Maintaining a grass circle

[John Fitzgerald]

How often do people with grass circles mow?   How high?  Mower type?  Mine is now about 2/3 bermudagrass since I have been mowing it now for six months.  Started out with a lot of tall grasses and weeds mixed in.

[john e. holliday]

During growing season I try to mow once a week.   Most times though it wound up being every other week.  I have my rider set at the lowest position which I think is a couple of inches.   But, I also use bigger wheels than most planes call for.

[Andrew Hathaway]

Our club's field in Salina KS is buffalo grass.  Left alone it only grows about 5" tall, the problem is the weeds and other garbage mixed in the turf.  The weeds shoot up faster than the grass and will catch lines if I let it go much longer than a week between mowings.  Our club has a couple riding mowers and the deck settings don't really equate to turf length when cut, but I generally  cut it around 3" tall.  The entire field (C/L circle and RC runway) get fertilized twice during the growing season, we spray for weeds a couple times a year, and if it doesn't rain for awhile I water.  I also pull a heavy roller behind the mower as often as I can tolerate, which was about once a month this summer.  The roller is only effective within about 48 hours of a good rain, or watering.  If I skip the watering and rolling, the soil tends to dry out and cracks form in addition to the grass going dormant.  I manually remove as many dandelions, anything with stickers, and other obvious weeds year round as often as I can, which helps lengthen time between mowing.  There are times I spend more time maintaining the field than I spend flying, but I'm picky about caring for my equipment. 

[Don Chandler]

I use a riding lawn mower set to the lowest setting. Right now once a week does it but in spring with rains in northern Calif. I mow 2 to 3 times a week.

[Motorman]

I set the mower until it digs dirt then bring it up a notch.


MM

[Chris Wilson]

I have seen a circle mowed with a walk behind self propelled lawn mower using a control line attached to a yolk on the chassis.

Simply hammer a large stake into the center of the circle, attach one end of the rope to the stake and the other end to a Y shaped yolk that fixes to the mower's 'fuselage' (the
lead out angle on the yolk is important here I believe! Slight out thrust preferred.)
Set the mower in motion and the rope will simply windlass around the stake causing the cutting path to spiral inwards.

Pretty much set and forget once you get the angle right!

[John Rist]

I have seen a circle mowed with a walk behind self propelled lawn mower using a control line attached to a yolk on the chassis.

Simply hammer a large stake into the center of the circle, attach one end of the rope to the stake and the other end to a Y shaped yolk that fixes to the mower's 'fuselage' (the
lead out angle on the yolk is important here I believe! Slight out thrust preferred.)
Set the mower in motion and the rope will simply windlass around the stake causing the cutting path to spiral inwards.

Pretty much set and forget once you get the angle right!

I have seen this setup using a tire rim as the rope spindle.  The gas load was set so that the lawn mower runs out of gas and stops.

[Steven Kientz]

I'm sure  Tim Wescott could build an eeelectronic gizmo that would  shut the mower off, not to mention flashing lites and maybe even a sound card!

[Dave_Trible]

Sometimes.......went to our new site yesterday to do a little work on the field and found the punks had been there.  I re-mowed a new circle on further back near the levee and actually found better ground anyway.  Also when the weeds grow back the new circle will be hidden which may be better.

Dave

[Steven Kientz]

Dave a couple of 2x4s with nails should take care of that "punk" problem.

[John Fitzgerald]

That's terrible.   A couple frat boys doing that sort of thing near here a few years ago were caught when stuck up to the frame.  That is what should happen.

[Dave_Trible]

I sure wasn't happy but maybe it will work out better.  What I didn't envision was how this spot would hold water like it is.  It would have always been soggy.  I'd planned a load of fill dirt but this now would take 4 or five loads and a grader.  Then they'd still be back probably.  The mud hole drew them.  The new spot is dry as a bone and really doesn't need much fill.  This spot is pretty remote.  Cops don't patrol it.  I was out there about 5 hours yesterday and three vehicles drove through-looked like couples making whoopy at the far end of the area.  Nothing to slow the kids (whatever age) down.  I'm hoping the new spot doesn't appeal too much ,  if they can even see it.  I can see putting up posts around the circle at some point.  Until then tire spikes sound pretty good!
Dave

[Bill Heher]

Tire spikes are easy and cheap, don't use a 2x4, use 1/4" ply squares about 6 x 6" with a 16p nail through it, paint the pointy side black, the backside white.
When "securing" the field the spikes are up, and the black paint makes them hard to see. When you fly, flip them over and step nail into the ground, the white makes them easy to find....

[john e. holliday]

If I remember right there is a farm house at the end of the road.   The day I was there Shawnee patrolman drove by several times.

[George Hostler]

I have seen a circle mowed with a walk behind self propelled lawn mower using a control line attached to a yolk on the chassis. Simply hammer a large stake into the center of the circle, attach one end of the rope to the stake and the other end to a Y shaped yolk that fixes to the mower's 'fuselage' (the lead out angle on the yolk is important here I believe! Slight out thrust preferred.) Set the mower in motion and the rope will simply windlass around the stake causing the cutting path to spiral inwards. Pretty much set and forget once you get the angle right!

