Box Scraper Smoothing a Bumpy Pasture

[CalG]

Most of all, I agree that if you take the $$$$ you might spend "smoothing" the lawn and put it too purcase of a tractor with larger wheels, you will satisfy most of the wishes of yourself and this forum!

 

[pmsmechanic]

I also had a rough lawn. I just dragged an old diamond tooth harrow around when the ground was soft after a rain or first thing in spring. Every time I harrow at a different angle. My lawn isn't perfect but it's a lot smoother than it used to be and I didn't have to work up and reseed the grass. I usually have an old truck tire and rim laying on the harrows for extra weight.

 

[jenkinsph]

For my lawn area which was much rougher than yours I tilled it up and built a landplane to smooth it out. These two tools made a huge difference in the whole lot. I also built an inexpensive spike tooth harrow for finish smoothing and covering the new seed. I used a small plastic roller to smooth over the seed. Planted the new lawn in August of 2009 and these pictures were taken in April 2010 so it doesn't take long to have a new smooth lawn area.

If it were me I would sell that spiked tooth roller while it still looks new.

 

[bindian]

An offset disc will knock it down to almost level. I do three passes on hay pastures, then follow that with my 10 drag (chain) harrow. Don't even attempt to knock the bumps down with a 3PH disc. They are just too lite.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/270878-amco-offset-disc.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/277658-amazing-find-drag-harrow.html
hugs, Brandi

 

[oosik]

I "reclaimed" about 14 acres with a bottom plow, disk harrow and then a chain harrow. Worked well and now, three years later, I have a 14 acre lawn. I really worked the area with the chain harrow so now its smooth & flat as a pool table.
Saw a field that was top dressed. The top dressing soil was just "different" enough from the native soil to make the grass grow in stripes & patches. Ended up having to redo the entire field and mix all the soil for one even soil type.

 

[bucktaker]

get a mower for the 9n, mow with it no the Garden tractor, after or during the building process of your house, work the surrounding ground you want to be a lawn up with a disc or tiller the remainder fence for pasture and mow with the ford.

Your situation is none too different than mine way back in 1995..... I made 2 acres a lawn which I know mow with a zero turn to the rest is pasture grass mown with the Kubota

 

[jseebold]

Thanks a lot for your thoughts Tompet! There's about 6-8" of good top soil already, it sounds like discing it and then grading/seeding will do the trick. I'm about 10 years out before I build the house, so for now I'm planning to just do the whole area.

 

[jseebold]

Thank you very much Corl and Jeff! It looks like the general consensus is disc first, chain harrow next, and then seed.

 

[jseebold]

@Calg... it's even very bumpy driving the 9N on it. I think discing first is probably the way to go.

 

[JRobyn]

Welcome to TBN! I've got the identical problem with a back field of about 5 acres. I tried box-blading it, beginning with the rippers fully down. Blade was a fairly heavy 6ft behind my L4330. Between the hard/rocky "soil" and the roots from the existing sod, it was useless. I am now convinced that discing with a VERY heavy disc in multiple directions is the best medicine, and should allow enough of the existing sod to survive to re-plant the area. My other theory is that having my BIL back-drag it with the bucket on his big track loader might work, but would leave less viable root clumps for re-planting. Good luck with yours!

- Jay

It was my BIL's idea to back-drag it after he once tried to bushhog it with a 9n. The slowest ground speed possible on the 9n about beat him to death!