Dirt

[docmirror]

More accurately clay mix. I bought 6 yards of fill. It's 80% mucky clay and a bit of sand, and some soil. It clumps, and does what clay does.

I want to break it down into small clumps, or even get it broken into a smoother finish like decent top soil. I'm not expecting to turn lead into gold here, just so that I can spread this stuff so it's not in bowling ball size clumps.

Is there a 3 point or standalone kind of tool, tumbler, separator, grinder, thing that I can pour the clumps into and get it broken down into small grain?

 

[flying belgian]

More accurately clay mix. I bought 6 yards of fill. It's 80% mucky clay and a bit of sand, and some soil. It clumps, and does what clay does.

I want to break it down into small clumps, or even get it broken into a smoother finish like decent top soil. I'm not expecting to turn lead into gold here, just so that I can spread this stuff so it's not in bowling ball size clumps.

Is there a 3 point or standalone kind of tool, tumbler, separator, grinder, thing that I can pour the clumps into and get it broken down into small grain?

How is this going to be used? Can you spread it on the old cement hog platform to let dry and then disk it and disk it again.

 

[300jk]

More accurately clay mix. I bought 6 yards of fill. It's 80% mucky clay and a bit of sand, and some soil. It clumps, and does what clay does.

I want to break it down into small clumps, or even get it broken into a smoother finish like decent top soil. I'm not expecting to turn lead into gold here, just so that I can spread this stuff so it's not in bowling ball size clumps.

Is there a 3 point or standalone kind of tool, tumbler, separator, grinder, thing that I can pour the clumps into and get it broken down into small grain?

Not to sound crazy, but you bought 6 yards of sticky clay balls ? Mixed with a little sand ? Do you have a rototiller ? Disc for tractor ? Till it dries out a lot you’ll never get it broken into small fine dirt. When it does dry out it may be hard like bricks. Try to disc or till every so often making smaller pieces. Gumbo is hard to work with.

 

[docmirror]

I want to spread it fairly thin on some low spots. Big clumps just make an acne like surface.

 

[docmirror]

The tillers on the disc are at least 6" apart. I was hoping to get the clumps down much smaller. I guess I can run over it many times just moving the disc over each pass, but if there's anything better than a disc, I'll keep thinking on it. Yeah - it does need to dry out. Right now it's pretty gooshy.

 

[used red MN]

Luckily I moved on and viewed some threads on “Tales” and found out the comments or suggestions I was going to make here would be somewhat “out of line” such as black dirt is usually better suited for final grade leveling. But it turns out he is building what I would call a “base” for an earthen airplane runway. Guessing this Tales thread is related
Will the majority of the finished runway surface be grass?

 

[docmirror]

Luckily I moved on and viewed some threads on “Tales” and found out the comments or suggestions I was going to make here would be somewhat “out of line” such as black dirt is usually better suited for final grade leveling. But it turns out he is building what I would call a “base” for an earthen airplane runway. Guessing this Tales thread is related
Will the majority of the finished runway surface be grass?

The fill is not going directly on the runway, but is being used in the over-run areas to the side. If you notice, the dirt on the actual runway is top soil. It is very easy to smooth. The fill is not on the landing surface.

 

[john in la]

Clay is actually pretty good soil. It holds nutrients and moisture well so plants survive droughts better.

The second worst thing you can do with clay is add sand to it.
The worst thing you can do is touch it while it is wet or even damp.

Since you are trying to use it as a grass area spread it out as best you can and let the rain beat it down. You need to get it spread out so it can dry out. Until it dries out you are fighting a loosing battle and just making things worse messing with it while it is wet.

 

[used red MN]

The fill is not going directly on the runway, but is being used in the over-run areas to the side. If you notice, the dirt on the actual runway is top soil. It is very easy to smooth. The fill is not on the landing surface.

Well as you know hind sight is 20/20, it would have been nice to have been able to purchase this prior to winter and stock pile it about 8” to a foot thick and let the winter freeze thaw cycles “mellow” the clay clumps. I looked back and I knew there was some discussion about your runways when I replied to your process of reviving your IH powered machine. There I learned one of your runways is in CO, where what I said above probably would apply. As to where the 2nd runway is I didn’t search it out to know what the climate is at that location. Realizing the above is mostly “would have, should have” blabber enough on that. What John is saying in reply 8 is probably on the mark. I am not even sure whether or not if once spread that a light pass with a disk to cut open the bowling ball sized clumps for better weathering may or may not be a mistake?

