Levelling a garden for lawn, rotavators?

[oldbikedavey]

Without going into the subject too deeply, it's an astonishingly deep subject.
Without adequate drainage, it'll never work, the soil type is hugely important, and the Lower Plastic Limit for cultivation must be observed.
Pick tines on a Howard Gem are handy, as would be skimming off the existing turf and stacking it to rot down for loam rather than producing hordes of pockets and mushrooms by cultivating it in...

 

[Migmac]

We had work done on the golf course. Ground was power harrowed after the work was done. Wasn’t good looking, I got tasked with sorting it. I use a quad towing a pallet with weight on it. Did a decent job

 

[daedalusminos]

If you go the rotavator route I'd forget about those attachments - a Merry Tiller will do it and second hand ones can be picked up fairly cheaply...

Pardon our interruption...

It'll give you a workout until you get through the turf!

 

[8ob]

Looks very good @8ob , I guess you have all the kit to do it properly!

There was some rubble around the stumps so possibly a lot elsewhere. In my second last pic theres a concrete slab under the dirt, quite large, that I will need to break up and remove.

We do a fair bit of this type of work, normally work with what we have on site and if necessary bring in a minimal amount of top soil.

Bob

This one was deep filled/compacted with as dug sand ( cheap and good drainage), then topped off with a couple of inches of top soil and seeded.

 

[Kram]

If you go the rotavator route I'd forget about those attachments - a Merry Tiller will do it and second hand ones can be picked up fairly cheaply...

Pardon our interruption...

It'll give you a workout until you get through the turf!

Any idea what kind of engine size, type, displacement and power they have?

A modern gx390 clone would appear to be about 15hp, Im thinking thats the minimum I'd want for this.

 

[addjunkie]

I dont want to raise the grade if it can be avoided or feel like barrowing a lorry load of dirt would be less work. Theres enough concrete that needs to be shifted, or buried. Could dig a deep holes with the earth auger but that would likely bring up clay from underneath.

Is a lorry load, what will fit on an overloaded 3.5T tipper, or a 44T earth mover type lorry?

An 8 wheeler tipper lorry load is 20 ton. If its quality top soil you want sit down when you ask the price.

 

[gaz1]

5.5 on mine and it bounced out of the ground on me when i hit a big enough stone

as goes for tilling the soil it chewed through it in time willl also chew solidish soil as well once you pick into the soil so its got a chance to get a grip

 

[Smouser]

I wanted ro remove a 'hump' in our small lawn because it prevented water draining properly in the winter. We used to get a big mud bath and most of the grass would die in the winter due to flooding.

I thought I would just dig it out and level it all off.

I soon changed my mind.

So I bought a rotavator on fb marketplace. Used it to rotavate the small lawn and sold it for the same money I bought it for.

It was the first time I used a rotavator and I was pleasantly surprised on how well it worked.

It was a Merry Tiller with a 5hp engine.

I levelled the area off and thrown some seed down.

We then went on holiday in March and surprisngly it basically did not rain for the whole time we were away.

Got back 3 weeks later and the grass did start to sprout.

This was on the 1st of May.

It is getting there slowly.

Anyway, maybe try and get a cheap rotavator on fb marketplace, use it and sell it.

 

[chrismac]

I feel your pain, I have just recently purchase a bit of ground which was untouched for years, I have managed to keep on top of the grass, but my plan it to plough it I think, its in a terrible condition for flatness. But the dilemma is how to work it and keep it from getting tracked, a few good ideas here though.

 

[addjunkie]

I feel your pain, I have just recently purchase a bit of ground which was untouched for years, I have managed to keep on top of the grass, but my plan it to plough it I think, its in a terrible condition for flatness. But the dilemma is how to work it and keep it from getting tracked, a few good ideas here though.

Compact tractor with a rotovator on the back.

 

[gaz1]

View attachment 495398
It was a Merry Tiller with a 5hp engine.

you had the merry tiller titan as i have that model the prices hold really well on them

 

[Erie Fred]

How do you get a large area nice and flat like that? just operator skill with the digger?

"laser beams" are involved these days.....

