I know it's not rocket science but do you have any practical tips for an ATV drag? I got a 5x5 foot section of chain link for free yesterday so probably going to put something together for the fall. Tips for easy transport, solid construction, etc. Pictures of what you've put together would be good too.

I gave mine away and don't have any pictures, but I went to the junk yard and got me two iron pipes. I put two I bolts on each end and ran cable through them and just wrapped it around my ball hitch. Then I got another pipe and attached it to the other end of the fence with bolts and lock nuts. So I had one on the end to the atv and one away. When I got done I rolled them up together and tied them up with a ratchet strap for easy transport.

What he said.

Plus I'd throw some tires on top for a little more weight.

I forgot I had to have flat metal pieces to drill through to clasp the fence between it and the pipe with the bolts. Little tidbit put the fence on top side of the pole near atv and on the bottom side of the end away from the atv so the weight is pressing down. I had them with the fence on top at first and it didn't work as well.

I used a 16 ft wide bull panel a few years ago. Reinforced the front with a steal rod to tie too and tied crossties on the back. It worked great.

What gage fencing is it. I have one built from 6AWG wire and it is approaching 20 years old and only have done a couple of repairs over that time. The one below is about 6x8, I overlapped it for extra weight and durability. For me the length was most important because you had more contact with the ground where you were dragging. Used chains after ropes or belts broke and have not had to replace them once.

Those drags shown do a fine job, i used to use some just like that, but they are a pain in the ass to transport. Buy a 50' roll of chainlink. Insert either a pipe or 4x4 thru the middle of the roll. Attach a ski rope to either the pipe or 4x4. Leave the roll rolled up. All the weight is in one place, a heavy footprint. No need to add pipes or tires. Easy to transport on the back of an atv. I use ropes,instead of chains, because if i hit a stump, i want the rope to break. A chain will bring you to a sudden stop tearing up either you, your atv or something else. The fencing really breaks up clods and smooths the plot.

I've always just used the ramp of my utility trailer
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Muzziehead,
Your drag looks almost identical to ours. The difference being we have several cinder blocks on the fence where you've used tires. I think the tires are a better idea since it spreads the weight more evenly over a larger area. I'm sure they don't roll around on top of the fence if there's a bumpy patch of ground, either.

jbc,
Does the forward end of your drag ever dig into the ground or hop up and down, skipping spots? Maybe yours is heavy enough to avoid that? Just wondering.

You can burn the covering and cushion off a set of box spring and drag them. I have a old mattress with springs that would work great for this. They are setting by the road waiting on garbage to pick up.

no, with the proper amount of slack in my strap it doesn't bounce and works perfectly.

it is a very heavy gate, so I'm sure that helps

Thanks!

I purchased one from bass pro several years ago. Wanna say it was HS brand but it's under a new name now. I've definitely gotten my money out of that dude..

If you want a store bought (well made) drag I have a 7' spike tooth drag that you hook onto a tractors hitch. It works very well for leveling humps and holes but is VERY intolerant of grass. It will ball that up and drag it to the end. If you spray and disc it up clean it works great. Don't fool with it anymore myself. It's a pain to use on my tractor. You have to let the top link all the way out to get it to lay flat on the ground and then shorten it back up to move it from plot to plot.

Thanks. I have access to free chainlink. I'm looking for something more on the light duty side of things. The goal is for me to be able to be preparing the seed bed/covering seed on one field while my cousin is disking up the other (or vise versa).

I've always thought it would be pretty easy to make a culti packer yourself. Take a piece of pipe, some quik Crete and some spindles, hubs, and bearings from the scrap yard. Then maybe wrap it in chain link or drill holes and add some bolts while it's still a little wet

Got the drag done this evening! Thanks for the input guys.

Nice drag Joe.... ......If it hasn't already been said, watch out for stobs that the drag can snag on. That'll mess one up in a hurry.

Never used a drag and always had nice plot a few years ago. You can just lower your disk until it barely covers the soil and go fast. Overlap on each trip 1/2 of atv or tractor width. Might not be as smooth looking, but if the plot is cut up well when dry it works just as good.