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No-Machine easy sod/turf removal method
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- čas přidán 15. 04. 2021
- This shows a process for removing turf/sod without using a powered sod cutting machine. It's not so much the cost of renting a machine but rather the fact that I don't have a truck or a trailer hitch for transporting it. This process streamlines the job of pulling up existing turf and produces nice neat rolls of sod that you can pass on to someone else to use. Saves you the trouble and expense of having to dispose of it yourself.
I'll offer some additional guidance largely based on viewer feedback:
- The real efficiency of this process comes from applying leverage to an axle around which the sod rolls form. This peels the sod off the ground non-destructively preserving the option of reusing it elsewhere. It's less important how one makes the longitudinal cuts in the turf to define the strips. There are many ways to cut straight lines in turf. The circular saw with a multi-purpose diamond blade (blade ~$20) was the only power tool option I had at hand. However, several viewers have used their powered edger successfully (I don't own one). You can also make those cuts with a hand tool like an edging spade or even a hatchet/axe would work. Just choose whatever tool/method makes a clean cut with the least work or expense for you.
- It's best to do this when the soil is neither too wet, nor too dry. I did mine during a dry spell and I stopped irrigation to the area for about 4 days prior to attempting removal.
This video is perfect. Super helpful, super concise. No BS.
It would be heaven if all DIY videos on CZcams were like this! You just made my day!
It would be heaven if all comments were like this one. Thanks!
Hey I second that. I just spent 20 looking over 30 CZcams clips on how to fix my turn signal issue but it took me that long to take the information from 6 clips it's so simple. I hate the BS and stories 😂
"when your neighbors are at work, or at night, or with a bag over your head" LOL I feel you brother
Thx
Oh that was a good chuckle ...
I snorted when he said that part. Too funny. 😂😂😂
That’s what I do. If I do Anything DIY that would look stupid I just wait for my neighbours to be at work before getting started lol
Lol.. I died 🤣
This. Is. Frigging. Brilliant. I've spent the past 3 days trying to pull up the sod in my front yard - I have blisters on my blisters. I'm totally stealing this idea. Thank you!
Sounds familiar - my wife and I were exhausted after going chunk by chunk ripping up just the first 10 feet. Plus it nearly filled the compost bin.
I hope it helps. Thx!
If you keep on doing it, like for the next 5 years straight, those blisters turn into hard calluses. You'll be stronger than ever!
Rolls came out surprisingly well. But your neighbors must have thought you lost it when you first started circular sawing your lawn. I raise my glass to you weird human🍻
Yeah, I had a lot of explaining to do.
Neighbor: why is he cutting the Earth and filming it!!!! Honey we need to move!
Everytime i touch my yard i imagine my neighbors saying to themselves "how can he possibly make it look any worse" 😅😅😅
That is so funny. I love it.
Do r worry about what they think!
LOLOL
Particularly my case! 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I can relate!
Just have to comment that we used your method with our zoysia that had invaded and filled up an empty flowerbed. Our yard guys had been taking care of that bit of "yard" and it was gorgeous grass, but we decided to return the bed to the flowers. It took almost no time to roll up our zoysia and transfer it to another location. We were absolutely dumbfounded at how easy it was to do! I don't think it took more than 20 minutes. Thanks for the DIY!!
Happy to hear it work well for you. I had to look up what zoysia is - I guess there's lots of grass types out there. Thanks!
In a past life this guy helped design the pyramids. If you made this method up you a
have to be an engineer. If you’re not an engineer let’s talk. I would put money into any idea as savvy as this. You should patten this method and see if any companies would buy it or make it and give you a fair cut. This is great for an average homeowner who doesn’t want a machine or to spend 300 for a day. Well done sir.
I am an engineer... well spotted!
I'm literally about to remove about 600 square feet of sod by hand and I'm so glad I found this video!!! You're awesome!
I hope it works out for you. Thanks!
