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Thread: topsoil/grass top dressing leveler

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
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    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    topsoil/grass top dressing leveler

    I have seen smaller one of these on youtube used on finished lawns that were already pretty level. We have several acres of ground we're planting with new grass. Long story shortened, I wanted a long one, to fill in low spots, so the area can be cut at a high of a speed as possible.

    This was just a first trial, and guesswork, with no drawings made. It's made from four 20' 3x3x3/16" angle irons. I just finished it this morning, and tried it out with some topsoil I already had. We have a spot where we've let several subdivisions dump leaves for 40 years. It's full of worms, and great stuff. I've been waiting for an excavator to come pile it up, so another guy can bring a big screen to screen it. The dirt I was using today wasn't screened, and any rock, or stick would jamb things up, and cut a groove. I'm anxious for them to come screen the probably thousand plus cubic yards of compost, but wanted to try it out.

    The bare dirt down by the cove is a low spot I've been wanting to level out for years.

    It works like a charm. I can drag it across growing grass with no harm to the grass. It won't even cut off Dandelion stems.

    It's 6-1/2 feet wide, and 12 feet long. My intention was for it to work like a jointer plane for dirt, but rather than take off the high parts, it fills in the low parts. This tractor has a loader, so I can load a bucket full, dump some in low spots as I drive, and pull the drag behind. It's hard to do such jobs with a box blade, without harming growing grass.

    I had all the Pine trees taken off of our point, and lost what little topsoil there was in the process of getting it fairly leveled back out.
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    Last edited by Tom M King; 05-27-2021 at 5:40 PM.

  2. #2
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    An old bed spring will do the same thing.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

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  3. #3
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    I actually used to do that, when I sold houses on half acre lots. This one will move a lot more dirt, and fill bigger holes. Turning radius while working is not good for small areas though.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Modesto, CA, USA
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    Fresno scraper is what farms use. Have to be level so irrigation is even. They have evolved into self powered scrapers with laser levels.
    Bill D
    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 05-27-2021 at 11:55 PM.

  5. #5
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    Hayes, Virginia
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    Looks good Tom. I have made a few custom tractor attachments in the past, its' very enjoyable to make your own and save some money.

  6. #6
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    Feb 2014
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    This is for top dressing bumpy "lawns", to smooth out the surface. Total cost was $268 for the angle iron. They delivered it for no added cost. I already had the Utility lift on another harrow that I hadn't used in 20 years.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    Lebanon, TN
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    I've got to stop reading some of these treads, now I have 3 cu/yds of topsoil being delivered and a lawn leveling rake.

  8. #8
    id seen a few you tubes on a guy doing this. Think he had some screens in the angle iron. I was already thinking of levelling a lawn as its moved around so good timing, so far just doing it by eye and will get it close

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
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    I have a commercially made one (forget the brand name). But my soil conditions are different than your's and I use it mostly on my gravel driveway. It quickly wears mild steel down. Mine has the ripping teeth and I've found that if I just try to fill in the dips once we get some rain the soil in the dips compresses and the dip returns, just not as bad. But if I rip everything up first and then level it I get much better results.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
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    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    I'm sure the dips will settle, but I can do numerous applications, over several years. I had already pulverized it, box bladed it, and Harley Raked it. The ground left now has a lot of river rocks in it, but we have the top several inches clear, so I don't want to disturb it any more.

    I just want to spread a few inches of really good, screened topsoil on it. There are a few more stumps to get up, and I have a mountain of great composted topsoil, if the excavator will ever show up. A big topsoil screen is lined up for the job, once the pile is made.

    This drag is to both spread, and level. The tractor has a front end loader. I can drop out some with the loader, and spread it at the same time. It only needs to do this two acre site. The point is 600 feet long, and I want to be able to mow it as fast as possible, without bouncing my brains out.

    After the first application of topsoil, and getting a stand of grass, I'm going to install a golf course type sprinkler system. There is an unlimited supply of water, right there, to be pumped out of the lake. Once all that is established, I can add more sand to the mix for future leveling coats.

    There is an implement called a Land Leveler, that is mostly intended for gravel, but I wanted something to act more like a jointer plane, for dirt. Level, as well as smooth. A short drag is fine for small, regular yards, but I want to be able to mow this at 12 to 14 mph.

    The material for this drag just cost $268. It was intended as a prototype. I can make another one, if I want to change the design, or it didn't work as planned, but it works pretty good.

    I have this mower ordered for it. I've pulled too many regular zero turn mowers out of the lake. All other slope mowers are too expensive for just this one use, and are slower. The front tires on regular Zero turn mowers just caster. If the rear wheels slide, the front ones just say, okay, we're going sideways. This one has steerable front wheels, but linked to regular drive system as a regular zero turn.

    https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/comme...TILMUY050.html
    Last edited by Tom M King; 06-12-2021 at 8:36 AM.

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