I am trying to pack the soil after my tillage to seal the moisture in the soil. I made a 5 foot roller out of a 8 inch cardboard tube full of concrete with a 2 inch pipe in the center that is threaded with a chain to drag behind a tiller. The problem is that it did pack the dirt as hard as would have liked. Should I try to make a larger unit like this or buy one?
roller
- Thread starter troweller
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cadblaster
Silver Member
How cool, I considered making one just as you described.
However, I opted to buy a 4 ft. poly roller from Sears. Not sure if it was the best decision though. At the time I bought it it was early spring and I wanted to roll out the lumpiness in the lawn while the ground was soft. It did a little, but not that much. I ended up tilling up a few sections, then rolling it to smooth it out which workes better. It could be that your roller just doesn't have the weight to get you adequate ground pressure to do what you want to do. It then becomes a cost/time study to see if it's worth building another or buying one.
If I were to get another roller, I found that Tractor supply has some nicer metal ones that were larger diameter, which would have better ground pressure. At the time I bought mine, TSC didn't have them stocked. Also the poly roller gets a flat spot if it sits for awhile. I have mine filled with water, and I won't dump it until fall. It can be filled with sand too, that might help. I think the poly rollers sold by Northern Tools are advertised to be reinforced to prevent flat spotting.
However, I opted to buy a 4 ft. poly roller from Sears. Not sure if it was the best decision though. At the time I bought it it was early spring and I wanted to roll out the lumpiness in the lawn while the ground was soft. It did a little, but not that much. I ended up tilling up a few sections, then rolling it to smooth it out which workes better. It could be that your roller just doesn't have the weight to get you adequate ground pressure to do what you want to do. It then becomes a cost/time study to see if it's worth building another or buying one.
If I were to get another roller, I found that Tractor supply has some nicer metal ones that were larger diameter, which would have better ground pressure. At the time I bought mine, TSC didn't have them stocked. Also the poly roller gets a flat spot if it sits for awhile. I have mine filled with water, and I won't dump it until fall. It can be filled with sand too, that might help. I think the poly rollers sold by Northern Tools are advertised to be reinforced to prevent flat spotting.
have_blue
Veteran Member
A 30 gallon drum makes a nice one that a lawn tractor can pull. Drill a hole dead center top and bottom. Insert a 1-1/2 or 2" pipe through the holes, and pour it full of concrete. Consider making an axle. Use 1/2 or 3/4" pipe instead, and insert a rod th serve as an axle. Weld a "Y" bracket and tongue and you're ready to go. It should come out weighing ~400# or so.
KubotaSteve
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2003
- Messages
- 834
- Location
- eastern panhandle of WV
- Tractor
- Kubota B7800 with loaded R-4s
I bought the 24" X 48" steel roller from TSC. When it is full of water it approaches a 1000 pounds. I had to make some adjustments as when I got it the bolts on the side of the hitch kept getting caught on the drain plug. I don't like the drain plug setup on the roller and have thought about getting another setup for the drain plug. The paint on them is pretty crappy and will come off quickly and begin to rust. It does a nice job smoothing out the rough spots. I usually leave mine full of water for the from spring to fall.
