Which impliment

[Stomper]

I have a landscaping project coming up next year on my property. I will be landscaping my front and back yard. While not overly huge, it is a desent size. my property is 1.5 acres and a good portion is going to be grass. The area is level for the most part but it needs a bit of work to remove some high spots and fill some low spots, as well as grading it for better drainage. The soil that the grass (wild grass and stuff) is growing in is mostly sandy fill that I put down several years back to bring the yard up some and the grass just grew in. It will have to be killed off, rototilled, or removed. I realy dont want to remove it because that would mean I would have to bring in a bunch more fill to keep the yard at its current elevation. Would I be able to rorotill it instead and mulch up the grass and then level it. I will have to put down a layer of black dirt before I plant the new grass. I will be using my Kubota L2501 with the LA525 loader for the project and I am wondering if there is an impliment I could use to help make things easier for this project, or would loader suffice. I would like to hear some opinions on what implement would be best for a project like this. Thanks

 

[jeff9366]

I have a landscaping project on my property.

I will be landscaping my front and back yard, 1.5 acres total. The yard is fairly level but needs high spots removed and low spots filled, as well as grading for better drainage.

The soil is mostly sandy fill that I put down several years back. Wild grass will have to be killed, rototilled, or removed. I really don't want to remove it because then I would need more fill to keep the yard at its current elevation. Would I be able to roto-till it, then mulch up the grass and then level it?

I will be using my Kubota L2501 with LA525 loader. I wonder if there is a tractor implement appropriate to this project, or will loader alone suffice?

Where is Denare Beach?

First, have your soil tested. The soil test will tell you if soil pH needs to be adjusted and what nutrients and micro-nutrients are required FOR THE SPECIFIC TYPE OF TURF you wish to grow. I speculate your yard will require lime to decrease soil acidity. I am not familiar with Canadian turf but in USA most turf grass grows well in "sweet" soil rather than acid soil conditions.

Kill all unwanted grass strains with Glycophosphate/Roundup ten days to two weeks before commencing soil prep.

If you own or can rent a PTO powered roto-tiller it would be a good implement for mixing and leveling the soil. Roto-tiller will also mix in nutrients recommended in the soil test. If the soil moisture is optimal you may be able to smooth roto-tilled, friable, soil with your FEL bucket. Undoubtedly, some manual raking and rock picking will be necessary.

If you cannot lay hands on a roto-tiller a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment will take more time but achieve the results you wish. You can purchase a Ratchet Rake from the tractorbynet.com store; "STORE" button at top of this page.

LINKS (2): RATCHET RAKE - Google Search
RATCHET RAKE bucket attachment site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

 

[Stomper]

Thanks for the reply Jeff. Denare Beach is located in northern Saskatchewan, Canada in the middle of the precambrian sheild. Its the land of rock and lakes........ and more rocks and more lakes. I never heard of smooth tilled before. I will have to check around and see if i can get my hands on a rototiller.

 

[jeff9366]

Consider modifying your location to:

Denare Beach
Northern Saskatchewan
Canada



Your location informs us about your soil, weather, sunlight, altitude and growing season.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I can do a pretty good leveling job just using my FEL but lots of folks use a box blade. A box blade is good if you need to move a lot of dirt from high to low spots but FEL works if you are just filling in pot holes with small amount of dirt.
A land plane might be good to drag over your finished project (after filling in pot holes to best of your ability) as it will then final level the whole yard.

Edit: you will need loose dirt from tilling for a land plane or box blade to work correctly.

 

[Egon]

Till it up using a rototiller. Might have to do it few times to break up the grass clumps. Leave a week or two between tillings.
Make a drag using a log or whatever is handy and drag the area in multiple directions for evening and levelling. Spread the new black dirt & drag again. Seed and harrow or drag aagain with a light drag..

Sounds like a lot of dragging but each pass helps make things smoother and easier for mowing.

