How do you grade the corners of your arena?

[catembi]

I am now the proud owner of quad + grader & having had a good old grade last week, decided to do the corners 'properly' this week. The only way to do it was unhitch, shove the grader into the corner, rehitch & then drive forward, but even then I can't get RIGHT into the corner because there is a roller at the back & the first set of grading prongs are a good 3 ft further forward. Do you just rake the corners by hand...? I think it's utterly impossible to do it with a grader... I wanted it to look all lovely & uniform! If the only option is by hand, what implement is best, please?

 

[Cortez]

....I use a rake, and a bit of effort (not much, TBF).

 

[LEC]

This is why when we build our next arena it’s getting rounded corners…. It used to make me despair with square corners. Just used a rake.

 

[teapot]

On foot with a rake unless you've got rounded corners

 

[catembi]

No I don't have rounded corners, but am starting to wish I had! Oh well, rake it is. At least it's not just me being thick...!

 

[scats]

Yep, hand rake it.

 

[ycbm]

How do i grade the corners? I can't ride that far into the corners, so not at all.

 

[Merry neddy man]

We have a hand rake that is 3ft (1mtr) wide with 2 inch (5cm) space between tthe tines makes it easy and quick to do it by hand

 

[catembi]

I just wanted the corners to look all lovely like the rest of the arena. I can't ride into them either, but I don't like them looking mossy & compacted. Looks like a good rake is the way to go! OMG, pre quad I tried raking the entire track by hand and let's just say that I didn't need to go to the gym for a bit...!

 

[Cortez]

I just wanted the corners to look all lovely like the rest of the arena. I can't ride into them either, but I don't like them looking mossy & compacted. Looks like a good rake is the way to go! OMG, pre quad I tried raking the entire track by hand and let's just say that I didn't need to go to the gym for a bit...!

I do occasionally rake in the entire outer track, it's a good workout alright.

 

[scats]

I do occasionally rake in the entire outer track, it's a good workout alright.

Me too. It’s hard work, but my god I feel like I’ve earned a couple of biscuits afterwards!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I am now the proud owner of quad + grader & having had a good old grade last week, decided to do the corners 'properly' this week. The only way to do it was unhitch, shove the grader into the corner, rehitch & then drive forward, but even then I can't get RIGHT into the corner because there is a roller at the back & the first set of grading prongs are a good 3 ft further forward. Do you just rake the corners by hand...? I think it's utterly impossible to do it with a grader... I wanted it to look all lovely & uniform! If the only option is by hand, what implement is best, please?

I have a small Kubota, and it can raise the grader and lower it, so i back up raise lower and pull forward. Also i Us one of the garden rakes and you can get equestrian one too huge.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324840908237?epid=18016567368&hash=item4ba206e5cd:g:rGYAAOSwdwphcBYU



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[Tiddlypom]

I do occasionally rake in the entire outer track, it's a good workout alright.

When I worked a few hours a week on my former diy yard to reduce my livery costs, that was my regular job. It was a properly heavy job! The yard didn't have a leveller, so I had to do the lot.

Mostly I ignore the corners on mine, they are only cosmetic, but occasionally I'll rake them in.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

....I use a rake, and a bit of effort (not much, TBF).

Yup, this was the major job on a late Sunday afternoon when I was a WP, half of us were rostered to raking in all the sides so the boss could whizz round with the tractor to get it all smart again.
In cases of prolonged bad weather, we were instructed that we had to do the indoor arena every other day!

 

[Otherwise]

Digging out the corners and raking the track where always my least favourite jobs to do working on a yard, it probably didn't help that we didn't have the time to do it often so it was always a massive task and absolutely back breaking.

 

[Goldenstar]

We dig ours out and now and again we use the bucket of a digger .
My leveller has a thing that does a great job of the sides .

 

[teddypops]

By reversing the tractor into the corner.

 

[Cortez]

We dig ours out and now and again we use the bucket of a digger .
My leveller has a thing that does a great job of the sides .

My extremely clever late OH constructed a brilliant "wing" on my leveller that scoops the sides in when required. I have to deploy it by loosening a bolt, and only used every now and again.

 

[Goldenstar]

My extremely clever late OH constructed a brilliant "wing" on my leveller that scoops the sides in when required. I have to deploy it by loosening a bolt, and only used every now and again.

That’s what mine is like I don’t have to use it like that very often my school is lightly used now it works extremely well .

 

[Tiddlypom]

Yes, my arenamate leveller has a swing arm wing thing that you can deploy to scoop in the sides. I don't find that I need to use it very often, but it works very well when I do use it.

I'm off to level the arena now, as it happens .

 

[catembi]

That is a fantastic rake! I am not buying anything else til next payday as this month I have bought: 1. A new horse 2. A manege grader and 3. A quad bike, so I need to behave myself for a bit! But that's top of the lost for my next purchase