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Have some low spots in my yard.Which were retaining water & was difficualt to get at to mow in the spring.So I had a contractor come in and re-grade everything to get the water to run off.They never finished graded when they were done.So now I have wheel & equipment tracks.Consequently the grass grew back thru.So when I mow it is a jarring expierence.Like ridding on a jack hammer from all the unevenness.
So the question is what is the most cost effective way to get a smooth surface without a lot of cash spent & re-digging the entire area (approx 1.5-2 acres) back up?

I'm afraid that if it is the earth that is uneven, you have no other option but to dig it up and smooth it over.

That or put up with the spine shaking experience of mowing...

Rich F said:

Have some low spots in my yard.Which were retaining water & was difficualt to get at to mow in the spring.So I had a contractor come in and re-grade everything to get the water to run off.They never finished graded when they were done.So now I have wheel & equipment tracks.Consequently the grass grew back thru.So when I mow it is a jarring expierence.Like ridding on a jack hammer from all the unevenness.
So the question is what is the most cost effective way to get a smooth surface without a lot of cash spent & re-digging the entire area (approx 1.5-2 acres) back up?

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A tiller is what you need then drag it smooth and reseed

Black Bart said:

A tiller is what you need then drag it smooth and reseed

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Exactly, though he said he didn't want to do anything like that...

What kind of grass have you got? With some grasses you can add an inch or 2 and the grass will just grow through. I would try adding a little dirt at a time and see it the grass will tolerate it before digging anything.

During the winter fill the rough areas up with top soil you may need to top them up in spring and roll level. If needed you might want to reseed the areas although you might find the grass grows up through the top soil. This is going to be the quickest and most cost effective method of ground repair.

webuyanymower.com said:

During the winter fill the rough areas up with top soil you may need to top them up in spring and roll level. If needed you might want to reseed the areas although you might find the grass grows up through the top soil. This is going to be the quickest and most cost effective method of ground repair.

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I did think of that but there is a chance if may not work. If you want to give it a go though, then I hope it works for you :thumbsup:

Call the people who left the ruts and tell them it needs to be rolled OR they can mow it for you every time it needs it !

No excuse for a landscaping or grading contractor leaving it uneven ! :thumbdown:

Rich F said:

Have some low spots in my yard.Which were retaining water & was difficualt to get at to mow in the spring.So I had a contractor come in and re-grade everything to get the water to run off.They never finished graded when they were done.So now I have wheel & equipment tracks.Consequently the grass grew back thru.So when I mow it is a jarring expierence.Like ridding on a jack hammer from all the unevenness.
So the question is what is the most cost effective way to get a smooth surface without a lot of cash spent & re-digging the entire area (approx 1.5-2 acres) back up?

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i had that problem with dozer tracks what worked for me was a roller i made out of a 60 gallon water tank catch the ground goood and wet and fiil the tank so you got good weight worked for me :thumbsup:

It is during the spring many gardeners enthusiasts and lawn care at last start thinking about preparing your garden for next season. Spring is considered one of the most important periods in the calendar as many lawn care lawn may seem a bit irregular and used after the winter months.

In carrying out the correct spring lawn care program and maintenance grass that can give the best possible start for next season ahead. Although no two gardens are the same, most require some if not all of the following treatments and maintenance to recover in the best conditions

Harvest
Mowing is a task often seemed, however, by applying some simple rules for cutting program, you can help improve the health of the lawn. Time of spring, before the program is a good time mainentance to check out your mower ready for the new season.

Certainly if you can get the contractor back, and have them do a good job, that would be best. Perhaps a well-placed call to the Better Business Bureau if they don't want to fix their mistake will prompt them. I've had okay results using that avenue. Failing that, you'll probably end up renting some appropriate equipment if you want to do it yourself. Tiller, boxgrader, and roller all come to mind as a start. It's enough to make you lose more faith in your fellow man when people don't do what they say they're going to do.

BKBrown said:

Call the people who left the ruts and tell them it needs to be rolled OR they can mow it for you every time it needs it !

No excuse for a landscaping or grading contractor leaving it uneven ! :thumbdown:

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I agree! That is simply unacceptable. If it were me, I'd be on the phone with the phonies that left it like that until they were on their way to fix.
All they need to do is till it up and fix it that way. But I'm like you, that's a chore I'll avoid if I can help it. So make them do it!

Don't know what kind of grass you have On the golf course we top drees twice a year with river sand most grass likes sand and river sand is full of natural fertilizer. Just fill In the ruts and drag with chain link fence

Have cool season grasses mostly fescues.
How is river sand different than other sand.Is it specifically called that & where do you purchase? At a garden center or nursery?

