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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Rookie needs advice to level a field

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Brian C

01-25-2008 15:11:21




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I have a maybe 3 acre grass field that I now just mow or let a neighbor hay. It doesn't slope, but it rolls with high and low spots. I'd like to level and smooth it to make a better playing field.

What would I need for my Ford 860 in the way of implements and where would I look for the best methods to use?




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mj

01-28-2008 02:11:12




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Dairy Farmer in WI, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
There will be a number of land planes at this upcoming auction.

Link



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Brian C

01-27-2008 17:32:36




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Thanks again guys. It's good to hear that the old 860 will be up to the task. Looks like the first step will be to disc it. Any one know of one available in NW WA? I'm in the Arlington area.



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sparepartsTN

01-27-2008 15:56:44




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Last fall I did the same thing on 1.5 acres, same type( clay with small rocks ). My field is sloped with mounds and holes that you don"t want to fall into, old sod, not worked in 20+ years. My best result was with an old borrowed 5 foot pull behind bog disc to powder the sod/soil down about 6 inches, followed by a 6 foot pull behind disc with a 7 foot steel drag bar attached to the disc with two chains. I won"t claim it is level, but it is smooth now. Come spring I will lightly disc it, fertilize and re-seed, then use an old cultipacker that I also borrowed. It took many enjoyable hours on my 861/4000 ford to do it but it was a good way to spend some time with good results. Have fun.
Warren

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ArleninOr

01-26-2008 11:58:01




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Hey guys lets not make it harder than it seems I'm with Hugh and georgekey on this discit plow it disc and drag reseed good to go Can't be too lumpy if the neighbor cuts for hay My nickels input



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Hugh MacKay

01-26-2008 15:12:15




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to ArleninOr, 01-26-2008 11:58:01  
Arlenin: You got er right on, can't be anything a good 30 hp tractor with plow, disk and a leveling device won't handle, if someone is mowing it.



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old timer in ohio

01-25-2008 23:39:38




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Hey there Brian;
I think Hugh & georgeky have the best ideas.To me it sounds like your job isn't that darn big.Unless it's an emergency,just take your time and
enjoy all that "seat time",sure wish
I could but,at 75 and a few strokes, health says no. Bob
God Bless



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Brian C

01-25-2008 16:47:22




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Thanks guys for all the good advice. Let me answer a couple of the questions to maybe narrow things down.
The field is a clay type soil. It was part of an old farm maybe 50 years ago. From the highest point to the lowest is maybe 18-24"- just by eyeball. It was horse pasture until a few years ago- horses left with the Ex...
No Cows, LOL. Wife #2 grew up on a dairy farm.
"Chased her last cow" ;)
I don't mind if it's a lot of work, and I have no real schedule- Drivin's the old 860 is therapy for me... On the other hand, If I can get a pro to do it for $1000 or so, I have lots of other projects- I'll check into that before I make the final decision.

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MarkB_MI

01-26-2008 01:49:30




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 16:47:22  
If your clay is anything like our Michigan clay, you're in for some tough sledding. But your 860 is up to the task. A box scraper will do a good job, but don't be cheap: get one that's set up so you can easily raise and lower the ripper teeth.

If it looks like it's a 24" drop, chance are it's a lot more. See if you can borrow a transit or level to check it out. When you actually start leveling, a handy tool is a "hand level"; I think you can buy them at Home Depot. Make yourself a couple of pointed sticks about five feet long and mark them every six inches. When you want to check how you're doing, stick one in the ground and hold your level against a mark on the other one.

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georgeky

01-25-2008 23:14:04




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 16:47:22  
Brian, do as Hugh suggest. There hasn't been anything made yet that is any better for this than a plow, disk, and some kind of drag, railroad ties work great for leveling plowed ground.



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Hugh MacKay

01-25-2008 16:26:24




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Brian: Am I missing something, some of these guys make it sound like it's 100 acres with ledges your 860 wouldn't crawl over empty.

Get your self a 2 bottom plow, a good cutting 7' disk and a land leveler. The land leveler can be as simple as 3/8x4x4 angle iron welded in a grid 7' x 10', drag it by chain behind your tractor after disking.



