How to Drag a Ball Field

The number one concerning in maintaining your baseball field is player safety. Daily maintenance includes dragging the field, which allows you to smooth out all the holes, rough patches and other debris, which can pose a hazard to players in the infield. Dragging is done to the dirt in the infield. It can also be done in the dirt surrounding the perimeter of the entire field, if there is an area of dirt surrounding the outer-most ring of the field. Dragging is done before the game and often between the 7th innings during the game.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Riding law mower
• Smithco unit
• Spike drag
• Finishing drag

1. Decide on the type of equipment you will use to pull the drags on the field. A riding lawn mower works to pull a drag, but the best equipment is a unit made specifically to drag a field. Smithco Units are made specifically for this purpose.

2. Place bricks on top of the drag so that there will be weights on the spikes and they will uniformly move across the dirt. Run the spike drag over the entire length of the infield to loosen up the dirt.

3. Watch the grass while you are dragging the field. Be careful not to get dirt into the fielding grass. This will make an uneven playing field and can be a danger for injury.

4. Run the finish drag over the ground after you have ran the spike drag. The finish drag will break up the larger pieces of dirt that the spike drag has brought to the surface. Run the finish drag over the soil until the ground is completely even.

5. Run the drags in different directions each time that you drag the field. Choose an opposite direction and even run the drags in circles. Dragging in the same direction will cause the field to have high and low spots and bumps.

6. Clean and grease all of the equipment that you use to maintain your baseball field. It's best to clean it after each use before you put it away. This will keep your equipment in top shape and ready to run the next time that you need to drag the fields.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't afford equipment or if your field is small have your ball players, parents or coaches pull the drags around the field before a game. This is not generally recommended cause the drags can get heavy.

References

• Dragging Ball Fields
• Baseball Field Maintenance