What kind of harrow to use in a horse rink?

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Here is the after. The surface is a course sand about 3 1/2" deep )</font>
Looks as though you're doing an excellent job. John

 

[RonR]

So how do you keep all the sand from washing away in the first big gulley washer???????

Looks great.
ron

 

[Rollerskate]

Wash out is not a problem. It has already seen a couple of big rains. I think the key thing is drainage. As long as you keep the surface groomed the water just filters through it nicely. The base is pitched a bit to either side. If it gets really bad, the water will drain on one side into a ditch beyond the shrubs and on the other side is some 4" pipe underground that catches the water and connects to a small catch tank. That has another drain that goes "somewhere". I am going to call the original property owner and see if he can tell me where it runs or at least who put it in so I can contact them.

 

[Fireman_dcb]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I wanted to thank everybody for their input on the harrow and the ring, which is basically done. I say basically because the Misses thinks she wants it just a little wider. It started out about 85' X 185'. Right now it is about 110' X 200'. She would like to have it made about 20' wider. Checking the $$$ for that now and seeing if I can find a money tree somewhere in the nearby woods.

Regarding the harrow, I have narrowed it down to either a TSC drag harrow or some chain link fence and pipe and make my own. I'll check out TSC this weekend.

Thought I would share with you before and after pictures. I climbed up on the roof of the barn and snapped these off.

Here is the before. )</font>

Rollerskate - I've (ha - my wife has) got a ring thats 80' x 200' with stone dust (about 6" deep). I tried the chain link fence idea with a 6 foot 4x4 tied to the leading edge and used 3 - 12" cinder blocks for weights... while it did do some smoothing I wasn't satisfied at all. We finally went to TSC last Saturday and picked up a KingKutter 6'x4' drag harrow. Got it home, linked the two halves together and attached the mat to the pipe used on the lead edge. After 1 lap around I was VERY disappointed (not to mention my wife watching with a disapproving look) - weeds still standing, never moved. After the 2nd lap around a couple of weeds were pulled out (wife is looking hopeful) .... after the 3rd lap more weeds gone and after 4 laps around the ring I was AMAZED (and my wife was estatic) - she had to hand pull 3 deep rooted weeds everything else was loosened then torn up and the ring looks great. I would highly recommend the KingKutter drag harrow (just a note - it is heavy and if you dont' have a toothbar on the bucket its tricky to pickup and move - so that's my next purchase).

Thanks to the folks that made their suggestions earlier about the drag harrow.

Doug

 

[MikePA]

We use a TSC drag harrow as well, plus my wife uses a tow behind sprayer we bought from Northern Tool. It's the kind with the booms that fold down to either side, plus it's got the hand wand as well. My wife connects this to garden tractor, fills the tank with generic roundup and sprays the ring a few times a summer.

 

[Fireman_dcb]

Mike - the list of things to buy just keeps getting longer! We had a road cut back to our barn - filled with "bank runoff" and its getting overgrown, so a sprayer with extending arms will work.

 

[MikePA]

I looked at a 3ph sprayer for our NH TC25D, but they were too expensive, plus my wife has yet to drive it, she prefers the garden tractor. She hooks it to the drawbar, connects the power cord and sprays away. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Soundguy]

My how things change. Just a month ago a few of us were ridiculed for using the same setup the original poster has now decided on and used.

That vindicated by 'real life experience' feeling is starting to set in now...

Soundguy

 

[cowboydoc]

That vindicated by 'real life experience' feeling is starting to set in now...

Yep it sure is great. My first suggestion, third post, was that a drag harrow would be great for a sand arena. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Soundguy]

Last I saw he was considering limestone, stone dust.. or stone and sand mix.

Soundguy