Yard Leveling

[zigblazer]

I've done a bit of landscaping around my place. I got a nice even slope, no more standing water when it rains, and have it fairly smooth. I've used my MTL and attachments for most of it, with the help of a spike tooth harrow and leveling drag behind the ATV. Now I'm down to finishing it and I can't seem to get it smooth. I have 2-4" ups and downs that won't go away. Everything I've tried has only moved the high spots over a few feet. From a distance it looks great, but it is a bit bumpy for a lawn mower. I've used the bucket, a disc harrow, a rock bucket, a landscape rake (both pushing and pulling), as well as pulling the drags over the area. Currently working an trianglular area approximately 130' x 130' x 180'. The long end runs along a shallow pond, a side against a building, and a side against a fence. I'm about out of money for attachments, and seeing that the leveling drag was the most effective so far, I ordered parts to build my own land leveler, a quick attach plate and 3- 84" cutting edges.

So my questions are, what is the best way to get a nice smooth finish? What types of land levelers are most effective? How should I build the leveler to best take care of the finishing bit?

 

[Delmer]

If you have the ground mostly in one plane, then you can make a long span with a grader blade in the middle and the geometry will make it level with enough passes.

If it's more unevenly sloping and you just need to level the bumps, you're just going to have to keep going over the high spots. If you have 2-4" I think you need to keep back dragging with the bucket, do it in dawn and dusk light, or at night with a halogen light set up on one side. A 7' square quick attach land plane will do it that much faster than the bucket, especially if you have it worked up nice, but it's the same idea, you need to SEE the high spots and take them down specifically, it won't make it flat on it's own.

 

[Rob Gunn]

Iv had great luck over the years with a old set of bed springs dragging behind a lawn tractor or gator.

 

[DIYDAVE]

Anything long and boxy, drug along behind a tractor, should take the ripples out...

 

[JPSouth]

If you haven't already done it, try using a pattern of passes running 45° to the main back-and-forth passes. Often that skins those humps right out resulting in a flatter grade.

 

[John Canfield]

Land plane or a rear blade set at an angle. I also extend the top link on my 3 point hitch for the box blade and put the rockshaft in float and make several passes - does a good job of grooming the driveways.

 

[Jonas302]

You might look at renting a Harley rake for the loader https://www.zieglerrental.com/equipment/compact-equipment-attachments/power-box-rakes/ about 150 a day at cat others will be cheaper

 

[One guy construction]

I made this for myself, but smaller scale would work good for what your doing. I used 3X5 angle laying long side up.