# Fixing a damaged hay field



## GunGeek (Sep 5, 2015)

I already talked to farmercline about this but wanted to get some other input. Long story short a company drove through one of our hay fields after almost a solid month of rain damaging about a 1/4 mile stretch the width of their truck and trailer. Some areas are wider where they tried to turn but got stuck and backed up. Eventually they got stuck and had to be pulled out. Some areas were rutted out to almost a foot deep. What do you guys think would be the best way to fix this, we have already told the company they are paying for the damages. We have limited equipment but are looking into other people or companies that could do the work.

My thoughts are that the whole path needs to be disced up then reseaded and covered with straw rolls. Maybe I am wrong.

At my estimate I will be losing at least 100 small squares per cutting for the next 2 to 3 years. IMO they should pay for that loss as well.

Thoughts, comments suggestions?


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I agree that disking and reseeding is the route to go.

I would get a couple of neighbors to give written estimates on what they would charge to repair the damage. Remember to add the cost of fertilizer.

I once worked summers with my uncle who did reclamation for utility companies. Some land owners did not ask for much. Some owners wanted all traces of any work done to be put back right. The utility companies never argued with the land owner, just paid us whatever it took to make them happy.

Ask and ye shall receive.


----------



## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Depends on you soil types but you may have some long term damage that may show up for years. The soil structure is ruined and the ground will not drain, the water will sit right on top. Then when it does get dry the plants wont be able to get roots thru the compaction. When it is dry You need to deep till it as deep as something can be pulled through it. Did they go across the field one time plus getting unstuck or did they drive over it multiple time?


----------



## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

Was it a utility company? I'd take pictures of all the damage and if you have some pictures of what it looked like before to use for comparison I'd go to the utility and ask them to restore it. If it was a utility you might also want to check and see if they have a right of way most times they do but if they don't then they were trespassing which means you could be in for some money if you chose to go that route.

I worked for a company that did line clearance trimming and removing trees along power lines and on several occasions the "forester" (who worked for the utility) sent us out on jobs where the utility supposedly had right of way and they didn't one in particular stands out because it was June and we'd just gotten a lot of rain and they sent three or four crews i.e. three or four trucks out into the middle of this soybean field about a quarter mile off the road and just trashed this field huge ruts every where, trucks getting stuck, the trucks they were sending to get the stuck trucks out were getting stuck, was a huge mess ended up they didn't have a right of way and had no business being in the middle of that field, cost the utility almost a million dollars by the time it was all said and done. They had to pay for the loss of all the soybeans they destroyed plus restoring the ground to its original state.


----------



## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

You're going to have deep compaction problems in those areas where they drove and got stuck... how bad it is depends on your soil types, soil profile, and depth, as well as weight and size of the equipment they were driving back there...

I would recommend you get a neighbor with a big tractor and deep tillage ripper of some sort to come in and double-rip the area, at angles to each other from one pass to the next, to eliminate this deep compaction. Then you'll need to disk the ground flat, possibly drag it to fill in ruts or low spots or drag down humps created by the lateral movement of soil from under loaded vehicles passing over it, and then either allow rain to settle it or run a cultipacker over it and then reseed the grass...

Just disking it and dragging in the holes isn't going to do much but cover up the problems, and with time they'll reappear like you did nothing at all... dirt dragged into the holes will settle in and leave depressions and the disking will do NOTHING to alleviate deep compaction...

In addition, probably due to soil compaction, several passes with the disk in angled directions from one pass to the next will probably be required to break up the clods enough, especially in clay type soils...

Sandier soils wouldn't be as badly damaged, but still will suffer deep compaction from heavy equipment going over it multiple times with soil conditions too wet... clays will absolutely turn to concrete and will take a lot of work to get loosened up... clayey type soils will also take years to actually "get back to normal" as the tilth is ruined by running too much on wet ground... the particles will stick together like concrete, even when broken up, until roots and soil microbia reestablish themselves and restore the tilth...

Hope you've got a good agreement that stipulates in writing they are responsible for damages and mitigation requirements...

Damage to the yields will depend on the soil type and amount of damage, and how long it takes to get a replacement stand established...

Later and good luck! OL J R


----------



## GunGeek (Sep 5, 2015)

Thorim said:


> Was it a utility company? I'd take pictures of all the damage and if you have some pictures of what it looked like before to use for comparison I'd go to the utility and ask them to restore it. If it was a utility you might also want to check and see if they have a right of way most times they do but if they don't then they were trespassing which means you could be in for some money if you chose to go that route.
> 
> I worked for a company that did line clearance trimming and removing trees along power lines and on several occasions the "forester" (who worked for the utility) sent us out on jobs where the utility supposedly had right of way and they didn't one in particular stands out because it was June and we'd just gotten a lot of rain and they sent three or four crews i.e. three or four trucks out into the middle of this soybean field about a quarter mile off the road and just trashed this field huge ruts every where, trucks getting stuck, the trucks they were sending to get the stuck trucks out were getting stuck, was a huge mess ended up they didn't have a right of way and had no business being in the middle of that field, cost the utility almost a million dollars by the time it was all said and done. They had to pay for the loss of all the soybeans they destroyed plus restoring the ground to its original state.


