Lawn question: starting over

I have two lumpy, depleted lawns and I'd like to work the soil, even them out, and start fresh with seed.
-has anyone done this? Experience?
-what would be the best thing to use to work the soil? IToo many back surgeries to think about useing only human power.
-what would I best use to enrich the soil?
I think I can figure the rest out as I go . . .
Thanks!

I had a yard 4 years ago that was all weeds. Bad ones so I just sprayed the whole area with roundup and rototilled the entire yard 3 weeks later. I then raked out all the debris and added compost (it had a lot of clay) and Milorganite. I then seeded it with a regional mix of grasses. Making sure to do this when the rain is falling. I had a beautiful lawn in 6 weeks and then mowed it and added Ironite to make the soil happier. I used the infrequent water with lots of water once weekly (a dry area) so the roots would penetrate deep. Now the yard needs mowing weekly for the first few months of June July but by August all is well with a once weekly deep soak. PS I cut my grasses long 2.5". I also mulch my clippings.

What would I use to rototill it?
Is there something I can buy reasonably priced?
Or what does it usually cost to rent one?
I guess I should have asked what's the cheapest way to enrich it?
I'm in the city and probably stuck with Home Depot's prices on anything I use.
Each patch is about 20X45 feet.

-h'

rototillers rent very cheap. Get a rear tined one it is much easier with that type. I have cleaned up on soil ammendments from Home Depot by getting the landscaping manager and ask him/her if they have any pallate priced torn bags. Cow manure bags at 1.98 are pretty cheap but the pallate price is any 15 bags for 15 to 20 dollars.

hoard..please feel free to ignore this input, but I couldn' t resist offering it. We have had a couple of people in the family who have had sensitive backs but nowhere near having to have a back surgery. Yet we are very cautious not to make those backs worse. When we have to redo an area that normally would require digging or moving around heavy equipment, we have instead resorted to slowing down and taking a different approach. We have covered over grass in a number of areas to change it into a garden bed or into a sitting area. In each case, we have been very happy with the results, short and long term, of simply covering the area with cardboard/newspapers and then bark mulch. In one instance where there were weeds as well, we did a two month period of solarizing with a huge piece of plastic before doing that. The results were fantastic! Without doing that, and just using cardboard and bark mulch, I think if you put it down in the spring, you might have great soil to add grass seed to by the fall. Maybe you wouldn't want to use bark mulch if you are going to sow seed, but cardboard with composted manure or compost, might be another way to go. It is a lot less labor, SO much safer and easier on the back, it is pretty easy putting down the layers, and you are improving the soil as well. The only drawback is not being able to have instant results.

Well, I just re-read what I wrote and started thinking that making a sitting area or flower bed is different than grass. I was wondering how you would live with compost where lawn should be for a whole season. Hmmm...well in our situation, we had an area 30x40 all mulched over for the whole season. We made the best of it and had a great place to put a lot of containers and grew tomatoes etc. in them. More than we usually have and it was great. You could also use it as a temporary sitting area. Unless it is the front lawn..lol..might not work so well. You could use the bark mulch all summer and then in the fall just rake it off onto all your surrounding beds and borders and you are ready to sow grass seed.

Ok, that is all I can come up with..[g]..good luck!

:-) pm2