What's the average width of a self propelled cut, 21"? Figuring a 6" overlap starting means roll up drum would be 15" circumference to align with next cut. A 4-3/4" diameter drum mounted to that center pole would provide the right amount of reel in. It would take 56 revolutions to reel in the mower to the pole, figuring a 70' radius. If one used strong, thin steel cable would not alter the last cuts near the pole by preventing excessive overlap diameter due to cable thickness. Gee, control line is better, this is simpler than a radio controlled mower!

[Chris Wilson]

Can't believe that you actually did the math George!

[John Fitzgerald]

I think I would rather walk behind the mower for needed exercise.

[Dave_Trible]

Well that's 20,120 square feet.  Sometimes I wonder if it's exercise or a test of age.  On my best days an hour and a half.  On other days three hours or multiple trips.  I'm investing in a new tractor to save flying time and trips to the doctor.  Might sell the push mower cheap!

Dave

[John Fitzgerald]

My circle is 76 ft radius.   18,146 sq feet. That is about 46 minutes of mowing at 3 mph with a cut width of 18 inches assuming 3 inch average overlap on a 21 inch cut mower, or about 20 minutes with a 42 inch cut ZTR rider.

[Dave_Trible]

John I cut around 80 ft. Since the weeds can reach about four feet around the circle and yes, I hit them once dragging out a glide.  Then there is a nature stop.  12 minutes to sip coffee,  9 minutes to wipe the forehead,  1 minute to tie a shoe,  one gas stop and six stops to rub the sore hip.  Yup about three hours.

Dave

[john e. holliday]

Dave, as I have said before I have this Husqvarna sitting here needing to be used.    Just need to get the family to leave me alone.   Now we have to wait for the water to go down from all this rain.  

Meant to also say, don't go buying a riding mower until you try this one.   Need to know your schedule so we can do something.

[Dave_Trible]

Dave, as I have said before I have this Husqvarna sitting here needing to be used.    Just need to get the family to leave me alone.   Now we have to wait for the water to go down from all this rain.  

Meant to also say, don't go buying a riding mower until you try this one.   Need to know your schedule so we can do something.

Doc I'll be out there Thurs or Friday next week for another mowing and seeding on the new spot.  Bring her out!  We need to figure out a pit and parking.  I'll call when I know when.  I'm sure the former spot is a lake today.  Looked like a big herd of deer came to drink the other day by the tracks everywhere.

John to your original question I cut as low as the mower will go.  That's 1 1/4" on mine and many others I've seen.  The first cutting that low can be tough if the thatch down low hasn't been cut through before.  If you do this during hot weather you'll think you killed the grass but it will come back lush and green but at a new low level.  Both these last circles I've started were in the fall when the grass was mostly going dormant anyway.  I mow at least the spot where I take off about every three or four days.  That works real well for my 2 1/4" wheels and at least 1" prop ground  clearance.  The fuel kills the grass so seed patching is done once in a while.

[john gunn]

You are working hard to do this, do it the cowboy way,,,,put a goat on a  rope,they will eat anything , mowing will be easier after that

[John Fitzgerald]

I probably need to cut lower the last mowings of season.  Initial cut was 2 inches last spring. Most of the summer 3 inches.   Most recently 2-1/2 inches.  Trying to get it to propagate into an all bermuda grass field.  I think the frequent mowing finally did the johnson grass and most weeds in.  So far today, three inches of rain and still coming down.   No significant standing water on my field yet.

[Arlan McKee]

Getting some lime down in the fall is just as important as fertilizer during the growing season. I would spread about 300 pounds of dolemitic lime on the circle in November and then take a sample of the top 6 inches of soil in the spring and send it to A&L Laboratories in Memphis. Their basic soil analysis is around $7 or $8 and will tell you soil pH with lime and fertilizer recommendations. Keep it cut as low.as.possible until the temps reach the 90's then raise it up to keep from burning it during the dog days.

[John Stiles]

Both my fields are poor man's grass mostly, and I mow them with a BX-2660 Kubota and 60" belly mower. It's the same tractor I use to cut 20 acres of hay, rake it and bale it each year. I try to keep the flying fields at 2", all my planes are tail draggers except for 2 bigger planes that have good prop to ground clearance. Shorter than that and I get too much dirt on my planes.

[John Fitzgerald]

Today I mowed the circle with the push mower on a rope harness method.  I set a "T" post in the center then placed a 4.5 inch pipe over it.   By the time I set up and took the system down it was almost more trouble than it was worth.  The mower took about 50 minutes and a little over a quart of gas.  Afraid to let it just go without watching.  Too many ugly things could happen, like turning in and wrapping rope around shaft, coming untied and running into the creek or brush, etc.  It did do an excellent job with the 6 inch or so overlap.  Better than my ZTR.

[George Hostler]

Can't believe that you actually did the math George!

I graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1981 with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. That means I'm a nerd. 

[John Stiles]

 Afraid to let it just go without watching.  Too many ugly things could happen, like turning in and wrapping rope around shaft,

How about if you move your leadouts farther back, or tighten up[the brakes] the rear outboard wheel? 

[Dave_Trible]

This should make life easier.  Just bought this puppy for the new flying field.

Dave