Smooth Out Pastures

[midTN_Brangusman]

I wanted to get your guys input. I have around 200 acres that is pretty rough in a tractor. When spraying I have to slow down to around 3 mph. I would like to smooth this ground out and wanted to see if anyone has mastered this before. My plan was to disc the ground a couple of passes then go with my disc dragging a telephone pole a couple passes. This would be followed by my Great plains no till seeder that has a cultipacker on the back. Is there a better way or does this sound like a good plan? Sandy loam soil. Thanks in advance.

 

[tsellars]

If you go the telephone route I would tie a 2nd one about 10 feet behind the first, will keep the 1st from rolling up the chain or whatever is attaching to the disc.

We have tried everything we can think of to smooth out ground, ours is extremely rocky. Best money we spent was a heavy 10ft kilifer blade, wish we would have bought one years ago. It makes everything so much easier and doesn't require professional skills to get ground smoother.

 

[simme]

Here is a picture from the forum that a guy in Texas posted several years back. He is probably still using it and loving it. I believe he was sprigging bermuda. A water filled roller made from a propane tank. If you disk sandy loam, this setup might would smooth it out.

Most of his post was related to getting the valve off and dealing with safety due to residual gas in the tank. But he did post the final product.

He posted:
3" pipe runs all the way through. A piece of 23/8 through that. the hub is the Collar piece off 27/8 oilfield pipe. Holes are drilled for zerks when I remember to put them in. I fill it completely full of water.

 

[mwj]

The thing to start with, is to find out why it is rough. Some time a tillage tool can cause more problems.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

If you go the telephone route I would tie a 2nd one about 10 feet behind the first, will keep the 1st from rolling up the chain or whatever is attaching to the disc.

We have tried everything we can think of to smooth out ground, ours is extremely rocky. Best money we spent was a heavy 10ft kilifer blade, wish we would have bought one years ago. It makes everything so much easier and doesn't require professional skills to get ground smoother.

Is that the same thing as a box blade?

 

[RDFF]

Tillage will automatically induce weed seeds to sprout, and will reduce competition to them from the grasses that are already out there. How bad is the roughness? You're in OK..., so you might be getting out of the "wet season" already??? Regardless, if it's soft enough out there (because of spring wetness), just running over it with one of the big land rollers that they use on beans (up here) can do an amazing job of smoothing things out. Maybe a neighbor that's doing row crops has one you could rent. Usually up here, they're a 3 roller job that's 45' wide (some even wider, with 4 or 5 rollers). On one that size, you "could" pull it with like an 80 hp tractor, but it'd out-weigh you by quite a bit, and if you have any rolling hills, it could be dangerous. I think a 45' weighs like 20,000#. That weight though is what gets you the smoothing... any bump pretty much carries the weight of the whole roller, but the PSI if laid out flat across the whole width is pretty minimal, so compaction isn't really an issue. The point is, that wouldn't disturb any of the existing vegetative cover at all. If you throw some desireable seed out ahead of the roller, it'd help with seed to soil contact, and get it going for you.

I've seen a 12" rock get hit at like 12 mph with one of these, and make that thing jump about a foot off the ground... but the rock also gets knocked down into the ground pretty nicely at the same time. Pretty hard hit. The drum is about 3/4" thick steel... and they DO end up getting some dings in them from that kind of a hit! I pulled it with my 140hp tractor with duals on it, and if heading downhill and wanting to turn around on the headland, you'd better be slowing down, or it'll push you right into a jackknife! Most guys pull it with 200+ hp FWD rigs, often with a tracked rig even, or an articulated 4WD. Neighbor has one that he built, 20' single roller, much like that gas tank one in the pic. Pretty much has to just stay on his farm... no transport to get it down the road. The bigger diameter the roller and the heavier it is, the better it works. That gas tank one is probably pretty light compared to the big field rollers though, even if it's filled with water.

 

[jltrent]

Some tractors ride a lot better than others and also let the tire pressure down as much as possible. I have some rough fields and the tractors that are the longest and have the biggest tires behind ride smoother and letting the rear tires down to 12 lbs. helps. Having to run 3 mph is not very fast as the first question is why is it so rough?

 

[Ebenezer]

Two heavy railroad irons chained together (3 or 4' apart) and pulled after disking. Pulling uphill does more than going downhill. Any sort of really heavy metal with a slight edge will work. A regular drag harrow is a waste of time. A round pole will not catch the high points to pull them down.

 

[Brute 23]

Light disking will help. Be ready to spray weeds. You have to just try to poles and see if they are helping or hurting. Some times they can catch grass or wash board and cause more problems. I like the tire drags in sandy ground. I have a RR tie for black ground. Rain does the best job. LoL

 

[mwj]

If you have humps it is diferant than dips or holes. We are still guessing what the problem is. It is like having a ''washboard'' area in a gravel road. If caused by starting and stopping is the solution to add sand and smooth it out? You created a smooth surface but did nothing to fix the problem.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Here is a picture from the forum that a guy in Texas posted several years back. He is probably still using it and loving it. I believe he was sprigging bermuda. A water filled roller made from a propane tank. If you disk sandy loam, this setup might would smooth it out.

Most of his post was related to getting the valve off and dealing with safety due to residual gas in the tank. But he did post the final product.

He posted:
3" pipe runs all the way through. A piece of 23/8 through that. the hub is the Collar piece off 27/8 oilfield pipe. Holes are drilled for zerks when I remember to put them in. I fill it completely full of water.

I need to come up with one of those!

 

[Brute 23]

I need to come up with one of those!

Nothing against that one but you can buy the brackets with the bearing to make them.

I have had my first experiences with a cultipacker the last month or so and they are worth every penny, imo.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Nothing against that one but you can buy the brackets with the bearing to make them.

I have had my first experiences with a cultipacker the last month or so and they are worth every penny, imo.

Ive got an old one in the fence row. Maybe missing a wheel or two. Hadnt even considered it. Gonna have to look at it.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

Thanks for the feedback, this land was cleared about 15 years ago and was never finished.

 

[Travlr]

I'm with @mwj and would ask why is the ground uneven to begin with? Might seem like it's obvious, and it might be... but it's also something that should be known.

 

[simme]

Ive got an old one in the fence row. Maybe missing a wheel or two. Hadnt even considered it. Gonna have to look at it.

There are similarities between a cultipacker and a roller, but a cultipacker is intended for good seedbed preparation. Light compacting on the surface for a good soil to seed contact for germination and a zone where the emerging roots will have contact with soil moisture. A shaped/textured surface to discourage water runoff. A roller is more about compacting the soil overall and smashing it flat. A roller is likely weighted. Either can do some of the function of the other, but not all and not interchangeable.

 

[Lucky]

We made a drag out of semi truck tires. The tires are free and it they are fairly easy to chain together. Works good to spread old hay waste, manure, and level out humps. Thinking there's three rows to it. 4 tires, 3 tires, 2 tires in a triangle shape. You can also flip them up to go through gates.

 

[mwj]

Thanks for the feedback, this land was cleared about 15 years ago and was never finished.

Did they leave holes from pulling root balls? Is it mounds where they pushed up brush. Is it stumps? Is there a pattern they left from pushing trees? What did they clear from the area?

This is like me telling some one I went to the sale and spent $1734. Then asking if I spent to much money? We can sure help if you give us some more information.

 

[wbvs58]

A ships anchor chain.

Ken

 

[tsellars]

Is that the same thing as a box blade?

Yes, except it’s got a hydraulic lift and wheels. The blade stays level even when the tractor is going up and down.