More infield maintance

[Coach Al]

I have done maintenance now and in the past. ( I am prepping the fields 1 day a week this year). I want to know how people handle stones on the infield. Our ball fields were build on a former swamp and I have a problem with stones under the surface from old attempts to place fill long before the fields were there. They have a tendency to churn up and I find myself constantly picking up or raking stones. Does anyone make a drag that will sift the top layer as it drags? It would help,as I always want a PERFECT field. I spent 3 hours prepping a field the other day and this is with a nail drag, drag mat and a small tractor.

 

[Hoover's Dad]

Coach Al, the filed that we removed the lip form this year was tilled then packed with a rolling packer( like the ones you see on highways paving asphalt) . I would vibrate the ground, well the vibrating made every stone from here to china came to the surface.

I would drag with our screen drag, as I was making my circles, I would always lift up the drag between 3rd and home, the pebbles would fall out. I did this for about an hour. I raked up the loose dirt and rocks into a pile. I had bought some hardware cloth from lowes that has about 1/4 inch holes in the mesh. Then I sifted the pile of dirt for about 10 minutes. I swear I had a over half of a 5 gal bucket of rocks and pebbles.

 

[Coach Al]

Thanks Hoover D but I want an easier way to do it, if there is one.

 

[Ken Krause]

Every two to three years we paid a specialist in field maintance to come in, churn the infield, pull out the rocks, and bring in new sand. Costs more but it's a lot easier than doing it yourself.

Your other alternative, if you have a program with several teams, is to get all the teams and their parents out there and hold a competition to see who can remove the most rocks, with a prize at the end. Many hands make light work.

 

[Coach Al]

Is anyone familiar with this product, Drag King Drag Mat by Jaypro. Drag King Drag Mat:
Will it sift out the rocks?

 

[Dave D]

There is a product, called a Cut and Level Drag, that comes with a rock sifting basket. It's basically a small grader that you can pull behind a tractor or gator or whatever. If you can get the blades adjusted right, it will skim the top layer of dirt and rocks and sift them out. I have one, and have used it over time with mixed results. If the infield isn't really wet, it works pretty well. I think ours cost about $700, shipped. You can find them in any field equipment catalog.

 

[briand]

Dave - we have been looking at that same drag. our fields are typically pretty hard and develop low areas along the edge of the infield as well as rocks on the field. Would this drag help level out areas? We do not want to spend that kind of money unless there is some certainty that it will work. thanks.