 

[Piston]

The best implement to use for what you are trying to accomplish is a PTO powered "power rake". Some people refer to them as "Harley rakes"
It's much too expensive of an implement to buy for one or two uses, but perhaps a local dealer or rental yard would have one available for rent.

I personally wouldn't buy a tiller for this one project if you aren't planning a large garden on your 1.5 acres.

 

[Phillip w]

If were me, I would rip it with a plow. Then I would use a pto powered tiller (this will make it much easier on the tractor and tiller)). The you can level it by using a box blade and/or back dragging it with a loader. Definitely plow it before you till it, you'll be surprised at how much easier it tills.

 

[jeff9366]

If were me, I would rip it with a plow. Then I would use a pto powered tiller (this will make it much easier on the tractor and tiller)). The you can level it by using a box blade and/or back dragging it with a loader. Definitely plow it before you till it, you'll be surprised at how much easier it tills.

All this for 1.5 acres, presumably less the area occupied by OP's house?

 

[newbury]

<snip>The soil that the grass (wild grass and stuff) is growing in is mostly sandy fill that I put down several years back to bring the yard up some and the grass just grew in. It will have to be killed off, rototilled, or removed. I realy dont want to remove it because that would mean I would have to bring in a bunch more fill to keep the yard at its current elevation. Would I be able to rorotill it instead and mulch up the grass and then level it. I will have to put down a layer of black dirt before I plant the new grass. <snip>

Kill off the grass & weeds.
I'd go with several passes of rototiller, including a shallow pass over the black dirt. Then level it with a chain harrow. I agree that if it's sandy fill plowing may not be needed.

 

[fried1765]

If were me, I would rip it with a plow. Then I would use a pto powered tiller (this will make it much easier on the tractor and tiller)). The you can level it by using a box blade and/or back dragging it with a loader. Definitely plow it before you till it, you'll be surprised at how much easier it tills.

Plowing in sandy/light soil would be an unnecessary step.
I have the same type soil.
Roundup/Glyphosate, followed two weeks later by rototilling, as suggested by Jeff, is absolutely the way to go.

 

[BigBoyToys]

Power till to mix up the soil. Rough grade with the bucket, then finish grading with a York Rake. Optionally you can use a Harley Rake after that to fluff it up. Finish by hand with a landscape rake to remove small rocks and such.

This past spring I had 90 yards of screen loam to work, the landscape rake with gauge wheels did a great job with the finish grading. Having the wheels is key! It's a very useful implement to have around. I built mine, but they can be had for reasonable money.

 

[jeff9366]

Power till to mix up the soil. Rough grade with the bucket, then finish grading with a York Rake. Optionally you can use a Harley Rake after that to fluff it up. Finish by hand with a landscape rake to remove small rocks and such.

All this for 1.5 acres, presumably less the area occupied by OP's house?

 

[Phillip w]

I must be missing something. I got a 6 ft king kutter tiller. It isn't worth 3 cents at the flea market if you are in ground where grass is established. If the ground is not been broken up, the tiller is not going to do much more than scratch the surface. Putting a plow to it will cut in 6-10 inches deep, turn/roll the grass under and the tiller will tear the grass and soil up real nice without laboring the tractor or the tiller. We do it all the time and it works great. Why would you want to till it 2-3-4 or more times like some have suggested when tilling soil where grass is established.

 

[Piston]

. Optionally you can use a Harley Rake after that to fluff it up. Finish by hand with a landscape rake to remove small rocks and such.

The wonderful thing about a Harley Rake is that you skip all those other steps you mentioned. There is no other tool or work necessary. No tilling beforehand, no grading with a rake (or anything) beforehand, and no hand raking to remove stones afterward.

It's Ana all in one tool, and unlike many all in one tools, it excels in all of those tasks at the same time.

If you can rent a power Rake, forget the tiller altogether. (And every other implement as well)

If you can't rent one, or already own other implements, then it's a different story.