Did you remove it? I am thinking about 600 sqft myself, and need to estimate the time.
@james90755 my grass had to many weeds so I ended up renting a sod remover and it helped out a ton
This is one of the best tutorials to remove sod that I have ever seen. Well done on this. Great help!
Thx for sayin'... hope it helps!
Genius! This works like a champ, even in FL with St. Augustine sod. My neighbors actually thought this was genius as well. MUCH better than renting the sod cutting machine.
I really appreciate the feedback. My neighbors think I'm nuts... and so do many of my viewers. Glad to hear it worked out for you. Thanks!
This is amazing. Very clever way to remove sod. I read about cutting with reciprocating saw, but this is genius rolling it up on 4x4. Great video.
This is genius! I'm too old and in pain to do it, but I'm in awe of how clever this tip is. Thank you!
Sorry to hear about the pain. I'm old enough to know what you're talking about, but young enough that the pain is still mild and manageable. Hang in there. I do appreciate the feedback - thanks!
Stick with weed killer. You do not want to try this with a bad back especially if your lawn is in bad shape.
This is arguably the cleverest idea I’ve come across in 25 years on and offline. It is lateral thinking on a totally different level. The tools needed are simple and very straightforward. I will be using this method to lift the turf for the path I am laying in my back garden from the patio to the Arbour at the the corner of the garden. Thank you so much for sharing. I OWE you a pint of beer and a pizza if you ever visit England/U.K.
You're too kind... thanks! Pizza sounds good as long as it doesn't come with the mushy peas. JK - I actually like the mushy peas at most pubs. I hope it works out well for you. Cheers!
Hell yeah! I have a small front lawn that I want to convert to garden beds and was dreading the process of tearing it up. This is amazing and really simple - plus I already have all the tools for the job. Thank you so much for posting!
Thanks! I hope it works for you.
Heck yeah!! 😀 I was fretting how I was going to remove my lawn to redo into a meadow and this just made me eager to get started, thank YOU! Brilliant 💡 🏆⭐
My pleaseure - Hope it goes well!
This is a great video. It takes an engineer’s mind to think of this process. Very helpful. Thank you
Much appreciated. Yes, my background is in engineering - well spotted. Thanks!
What a great idea. We've just moved into a house where the lawn is full of weeds and clearly been down for years. I haven't used a circular saw but your method works well, is quicker and more satisfying and I'm a five foot woman. So if I can do it... Many thanks
Good to hear - glad it's useful. Thanks!
Replacing my lawn grass with beneficial native plants. I ripped up a section w/hand tools, shook out the dirt (I needed it there), and now have a pile of decomposing grass with my compost. Can't wait for the plants to grow in the spring. 😊🌱
This was really helpful. I really appreciate that someone else could use it. Reduce reuse recycle right👍🏽
Agreed. Less work for me and it helped the guy who picked it up - he said he just needed a small amount of turf for his kids to play on.
DUDE!! This is by far the best of CZcams video I've ever seen!!! It's quick, to the point, VERY INFORMATIVE w/ tips I've never even heard of and you're quite hilarious!! THANK YOU FOR NOT WASTING ANY MORE BRAIN CELLS LOL !! 12/10 WOOT WOOT !! 🙌
I appreciate the feedback - hope it's useful. Thanks!
You're a genius. Thank you for this. Probably just saved my neck and back some serious pain, and a good 50% of the hours I was about to lose working on this. Hopefully i don't hit any big rocks with the sawblade :P
Thanks for sayin' - Hope it works out!
Excellent idea. I never would have thought of using a circular saw, brilliant. Thanks for making the video!
Hope it helps. Thanks!
2 years later and still a very good video. Thank you for posting.
Thanks - I'll take it. Hope it's helpful.
Nice, my mother-in-law is building a new addition and there would be a lot of grass that I could potentially use in my yard so this will help if we go down that route. Thanks so much for showing how to make your own sod.
