appropriate use of tow behind grader blade

[bent arrow]

Hi

New to the forum, so a few newbie questions to get me started.

Ive got a small (5 foot) grader blade that can be rotated 360 degrees. At the moment, what we are trying to do is to remove Kikuyu grass that has grown over a bed of sand within a horse arena. The blade is skipping over the grass rather than pulling through it. I suspect this is due to not enough weight on the blade because of (i) its low mass weight and (ii) being unable to apply any real downforce via the 3-point linkage.

Questions:

1. is this normal - i.e. what one would expect from a relatively small tractor and implement being used through a 3-point linkage?

2. obviously the blade can be rotated to face backwards, but are they intended to be "pushed" rather than "pulled" by the tractor? I'm guessing that the 3-point linkage is designed/engineered primarily for lifting and pulling force, not pushing force. Therefore revering the blade and tractor to "push" the blade would not be a good idea?

3. the blade does not have attachment points for adding rippers. Will turning the blade further to create a narrower working edge, and tilting the leading corner down to create essentially a plough be more effective in cutting through the grass?

Thanks in advance

Cheers

 

[sheepfarmer]

Had to look up kikuyu grass as we don't have it up here in the frozen north, or at least I don't think so. Quack grass must run it a close second though in awfulness.

You can push a blade backwards on light stuff, not sure what the limitations on the 3 pt are however. The best sounding idea was to try to cut into it with the corner of the blade angled down But then what are you going to do with the strips?

Have you thought about fire? One of the propane weeders? Or solarization with plastic film?

 

[bcp]

1. Yes, mine does the same on grass.

2. It is meant for pushing loose material backwards. You may bend something if you try digging.

3. This will cut shallow furrows through the grass. Angle it, then tilt it by shortening the top link, not by tilting the blade, if it does. That's probably too much tilt.

After you get some shallow furrows, try the blade straight, top link long. The furrows will have the effect of increasing the weight per inch in the cutting edge, on the grass ridges.

Also after #3, try the blade angled but level. Either angled or straight may work best in your grass.

Bruce

 

[bent arrow]

Its a 130 ft x 130 ft arena and it gets used multiple times per week so solarisation isnt really a preferred option. Given the size of the area, hand burning probably isnt overly practical either. Based on a simple understanding of engineering, I figured the reverse position is designed only for "pushing" loose material or final leveling of already graded areas?

 

[skeets]

Well Mate were I you I would try one of 2 things,, first off spray the offending plant material, kill it off, and I know in some places thats not something one is able to do, the other is a pull behind rake. I dont know what kind of horses your planing on working but, the working of critters will also kill off the plants,, But back to the rake,, a land scape rake will dig small pieces of the grass and roots out with each pass, also the rake will level out the arena for your as well. Im not sure about the species of grass or how the root system is, but if its some really nasty stuff,, yeppers spray the snot out it then use the rake,,, Just MHO you understand,, And welcome to the orange

 

[scdeerslayer]

I don't know about that particular species but in my experience with fighting weeds you probably won't be able to get rid of it completely without several applications of herbicide. You can dig it up but it may come back from the roots. Spray with glyphosate (roundup) and wait at least a week before doing anything else, maybe even 10 days. To dig it out you'll probably need something with rippers that will dig a few inches into the ground. If you don't need to remove the material you may be better with a disk or tiller. Repeat as necessary if it grows back.

 

[nickelplated5s]

Wrong tool for the job. Look up arena harrows, sort of like a land plane.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I just did an arena with exactly the same issue, but in the US version of your grass!

This is what you need to pluck all the grass out.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

If buying another implement is not an option you might try the rear blade when the ground is wet, but not so wet that you lose traction. This will depend a great deal on what kind of soil you have. I know some soils get slippery and some get really sticky when wet and would not be workable. You mentioned weight, some 5 foot rear blades are light, around 150# and will tend bounce over the ground when used for any grading. My 250# 5 foot blade digs in a lot better than my old 150# blade. If you add weight to a light blade to dig in the blade may not be strong enough and you could bend the blade.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Another option worthy of mention is to change out the cutting edge on your grader blade to one that has some short "teeth" on it, or attach teeth to the existing cutting edge. The suggestion of a spring tine cultivator is an excellent one as well.