 

[Wagtail]

I must be missing something. I got a 6 ft king kutter tiller. It isn't worth 3 cents at the flea market if you are in ground where grass is established. If the ground is not been broken up, the tiller is not going to do much more than scratch the surface. Putting a plow to it will cut in 6-10 inches deep, turn/roll the grass under and the tiller will tear the grass and soil up real nice without laboring the tractor or the tiller. We do it all the time and it works great. Why would you want to till it 2-3-4 or more times like some have suggested when tilling soil where grass is established.

Strange... I'm not questioning your personal experience with your tiller, but (and there's always a 'but', eh?) the opposite is true of my JD 655 tiller.

I've recently completed a couple of 'volunteer' jobs for the local community where they asked me to till two 3/4 acre food plots for a Community Garden. The ground was ex-horse pasture, packed but slightly sandy, with established grass. Two slow passes with the skids fully up, in opposite directions and the job was done. The tractor & tiller worked very smooth and so was the tilled ground.

If I'm asked to re-till for them next Autumn, I'm sure that the ground will come up even finer.

 

[Phillip w]

The wonderful thing about a Harley Rake is that you skip all those other steps you mentioned. There is no other tool or work necessary. No tilling beforehand, no grading with a rake (or anything) beforehand, and no hand raking to remove stones afterward.

It's Ana all in one tool, and unlike many all in one tools, it excels in all of those tasks at the same time.

If you can rent a power Rake, forget the tiller altogether. (And every other implement as well)

If you can't rent one, or already own other implements, then it's a different story.

I'm not saying yea or nay on this Harley rake, don't know exactly what on is. I'd like to see it tie into some ground seeded down in brome grass. I'm not saying it won't cause I'm not sure what it is. If it will tear up a brome field I'm sold. You got to have a pretty good horse of a tractor to pull a plow through a brome field. Do you have any pics of this thing.

 

[Wagtail]

The wonderful thing about a Harley Rake is that you skip all those other steps you mentioned. There is no other tool or work necessary. No tilling beforehand, no grading with a rake (or anything) beforehand, and no hand raking to remove stones afterward.

It's Ana all in one tool, and unlike many all in one tools, it excels in all of those tasks at the same time.

If you can rent a power Rake, forget the tiller altogether. (And every other implement as well)

If you can't rent one, or already own other implements, then it's a different story.

How is it for handling surface tree roots, not only around the edges of a paddock but on a compacted fine-gravel driveway (tree-lined)?

 

[Phillip w]

Strange... I'm not questioning your personal experience with your tiller, but (and there's always a 'but', eh?) the opposite is true of my JD 655 tiller.

I've recently completed a couple of 'volunteer' jobs for the local community where they asked me to till two 3/4 acre food plots for a Community Garden. The ground was ex-horse pasture, packed but slightly sandy, with established grass. Two slow passes with the skids fully up, in opposite directions and the job was done. The tractor & tiller worked very smooth and so was the tilled ground.

If I'm asked to re-till for them next Autumn, I'm sure that the ground will come up even finer.

If I don't roll mine over with a plow, my tiller beats and bangs and just has a terrible time. I blew up 2 hand tiller before I bought a plow and tractor tiller. I've been putting a lot of manure with it, that seems to be helping. It is good black dirt, but it is tough to break up. Alot of guys have hauled sand into their garden plots.

 

[Egon]

I must be missing something. I got a 6 ft king kutter tiller. It isn't worth 3 cents at the flea market if you are in ground where grass is established. If the ground is not been broken up, the tiller is not going to do much more than scratch the surface. Putting a plow to it will cut in 6-10 inches deep, turn/roll the grass under and the tiller will tear the grass and soil up real nice without laboring the tractor or the tiller. We do it all the time and it works great. Why would you want to till it 2-3-4 or more times like some have suggested when tilling soil where grass is established.

How many passes after plowing to break up the sod?