Glad it's helpful - your situation is perfect for this approach. Hope it goes well. Thx
WOW! I don't think I have the strength to do this, but this is genius and so helpful! I knew someone had to have a logical way to do this!
This isn't really what I was looking for, but I had to watch the whole thing because it's just too funny. Great ideas by the way.
Glad it was entertaining. Hope you found what you we're looking for elsewhere. Thx
@@IsomEric I did, thanks.
Great idea for when I have to install underground sprinklers. I'll use your method to dig up narrow channels of sod before digging my trench.
Great idea- it worked really well.
I used a 9" angle grinder along a batten of wood rather than a circular saw. It worked fine, you need to be wary of kickback keeping body parts out of the line of fire.
Thanks
Sounds good. Power tools rule over hacking and chopping by hand. Thanks for sharing.
What is 9” angle grinder along a better of wood. I don’t have circular saw.
This is incredibly clever. It helps to have an edger and an ice chisel to start the edge. Thanks!
This is a crazy method.. I just rented a sod cutter for $78 from HomeDepot.. Very easy to use only took about 2hrs to cut and remove the sod from a 25x15foot area. Yes you need a truck or small trailer to get the sod cutter.. But the sod cutter is the way to go!!
"Crazy good", maybe... am I right!? Yeah, I don't even have a trailer hitch, so I was looking at a truck rental as well as renting the cutter. Decided to go the Red Green route instead.
What a great idea. The only issue is that it's a two person job, but still the best option I have seen. Great video.
Oh my goodness!!! You’re a meticulous genius and I thank you for sharing! Here I go. Wish me luck 😊
Thanks for saying. Hope it goes well for you!
Tested this out in a small area. Works great. I didn’t have rebar I just used the Maddox to help lift up the excess stuck grass. Now I just need to continue down my drive and re route my sprinklers
Good to hear! Thx.
Wow. Pretty cool
Great idea and thank you for sharing . I'm in the middle of doing my first sod job for a neighbor and I'm removing old sod that isn't in great condition with pick axe and pitch fork . Shaking the dirt out then throwing pieces of old sod into garbage . It's hard work but it feels good . Again thank you for sharing this , I will remember this and probably use it in the future
Yeah, if the turf is in bad shape you might have a hard time getting someone to come and take it. Good luck!
@@IsomEric oh no I'm just throwing this stuff out. It was sod that was laid two years ago but never really grew well due to my neighbor being in his 80s and was taking care of his wife as well. So he couldn't do the necessary watering and what not in the following weeks after laying the sod . This time im gonna water the grass and take care after I lay it out since he lives right around the corner from me . Ty again , Be well and have a great summer
This is some ingenious outside-of-the-box thinking! Great idea!
Thanks - hope it's helpful!
Great idea for removing sod! I have about 240 sq. ft. to remove and I may give this a try.
I think I will try a piece of 4" PVC pipe (since I already have some) in place of the 4x4. When it comes time to remove it from the roll it will slip out much easier than the 4x4 having to be beaten out with a hammer. A PVC coupling or a cap on one end and drill your 3/4" hole through that for the turning lever/handle. The coupling is as thick or thicker than the pipe and drilling through it and the pipe should have enough strength to support the lever. Most big box stores sell short lengths (2 foot long) of 4" SCH 40 PVC pipe for less than $10, I believe 3" pipe would work also. You don't even need glue so don't buy any if you don't have some already, just get the pipe cap fully seated on one end. When it's time to remove the pipe pull it out from the end with the cap using the lever as a handle and centering it on the pipe. The end with no fitting should slide through the sod roll with little effort. You should not need a hammer or other tool to drive it out. Wetting the outside of the pipe with a little water before rolling up the sod may help if the sod is very dry, but the grass should slip fairly easily on the smooth plastic pipe without it.
For cutting I will try my edger rather than mess up my circular saw. If using a circular saw be aware that any stones which the blade finds (and there WILL be some) can be ejected upwards with significant force to don't be hanging your face over the saw or let people get in front of you when cutting. Safety glasses are a good choice here.