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RodInNS

01-25-2008 19:58:03




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Hugh MacKay, 01-25-2008 16:26:24  
This is about the only common sense I've read in this thread so far...
Yes, a plow, disc and land leveler will make a fine enough job. I don't think it needs to be billiard table flat? I hope not, or I'm gonna be out of business because I don't have even one field like that...
For what it's worth we sometimes drag an 'I' beam behind the disc. 8-10' is plenty for the 860 if the tires aren't loaded. We used to drag about 12 and it was really too much. It would drag up a pile and the tractor would spin out... Even with 80 HP in front of it and an 11' disc, the tractor is working HARD with the 12-13' beam attached in light soil.

Sometimes simple is best.

Rod

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Hugh MacKay

01-26-2008 02:18:16




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to RodInNS, 01-25-2008 19:58:03  
Rod: I like your I beam idea. I use to operate a heavy breaking offset disk behind a Deere forestry skidder. One of the provinces largest lowbush blueberry growers called, back about the time they were starting to level these fields for using harvesters.

He wanted us to disk his standing blueberries right after harvest, then he said I've got something for you to hook unto and do leveling. I didn't go myself, however when the operator got home, he told me of pulling this 20' long 18" web I beam crossways behind the skidder on the logging winch cable. He said they asked him to adjust the length of cable depending how well the I beam was cutting. My operator thought we should have one, never did do that little project.

Apparently it didn't do what they wanted on blueberries. I asked the son later, and he told me the I beam did excellent levelling, no question about that. They were hoping it would spread blueberry plants helping to fill in the field. The I beam actually did just the opposite, dumped all the blueberry plants in the hollows. So much for one of the old man's good ideas was all he could say. He figured it sat blueberry production on that field back 20 years.

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Marlowe

01-25-2008 16:42:34




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Hugh MacKay, 01-25-2008 16:26:24  
three acres is nothing do just like Hugh said and have some fun doing it



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JoshuaGA

01-25-2008 16:09:38




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Better idea. Fence it in and turn out a couple of momma cows on those three acres, or hay it yourself, or trade rent with your neighbor. You haven't got enough tractor, if you rent something it will cost, and the fuel and time involved will be tremendous. If you want to do it, get it professionaly surveyed, contact someone and create a plan of attack. Read above comments. You would be better served, unless this is to kill time, to rent a larger tractor and a landplane and/or dirtpan. I would not suggest using the Ford for the bulk of the work. My opinion

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Robert Koller

01-25-2008 16:02:20




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
You may not want it level. Spending about two summers to allow time to look,work, and re-look, I smoothed out approx. two acres to garden. I used a drag type braking plow, a disk, and a box blade. Brake the plot in sections throwing the dirt in the direction of the low spot. Time and patience will pay off. Other wize hire someone with a very small dozer type tractor. An experienced operator on the right equipment cannot cost as much as you may think. Leave the center of your plot slightly higher if it doesn't have any slope or water will stand on it.

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dave guest

01-25-2008 16:00:23




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Very, very difficult job for inexperienced unexperienced person. Also right machine. Like me I can't remove duplicate word. You need a big grader thing about 45 foot long. Probably not worth buying. And probably cannot be rented without also renting operator. Have somebody bid the job for you. Around here couple acres would cost $800-1000.



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J.C.in AZ.

01-25-2008 15:54:26




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
For free[maybe] advise call upon your local USDA Soil Conservation Service.



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Billy NY

01-25-2008 15:49:04




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
Might as well mention, we actually did it here, I was a youngster, but I remember what it looked like, my father bought a D7 for the place, better to have an old one that still can do some work than hire it done, lot less expensive, he had a few tasks to get done with it. One was for a riding area, same as you describe, did make a mess just by doing this, but he did a good job leveling it out, and the rocks were everywhere the topsoil was thin there for awhile, it recovered, but 2-3 years ago the power company stripped where they owned in that field and there still was not much top soil, this was done in th early 70's. It's a job best done with a plan and someone who has experience, you can get a lot done with a late model rental dozer as well, with an experienced operator, could be a lot of work involved.

