How to grade a yard with a skid steer

We all know that there are probably no better machines to grade your yard than skid steers. They are quick, agile, compact, and technically built for such tasks. But do we all also know how to correctly grade a yard with Kubota skid steers or Bobcat skid loaders? If your answer to that question is ‘no,’ read on. If it is ‘yes,’ I would still recommend looking at the below instructions. There are chances you might be missing some steps. You might also learn a quicker way of grading yard area. Read on and find out for yourself. 

Why is it important to level your yard? 

You probably think it is obvious that we all would like to have a nice, aesthetically pleasing, and even yard. This is true, but did you know there are other, perhaps more important, reasons for getting into the skid steer and starting grading? 

If your yard is not level, your house can get seriously damaged by water pooling around and destroying the foundation of the building. Leaks will occur, and the wooden parts of your home will start to rot. This can even result in home structure damage. 

Lower areas of your uneven yard will suffer from drainage problems, which will, in turn, attract lawn disease and may breed mosquitos. These pests are not the friendliest type of creatures, which you have probably already had the chance to find out on many occasions. 

If your yard is even, lawn care becomes a pleasure rather than a burden. Your lawnmower will cut the grass at the same height, and the process will not be as tiresome as it used to be. 

Lastly, uneven yard poses a threat to health. Maybe you are mindful and do not run on it as much, but your children (or your visitors’ children) might get hurt while trying to traverse an uneven loan. Now that you are fully convinced it is of utmost importance to have a level yard, it is time to start the preparations.  

Ground leveling tools – get the proper skid steer bucket attachment 

First, you will want to ensure you see what you do. During the process, the skid steer bucket will be the extension of your arms, so you need to make sure you can control what it does. The edge of the bucket attachment must be visible to you, as the grading will be easier if this is the case. 

The skid steer buckets with lower sides and back, as well as the extended bottom, will be perfect for the job. One bent at the back will help with leveling while reversing. Lastly, the ideal size of the bucket attachment will guarantee the best grading efficiency. Make sure that the bucket you choose is at least 2 inches wider than the tires of the skid steer. The machine will then not track over the graded soil. 

Assess your surrounding and prepare the grading area 

This may seem like a trivial thing because most of us clearly see whether there is enough space to maneuver the skid steer. But have you considered whether there is any plumbing installation or utility lines below the ground that you might accidentally damage while working? Or perhaps there is a sprinkler system that is not visible until it starts working. 

You might also want to consider looking up. Think about the surrounding balconies, porches, or buildings in general. Remember that the bucket attachment also goes up and down, and if it goes up too much, you might end up having more work to do than just grading the yard area. 

To start with, you might want to mark off the entire area using a temporary fence. It can be made of plastic or fabric. Its function is to help you keep all the debris within the area you are working on. Make sure there are no weeds, larger grass, trees, brush, or rocks covering the grading area. If so, first remove them. Then, use a skeleton skid steer bucket attachment to remove any large rocks, but only the rocks roughly the size of a tennis ball (or larger). 

Start with rough grading passes 

After finishing the initial steps, it is time to start level ground. Firstly, establish where the unwanted dirt will go. Wherever you see the ground is significantly lower, fill up the low points with the dirt from the highest areas. In that way, before you start final grading, the top layer of your yard will already be as level as possible. This process is often called rough grading. 

Remember to build up dirt next to buildings if it’s necessary. The rest of the soil will have to be moved to one easily accessible spoils pile. At the end of your grading, you will use the remains for other purposes on your small farm or land. 

Alternatively, you can hire a dumpster to dispose of the spoils pile for you. There might be a situation where your area is very low. You will need to add soil to make it your desired level. Calculate how much soil you need and have more soil delivered or import topsoil before you start further work. 

Shoot grade elevations 

If you require more help with establishing the level of your grading, install grade stakes and leveling rods that will help guide you. You should set up a benchmark to start with. It can be a foundation of a nearby building or simply the floor inside one of the surrounding houses. This will constitute the point up to which you are going to add soil or remove it in order to match this level. 

Also, it is not a bad idea to have someone assist you while you work — the person helping you will operate the leveling rod by holding it at the benchmark level. Then, while looking through builders’ transit, you will be able to take the benchmark measurement. The situation repeats until you take all the measurements you need. 

Areas that need more soil will indicate a higher figure than your benchmark measurement. However, in the areas where you need to reduce the amount of soil, your measurement will be smaller than the benchmark measurement. Now you can transfer the differences on the stakes and place them into the ground in the places where your helper held the leveling rod. 

Final grade passes 

The next step, called the final grade, requires more precise work and fine adjustments. You will use the back of the skid steer bucket as a grading blade while driving in reverse. Keep the bucket low and flat with the arms lowered. Start working at a low speed and make minor corrections to the bucket angle rather than the skid steer arms. This will affect the depth at which the bucket goes into the ground. 

It can take a while to get used to the way the skid steer bucket works and how to make it go deeper or drag more dirt along. Eventually, you will be able to drive your skid steer at a consistent pace while making slight adjustments and making more precise final grading. 

The finished grade uppermost part should match the level of any nearby building. If it is too high, your skid steer will have to work a little bit more using the back blade, working the same technique as the one described above. If you are planning on adding sod, the nearby fixtures should lie a bit higher (two to three inches). 

Once you finish grading and are happy with the result, there is one more step to be taken. You will need to check if the final grade left the surface as level as you set out for. Use garden hoses to water the entire area and look out for puddles. After the soil dries, you can then repeat the work with a skid steer and take the soil from higher spots to the places where the puddles previously formed. You can also use a hand rake for some smaller adjustments. 

Key points to remember 

You need to be very careful not to destroy the work you do. This can be done by sudden movements of the loader arms or wheels spinning in soft spots. In such cases, you will have to redo all your hard work. The sweet spot is to be quick but also smooth and precise. A tough challenge, but if you know your skid steer well, it should not take long to become a smooth operator. 

Starting slow and slightly speeding up is the best approach. Do not operate the skid steer loader at high speed. It will not be easy to respond quickly to changing circumstances. Stick to a comfortable medium speed. 

Complete small sections at a time because you should not handle the same dirt more than once. It might be a good idea to work diagonally. It will help you see if the grading area is level. 

The process is similar if you need to add gravel on top of your graded area. After grading the surface, lay down the landscaping fabric to prevent the weeds from growing through the gravel. Afterward, move over the gravel area with the skid steer bucket full of gravel and spread gravel consistently by slowly tilting the bucket forward. The technique for spreading the gravel is the same as in the case of grading. You can also use a hand rake to help you manage minor unevenness within the final gravel spread. 

Ready? Steady?… 

Now you know all the secrets of grading and can begin working. If, after a few tries, you feel like you are hopeless at grading, stop with these thoughts immediately. It takes ages to get used to the machine and how it works. Even professionals admit they had spent even years practicing before they became smooth in operating the skid steer.

If you do not have that much time, you can always hire someone who will gladly help you with grading passes. But is it not more satisfying and rewarding when you finally learn how to grade yard yourself? Whichever option you choose, I hope your finished grade will leave you with a perfectly level yard.