till a heavy rain to see where water is standing so as to determine any remaining high spots.

 

[Fuddy1952]

My extra land I bought last Fall has ditches, only they are really sinkholes leading to a deep spring which runs into a creek.
I was afraid of flipping my tractor so the largest one I use for tree stumps. The smaller VW beetle size ones my neighbor and I filled, he used his bobcat, me the JD loader. Rocks, dirt, then good topsoil, seeded. We've had really hard rains, so far so good. In pictures you can see lighter green new grass and stump pile.

 

[AWSubie]

Place I am at had furrows that would bottom our the Tahoe from an old pumpkin patch. Had limited equipment originally to flatten it up some I used a box blade and rippers. Since it was the whole 10 acre field I ran at a angle to the ditches roughly 30 to 45 degrees. First pass was a lot of ups and downs but made a huge difference in leveling up. If you ditches are far apart you could still run at a slight angle sort of a S or snake pattern back and forth over the same ditch but keeping the tires on each side.

Grader blade on the 3 point would be really nice.

What Redlands Okie said is what I would do. Assuming you have shanks on your box blade you'll be done pretty quick.

What

 

[nybirdman]

I would be concerned with a big rain event;they were there for a purpose.Maybe add some drain tile and cover.

 

[jeff9366]

the horse pasture (about 12 acres) has ditches in it - been there 20 plus years before we got the place.

All but one are maybe 10-12" deep, more like a long V plowed across the field.

These "ditches" may be plow furrows made with a 12" or 14" Moldboard Plow.

"Normally" 10" to 12" plow furrows would be reduced after plowing by pulling a Disc Harrow over the field once with the Disc Harrow gang angles set fairly aggressively, a second time with the Disc Harrow gang angles adjusted to a less aggressive angle.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ing-three-point-hitch-mounted.html?highlight=

Then the field might or might not be dragged, then seeded.


If your LOCATION were part of your T-B-N PROFILE you would be receiving replies better tailored to your conditions.

 

[jeff9366]

Kioti CK3510

2015 - CK10 Series
Compact Utility tractor
Series next: Kioti CK4010
Series back: Kioti CK2610

Manufacturer: Kioti (a part of Daedong)

Variants:
CK3510SE HC: cab hydro

Kioti CK3510 Engine:
Daedong 1.8L 3-cyl diesel
Engine (gross): 34.9 hp [26.0 kW]
Gear PTO (claimed): 30.8 hp [23.0 kW]
Hydro PTO (claimed): 29.7 hp [22.1 kW]

Capacity:
Fuel: 9 gal [34.1 L]

3-Point Hitch:
Rear Type: I
Control: position control
Rear lift (at 24"/610mm): 1631 lbs [739 kg]

Power Take-off (PTO):
Rear PTO: live
Clutch: dry disc
Rear RPM: 540 (1.375)
Mid PTO: optional
Mid RPM: 2000

Dimensions & Tires:
Wheelbase: 65.7 inches [166 cm]
Weight: 2679 to 3307 pounds


Mechanical:
Chassis: 4x4 MFWD 4WD
Differential lock: mechanical rear
Steering: power
Brakes: wet disc
Cab: Two-post folding ROPS. Cab with air-conditioning optional (CK3510SE HC model).

Hydraulics:
Type: open center
Valves: 2*Optional
Total flow: 11.7 gpm [44.3 lpm]

Page information:
Last update: December 4, 2017
Copyright: Copyright 2017 TractorData LLC
Contact: Peter@TractorData.com




CK3510 with 4-WD can pull a Box Frame Tandem Disc Harrow with 20" diameter pans, as wide as rear tires width. This Disc Harrow will be all the CK3510 can manage. You will likely need at least four passes to level the furrows, assuming the field has been closely mowed before you begin and the soil is moist.

A Tandem Disc Harrow with 9" spacing between the pans on the front/cutting gang will cut/penetrate better than a Disc Harrow with 7" spacing between pans on the front gang.


(This assumes your land is located no higher than 3,000 feet above sea level.) ((Above 5,000 feet your tractor may lack the power to pull a Disc Harrow with 20" diameter pans.))


A Disc Harrow with 18" diameter pans will probably not cut sufficiently to fill the old furrows.

 

[kthompson]

I have filled disk using nothing else. Did not straddle the ditch which was not an option as was using a pull disk but ran both sides a few times and it was taken care of. I did have about two feet of disk past my tires. I believe your tractor would be safe if it fell or slipped into a 12 inch deep ditch as long as it could lift your box blade or a disk clear. Do not run very fast so if it begins to slide in you can stop, back out and use the wheel lock for traction.

Twelve inch deep ditches are most likely too shallow for tiling if any real load will be crossing it.

You do have option of having dirt hauled in and just push it into the ditches. You may want to check on what that would cost.

 

[majorwager]

Jeffy,
Some folks prefer to leave their location blank, that is their choice. Show the empirical evidence that disclosing their location is directly proportional to the volume of replies they receive.

And you make reference to the disc harrow thread but have yet to address the source of that text and if it was copied and reproduced as your own w/ copyrighted permission?

 

[CMV]

I have a lot of these because my soil is all clay and since water can't sink in, it just cuts channels looking for lower ground. I kept fighting filling just to have them open back up or new ones form. Finally I filled with crushed concrete in ABC or crusher run size. That stayed put, but lets water have a place to go.

I couldn't tell from your post - are these man-made or from erosion? Even if man-made, someone could have done for same reason - to give water a place to go without causing erosion damage elsewhere. If they are carrying water, be careful. Before I fixed mine, they would slowly get bigger. Ones I could drive over suddenly let a whole tire fall in (real small tractor). Unexpected when you drive over an area many times mowing then all the sudden can't.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Jeffy,
Some folks prefer to leave their location blank, that is their choice. Show the empirical evidence that disclosing their location is directly proportional to the volume of replies they receive.

And you make reference to the disc harrow thread but have yet to address the source of that text and if it was copied and reproduced as your own w/ copyrighted permission?

In almost every dang thread he posts in, It gets old.

 

[Site]

What Redneckracin said X 1,000 There may be a good reason they are there, we had to add 4 around our pasture to keep the water from around the house. Cant trust what you see in a small rain either it needs to be a frog strangler to see how flood water flows on your land

 

[prof fate]

More research - seems the ditches were put in to separate crops..seems odd to me, but that's what I'm hearing.

Getting a disk tomorrow evening (if it looks good in person as it does in the pictures) so can tray and smooth things out then.

 

[jeff9366]

This may be helpful in evaluating Disc Harrows:

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/308251-disc-harrow-selection-18-45-a.html?highlight=

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...ing-three-point-hitch-mounted.html?highlight=

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Well that's interesting, was the previous farmer near sighted that he needed the berms/ditches for guidance? Lol

 

[prof fate]

thanks