BTW, while funds may be too limited to allow the purchase of a new implement, you may find others in your area who have just the right implement sitting unused in their yard. I've always had good success with the friendly neighbour lending pool of tools!

To answer your question on pushing using the 3pt hitch, the answer is YES it will work for pushing. Thousands of people mount snow blowers to their 3pt hitches and push backwards into the snow. You may say "oh, it's only snow, so no big load on the hitch" and you would be only partially correct. Normally snow is relatively light, but when it is sopping wet, or has come down as wet snow and frozen hard, or is snow that's been saturated with salt and then banked up at the end of your lane by the municipal snow plow, it is more like concrete than snow. The 3pt hitch gets a good workout "going backwards" and takes no abnormal wear. As the former owner of a 50 year old Massey Ferguson tractor that spent all it's winter life doing just this, I can assure you the longevity of a 3pt hitch used "backwards" is no less than one used exclusively to go "forwards".

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Thousands of people mount snow blowers to their 3pt hitches and push backwards into the snow. You may say "oh, it's only snow, so no big load on the hitch" and you would be only partially correct. Normally snow is relatively light, but when it is sopping wet, or has come down as wet snow and frozen hard, or is snow that's been saturated with salt and then banked up at the end of your lane by the municipal snow plow, it is more like concrete than snow.

Being that he's in southern Australia he's probably never even seen snow!

But I'm sure he gets your point!

 

[millsan1]

I am new tractor owner and blade owner myself.

I just purchased a 6' blade for the back of my BX.

I also have a 6' Landscape rake.

I pushed and pulled with the landscape rake to great affect.

I put the blade on and did some pulling, and it bounced and skipped, even when angled.

I tried pushing and broke a turnbuckle on my 3 point.

I was able to pull soft, loose dirt, but anything with any level of rock in it was a challenge.

Angling the blade will help, as using the blade straight was nearly pointless in my case. I didn't play with the toplink to try and reduce the skipping yet, but I will, once I replace the broken stabilizer.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Those turnbuckles on the stabilizers seem like a weak point in the design. I'm thinking I'll order the aftermarket ones made by one of the regular members here. That and a quick attach hitch from Harbor Freight, and the back end of our tractor should be looked after for a while.

 

[bent arrow]

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated. I had amother play tonight with the blade on
various angles and pushing, certainly more effective than my first attempt. I'm going to spray out the arena to kill the grass and then have another go. I will also give some consideration to options for putting some rippers on the bar. It's a pretty light weight piece of equipment but it's what we have on hand. I'll nudge the neighbours and see what else is in nearby sheds that I might be able to beg/borrow...... I have seen some crazy white stuff fall out of the sky and even managed to fall on my butt whilst trying to ski on it, but it would be a cold day indeed if we got snow in this arena. Thanks again

 

[RonBoyBX25D]

I am new tractor owner and blade owner myself.

I just purchased a 6' blade for the back of my BX.

I also have a 6' Landscape rake.

I pushed and pulled with the landscape rake to great affect.

I put the blade on and did some pulling, and it bounced and skipped, even when angled.

I tried pushing and broke a turnbuckle on my 3 point.

I was able to pull soft, loose dirt, but anything with any level of rock in it was a challenge.

Angling the blade will help, as using the blade straight was nearly pointless in my case. I didn't play with the toplink to try and reduce the skipping yet, but I will, once I replace the broken stabilizer.

Do yourself a favor and connect with Hodge and get his stabilizer set to replace the turnbuckles. Way better and won't break again.

 

[millsan1]

Do yourself a favor and connect with Hodge and get his stabilizer set to replace the turnbuckles. Way better and won't break again.

Done. TY for the pointer.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Being that he's in southern Australia he's probably never even seen snow!

But I'm sure he gets your point!

If he is far enough south and high enough in the Down Under he might see snow. In northern Australia he would never see snow.

 

[bent arrow]

Snows on the hills here on the odd occasion, doesn't hang around very long though.