De-thatcher Build ... Opinion Needed.

[senecak19]

I got my hands on a free de-thatcher from a zero-turn mower. It seemed to be in really good shape, less a little rust on the tines. Everything on the unit is symmetrical. I was able to reverse the wheels to have them positioned in the back of the unit instead of the front. After removing the mounting hardware, I was able to add my own 3-point mounting hardware by drilling a few holes and welding some angle iron together. The change over seemed really simple leaving me asking myself a lot of questions:
- "What am I missing"
- "Does this look correct?"
- "How low should the tines be hanging?".

I am a complete newb when it comes to tractors let alone implements. This is my first tractor and this will be my first implement. Assuming no major issues, I'll go ahead and finish welding it all up and paint the rusty frame Kubota orange. I appreciate any advice.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

In my personal and professional opinion a dethatcher like that produce's marginal results when getting the thatch out of the turf. The sping tines just aren't strong enough to really dig up thatch and the whole system doesn't hold up well like a power unit will. In order to dethatch completely and really be beneficial to the lawn you need something with knives or blades on it to kick the stuff up.

 

[senecak19]

I fully believe you Eric. Having to wait to go through another house sale, I find myself inching to do something "tractor related". As you can see, the wheel hasn't even gotten dirty yet. When this thing came up I figured what the hell. Also, the yard in the hopefully soon-to-be house is some 2 acres of grass. If I got in there sooner then later, I was hoping to make a few passes with this to clean up the grass a bit. In the end, I may be left renting a machine to do the deed.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

It looks great for being converted from a Z-machine to 3pt.

 

[Burtonbr]

Yea looks good . For what you have in it I think it will do pretty good, I've been thinking I need something like that for my lawn.

 

[skeets]

I have been thinking of blacktopping my yard and then painting it green

 

[Lil Foot]

The effectiveness of that de-thatch rake probably depends on the type of grass you have..... I've seen grasses back east that it would work fine with, but out here, some of our grasses would just pull the whole assembly off of your 3pt.

 

[Tire Biter]

You'll do more damage by compaction than any good you'll do de thatching.
On this de thatching thing, one year I de thatched half my lawn and didn't touch the other half. Guess what? Come the middle of June, you couldn't tell one side from the other. They both came in nice and green. It's a waste of time, and in my minds eye, when the weather turns dry, the thatch helps to keep whatever moisture there is, in the soil.

Just sayin...

 

[BadDog]

I have been thinking of blacktopping my yard and then painting it green

Out here in Phoenix, a fair number of yards actually do have crushed granite painted green. I know you were kidding, but they actually do that, and it looks ridiculous.

 

[BadDog]

The effectiveness of that de-thatch rake probably depends on the type of grass you have..... I've seen grasses back east that it would work fine with, but out here, some of our grasses would just pull the whole assembly off of your 3pt.

Ha! I was reading that and thinking, "He must live somewhere out here", and sure enough, you do!

 

[senecak19]

OK, threads like this need more pictures. Here's the "potential" playing surface. I'm no lawn nazi, but what would you do with it? Re-sead it? Slap some chemicals down? I'm getting recommendations to test the soil... worth it? Just curious what everyone would do if they acquired this type of property?

 

[skeets]

Yeah get a soil test kit,, only a few bucks and send it out they will tell you everything you need to get it looking purty,, if your going to plant trees or a large garden then they will tell you what you need for that too,,, But I think I would lime that snot out it my self just to get it started

 

[Bulldog]

I have been thinking of blacktopping my yard and then painting it green

I always thought that would be the way to go but it would just cost to much. Now, I'm thinking about fencing the biggest part of the yard and turning my heifers in to graze. I figure that would kill 2 birds with one stone. They could keep it mowed and fertilized at the same time.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

You'll do more damage by compaction than any good you'll do de thatching.
On this de thatching thing, one year I de thatched half my lawn and didn't touch the other half. Guess what? Come the middle of June, you couldn't tell one side from the other. They both came in nice and green. It's a waste of time, and in my minds eye, when the weather turns dry, the thatch helps to keep whatever moisture there is, in the soil.

Just sayin...

Here is the reason why you should dethatch a lawn and then aerate in the fall to loosen compaction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dethatcher#Thatch_removal_.28dethatching.29

 

[Eric McCarthy]

senecak19 I'd take soil samples and send them off to be tested. Get a small hand held shovel and some brown paper bags and take about 6 or 8 different plugs of dirt out the ground. Take them from several different spots as soil PH level will vary greatly by just a few feet in your lawn.

The local extension office or even Souther States store can do a soil analysis for you. Follow their recommendation to the T. You'll need to send in how much square footage you have and the test results will tell you how many pounds of what chemical to use.

Keep in mind to get a lush green golf course like lawn its going to be expensive with one that large and it will take about 3-5 years to get it into shape if done properly.

 

[senecak19]

Finished this thing today. Took it for a test run. It kicked up a fair amount of crab grass. Enough to warrant running a sweeper to pick up all the crap. Good enough.

 

[bulldog_shotgun]

I always thought that would be the way to go but it would just cost to much. Now, I'm thinking about fencing the biggest part of the yard and turning my heifers in to graze. I figure that would kill 2 birds with one stone. They could keep it mowed and fertilized at the same time.

LOL, I hear you, every time i chisel plow the field around my yard, i gain a couple of rows of corn, the back and side are now within feet of my driveway and wellhouse, in fact i went overboard last time can't even get my 72" mower between the wellhouse and field anymore, why mow grass when i can grow corn. live on 72 acres, mow less than 1/2 acre.

 

[Bulldog]

why mow grass when i can grow corn. live on 72 acres, mow less than 1/2 acre.

I'm with you on that one. Mowing a lawn is the biggest waste of time and money I can think of besides the goverment budget. If I fence this last section in I'll have just enough left for the kids to play in and that's about it. Sounds better all the time.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Finished this thing today. Took it for a test run. It kicked up a fair amount of crab grass. Enough to warrant running a sweeper to pick up all the crap. Good enough.

Well I for one are impressed. Most of the time they don't do that much of a job. Atleast you're happy with it.

 

[senecak19]

Well I for one are impressed. Most of the time they don't do that much of a job. Atleast you're happy with it.

I try not to kid myself. The lawn I ran through never had it done and doesn't get taken care of other then mowing. That might of had something to do with it.