 

[mark roberts]

Would it not be easier to just get a load of topsoil and level it, get a roller and a levelling rake. Maybe weedkill the grass first

 

[Smallfry]

On a bit of ground that size, I would either get an agricultural contractor with a small tractor and cultivator to run over it, or hire a mini digger.

There is a LOT of backbreaking work there to do manually. Rake it out by hand if wanted to be perfect.

As for the weeds and poor grass, which will ALWAYS come back, use a systematic weedkiller like Roseate TF to kill the lot first, seed the lawn and allow it to establish, then use selective weedkiller like Grazon or Pastor for a weed free lawn.

 

[oldbikedavey]

We had work done on the golf course. Ground was power harrowed after the work was done. Wasn’t good looking, I got tasked with sorting it. I use a quad towing a pallet with weight on it. Did a decent job

That's called a Lute.....

 

[oldbikedavey]

On a bit of ground that size, I would either get an agricultural contractor with a small tractor and cultivator to run over it, or hire a mini digger.

There is a LOT of backbreaking work there to do manually. Rake it out by hand if wanted to be perfect.

As for the weeds and poor grass, which will ALWAYS come back, use a systematic weedkiller like Roseate TF to kill the lot first, seed the lawn and allow it to establish, then use selective weedkiller like Grazon or Pastor for a weed free lawn.

Or mow the ratty grass out with a decent cylinder mower set low.
A really good lawn is one hell of a lot of hard work.....

 

[Kram]

I worked with some guys last week, removing stumps and helping to dig for a new turfed lawn. They used a mini digger to rip out the old top soil but it was painfully slow. Small diggers move slow and want to tip over! it'd be better to dig with it and have a groundy pushing a wheelbarrow than try all with mini digger.
They went back another day to level, topsoil and turf. I looked tonight and its not flat at all. Perhaps it will settle?
Their mattocks were much wider than mine, no good for root smashing but much better for breaking up dirt. I may have to buy another..


Started the levelling today. First job was to trim the weeds and grass as low as possible. Mattock to dig it, I found a lot of 1" sized leylandii roots in the humped area and most of the day was spent chasing those out.
From the previous stump grinding, there was about 1.5 foot of soil and chips onto of the concrete slab, so breaking that up and raking it back over the low spots. Not easy work.. but plan to get a lot done today and Friday.

 

[oldbikedavey]

I worked with some guys last week, removing stumps and helping to dig for a new turfed lawn. They used a mini digger to rip out the old top soil but it was painfully slow. Small diggers move slow and want to tip over! it'd be better to dig with it and have a groundy pushing a wheelbarrow than try all with mini digger.
They went back another day to level, topsoil and turf. I looked tonight and its not flat at all. Perhaps it will settle?
Their mattocks were much wider than mine, no good for root smashing but much better for breaking up dirt. I may have to buy another..


Started the levelling today. First job was to trim the weeds and grass as low as possible. Mattock to dig it, I found a lot of 1" sized leylandii roots in the humped area and most of the day was spent chasing those out.
From the previous stump grinding, there was about 1.5 foot of soil and chips onto of the concrete slab, so breaking that up and raking it back over the low spots. Not easy work.. but plan to get a lot done today and Friday.

View attachment 505710

View attachment 505709

That'll be fun. Agree about hand groundwork, though. Given adequate kit and fit people skilled in its use , it can produce wondrously fast and effective results..
Idle nose-pickers need not apply.....

 

[Robotstar5]

That'll be fun. Agree about hand groundwork, though. Given adequate kit and fit people skilled in its use , it can produce wondrously fast and effective results..
Idle nose-pickers need not apply.....

I'm surprised no-one has invented one handed spades, etc. so folks can keep the other hand free to use their mobile.

 

[brightspark]

I'm surprised no-one has invented one handed spades, etc. so folks can keep the other hand free to use their mobile.

yea 95 percent of the older folk and kids walk past my house and are welded to the bloody things one lad walkng along the slip road and path to my house was so engrossed i stopped my engine and he fell over my bonnet another day blasted him from behind with the horn