Rough Rollers Level Lawns

Rough Rollers Level Lawns MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous Roy Albertson levels his lawn with angle iron studded rollers He says the 4-in long sections of angle iron push down mole tunnels and other rough spots leaving the lawn as smooth as blacktop “I wanted a smoother lawn but many people told me that smooth rollers can actually hurt the lawn packing the soil so tight that rain just runs off Any recently applied fertilizer or seeds wash off with it ” The angle iron sections that Alberstson welded to his rollers keep them from compressing the soil like a smooth roller would Instead each sharp angle presses into any raised area pushing it down to equalize the surface He built his first roller as an experiment to see if the rough roller worked He welded rows of 1 by 1-in angle iron sections to a 30-in long 13-in dia water tank Each row is 5 1/2 in from high point to high point with 5 1/2-in spaces between sections in the row “I used 1 1/2-in square steel tubing for the frame ” says Albertson “I drilled holes in the ends of the tank and slipped a steel rod through the tank and the ends of the frame for an axle I didn’t use a bearing; just oiling it occasionally has been enough ” While the 30-in roller worked as Albertson hoped his tractor’s wheelbase was slightly wider In soft soil conditions the tractor left wheel indentations to each side of the roller “I made a second and wider roller ” says Albertson “It is 62 in long and 15 in in diameter I used 1 1/4-in angle iron sections and closed up the spacing to 4 1/2 in ” He did the frame much the same running a center brace in it and also using pillow block bearings with grease fittings to attach the axle Albertson notes that any round tank would work He suggests measuring the circumference and then dividing it by different numbers to find an even spacing and applying the same strategy to the length Filled with sand the first roller weighs 400 lbs Albertson uses water in the second roller giving it a 500-lb weight “I drain the water out in the fall bringing it back to its 200-lb empty weight ” he says “When it’s empty I can move it around easily “I have 65 trees on my lawn so the shorter roller is handy around them ” he notes “I can bring the wheels close to the base of the tree knowing the roller won’t rub against the bark ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Roy Albertson 731 Hwy 3 Armstrong Mo 65230

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