PVC might be worth a try - always nice when you can use something you already have lying around. I agree that it'll be easier to pound out, but I wonder if the pipe will spin inside the roll of turf as you're cranking it along pulling up the grass. Not sure what will happen. I hope it works out for you.
Every CZcams video should follow this man’s lead.
I wish all CZcams comments were like this. Thanks!
Try using a reciprocating saw, faster and easier. Good idea!
my thoughts exactly
My favorite landscaping tool! Cuts limbs, roots, stumps like no other! Cheers 🍻
@@jaynook4980 Cuts limbs? 😲 The fuck you doing with that recip saw man? 🤨
@@talksickgamer😂😂😂
Circular blade attachment on your trimmer also works well but an excellent process that you have devised
Agreed - a cutting blade attachment on a trimmer works nicely for making the linear cuts if you have one. Thanks!
Extremely educational you gave franchise directions on how to get rid grass
What a great way to cut sod! Very ingenious! I need to cut 308 sqft. of sod for a gravel shed pad and I will try your method. Thanks.
Sounds like a good fit for this method - hope it goes well!
Very creative. I too use tools for things that they were not originally meant for and they do a great job.
Really good technique especially for grasses like Kentucky bluegrass. I've started a similar area and thought there would be an easier way. This definitely makes the sod nicer especially if you are going to let someone else have it. Alas, no matter what you try, it's still going to be tedious and time consuming. Great vid!
You make a good point - it is still a fair amount of work no matter how efficient you try to be. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word "easy" in the title. Thx.
Wow that was genius! I’m going to rent the machine at Home Depot for $100 because I’m not quite that patient but what a great tutorial!!
Man , you shared a brilliant idea 💡. Great 👍 job . God bless you .
Thanks for saying!
This is the most brilliant way ever seen. Great job !
Thanks for saying so - hope it's helpful.
Awesome video! I wish I came across this yesterday, before I rented a sod cutter for the weekend to do a small area.
niiiiiice!!!! MUCH better than how I thought I was going to have to tackle it! THANKS!
Excellent! Hope it helps - Thanks.
This is brillant idea. I need to remove the grass about 2m×2m size. I will let you know in a few days if it works well. Thank u for sharing idea.
Hope it works out. Thanks!
I did the same with a circular saw but you perfected it the timber post and crank bar brilliant. Thankyou!
Nice! Backyard ingenuity at its finest!💪🏻👌🏻
Thanks! In the words of the great Mr. Red Green... If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Wow how ingenious. You're like MacGyver. Thank you for sharing.
I cannot wait to do this and scare my neighbors when they see me outside cutting my grass with a circular saw
Yep, it'll turn some heads. Good luck!
This is genius and so carefully explained. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for saying so - hope it's helpful.
the world needs more Eric B's. Nice!
That might make the world a little weird, but thanks... I'll take it!
BRILLIANT!! So simple a process. So many times I could have used this Idea.
Nice! Hope it helps. Thx
Ah, the use of the wood roller is a clever idea, thanks for sharing.
I think that if you have time to plan, you could repeatedly scalp the area in the preceding weeks during spring. Scalped grass quickly catches up to taller grass, that energy has to come from somewhere- the roots. If you do it multiple times while it's growing, it will burn through its roots, and you will not have to slash through it while rolling it up. If the grass has stopped growing, it won't work because it'll just stay short instead. Probably worth a try.
EDIT: I tried this while doing something else- trying to remove the soil completely (the morons who installed the sod left the plastic netting buried beneath my whole yard). Killed the grass with glyphosate (Roundup®). Scalping repeatedly during spring compared to not scalping is an advantage, but not a huge one.
Shortening and/or weakening the root system to eliminate the slashing would reduce the overall effort dramatically. I didn't even know that was possible. Thanks for the insight.