Most sand you buy will be river sand we call it that because it is dredged out of a river The best place to buy sand is from a concrete company most times they will sell it for there cost. Fescue is a thick blade grass and likes the cold and shade so now would be a good time to do this it will come up and re root it self along the way so come spring when it warms up it will be strong enough to with stand the heat. I like fescue because it stays green year long and I get to mow 12 months a year

My back lawn used to be a Horse Riding area and its a bit rough. Get to bounce around on the riding lawn tractor when you mow.

What I need is a LAWN Zamboni.

Simply a small dual axcel dump trailer that holds maybe 2 yards of topsoil/manure/lime and attaches behind an ATV or lawn tractor. it spreads an even thin coat of dirt on the lawn as you ride around mowing.

After a Summer of Lawnboning you should be able to have a putting green smooth lawn.

If any of you equipment manufatures may be interested I can design this and we can sell them.

anyone interested?



Capt@WickedGoodOutdoors.com


"fescue because it stays green year long "? I never knew that, Will have to dig up the snow this winter and take a look.




Would Anyone like to help clear out some brush and do some raking? Bring your rakes, pitchforks wheelbarrows and ATVs with wagons if you have them . We pile it all up into burn piles. Have a few beers and Ill take you out on a Fishing Charter next Spring.


Capt@WickedGoodOutdoors.com

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I built a landplane/grader with the blades set straight and flush with the skids. Works well to cut off mounds and fill depressions. Even though this 8' plane weighs 950 lbs., it will slide across the level grass with very little damage. It can act as a screed too if you want to dump some topsoil or sand into it as you pull it across the trouble areas. This might save you having to start over again with tilling, smoothing and reseeding the whole area.

You should be able to smooth up two acres with a tractor and plane in a couple of hours, so less than a days rental.

Here is a picture of the one I built, lots of similar ones made by most shortline companies.

Thanks-I like your idea.What is a shortline company? I won't have the time to build one myself.Where would I be able to purchase one? That is what I am looking for.Load up the back & fill in the low areas as I knock off the high spots.

A shortline company refers to a company making a limited line of products, compared to companies such as Deere, Kubota, and others who offer a full line of tractors, riding mowers, industrial and road equipment. Usually these shortline companies will off implements but not tractors.

A few to check out would be the Frontier, Leinbach, LandPride and Durograder, to name a few. Some are available with scarifier teeth too similar to a boxblade setup.


Here is a pic of my lawn that I smoothed up with the landplane in the above post.

Thanks for the info.Lawn looks great.That it what I envison mine to be like when it is done.Will have to wait till spring as we have already had a few frosts & mowing season is just about done.That will give me time over the winter to get situated & start on it in the spring.

jenkinsph said:

A shortline company refers to a company making a limited line of products, compared to companies such as Deere, Kubota, and others who offer a full line of tractors, riding mowers, industrial and road equipment. Usually these shortline companies will off implements but not tractors.

A few to check out would be the Frontier, Leinbach, LandPride and Durograder, to name a few. Some are available with scarifier teeth too similar to a boxblade setup.


Here is a pic of my lawn that I smoothed up with the landplane in the above post.

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That really is a great looking yard. Post pics of that anytime you want.

thanks for the compliments guys.:smile:

Here's pictures of another job we completed with a new retaining wall and patio extension. Had to spend some time working this smooth to allow for proper drainage and tie in to the adjacent golf course. The landplane and boxblade were a huge help with this contouring work.

We use a sports turf dressing from a local soil/landscape yard. It is 50% compost and 50% washed sand. This goes down in early Spring after scalping the lawns. We use a large landscape rakes to level it out and then just add water. The compost helps green up the grass and reduces any thatch and the sand fills in the low spots. Sometimes two applications is needed to achieve desired results.

TruthfulLies said:

We use a sports turf dressing from a local soil/landscape yard. It is 50% compost and 50% washed sand. This goes down in early Spring after scalping the lawns. We use a large landscape rakes to level it out and then just add water. The compost helps green up the grass and reduces any thatch and the sand fills in the low spots. Sometimes two applications is needed to achieve desired results.

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Most of the top dressing I use is about 25% mulch and 75% sandy loam soil, I have used sand to finish grade where important. Most of New Mexico and Texas have plenty of sand in the soil to work with. I generally use a starter fertilizer when planting new seed too.

Well, you really can't smoothen it if the problem lies with the area you are in already. Though you could try letting them grow a little taller so you could even them out by mowing them a little low. But that would still depend on how your grass grows and would not apply to all.

