Wash board back yard...how to fix?

[Car Doc]

In my yard it mattered what I used after the new lateral system had a few years on it because my wife didn't want to start the yard over. I brought buckets of dirt into the low spots and smoothed them with the loader bucket and a rake and then seeded the new dirt and it worked real good.

Now if I was to do a yard that it wasn't a problem with existing grass etc I would till and drag it or disc then drag. A box blade takes some finesse in order to not induce bigger hills and valleys least it does for me on road work where a drag seems to do a better job on loose materials anyway.

 

[wedge40]

Might help if folks new how big this tractor is.

I'm guessing it's a Green thing. So that would be about 24 HP. But thats just a guess.

Wedge

 

[jlsmith]

Mike, I agree with Dave. Rent a tiller or get yourself a 5' disk. I think after a little rain and the soil is softened a bit you could loosen things up. Forget hiring it done, thats why you own the tractor.

Once your have a top 4 inches or so loosend up then a single section drag should smooth it out nicely. It just takes time and be patient. ONce your satisfied its smooth then you can put down the new grass seed with either a pull behind broadcast seeder which are fairly inexpensive or do it by hand.

I used a 60" drop seeder (picked up at a garage sale for $50) on mine after an hour of dragging and then another hour after seeding. I was lucky that we got rain the night after I seeded it. The rains stayed farily steady for about 3 weeks and the grass came in perfectly. That was 4 years ago and its the best part of the lawn (I mow three acres) I have.

I agree i would use a disk and chain harrow to smooth the land.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Yep...it is a green thing...2305.

I am near Mantua...can't remember who asked me wher I was....the soil is mostly clay and small rocks. I know I need to bring top soil in before I seed anything....but wanted to try and keep the cost of brining dirt in to a minimum...that is why I wanted to level it first.

I did find a neighbor with a box scraper....he is going to let me give it a try. If it goes pretty well, no need to buy anything....other than a case of beer for the use of it.

If it does not go well, I am going to purchase a tiller (or possibly rent one) and have at it....then drag, seed, fertilize, then roll (oh yeah...will either have to buy, rent, or build my own roller too.

Thanks to all for your feedback....I know what I will be doing this weekend.

Mike

 

[Egon]

When you do bring in the top soil you may consider building a drag for the leveling. After using the drag you may not need the roller.

 

[Ford tractor]

I'm guessing it's a Green thing. So that would be about 24 HP. But thats just a guess.

Wedge

18 pto hp and 1450 pounds. Fairly small, but a good size for the lot it's on.


A tiller in the 4' wide range will work. Till N-> S then E->W then a week later reverse directions and that will get all the old grass tilled under and kill off many weed sprouts. Then a home made drag using two to four 8' long 4x4's. Use the big screw in loops and chain. Chain them so they are 18" separated and about 6-8' behind the tractor. Drive around in circles as well as up & back and it will smooth out quick. Go fast, but no so fast that the drag bounces or skips. After smoothing, you may find that some high areas are still high, so a retill in those spots may be called for.

I would not recommend a box scraper. Your tractor can only pull a small one and trying to level an area with a small one is really a challenge.

It would be smart to get a soil sample done and have a ag lime truck spread before tilling. Many areas need 2 or more tons per acre. I've got food plots that needed 7.5 ton per acre.

 

[5030tinkerer]

If you had access to a larger tractor and a power rake, it would solve your issues in one step. Something like http://www.landpride.com/ari/attach/lp/public/manuals/314-132m.pdf would do the job nicely, but the better (newer) ones have carbide teeth that put this variety to shame.

 

[pat32rf]

Build your pond FIRST. Its amazing how plans can change when you have lebenty leben cubic yards of pond diggins to use (or get rid of). A flat yard may be nice, but it can be BORING when you can add a few gentle hills and swales, keeping drainage issues in the back of your mind while you create....
For now, just lower your mower to the lowest setting and knock off the high spots ;-)....

 

[charlz]

The tiller really fluffs the soil so you have to water it or otherwise let it settle before being able to work it. Problem with a chain harrow is it will follow the contours.. including dipslow spots. A bar harrow would be better.

The best prep I have seen in bare soil is a skidsteer with a Rockhound:

YouTube - The Original RockHound Landscape Rake

Not sure how that would work in grass but you could spray kill the grass first and let it dry out some. Probably best to kill off everything existing even if you till, some of the grass will live through the tiling process unless you do it more than once.

You might be able to rent a SS with a Rockhound locally, I'd see what the prices are.

 

[Maxfli]

I had a similar situation. JD 2210 so it is nearly the same tractor as the 2305. I took my time and found a used 46" Tiller for around $500. I have leveled off a few area's in the back and they turned out fine. Just tilled them and threw down grass seed. Works great for the garden too. My thoughts are that this tiller is sized right for this tractor, I think 48" would be good as well. Not sure I would consider anything larger. I have about 3/4 acre that is low and with it being dry I have been mowing it the last few times. It is an ideal spot for a pond, but I really have no place the county will let me put the spoils if it dig it out.