@@IsomEric Would like to post an update, as I did this after posting the comment. Long story short, it sort of works.
I scalped a section repeatedly in spring. First time, it caught up to the rest of the lawn in a few days. After the second, it slowed down a lot, probably ate up the energy from its roots. I kept this up for a month before it went dormant in summer, then late summer I killed it with glyphosate/Roundup®. (I am trying to remove the plastic netting that was left behind/buried by the careless morons who installed the sod, not make my own sod. Destroy all then reseed.) Overall, with the grass scalped and roots weakened, it was moderately better/easier than when I did the same thing without scalping. Probably worth scalping it twice, but after that it's diminishing returns.
Also, type of grass will likely make a big difference.
👍best I’ve seen DYI removing the sod.
Much appreciated. Thanks!
Great tip. I’m thinking of removing 50 sq ft of Saint Augustine sod from my front yard and transfer it to a small patch in my backyard. I was thinking of scraping through underneath the sod but st augustine sod roots are too thick and heavy with the moist soil. It’s possible but it would be a pain in the rear to do it. Your method seems silly but better than breaking your back or paying hundreds of dollars for machinery or landscapers
Sounds like a good plan - hope it works well for you. Thanks!
Wow, I'm not gonna do this but this is utterly brilliant.
Thanks for saying!
Instead of a saw use an edger, also spray paint your lines makes it easier as you can stand up
That was going to be my question. I have a gas edger and was wondering if the blade depth would be sufficient. Seeing it done with a circular saw blade seems to answer my question!
As someone who work at turf farm using sodcutter everyday, this is very impressive
I love a good hard day of work. This looks like a great idea.
Warning: Not for lazy people.
I heard that!
Awesome Job! U shot that like a champ! I also appreciate u putting video in narative speed x2..
My son filmed the work and helped putting the video together. Thx
That was very creative and it seemed to work well. I recently just used a manual sod cutter that I rented for $35 for the day and did 1500 sq ft. All is required is to kick it and hold on to the handles and the blade and roller does the rest. :)
I do like the look of those manual machines, but I've never tried one to compare the level of effort required. They are probably just as good as what I did, plus you do get to stand up while using it - that helps some. I have some foot problems, so the kicking looked rough to me but most users would likely be ok. Thanks for the input.
Where do you rent it from? Home depot?
@@rawon You can if they have that in your area or a local tool rental place is where I rented mine.
Great idea. I thought this might help me but I have way too much to remove, might have to stick with renting a machine
Yeah, if you've got a large enough area to remove then the powered sod cutter is the way to go.
This is brilliant, I am going to use it your technique this upcoming weekend ;)
Thanks! Hope it goes well for you.
Great idea. I love it when people are innovative.
Tanks!
Great idea. If you have a Stihl Kombi and the bed edger attachment you can use that in place of the circular saw. You will loose like a inch of sod when you cut your lines.
Good point - a powered edging tool would spare you the embarrassment of using the saw. I suppose you could cut the lines by hand with a hatchet if you don't have any power tools.
@@IsomEric what about a half moon edger? It’s what I have, don’t have a circular saw or even a power edger
@@mattmcd2803 The half-moon edger would work fine if you have one. There are lots of ways to make the strip cut other than the circular saw. A sharp ice spade would do it. You could get down on the ground and use a hatchet. As long as the cut is fairly straight/clean it should be fine.
WOW! This is so smart! Exactly what I needed for my project!
Thanks for saying so - hope it's helpful!
so flipping brilliant! Thank you for posting!
Hope it's useful - thanks!
Great technique! I’ll use an edger to make the cuts instead of a circular saw.
I am so impressed! 😂 No way I can do this on my own, but I love the idea. I’m just going to have to kill my grass with heat.
Ill use my edger not circular saw, but the the rest is ingenious. Thanks for the video. Now time for me to get cracking 😅
Sounds good - several other viewers have commented that they used a power edger instead of the saw to cut the lines. Hope it goes well!
