Renovating Lawn - Equipment

[Dirt Boy]

Don't know if this is the right forum, but, I would like to know what works best in the following situation:
Renovating old lawn, may be anywhere from weed patch to semi good grass area. Owners want it removed, graded, and ready to reseed. I have been doing these by tilling or peeling the sod off (ALONG WITH A LOT OF DIRT), hauling it off, then either hauling dirt back in to raise to proper grade or trying to make do with existing dirt/grass mix.
This seems to work like CRUD, you wind up with a lot of grass/weeds which is nigh onto impossible to grade smooth, especially in dry sandy loamy soil, where it all turns to dust.
Is there a better method, better piece of equipment?

Thanks

[muddstopper]

Roundup before doing any dirt work. If you can kill the area off a couple of weeks before gradeing, you will have way less junk to hual off. If the lawn is already at grade and just needs reseeding, an areovator works better than anything else i have tried. The areovator will relieve compaction, work soil amendments into the ground and smooth out any ruff spots. It wont fill in holes or knock down hills, its not a gradeing machine, but for renovating an exsisting lawn, I havent found anything better, faster or easier.

[dccarling]

I use a harley power rake and it works great, not alot of sod clumps if you go over it a few times. I used to have a land pride power rake with the spiral bars on the roller instead of the nubs like on the harley and I would to have to rototill first.

[Dirt Boy]

Thanks, I know there has got to be something better than the way I'm doing it.:hammerhead:

[turfcobob]

Dirt Boy, I can come up and look at what you are into and help you out. I live down by Lincoln. Actually by Branched Oak Lake, near Raymond. Give me a call and I would be glad to come up for a short visit to help out.
Tue I will be out of the office most of mid day at a meeting. From like 10 am to 2 pm. Office ph. 402-783-2028

[Scottscape]

Dirt Boy, I can come up and look at what you are into and help you out. I live down by Lincoln. Actually by Branched Oak Lake, near Raymond. Give me a call and I would be glad to come up for a short visit to help out.
Tue I will be out of the office most of mid day at a meeting. From like 10 am to 2 pm. Office ph. 402-783-2028

its good to see this kind of help on here.

[Stuckwithit]

one way i have had alot of sucess is round up, then sod cutter, bobcat, and then fill low spots with topsoil, topdress the rest of area with topsoil then seed and straw/starter mulch