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Billy NY

01-25-2008 15:36:07




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
I think a lot depends on your soil conditions. 1st thoought is dealing with the sod/root bound soil, it's going to peel up when you use something with a cutting edge on it, might be best to use some tillage equipment or similar first, break it up, and so you don't waste top soil with the clumps. With a dozer I would strip the top soil, stockpile, do the grade work and replace the topsoil again, problem is that the sod will peel up and you still need to break it up to be able to spread it back out again and grade it off. Strip the top in the fall, stockpile, let it sit all winter, rot all that organic matter, shift it again with the dozer untile it's loose, then spread back out again. Might want to consider some erosion control, silt fence stakes and hay bales etc.

If you have reasonably small cuts and fills, you could do it with that tractor and a box blade, but not while it's in sod. If those cuts and fills are substantial, might be easier to strip the top in the affected areas and import some good clean natural fill material, lot easier to work with and grade than lumpy sod root bound clumps, then let the top soil rot a little like mentioned above.

You could make a mess both with and without a dozer, one of our fields is like that, but the hills are shale, they are not worth fooling with. My food plot was really unlevel, I turned it, disc'd a few times, then took all the sod clumps and put em in the low areas, used the front end loader like a dozer and shaved a little here and there, not perfect but much better, little more work and it will drain off, no more soft areas with trapped water.

I'm not sure how a tiller handles on one of those 860's, if you just want to skim here and there, you have to loosen up the sod layer, and use some care in thinking about what you are doing, strip to much top in one area and nothing good will grow, that is what happens here when you take off the top, it's like the next layer is almost inert.

Sometimes it might be best left alone, lot of work involved, that 860 will get some use that is for sure.

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Howard H.

01-25-2008 15:29:55




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  

Around here, "floats" or "land planes" sell for nothing, since everyone's gone to sprinkler irrigation.

Once you have the soil loosened up (with either a disk or chisel), one of those would do just what you are needing...

Howard



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ejr-IA

01-25-2008 15:15:48




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:11:21  
A cat dozer.



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Brian C

01-25-2008 15:19:24




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to ejr-IA, 01-25-2008 15:15:48  
I tried for a dozer , but couldn't get it by the finance committee ( i.e. wife). Would a box scraper and lots of patience be workable?



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n8terry

01-25-2008 17:49:27




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:19:24  
I'm sorry, perhaps its a wife problem, tell her to take care of it.



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135 Fan

01-25-2008 17:24:57




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:19:24  
A box scraper could work but the problem is with the sod. Chunks of sod are the hardest thing to try to level and also make the dirt hard to level. Same with rocks. What I would do is disc or rototill the 3 acres so all the grass is chopped up fine. Then just pull a drag around going in all different directions and it will level the field off. A drag can be as simple as pulling a big beam around like an old railroad tie. A heavy piece of expanded metal or chain link fence can make a very smooth level surface once it is close to being level. You might be able to rent a disc or rototiller to chop up the sod or get a neighbor with a disc to do it for you reasonably. Once the ground is worked up, it shouldn't be too hard to level. On the higher hills or mounds, you might have to work them deeper or go over them again so they can be leveled with the rest of the ground. Even if you had a Cat or a grader, without chopping up the grass, you'd have a big pile of useless sod you'd have to get rid of. Chopped up it is good to leave as it improves the soil, unless it has fairy rings or some other problem. I've done a bunch of landscaping. Hope this helps. Dave

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Paul from MN

01-25-2008 15:29:42




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:19:24  
Some depends on how much it rolls. What is the difference between the high and low spots. I think you'll be awfully suprised at just how much dirt you need to move to get it level. Also depending on how much topsoil you have, it is probably not as simple as just making the field level (trust me that is no small trick), but unless the topsoil is very very deep, you probably need to removed the topsoil, then level the field, and then spread the topsoil back out.

A tractor is a poor machine to use for a job like this.

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Texasmark

01-27-2008 06:05:18




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Paul from MN, 01-25-2008 15:29:42  
Which is the right way to do it but one heck of a lot of work.

Buttttt tt. The guys that have come over to doze my ponds have done just that. They remove the existing vegetation, push it out of the way, and when the excavation is finished, they put it back on top. Really helps to get ground coverage going.

Yes, I know that by removing the existing grass they reduce the opportunity for leaks to occur between old elevation and new dirt....but it's nice of them to do it anyway. Grin

Mark

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RayP(MI)

01-25-2008 15:26:39




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 Re: Rookie needs advice to level a field in reply to Brian C, 01-25-2008 15:19:24  
Key words, LOTS OF WORK!



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