 

[Ultradog MN]

More accurately clay mix. I bought 6 yards of fill. It's 80% mucky clay and a bit of sand, and some soil. It clumps, and does what clay does.

I want to break it down into small clumps, or even get it broken into a smoother finish like decent top soil. I'm not expecting to turn lead into gold here, just so that I can spread this stuff so it's not in bowling ball size clumps.

Is there a 3 point or standalone kind of tool, tumbler, separator, grinder, thing that I can pour the clumps into and get it broken down into small grain?

A bush hog might break up the clumps.

 

[showcrop]

When I was driving dump truck part time I was hauling clay from the job site to the company quarry site. I was expected to not just dump it but also spread it so that I could put another layer over it, and get back fairly soon for another load. The loader was a two year old Komatsu 380, which is fairly big, but it was just not up to making its way through the clay let alone push any amount. I agree with John. You need to let it dry out.

 

[cjunrau]

The fill is not going directly on the runway, but is being used in the over-run areas to the side. If you notice, the dirt on the actual runway is top soil. It is very easy to smooth. The fill is not on the landing surface.

once you spread it and let it dry you go over it with a big roller like we use to push stones into the ground. It will crush the clay to powder and then you can work with it. If it keeps raining every other day you will see the lumps get flatter and flatter on there own, but if you get a week dry spell the roller works very good.

 

[MeanGene1]

After a 49 year career in general engineering- get rid of it- seriously. Clay is only good for two things- lining ponds so they don't leak, and dirt race tracks

 

[Loosehandle]

More accurately clay mix. I bought 6 yards of fill. It's 80% mucky clay and a bit of sand, and some soil. It clumps, and does what clay does.

I want to break it down into small clumps, or even get it broken into a smoother finish like decent top soil. I'm not expecting to turn lead into gold here, just so that I can spread this stuff so it's not in bowling ball size clumps.

Is there a 3 point or standalone kind of tool, tumbler, separator, grinder, thing that I can pour the clumps into and get it broken down into small grain?

Airplanes involved.... Why not just get something better?

 

[Jaden]

How about an old feed grinder or hammermill to run the dirt through?

 

[1948CaseVAI]

A rototiller for the three point (you can rent one) and a lot of gypsum will help. Gypsum is a pretty good clay repair tool.

 

[paul]

Farming on a clay farm for my life - yea it’s a challenge.

When it’s wet it just balls up.

When it’s dry it just bakes hard.

Winter weather with the freeze thaw cycles and moisture leaving slowly here in Minnesota does the most best very good job mellowing out clay. While that likely doesn’t help you any wherever you are and lrobly don’t have 6 months time, anything you can do to mimic the weathering process could help.

In spring we chop up the hard balls as best we can with a disk and then hope for a slow soaking rain and several days drying after without touching it, mellows out the smaller chunks we created. Cool weather soaking rain slow drying….

A tiller of some type might do good instead of a disk for small amount. The lumps could give a difficult ride.

 

[moresmoke]

Powered landscape rake, aka Harley Rake. Need to spread the clay as best you can, then let it dry. When it gets to the perfect moisture content the rake will level the high spots and break up the clumps. It will leave a concrete like surface as long as it stays dry.

All the gravel around here has clay added as a binder. Makes a great surface as long as it can shed water. Mud season is a disaster.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Why did you order such rough stuff that you knew you had to spread thin?

Should have ordered screened topsoil. If you have grass adjacent the runway, now you're gonna have bare spots wherever you spread this stuff because the grass won't grow.

 

[da.bees]

If time allows, get it out of the pile by using box blade to tumble clumps while small bits and pieces are spread knocking bits and pieces off clumps . Drag remaining clumps aside to weather then "tumble" again,dump and repeat until it's all spread.

Next time specify what kind of material you want and turn it down if it's not what you ordered. Contrary to popular believe "top soil" is anything laying on surface,which varies widely according to where you find it.