7016H is my excavator and lawn prep tool!

[JoggerFogger]

I'm extending my lawn out now that I have a fine running grass cutting machine. This area of the yard was uneven, weedy, collected water in a low spot, and was generally just a waste. I needed to move about 6-8 inches of dirt uphill a little to the low spot and try and match the grade of my current yard. I would make a few passes with the tiller and then use the snow plow to push the dirt around. I was kind of amazed at how well it worked. I thought I was going to have to rent a bobcat or something to move that much dirt.

Then I got all ambitious and took some scrap metal laying around and a 55g barrel that was going to the recycler and made myself a compactor. It worked, but I think it's going to the recycler anyway. The round sides of the barrel took some dents from the uneven ground. Worked well for a while, and did tamp down the soil. I did have a 8x12 timber that I dragged around first to try and level out the ground. Didn't get a picture of that.

The plan is to get the ground level and packed down by the last week of August. Then I'll put a layer of nice soil and throw seed out. I did this last year with a much smaller section and it turned out perfect.

[sb64]

thal looks nice, i take it you don't have the tiller very far down? Or am i wrong?

Either way, nice work

[Burntime]

The amount of work you can do with these machines is amazing. Heck, people once did it with a horse, now you have 16 or 18 to do the work. Nice project!

[PhanDad]

Great use of your tractor resources! Looks great.

I did a similar thing when my daughter bought a house with poor grading. However I used a belly blade for moving/leveling the dirt. If you ever get a chance to get one for a reasonable price, get it - it's much easier to use compared to the snow blade.

[cwm1276]

I did a similar thing a few years ago, but I had 2 man operation and my 7117H and Dad's 716H. Manual lift on the tiller and hydro lift on the blade.

[GrincheyOne]

Kevin,

I have found by experience that using the tiller, with the tractor in reverse,

I was able to relocate reasonable amounts of soil/fill. also, not having a grader blade, I have been able to dress up the dirt better by "backdraging the dozer blade.

Wayne

Nice job though!

[JoggerFogger]

Originally posted by sb64

thal looks nice, i take it you don't have the tiller very far down? Or am i wrong? Either way, nice work

id="quote">I looked around for one, but didn't find one. I would have loved it, and if I see one around, I'll snap it up. Although I don't know if I'll ever need one again. This winter was the first time I actually used my snow blade in the snow. And I've seriously had it since 1978. When I was a kid I tried to build a BMX track with it, that's about it.

quote:...not having a grader blade, I have been able to dress up the dirt better by "backdraging the dozer blade.Wayneid="quote">

id="quote">I did that a little, but I had much better success dragging around this hunk of wood. It really worked quite well. I was doing figure eights, stripes, criss-cross patterns, etc. Just trying to get it as level as possible.

After I did that, I rolled around the "ghetto" lawn roller I made over and over again and it looks pretty well dressed. I wish there was an attachment for a hedge trimmer. I have this monster laurel hedge that I've been taming for the last 6 years. I took 4 feet of width out of it and about 8 feet off the top and it's still enormous. I have a hard time trimming it now, I can't imagine doing it 20 years from now in my 60's.Thanks for the comments. I could drive this tractor around in circles all day, its so much fun. Only this group can identify with that statement. My friends think I'm nuts.-Kevin

[RickS]

Kevin,

I could agree with your friends that you are crazy, but then I wouldn't be able to explain why I drive around for hours in my horse pasture with my grader blade. Or up and down my half mile private road.

So I think we are normal and our friends are crazy. Or at least that is my explanation.

Rick.......

[JoggerFogger]

Just for a perspective:

We live in a nice neighborhood in Portland dominated by mid-century ranch homes on 1/2ac lots. There's a lot of people in their 70's and a few 30-40yo noobs (like me). I have to think about it, but I think only 1 of my closest 20 neighbors doesn't have a yard service, and I would venture to guess that I'm the only one with a garden tractor for a 1/2 mile radius.

My neighbor (he's an attorney) wandered over one time with a couple of beers and he was fascinated with my corded drill. He was picking it up, pulling the trigger, and eyeballing it real hard. He explained that he'd never used one before. I just about fell down in shock. This is a 38 year old man. They hire somebody to do everything, I mean everything, and they watch 4+ hours of TV every day. Whenever they're home and awake, the TV is on.

I'm not sure who the weird one is, but when the zombie apocalypse hits, I'm feeding him to the zombies, because he's going to be worthless.

-Kevin

[Talntedmrgreen]

Originally posted by RickS

So I think we are normal and our friends are crazy. Or at least that is my explanation.

id="quote">My TV is probably on that much too...I leave it on so the house feels like someone lives there, 'cuz I'm out in the yard or in the shop!

[macallis180]

I don't think we are crazy - I just look at all the money I've saved by buying my lawn tractors, and not spending all my free time in a bar. The money spent (hopefully) is probably a wash, and I've never ended up in jail for DWI coming home from a bar. Still have a few cold ones when I don't have to drive, so I don't think I have missed anything, and I still have fun using my '74 AC 620 and my '68 AC B-207.

(however, wife thought I was crazy going 900 miles one way to pick up my 620). That trip added $600.00 in gas to the cost of my 620!