Track packer

Never built a packer (yet), but have always felt proper track building (moisture and packing) and an excellent "V" blade or an 8 ft blade with wings on the end with skid shoes built into them and a "floating" top link were far more important than a packer packing mounds of dirt during the event.  There should be a Federal Law banning the use of chisel plows and heavy discs to make a track !!   The deeper the track is worked, the deeper the spin-out holes are you have to fill back in.  I guess I didn't really answer your question did I ???

I’m going out against the grain here, however I have to disagree with Dr. Allis on the chioce of tools to build a track. Although we may see Eye to eye that you can’t build a good track with only an hour head start from pull time. The main advantage to working deep is to get moisture down into dry ground so as to not have the track dry out while pulling. Then on the flip side after some rain, a track must be worked deep to find dry dirt to mix with the wet on top. Anyway that you are going to build a pulling track work must be done well in advance to have the time needed to get the dirt to a uniform consistency and to slowly pack it to the desired firmness. I have started to build many tracks with a sub-soiler then go to a field cultivator. Keep at it with the field cultivator until you have the consistency of sand. Then start adding water as your working. After you think the moisture is getting where you want it, began to lightly blade until things smooth up. This can even be done with a straight blade if the angle is reversed a number of times. With a depth stop on the tractor lift. After awhile you’ll get to where the blade isn’t doing much. Then it is time to roll it. I’ve been helping out building tracks this way since the 70s and generally here comments like “that track took more power than I’ve ever seen” and “what a consistent track from beginning to end”. Also the moisture will rise on a hot summer day and will need less add in water. To do to properly takes more than a day and in the middle of the summer can take nearly a week.
Then there is the scool of thought that blading off the grass makes a pulling track.

Edited by PaulB - 09 Nov 2018 at 9:50am

most of the time the town ship has a pull type rubber tire roller they will let you use on the weekend. did that many times.

The Track at Shreveport was a real mess when I got there a 7:30 AM on Friday. The General Area around Shreveport got a 3 1/2 to 4" rain Wednesday and Thursday night. It was a grass patch with puddles standing here and there.  All we had to work with was a Allis D Grader. On its first pass from start to finish with the blade up it sunk in mud up to the rims. Somebody showed up with a 3 point angle blade.   Useless at this point. 

We use two 330gal totes for constant weight and two hundred gal tank to wet track during the pull and it so nice to just dump the water out to make hauling so much easier

It's got both a flood bar for major water and sprayer tips for every pass dust control sorry wasn't clear

Sold my packer to a local farmer to use for its intended purpose.