I might be using this in a month or so to finally make a proper path from my driveway to the backdoor!
This has helped a great deal. Luckily I do own a circular saw and will be putting that to good use! The area I'm doing as the same size as your lawn so this gives me a good idea of what I have to work with :) Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback. I hope it helps.
@@IsomEric It's Sunday here in the UK so noise is prohibited. Will give it a go tomorrow :)
Hey, that's really clever..........loving the turf being cut with a circular saw!
Whatever works...
Yeah, just perfect if ya don’t care about all the 15 dollar blades you gonna be destroying, did it ever occur to anyone to use the intended tool for lawn cutting--little thing called an “edger”?
Thank you! Now i have to hire someone to do this for me
🤣😂
I put a turf cutter in the boot (trunk for Americans) of a Citroën AX with the back seats folded down. It was £28 for the day. You don't need 'an open top pickup truck'. Good video though 👍🏴
Maybe turf cutters vary in size. The one I looked at renting from my local DIY center ($100/per day) was a big heavy gas-powered machine (petrol-powered for the British) and the rental guy said I could not lay it down on its side. He offered that I could also rent a trailer for it, but my small SUV has no hitch. The last option was to also rent one of their trucks for a day to transport it. I lieu of all that, I decided to just get medieval on the problem. Thanks for the input - maybe there are smaller machines out there that I didn't see which would've been a good fit for my smaller job.
@@IsomEric I'm sure you're right. The one I hired was the same size as the one in the video. I had to move my spare tyre to let the bottom of the machine sit in the spare wheel space
@@DayVid2.0 Very clever. I never considered moving the spare tire to get a bit more vertical room. There's a DIY video there somewhere...
I did My whole lawn with a spade.I'd be there for 10yrs doing it like this.
I started mine with a spade and switched to this method - this was faster. Once you get the process going, it goes quicker than you'd think.
This is awesomely MacGyver! Brilliant!
Thanks! Strangely, I didn't watch much MacGyver when I was younger. I did watch a fair amount of The A-Team and The Red Green Show though.
I'm going to do this to level a large high area and put it back flat. Thank you.
Great idea! I never thought of that application. Hope it goes well.
You’re smart. I give you that. Definitely a homeowner tip.
Awesome- thanks for the great tips!
My pleasure - hope it helps. Thanks!
For any lawn over 500 ft.² definitely keep with the sod cutter. This is extremely demanding but clean and easy for limited resources or manpower
Agreed. The big jobs still call for the powered sod cutter... or a large group of friends willing to lay down in traffic for you.
Wow!! You are a genius!!!! Well done
Thx! You're too kind.
Ingenious. Thanks very much for this video
Hope it's useful. Thanks!
You’re a flipping genius! Thank you!
You're too kind, but thx for sayin'.
A nicely sharpened long handle spade will make quick work of this. I have removed a lot of sod with just a spade.
Where's the HOW TO video buster
I use an electric edge/trencher for cutting. It cost me less than $100 and is so easy to use!
Sounds like a good option.
Neighbor: “Martha!…Jim’s out cutting his lawn with a circular saw again. Should we contact the mental institute?”😂😂
Martha: "Nah... just bring him a cold beer."
This is brilliant. saved me a lot of money. thanks.
I'm glad it helped... Thanks!
This video is exactly what I needed, appreciate it.
Very innovative, nice results.
Thx for sayin'
Thank you this looks awesome!!
Hope it helps. Thanks!
"You will look really silly cutting sod with a circular saw" ... so I recommend you video it and post it on CZcams!
Sadly, sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
@@IsomEric we jqbqbq q a UN qqqq
Oh
Just came across your channel. Thank you for your video.
Goog Ideas! Thanks for the good tips and ingenuity!
You're welcome - hope it's useful. Thanks!
lmao cut with circular saw while your neighbors arent home. great job.
Thanks! Enjoy.