You're area might also be on one of those soft areas that is why your soil keeps on moving and shaking up.

rich,
Here are some pictures of a new landplane I built a week back, will finish it up this weekend and paint it. This one is for the garden tractor and is 4' wide with 5' long skids, it will be used to fix problems with lawns such as yours I have only tested this on the driveway as my lawn doesn't need it..

Thats a great idea!

I may make one out of wood as I dont have a Metal shop.

Put a big plywood Hopper on top that you can shovel topsoil into and it will self feed to level out divots in the lawn.


Today Im taking off the Snowplow and giving it a good coating of Fluid Film so that it will be ready to go for next winter. Too Bad a snowplow could not be made into a multi season tool, I have pushed Freash Sand and crushed stone dust with it but it would need a real down pressure to do more work.

jenkinsph said:

rich,
Here are some pictures of a new landplane I built a week back, will finish it up this weekend and paint it. This one is for the garden tractor and is 4' wide with 5' long skids, it will be used to fix problems with lawns such as yours I have only tested this on the driveway as my lawn doesn't need it..

Click to expand...

A question for the experienced 3 point operators.

I have a box blade I pull with a New Holland TD75D and each time the back tires go over a raised area it dumps some of the load and after a few minutes of work it looks worse for smooth and level than when I started. Is there an answer for this constant up and down movement that tends to follow the tractor ups and downs?

Experience doesn't seem to be helping the situation.

wickedgoodoutdoors said:

Thats a great idea!

I may make one out of wood as I dont have a Metal shop.

Put a big plywood Hopper on top that you can shovel topsoil into and it will self feed to level out divots in the lawn.


Today Im taking off the Snowplow and giving it a good coating of Fluid Film so that it will be ready to go for next winter. Too Bad a snowplow could not be made into a multi season tool, I have pushed Freash Sand and crushed stone dust with it but it would need a real down pressure to do more work.

Click to expand...

I actually plan to build one with skids and a raised screed board equipped with a plywood hopper to apply top dressing. You are right on target.

SandburRanch said:

A question for the experienced 3 point operators.

I have a box blade I pull with a New Holland TD75D and each time the back tires go over a raised area it dumps some of the load and after a few minutes of work it looks worse for smooth and level than when I started. Is there an answer for this constant up and down movement that tends to follow the tractor ups and downs?

Experience doesn't seem to be helping the situation.

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When using my boxblade I go slow enough when doing finish grading to constantly adjust the hitch height. You can also run in reverse but preferrably only when finish grading loose material to prevent machinery damage. With topntilt you can make minute adjustments on the fly too, roll the box back and take less of a bite.

A landplane such as the larger one I built would work well for your tractor, this one is 8' wide and the boxblade is 7' wide. A landplane with skids or maybe add skids that are detachable to your boxblade would make dealing with washboard alot easier.

Re: Smoothing out the lawn
rich,
Here are some pictures of a new landplane I built a week back, will finish it up this weekend and paint it. This one is for the garden tractor and is 4' wide with 5' long skids, it will be used to fix problems with lawns such as yours I have only tested this on the driveway as my lawn doesn't need it..
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Thanks that's what I need.Now just need to find the time to make one or have someone make it for me.

jenkinsph said:

Here are some pictures of a new landplane I built a week back, will finish it up this weekend and paint it. This one is for the garden tractor and is 4' wide with 5' long skids

Click to expand...

Ballpark figure, how much does it cost to make something like this, if I could weld? About how long does it take to weld it up (in case I wanted to get a local welding place to make one for me?)

BKBrown said:

Call the people who left the ruts and tell them it needs to be rolled OR they can mow it for you every time it needs it !

No excuse for a landscaping or grading contractor leaving it uneven ! :thumbdown:

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Hi there! I agree with BKBrown. I worked for an electric company and when our men went out to do some kind of repair or fixing up and left ruts in the lawn, you bet your booty, we had to fix it and make it right. So call the people who did the damage and have them fix it. This same thing applies for any company that comes to your home and does damage - call them to fix it!!

Rich F said:

Re: Smoothing out the lawn
rich,
Here are some pictures of a new landplane I built a week back, will finish it up this weekend and paint it. This one is for the garden tractor and is 4' wide with 5' long skids, it will be used to fix problems with lawns such as yours I have only tested this on the driveway as my lawn doesn't need it..
Attached Thumbnails

Click to expand...

Rich
Where did you find the blades? What are they from?
D

That question about where the blades were found goes to jenkinsph