SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/517437
www.stma.org June 2015 | SportsTurf 27 tion. Nails, spikes or bolts that are larger in diameter than a 40 penny nail can create a washboard-like effect on the infield surface that could possibly cause erratic bounces of a groundball. These coarse and more aggressive scari- fier drag options are better used during infield skin renovation projects for cutting skins deeply. The scari- fier teeth should be hardened steel whenever possible to extend the life of the teeth/tines. For the finish drag to smooth your infield, your choice of drag could be dictated by 1) the type of infield soil you have, 2) whether you have a topdressing on the infield, or 3) what you are trying to accomplish during your finish drag. Steel Mat Drag: This is the universal finish drag. The steel mat can be used in any and all conditions with the exception of damp soils or topdressing. It has the ability to move material around and pulverize small soil chunks which most other finish drags can't do. The ability to transport material around is a god and bad point. It takes some common sense to decide where to start and stop your steel mat drag every day so as not to help cre- ate high and low spots. But wise decisions can help cut high spots and fill low ones using these mats. Cocoa Mat Drag: These drags literally float across the surface. Due to the density of the cocoa fibers they don't load up and transport material around like the steel mat drags. That means no pile of spoils when you pick up the drag. But it also means that a cocoa mat drag won't move material around for you if it is piled up somewhere, like around second base where sliding players tend to pile up top- dressing. If you tow around a cocoa mat drag with a tractor, ATV or whatever, I recommend using a leveling bar ahead of the drag to spread any piles of infield soil or topdressing before being smoothed by the drag. Cocoa mat drags are great for in-game dragging. They also perform real well when your infield topdressing is too damp for a steel mat drag. What cocoa mat drags won't work well in are heavy soils with no topdressing on the field. These drags will not break up the chunks that will get kicked up. Cocoa mats work best on top- dressed infield skins or very sandy infield soils. Drag Brooms: Like cocoa mats, this type of finish drag works best on infields that are topdressed or are very sandy. Drag brooms do not have the ability to pulverize small chunks of infield soil. That being said, on the right surfaces, drag brooms can leave a very smooth, professional looking surface. They will perform fairly on fields with damp conditions. They also don't leave much of a pile at the end of a drag but at the same time they won't effectively move a pile of topdressing around as effectively as a steel mat drag will. Many groundskeepers have found that having two types of finish drags tends to be the best option so you can adjust to field conditions. A steel mat drag for when you need to move infield soil and topdressing around and then either a cocoa mat or drag broom for when damp conditions prohibit the use of a steel mat or you don't want to move the topdressing around much. They all will provide a professional finish when main- tained and used properly.-Paul Zwaska TJ BREWER, CSFM, Burlington Bees I use several types of drags daily for different conditions and outcomes. One is the typical rigid steel mat drag (72"x18") with a 2"x4" attached to one end. These are pulled by hand and used for finish drags (time permitting), in-game drags and checking the consistency of conditioner across my infield. They are good for filling cleat marks, a quick level, and do a great job of general smoothing. When using it to judge conditioner consistency I typically look for 1½ to 2 squares of the mesh full of conditioner caught by the drag. Next I use the 72" steel finishing drag that came with my bun- ker rake. This serves similar purposes as the rigid steel mat drag. Being attached to a machine it is quite a bit less labor intensive, but doesn't necessarily give as good of a finished drag as the steel mat drag. This is my go-to drag due to the time and labor sav- ings. I run it across my infield several times a day to smooth the surface or redistribute conditioner after repeated watering, a nail drag or practice. The steel drag makes quick work of redistribut- ing conditioner to create a consistent depth across the entire skin surface. Then I have the industry workhorse nail drag. I have a 36" and a 72" version. Typically the 36" is pulled by hand and the 72" is pulled by machine. The 36" is actually more aggressive and used accordingly. Although it is lighter there is more pressure per nail and it provides a deeper cut. The 72" makes quick work Steel mat drag Cocoa mat drag Drag brooms