It wasn't a utility company it was a contractor for another company going to install a shed on a neighbors property, got lost and attempted to turn their truck and 40' trailer with about 7000lbs + on it around in our field. They said they kept trying to get back to the road but the trailer kept sliding back down the hill hence the long distance.


----------



## GunGeek (Sep 5, 2015)

luke strawwalker said:


> You're going to have deep compaction problems in those areas where they drove and got stuck... how bad it is depends on your soil types, soil profile, and depth, as well as weight and size of the equipment they were driving back there...
> 
> Later and good luck! OL J R


We are in red clay type dirt. It sounds like the damage may be worse than I initially thought. As I just replied it was a 2500 pickup with a 40' trailer and about 7k lbs of steel on it in addition to the trailer. Then to get them out a JD4320 was used. I have a 70hp tractor but nothing to till it up at this point. I have a walk behind tiller but that would suck.


----------



## GunGeek (Sep 5, 2015)

Here is an album of some of the damage.


http://imgur.com/PRj8y


It stretches all the way back to about that green barn in the back. I took a video as well and walked the entire length of the damage and another of them being pulled out. Using one of those fitbit things it says its about 1/4 mile plus a bit.


----------



## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

GunGeek said:


> We are in red clay type dirt. It sounds like the damage may be worse than I initially thought. As I just replied it was a 2500 pickup with a 40' trailer and about 7k lbs of steel on it in addition to the trailer. Then to get them out a JD4320 was used. I have a 70hp tractor but nothing to till it up at this point. I have a walk behind tiller but that would suck.


Yeah sounds like to "do it right" you need to find a row crop BTO with a big tractor and an inline ripper or V-ripper that can sink that thing in the ground 15 inches and break up that compaction...

Technically a guy COULD do it with a smaller tractor and a decent subsoiler, but the problem with that is you'll be repacking it about as fast as you break it up, since most small subsoilers are single shank...

Best bet doing it that way would be to do single-tractor-width passes running the opposite tire in the opposite tire track from the last pass, then give it a day to dry out, and come back and move over between the tire track and the subsoiler track and do the same thing again, then do the same on the other side of the ripper tracks... let it dry out a day, then come in and do it all over again on the bias (at say a 20-30 degree angle or so to the first passes which would all be parallel).

That should subsoil everything with multiple passes about 15-20 inches apart, which should break up all the compaction, especially if you follow up on the bias...

Getting a big neighbor with a ripper would save a lot of time... and probably wouldn't cost much either, because it's not a lot of ground...

Take pictures of everything beforehand and keep records of all your communications with the responsible party as well as anything you do, keep records and bills and photograph everything at every stage... Make sure you've got documentation of everything so that if it ends up in court, you're covered...

Lots of guys will "talk a good game" but when it comes time to pull out the checkbook and pay for their stupidity, they balk... be prepared to back up your claims in court...

Later! OL J R 

PS... A tiller will do NOTHING!


----------



## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

If they're a good reputable company, they'll take care of what needs to be done. They have insurance, and will probably have to use it. I'm really sorry to hear this happened to ya. It reminds me of all the spoiled young guys with lifted trucks I've known, that thought it would be cool to do donuts in a farmers field.... that got stuck, ended up in jail, and faced massive fines for the restoration. I never felt for them.


----------



## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

Make sur e you create a paper trail including all your time so when they don't come through with payment your lawyer can take them to court. Remember you did not cause the headache they did !


----------



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Like others have said a subsoiler/ripper to break up the compacted areas would be a very good idea then disc everything back smooth and seed. Depending on how rough it actually is a good heavy disc may be needed to get it back smooth. While straw wouldn't hurt anything it isn't necessary to put straw down after planting......when I plow up a field and replant I don't use straw as it would be impractical to do so......a few bales in a wash out area is a good idea though. If done properly you should not have a reduced yield for 2-3 years. The first year while it's establishing the yield will be reduced but the second year it should be full production.....at least this is what I have seen when I plant a new field of grass hay.....and after 4-5 years the yield then starts declining again.


----------



## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Just a pickup and trailer and they got pulled out with a 4230, one trip in and out. there may be a lot of surface damage but just leveling it out and reseeding it when it drys out should do the trick. The first advice I gave I was thinking a utility made a road thru your field.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

A lot depends on your soil structure but I would be willing to bet that the above post ^ would do the trick.....I too thought you were speaking of something like a digger Derrick or bucket truck, perhaps pulling a backhoe or something.....what kinda field is that? Looks like grass?


----------

