Expert: Richard Clark - 9/16/2003

Question
My husband and I have recently bought 3 acres in the country.  Our property which is part of a treeless, old soy bean field with mostly a clay soil.  We have a Bermuda grass growing   We have a creek nearby that has minor flooding on occasion so drainage is an issue.  What we want to do is clean up the ruts in the yard so that we can run a lawn tractor over it.  We possibly want a gentle slope away from the house to keep water back away from the house as much as possible.  How would you recommend fixing the problem?  We were told to rent a tractor and 8' disc, disc the property in like a cross hatching pattern and that this would help clean up the ruts.  Another problem we have is that we are not familiar with tractors and disc, or any heavy equipment for that matter, and so we are not sure if we would be able to operate the equipment by ourselves.  Is driving a tractor like driving a car? If so is it more like an automatic or a standard?  Any information you have will be extremly appreciated.  

Answer
Rachel
I would first spray the Bermuda grass with Round-up so you could plant any other grass you would like. Either disk or rototill the yard. The tractors come in automatic or standard transmission. The dealer should be able to supply you with either type and show you how to operate the equipment.
Richard