Sod Lifting

[Travelover]

I did a quick search and didn't find my answer, so my apologies if this has already covered....

I need to peel off a strip of sod about 3 feet wide and about 50 feet long . I'd like to be able to throw the sod back when I'm done. This is not golf course quality sod - just controls erosion.

Any hint on how to do this? I have a B7100 Kubota with a FEL and a 4" box blade. I'm thinking there may be a way to undercut the sod so it can be rolled away as opposed to scooped into the box blade.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

[diyDave]

Easiest way would be to rent a motorized walk behind sodcutter. You could get that done in about 15 minutes! Next easiest would be the 2 handled hand version of the above. Might take about an hour, if you have adequate soil moisture.

 

[crbr]

Easiest way would be to rent a motorized walk behind sodcutter. You could get that done in about 15 minutes!

Indeed.

 

[bx23barry]

Just use the FEL. dig-roll-dig-roll-cut- move to side -dig-roll-dig-roll-cut..... Might be more than 3 feet wide but like ya said it ain't a golf course.

 

[RobJ]

A sod cutter is one of those things that works just like it's suppose to. I rented this one at HF for $55 for 4 hours. I actually used it maybe 1 hour. It cuts about 18" wide and you can set the depth. I was replacing the grass so I wanteh to just scrape off the top. I could have set it down an inch or to and save the grass.

If created a LOT of waste in a hurry. But it is sweet. Water the grass a bit the night before, I think it helps keep the dirt on the roots.

Good Luck,
Rob

 

[Travelover]

Thanks for the replies. I'm familiar with a power sod cutter, but was looking for a low / no cost solution. I'll try the FEL solution suggested. It ain't a golf course......

 

[Travelover]

OK, so it is the dead of winter in Michigan and I'm still thinking about how to strip off this sod. (I'll do this next spring)

My thought is that I could remove the center scarifiers on my box blade and mount a flat piece of steel (1/4" thick, 3" wide) horizontally between the two outside scarifier tips. If I extend the scarifiers so the tips are about 3 inches lower than the box, the flat piece of steel would undercut the sod as I pull it forward.

Has anyone done anything like this? It seems like once I get the cutting blade under the surface, it would undercut the sod as long as I pull it forward.

Thank for any feedback and not laughing - too hard.

 

[davkir]

Sounds like an interesting fun project.
Unless your ground was very flat, I wonder if you would need some sort of skid shoes or wheels to control the depth.
The scarifiers on mine are pretty loose. If the cutting blade wasn't set at the right angle and/or the front edge was not symmetric, I wonder if it would tend to bow and/or push up the BB?

 

[ChuckinNH]

This guy did a pretty neat job!

 

[diyDave]

There is another contraption that I forgot to mention that you might be able to rent for about the same or less than a sodcutter. Turfco makes an edger that vibrates just like a sodcutter(in fact it is about 1/2 of a sodcutter) called, I think, the Edge-rite. What it is is one arm off of a sodcutter, powered by a 5 HP motor, used primarily to edge sand traps at the golf courses. That one arm takes a variety of different shaped cutters, and included is one that removes a ribbon of sod about 3" wide. Google turfco, and you can probably easily find the machine I am thinking of. If you're in good with any golf course supers, you might be able to borrow or rent one of theirs for the weekend!