Cutting side hill trails

[Gordon Gould]

Good picture Bruce, sure makes that BX look powerful.:laughing:

That is very good. I missed it the first look. Thanks for point it out Steve. Or maybe that is just a rubber tree.

 

[dragoneggs]

BX and box blade made this sidehill road, about 200 feet long.

Bruce

And now its gonna push this tree over :laughing:

 

[Msamt]

My backblade saga of this summer was a similar need, and it took me 20+ hours to learn how to use it. Once I got the hang of it though, it was a very awesome tool to cut with, I'll have to get pics of the road I built thru my land. Point is take some time, go slow in the beginning, and if you cut too shallow, go over it again till it looks right. Flip the blade around to smooth it to a close finish when you think your done, and like said above, compact it in two directions if possible. Good luck!

 

[/pine]

IMO...
I've said this many times...with a capable tractor and implements...any job that can be done utilizing hydraulic T&T...can be done without it...but, to get the same (professional looking results without a lot of hand raking or excessive passes)...the operator will spend almost as much time off the tractor making manual adjustments than they will in the seat...

methinks that most operators that disregard or prefer something other than a box blade either do not have t&t or just don't take the time to make the needed adjustments when doing cut and fill etc. type jobs...

 

[Billrog]

Bill I'd just tackle it the way you have in mind but rather than flat a slight incline towards the bank side 3 or 4 ". It would be much easier to work from the top side if you can get there and dig out a starting point. I've done a few miles of mt. side trails using nothing but the bucket. Easier than using the back blade to flatten once done is fill the loader bucket for some weight put it in float and back blade the rd. It's nice to have a ton of implements but not necessarily necessary.

 

[airbiscuit]

I'm not sure what kind of grass, roots, etc are on your trails, but I would disc the heck out them first (and a little wider than what you want the finished trail to be). Then use the back blade adjusted to tilt with your 3 point arm. It is easier to move loose soil, and you are talking about moving a fair amount. It will take several passes, and maybe even discing again in between.

 

[dragoneggs]

My problem is the side hill is too steep to begin with... I need to use my backhoe just to get a flat area for my wheels to make the back blade or FEL flat enough to proceed.

 

[pat32rf]

I,m with Dragoneggs here. most of the backblade/boxblade threads assume that the trail is level enough to drive now and you just want to "improve",
I have a hoe, backblade and FEL. If the terrain will let you dig with the FEL, then just start at the bottom and remove soil from the high side, dumping it on the low side, carefully! You may have to lay some logs along to hold the soil in place and if you unearth a few rocks, even better.
Around here in Central Ontario there are places where there are too many rocks (or bedrock) to do this without using my hoe. On level ground I can pull myself along with the hoe bucket, but often I am climbing or descending hills as well. In this case I try to put a driver in the tractor seat who can pull ahead and back for me while i stay in the hoe seat.
If there is vegetation I always include it in my filled side to slow down erosion.....
You might have noticed that I didnt even suggest that I use my backblade.....any humps get leveled with the bucket next month....

 

[pwright]

My problem is the side hill is too steep to begin with... I need to use my backhoe just to get a flat area for my wheels to make the back blade or FEL flat enough to proceed.

You'll want to get an actual slope measurement so that you can properly plan how much of your "bench" needs to be cut into the hill. The forest service (and pretty much everyone else) uses these guidelines for cutting side hill trails.

 

[jenkinsph]

You'll want to get an actual slope measurement so that you can properly plan how much of your "bench" needs to be cut into the hill. The forest service (and pretty much everyone else) uses these guidelines for cutting side hill trails.

View attachment 444215

Good advice above.
I was concerned about this while reading the thread since we had no pictures to see. We want everyone to be safe.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

I agree completely with the last 4 posts and the OP with using the bucket. If it's uncomfortable to walk on due to the amount of side slope, there is zero chance of driving across it comfortably or safely.

I would work top down if at all possible. Makes pushing into the bank much easier and the spoils are much easier to make the low side fill when you can just flip it in front of you and the slope will help move them down hill. Disk and back blade to suit after you get the rough part done with the FEL.

A tooth bar for your bucket will make things much easier and might be well worth the few hundred bucks to get one.

FWIW:
12" slope in 60" is 11 deg
18" slope in 60" is 16.6 deg
24" slope in 60" is 22 deg
Most people are really bad at judging the amount of slope by eye.

 

[pwright]

And in % slope those are:
12" slope in 60" is 20%
18" slope in 60" is 30%
24" slope in 60" is 40%

Most people are really bad at judging the amount of slope by eye.

Especially from the seat of a tractor.

 

[bfisherman11]

You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for all this advice. I have been away from these boards for a while due to concentrating on my bow hunting season. My land is in WI so we started on 9/12 this year I have hunted carefully and tweaked some stand locations to match what sign I see. As we get closer to the first few weeks in Nov. things start to get real serious. Ha. Anyhow, that planning and hunting keeps a guy busy.

The trail will be my first project this spring. I do plan on buying a tooth bar for my bucket, well actually asking Santa for one. I have read several threads so confused enough, Ha that is another thread.

My current trails are mostly grass with no visible roots and only a few rocks. The bulk of it was pasture land. I do agree and think if I get the back blade at an aggressive angle I can cut the high side and level off. I can use the bucket on any rocks I encounter or the tough or hard ground areas. I may also invest in a compactor. I need one anyway for my food plots and that might come in handy setting the dirt on the trails. I will also sew in grass seed. Run-off is not a big concern because this is a gentle grade. More just uncomfortable to walk, and that is why I am undertaking this project.

Again, there is a lot to thank you all for. You provided a wealth of information on this topic and shared YEARS of experience.

Bill

 

[Gordon Gould]

Thanks for the update - always good to hear back. Make sure you report again when you have a go at your project

I know exactly how you feel about your important hunting business - Good Luck

gg

 

[MMagis]

I assume by compactor, you mean cultipacker? They’re nice to have when putting in food plots (though certainly not necessary), but honestly it won’t help you with this project. They do very little (nearly nothing) in the way of soil compaction. Driving up and down the freshly graded path will yield much better results. I only mention this so you don’t buy one thinking you need it for this project, and end up paying more than you could if you waited.

 

[jenkinsph]

I assume by compactor, you mean cultipacker? They’re nice to have when putting in food plots (though certainly not necessary), but honestly it won’t help you with this project. They do very little (nearly nothing) in the way of soil compaction. Driving up and down the freshly graded path will yield much better results. I only mention this so you don’t buy one thinking you need it for this project, and end up paying more than you could if you waited.

He may mean a plate compactor which could really help imo. While I have one in my business for one time projects you can rent one for a weekend.

 

[bfisherman11]

Yep I was talking cultipacker. Good point!

Bill

 

[pat32rf]

I always prefer to work from the bottom up as I can always back down to safety but it can be hard to back UP when the rears start to slide sideways ...

 

[dragoneggs]

I always prefer to work from the bottom up as I can always back down to safety but it can be hard to back UP when the rears start to slide sideways ...

Agreed but I find it much easier (not safer) to cut and move the cut dirt to the downhill side if working from top/down.

 

[dragoneggs]

I always prefer to work from the bottom up as I can always back down to safety but it can be hard to back UP when the rears start to slide sideways ...

Agreed but I find it much easier (not safer) to cut and move the cut dirt to the downhill side if working from top/down.