Which Implement for final grading of new home.

[crazyal]

If it's just finishing up (and you have a gravel driveway) I would get a grading scraper over a box blade. A box blade is fine but will require more skill to smooth out a lawn as they are more for moving dirt around. If you have future plans of making new lawn then a box blade would be a good choice. I would look into what the rental places near you have. Renting an attachment is a great way to save money by not investing in an attachment that's not what you need or to do a one or two time job. I think a disc would cut it up nicely or maybe just drive over the dirt.

 

[blb078]

Well I'm definitive not hiring someone, that's a waste of money when I can do it myself. I did it once before with rental stuff on a previous home a couple years ago and it turned out fine. For that I used a tractor/tiller that I rented, but it was a much smaller yard. As for how it got like that, it's a new construction home, we cleared out about 1.5 acres of cedars(so no deep roots or stumps) took what we had from digging out of the foundation and maybe a couple feet out of the back yard and moved it to the front to get the grade we wanted. It's been like this for about 7 months not something that just happened. I don't plan on putting grass and stuff down til next spring. Just want to mainly get the front ready since we have to still put in the steps and walkway.

We wont have a gravel driveway, going to have concrete for it all, it's about 200' or so. As I said we will be doing a garden later on so getting a tiller isn't completely out of the question.

 

[LD1]

That being said......waiting til next spring to seed it, I'd wait til then to level and prep it. That gives you all winter to brows over craigslist to find some implements and save some coin. Things like box blades, tillers, disc's, etc all pop up now thru winter for better prices than in spring and summer.

Go ahead and prep your walkway. Thats likely to create more dirt that can be spread and feathered out into the yard. Same for the driveway.....Assuming you are gonna do a little work there too to "cut-in" the drive. And pack down a gravel base under the concrete? As opposed to having a 6" thick concrete driveway poured on top of the dirt, and have that 6" driveway be higher than everything else around.

Could be wrong.....as I dont have a full understanding of just where you are at. But it sounds like there is still dirt to be moved around to rough in these things. Which will need to be spread and feathered out. So it seems trying to get a nice smooth and level yard now will be a waste of time.

 

[blb078]

Driveway is already cut and rock in. Not worried about any of that. Don't want to get off track, back to the original question, what would be the best implement for breakup and smoothing out the dirt/clay in the pics.

 

[cat fever]

Driveway is already cut and rock in. Not worried about any of that. Don't want to get off track, back to the original question, what would be the best implement for breakup and smoothing out the dirt/clay in the pics.

I think I would just back drag your FEL bucket. Might take a few times but it will break up the clods.

 

[2ndhalf]

I have one of these and I love it. Though you may want to throw some logs or weight on it. It won't break up a basketball sized chunk of clay but you should get that out of your yard anyways if it is clay. I run over large chunks with my tractor/mower and then let this do the rest. Go over it several times in several different patterns and it should break it up well.

Concord Drag Harrow, 6 x 4 - For Life Out Here

I also have a cultivator that I use first... you may not need this though

CountyLine One Row Cultivator - For Life Out Here

Keep in mind that dirt will settle for about a year after being disturbed... so don't get in a hurry to seed things like leach beds and water/electric lines or you will have a horrible low place in your yard. Let it settle, deal with the weeds for a while and then regrade everything.. I know from experience.

 

[LD1]

Driveway is already cut and rock in. Not worried about any of that. Don't want to get off track, back to the original question, what would be the best implement for breakup and smoothing out the dirt/clay in the pics.

The best, as has already been mentioned, is something on the front of a skid loader like a rock hound or post rake. And Not something mounted on a tractor.

Anything that can be mounted on a tractor is a compromise. They will all do similar jobs, and get it done. Asking which tractor implement works best is like asking what's better, Ford, Chevy, or dodge.

A disc, drag, tiller, various types of harrows (spike tooth, chain, etc) cultipacker/cultimulcher, a soil pulverizer (look up Gill soil pulverizer), box blade, land plane, simply running over the clods to bust em up and level with the FEL....they all will get the job done.

Rather than ask what's best, because if you ask enough people all of the above will get at least one mention, why not look on Craigslist and see what's out there. Slot of what has been mentioned, like old discs, harrows, cultipackers, etc can be had for just a few hundred bucks.

 

[Cord]

Rent a Harley rake. It'll do everything you want except set the grade lines

 

[ovrszd]

As I said earlier, in my part of Missouri, those clods are like concrete. Dirt was worked damp/wet and compacted as it was placed. Only Mother Nature can properly dissolve them. You can wear em down now but then you'll have croquet sized clods. I think the OP is on track to wait til Spring for any final grading and seeding.

Buy the implement you think you'll get the most use from in the future, long after you are tired of mowing your new yard.

 

[teg]

...back to the original question, what would be the best implement for breakup and smoothing out the dirt/clay in the pics.

In my opinion, I have this: 60 Inch Pulverizer | Yard Pulverizer and it worked well with our new house. You can shape the land some what. I would not buy this new!!! I got mine used for $250... and when it's not in use, I stack it on my disk for the extra weight... A roller is nice too for breaking up clods, $180 off Craig's List. I would loan these out, but I do use them to touch up food plots so would not sell them.

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