I need some advice on a land leveling project. The project is approximatley 110 acres of open, flat black land. The problem is fireant mounds. There are areas of more than 200 mounds per acre. Some are over 18" tall. All have grass growing in them. I am involved in a fireant control project with TAMU utilizing two products in 5 acre plots. The product was applied last week and half of each plot was box bladed(7') twice with a 16' chain harrow pulled behind the box. This worked relatively well on the highest elevation area but where the mounds were still moist on the lower area the mounds do not crumble and just fill the box. I tried slicing them with the FEL but again the bucket fills and the mounds just fall to the side. I am needing suggestions to tackle the 110 acres. Anything with wheels ahead of the blade may not work well due to the front wheels rolling over the mounds. I would like to have a single pass procedure without destroying the forage. The cattle can graze it low prior to the procedure. Your help is apprecieated.
what happens to the ants when you do this to the land, legdoc? do they survive? poor things.
Humm, I know I've seen some older cats with a really wide but short grading blade. A grader would be another option.
We are expecting a 80-90% kill rate on the ants with the baits. I will have to make an application again next year. If left unchecked the field will be almost uncapable of vehicle traffic in a couple more years. AT 2-3 MPH you get beat up bad. I have considered an articulated grader. This will allow getting the front wheels on the conditioned path. I thought about a dozer with a fresh edge. Either way I still have a problem with the spoils. I am open to any input!
I though about it today and I remembered what one can do with a scraper. Run the ejector front, raise the apron, and set the edge about half an inch from the dirt. Its called draggin off. The hitch flexes, so it doesnt matter what your front wheels are on cause the back wheels set the grade. You should be able to spread them ant hills out like that. If you dont what the spoils, catch them in the bowl.
Are the ants nest easily moved? If so I would try a large manure rake, and if there not I would just plow the field under...
I'm with Stumpjumper, float it out with a scraper. A Cat & can would be perfect
You need a tractor with a BeeGee scraper. Here is a pic of one behind a Challenger 65E. It is 18' wide, with tires behind it to controll the depth. Just pull it along, adjust the depth, and spread those buggers out.
I didn't know that fire ants wouldn't bother cattle. Thanks for the information. I live in Montana and we raise cattle too; but we, as of yet don't have fire ants. From what I heard and read, they're bad news. This I do know... a strip 8 feet wide by 1 mile long equals one acre. A 110 acre field is actually fairly sizeable when you need to cover the entire area, and probably more than once. Can you maintain 3 miles/hour in those conditions? It looks pretty rough and though, no matter what approach you take... A big farm tractor and a heavy chisel plow with twisted shanks might work... Just a guess... keep us posted... interesting project.
Thank you for the advice. From a cost standpoint it appears a "Bee Gee" scraper may be the ticket. I think my 95hp Kubota would handle a 12' one. The pull type design would help with the issues encountered with my 7' 3pt box. The width would certainly speed things up. Of interest while pulling the 7' box some of the larger mounds would stop the tractor and leave it spinning in 2wd. Putting it in 4wd solved that. A 10' may be a better choice for me as stated here many a time "you never have enough power". I would like to rent one of these but the availability is probably not good. OCR, if you have never experienced fire ants you don't knew what you are missing. They love to get into any electrical equipment and short it out. They are a hazerd to any creatures that don't stay clear. This includes cattle deer, birds,cats ,dogs etc. They have wiped out our horned toad population. On the good side we don't seem to see many ticks on cattle anymore.
Fire ants suck. I was hitch hiking through oklahoma 25 years ago, got let out at night unrolled sleeeping bag and proceeded to go to sleep in field on side of interstate. Woke a few hours later Learned real quick about them. Oh as for the sleeping bag it had a new home in that field I was gone real fast.
