tractor big enough?

[Jpcjguy]

Alright - so I started this project about 15 days ago. Had 18 yards of topsoil/compost mix delivered and spread it out using my neighbors tractor. Looks like this one:

First I tilled the upper area about 4" down. He has one of these:


It sure was a LOT more work than I anticipated!!! Especially not having any tractor experience. Of course we then had the rain from the hurricane. So that stopped me until today. I spread another 15 yards of the same mix. I also then did the pallet drag with rocks to help smooth it. Turned out ok -still some lumpy areas. I used my mower to pull a 48"x24" roller (about 785 lbs) to smooth and compact it in addition to running the tractor tires on every square inch! I am wondering if a box blade would have been better - but then there is the learning curve on how to use it. The slopes would have been challenging also for a newbie. Here are some pics:




So do I go with it as is? Or get someone with a box blade (that knows how to use it) to do the final pass?

Thanks!

 

[dhagood]

i built a 100' x 40' barn pad out of the side of a hill with a box blade. i also put in the base for a road into that barn pad. i'm certainly not an expert but i do have a little experience. my experience sez that i couldn't do any better with a box blade than what it looks like you have now. i would use a grading scraper (also called a land plane) for smoothing the area.

a box blade is good at cutting into the ground and transporting the spoils. it is not that great a creating a smooth, consistent surface (at least when i'm driving). a grading scraper is specifically designed to create a smooth, consistent surface.

hope this help.

 

[4570Man]

My neighbor spread over 200 tons of fill dirt with a borrowed case about this same size. It took him a couple weeks to get his project done. I let him borrow my 5 foot box blade, but it was too big for the little tractor.

 

[Jpcjguy]

Part of me thinks to leave well enough alone and just get the seed down. It feels like the more I mess with it, the worse it gets!

 

[GLyford]

Yep, and remember---your mower will "average" the grass when it mows, too. Bet you will be mostly happy with it if you just get the seed down.

Once the grass is established you can still "top dress" a little dirt into any low areas that show up later, work it in a little with a rake, and the grass will often recover and continue growing through it. Also a good way to fix any little runoff channel bits that happen between now and when the grass has a firm hold on the dirt...

 

[Jpcjguy]

Thanks for the advice. I am kind of over working on it. I am going to put the seed down this weekend and call it a day....

 

[Fiziksgeek]

To get a touch more refinement, maybe a landscape rake...you don't want it to dig in real deep, really little more than skimming the top. Just drive around in different patterns until you run out of fuel. If you can't borrow one, some rental places have them for not too much.

 

[GreenYellow]

Looks great to me.
I'd rather have an extra week of seed growth before winter than another week of smoothing.

 

[Utopia Texas]

A word of caution for the future to anyone else who might have a project like this with tree roots at or above the ground surface. Some species of trees, especially oaks, have roots at the surface of the ground for a reason to absorb oxygen as well as water. In some cases even 2 inches of soil covering these roots will eventually kill the trees if the soil becomes too compacted. Read up on the species of trees you have before doing such a project or 10 years from now you may be enjoying a open meadow.

 

[Jpcjguy]

A word of caution for the future to anyone else who might have a project like this with tree roots at or above the ground surface. Some species of trees, especially oaks, have roots at the surface of the ground for a reason to absorb oxygen as well as water. In some cases even 2 inches of soil covering these roots will eventually kill the trees if the soil becomes too compacted. Read up on the species of trees you have before doing such a project or 10 years from now you may be enjoying a open meadow.

Very good point! I was informed that a couple inches would be ok and that is what I put down, but you are correct - the risk does exist.