R

rookie1255

Member
The largest lawn roller I found was 24" diameter and 48" wide. There's a 60" wide model but online reviews say it's garbage.

I was thinking of a Polaris ranger to tow the roller. An alternative would be buying a vibratory roller for a skid steer I have. I don't know if it would do the same job as a lawn roller though, and since it mounts in front of the skid steer I would be worried of the tracks leaving their marks since they would be following the roller.

What's the right/best way to do this? Goal is to have a nice flat strip without tearing up the grass or leaving equipment marks.
 
This partially depends on how often the runway needs rolling. The small rollers won't do anything useful. If you consider the contact area of your airplane tires and its weight, then a comparable roller will need to weigh thousands of pounds (since it has a much larger contact area).

I roll "as needed" which is once every 2-4 years. I hire a contractor with a vibrating roller.
 
I'll be interested in what you learn

Turf strip here since 1999, carved out of a rolling hayfield. Harvested a bumper crop of rocks for the first year of grading it smooth. After the seed was drilled in there were the inevitable hillocks and moguls/depressions from not having used a motor grader to completion (it broke down in the middle of the job and we said never mind, let's get this thing planted.)

Every year I roll the runway with a 60" x 24" roller from Northern Tool filled with concrete. Massive thing. Must be towed carefully to avoid breaking the welds on the yoke, and to baby the transmissions in my zero turn mower. It works best after the spring rains when the turf has dried back out just enough to withstand the tire tread but is still semi-soft. I also frequently pull a smaller spiker-aerator roller filled with water behind me as I mow, but can't honestly tell that it does anything.

I've located an excavation contractor willing to let me play with his vibratory self-propelled roller for a weekend, and I intend to take him up on it. Probably won't until the July heat moves out and there is less stress on the bluegrass.
 
Bill makes several good points.

Roll when the turf when it's not bone dry. After a rain is good but here is a happy medium between enough moisture to help the roller and not so much to rut from the motorized vehicle.

Original turn preparation also plays a big part. My turf was bulldozed and graded by heavy equipment and rolled before and after initial seeding. It was five years before I even considered needing it rolled again.

It probably also helps hat my strip was cut out of a corn field ;)
 
Not an expert on rolling but I've been to both Glen and Bill's runways and they are perfect! Having nearly 150 different non paved strips under my belt I do know what perfect means. If you ever need a virgin runway tester let me know :D






 
Vlad, have you landed at Triple Tree Aerodrome yet? That runway is the epitome of grass runways!
 
Infidel said:
Vlad, have you landed at Triple Tree Aerodrome yet? That runway is the epitome of grass runways!
Click to expand...

I did couple times and it's on the same scale as CLE4. Ron's strip is actually a bit better it doesn't have that sticking drain grid at the end :)
 
Ours is 'shop built' using steel 55 gal drums welded end to end & filled with concrete. Haven't measured width, but it's probably around 10'. Old enough now that the drums are starting to disappear, but that has no effect on the roller. :)

I'm not sure you could pull it safely with a 4 wheeler or UTV; we use a tractor. (We're pilots; one would be enough for everybody and the runway, but everybody has their own. No airplane partnerships, and no tractor partnerships) here!

The ground definitely needs to be fairly wet for it to be effective. If the ground's soft/wet enough for the roller to be effective, the roller will remove any tracks left by the tractor, though that's not normally an issue with good turf, anyway. Of course, your mileage (dirt & turf) may vary.

If you want to use your skid/steer, just pull instead of push.

Charlie
 
Roller

I use a 450 gallon propane tank. The man that runs the route to fill my propane gave me a tank for taking his family flying. I cut off all the fittings and welded on bearings and a frame to pull it. I welded on two water fittings so I can fill and drain the tank. That gives me around 5000+ lbs when filled. The important thing about a roller is you want it just slightly wider than your tractor tires. You need to roll when the ground is moist enough for the roller to work, but not so much that your tires do more damage than the roller can remove.
 
This is what I use. Maybe a good scavenger hunt would turn one up, or you could make one. I have the best results rolling the runway as soon as the frost comes out in the Spring. It doesn't seem to do much if you wait until Summer. Keep the tow vehicle as light as possible. It can make tracks if too heavy.
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My buddy made this one for his yard. If welding on a propane tank doesn't bother you, you could make one like this. He is a professional welder and it didn't seem to bother him.

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Nathan
 
How to roll a grass runway

Gee, I would have dived to about 170, nose up 10 degrees, full aileron, etc. At 1500 AGL to be legal, of course...
 
Pretty close to an answer

Big roller and a tractor seems to be the answer. Not going to build one out of a propane tank. Who sells giant rollers? I can't seem to find a supplier online. Thanks everyone for all the help!
 
Roller

Try a farm equipment dealer. Farmers use them around here to pack the soil immediately after planting certain crops. Usually for peas. I know Mandako makes them and probably many other companies do too. Mandako's site says they make them from 6' to 60' or custom made. Hope that helps.
Nathan
 
After 62 years of never being rolled I rented HUGE vibrating roller to do my runway. This thing was massive, with a roller on the front and back ends. It compacted the ground about 2" as I drove it.
The first time I used the runway I could not believe how smooth it was, but I think it was more wishful thinking than anything - like how your car runs better after a oil change. I have concluded that it really did not make much difference and was not worth the time or money.
 
I made the mistake and rolled too much after my earthwork was completed. I can't recall the size of the roller as it was borrowed from a friend, but it took about a 70HP tractor to pull it when it was full of water. Problem is, it has taken me about 4 years to get a decent stand of grass, and this year I plan to re-sow, then topdress it with about a tri-axle load or two of screened topsoil. I tried a slit seeder a few times, but I've carried no telling how many loads of rock off. The slit seeder seems to work up the rock only and does little to get the seed in the ground, since it's still so compacted. It is firm to say the least, even after a solid rain, but it has taken awhile for the grass to take hold. I should've known, as it's mostly clay soil around here, but ya live and learn!
 
Compaction

After any rolling operation the ground should be aerated. The timing on the aeration operation is tricky since the ground must be soft enough to pull a sufficient core, but be firm enough not to leave ruts. (And don't worry about the cores, they will quickly disintegrate) If possible any maintenance operation on the runway should be with machinery equipped with turf style tires to prevent ruts and/or compaction.

Here's my signature block from a previous life:

Jim
Minnesota Farm Boy
BS, Iowa State University, Agronomy
MS, Iowa State University, Agronomy
 
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