Wolf, destroying the mounds may expose some of the eggs and a few may be crushed along with a few ants. The real kill comes from the Extinguish Plus or Esteem we are applying. The goal is to control the ants, let the cattle graze the field low then level the field. Five years ago the ants were not here. I believe they washed in during a flood. During this short period of time they have made the field so rough in some areas i can not exceed 2 mph with a 95hp tractor. Therefore anytime the field needs spraying or traversing it is a PITA.
Legdoc: I was just pulling your leg. Who could stand up for the fire ants. Those things are NASTY. I hope you can crush them, kill them, destroy them any way you can, because you know they want to destroy you. Run them over with your tractor as fast as you can, man. What a mess you have on your hand. How did they come in during a flood, riding Noah's ark?
Wolf, the infested area is in the flood plain, therefore the run off from the surrounding property either passes through my place or sits there to be absorbed or evaporated. The trade off is even though our higher elevation property and our nieghbors is burning up due to the drought the infested area is still green and growing. I think the ants may have rode in on a broom or the Devil spit them out!
I don't know much about farming and fields but would a disk work? Set the blades shallow and just barely hit the surface and break the mounds apart? Or would this just spread the little pesky buggers all over the place? Just a suggestion.
Discing would be the method of choice if it was not a desireable forage pasture. The operation will have to "slice" the mounds off at or near ground level. Then the mounds broke up with a chain harrow as they roll over the back. It looks like the choices are either continue with a box blade (84" very slow ) with a chain harrow in tow or try to locate a little wider Bee Gee type scraper and pull the harrow behind it.
I think any method of leveling will end the season as a forage pasture if they are as thick as you say.
Another thought A few guys aroung here have Road Graders with Ft mounted Bull Blades - I am not grader op. ,but have seen them do impressive stuff with them
The pasture is cross fenced. We can let the cattle graze it low then "condition" the area and keep moving to the next grazed area. I can not risk destroying the grass. The 84" box worked reasonably but was slow. The 16" chain harrow was pulled in the least agressive mode.
What about a dozer with a root rake? Plow through the mounds then condition.
Good cattle forage in our area is usually burned every third or fourth year. Has the field been burned since the infestation? If you let the grass grow up a little, the fire will be hotter. I doubt the fire will kill many of the fire ants. However, if they live in ash for a month maybe the little buggers will starve.
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums Fishin'Rod! :drinkup
damn ants! :Banghead The only thing i've ever seen work to rid the place of fire ants is constant application of insecticide. Although, and this is just rumor, raising the ph with a monster application of hydrated lime is supposed to run 'em off. But then your site will probably only be good for paving practice
I dont know if this would be a option but could you spray it with Round Up then maybe bring in some skid steer's or tractors with harley rakes???
Legdoc, hows that ant problem doing? Get it all taken care of? Have a pic or two of the area?
Leveling project What we used 30 years ago was railtracks. Lets see if I can discribe this. Laying a railtrack on its side with bolted springs to it, Then bolt another rail the opposite way. We used ?????? about a 50 ft cable with 2 crosbys to hold just off centre this way it windrows to one side only. If you drag in with the top of the rail forward it does a nice leveling job. IF you want to drag alot of material to level the ground, drag the bottom forward. I saw a 95 hp tractor almost do a full wheellllly it surprised the hell out of the guy I forwarned him of the probabability of this happening. Within 20 ft he picked up enought material. It was quite funny to see. The 20 ft track or what ever the length was covered alot of ground. Keep us posted it sounds interesting I havn't been on a farm tractor for years.
are there any trees in the way that have to come down in the process? how are you going to handle that?
Jumper, thanks for the inquiry. The leveling project was put on hold for awhile due to other issues. We have had 5" of rain in the last week so I am really on hold as far as the leveling. TAMU is scheduled to be back in September to do a survey on the ants. My personal observation in the treated plots show very minimal if any activity of ants. I will update with the scientific results after the guys with the white lab coats get through.
legdoc what do you use to kill the ants. i have seen fipronil used with good sucess. just curious on your chemical.
don't let the tree huggers find out you are killing ants. big trouble brewing then.