Box Blade to Remove Sod

kyle.wilson817

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Anyone ever use a box blade to remove sod? Have about 3 acres I'd like to start over with. Was curious if a box blade would do the trick.
 

85Hokie

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Anyone ever use a box blade to remove sod? Have about 3 acres I'd like to start over with. Was curious if a box blade would do the trick.
With the right attack angle and speed - it might work, controlling the depth of cut is where it is difficult.

Question for you - you gonna stop every two feet to take the sod OUT of the blade bucket? You gonna have to figure a way to raise the sod over the top, if not it will bunch up and then you'll have a mess!

IF you are just getting rid of it all and dont care what the sod looks like - then the box blade will turn it over with the rippers installed and then you'll need a landscape rake to remove the grass from the rest of the soil.

IF starting over, then kill it all with round up or whatever, then scratch the top up with the box blade, then rake off the rest.
 

D2Cat

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Here's what 85Hokie said, "IF starting over, then kill it all with round up or whatever, then scratch the top up with the box blade, then rake off the rest."

I agree, it will save you a lot of time and grief. Trying to get rid of growing grass results in clumps you have to deal with.

Best time for this kind of project is in Fall. Plant your grass seed in Sept. around here. You plant it too early and you have to water it or it dies because there are no roots to support it.
 

SLIMSHADIE

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I didn't have very good luck. Just slid over grass. Put rippers down, it cut thru grass then kept sliding in the same rows. Turned sideways and used FEL bucket to dig up sod, the lip would slip in the row and cut out the sod. Once past the sod the box blade worked fine. That was a few hours on a 10' x 40' area, total rookie also.
 

kyle.wilson817

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So, some more details. We're looking at redoing our softball fields at church. I do plan on spraying what is out there. The ground needs leveled as well, so was kind of hoping I could rip the grass up and level at the same time. Just an awful lot to till up.

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Dalroo

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If not a tiller, do you have access to a disc? My experience is I can disc in several passes, gradually getting shallower/less aggressive to first turn over grass, and second break up clods. Then pass over it with a drag, or maybe box blade, to get final leveling.
 

kyle.wilson817

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If not a tiller, do you have access to a disc? My experience is I can disc in several passes, gradually getting shallower/less aggressive to first turn over grass, and second break up clods. Then pass over it with a drag, or maybe box blade, to get final leveling.
I'll have to look into that. Not sure if I could find a place to rent a disc that the subcompact could pull, but I do have a farmer friend if he would be willing to let me borrow his disc. I think it's like a 30 footer or something though. and getting it into town might be difficult. Nice idea, I hadn't thought of that yet.
 

Daren Todd

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What size/ model tractor are you gonna use? I would think a 30ft set of discs might give a subcompact some fits :)

They have discs set up to around 5 to 6ft wide. Might be a little more manageable to use. Some of the mom and pop rental companies have them to rent, as well as some dealership's. Just really depends on the market and location.

Sometimes you can find them on Craigslist and used farm equipment sellers for a decent price.
 

kyle.wilson817

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What size/ model tractor are you gonna use? I would think a 30ft set of discs might give a subcompact some fits :)

They have discs set up to around 5 to 6ft wide. Might be a little more manageable to use. Some of the mom and pop rental companies have them to rent, as well as some dealership's. Just really depends on the market and location.

Sometimes you can find them on Craigslist and used farm equipment sellers for a decent price.
Yeah, I would be borrowing a tractor from him as well.
 

D2Cat

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The 30' disc and the tractor to pull it will more of a problem on a softball field then it will be a help.

I'd inquire with the church members to see if someone has a tool your tractor will pull.
 

Racer X

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I used a disc to rip up and prep an area about 60 x 100 feet a few years back. Started by spraying the area with something that killed all the vegetation. After about a week it was dead and ready. I went over it a zillion times, then followed with a rock rake to get the (mostly cottonwood) roots, rocks and other stuff cleaned up. I then repeated the disc prep, followed with the rock rake again.

Then I went back by hand and used a landscape rake to get most of what was left of the rocks and roots.

I didn't get all landscaper pro fancy and roll it before spreading and raking in the seed. I did mix in some lime and organic stuff like composted leaves and kitchen scraps during the final discing.

Turned out very well.

I have another 3 acres or so that I plan to give the same treatment.

The same disc has been passed around several neighbors to clean up and prep pastures on 5 to 10 acre parcels, creating some very nice lawns.
 
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Tooljunkie

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Quickest and most effective?
Harley rake on a skidsteer. It can be angled to windrow the debris. I watched one in action and liked it so much i built a tow behind version for my kubota. Almost got the bugs out. It doesent angle and pulverizes everything except stones.
 

nbryan

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I'm hoping to try this myself to this year, with my BB 1560. I was thinking of cutting and gathering the sod with the blade and the rippers until the box is full, then dumping the load by raising the box and backing up and doing another strip. This way I'd hoped to create a windrow that I could loader bucket, or box away to a sod pile. Once the sods out of the way the box blade will easily take care of the leveling.

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GreensvilleJay

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I've used a A-C D-14 with 3F plow to turn over the sod. Let sit a week, then run discs through N-S, then E-W, N-S, E-W, several times, let sit a week. Run discs through again.Then run the 5' tiller and you're good to grow !
 

nbryan

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I found this excellent thread on tractorbynet on this subject, now I am more encouraged to try. Search there for


"Using a box blade on mature grass"

I don't know how to do direct link to the thread.

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dirtydeed

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spray it, kill it. Then use a large 8 foot york rake. It will pull off the dead grass and level at the same time after a couple of passes. (BTDT)
 

henrysbe

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I don't know if the conditions were just right but I had a friend that wanted to make a garden in a area over grown with grass. I took my box blade and made a tic tac toe pattern with the rippers then peeled grass off with front blade. Worked well and the neighbor was very pleased. He said he expected the area to be overrun with grass, next year, but wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. I piled the pieces of grass and it composted for next year.