Building a road down to the river

[BrokenTrack]

I also believe that learning something costs time and money. To get good at it, you will spend a lot of time and money learning how to do it.

Learning should always be a life long endeavor, and when someone buys a tractor, why not use it, especially on their own property? I cannot imagine anything more invigorating than making a road on my own property down to a place I enjoy. To be able to say, "I built the whole road" would have more meaning to me than saying, "I just put in the gravel." Study road building, grub it out, then refine, refine, refine...over time that road could be something to be really proud of. $2000 is cheap, but not when it cheats a landowner out of a priceless accomplishment.

To me the mind-set quoted is so self-defeating.

As an example, I have a bulldozer, and while I could easily hire someone to fix it for me who has worked on my make and model for years and do so in an hour while I might take all day; that experience is invaluable! At the same time I have been surprised that things I thought would take forever to fix, were fixed in 2 hours time because they were easier to do than I thought. The same thing could occur here? What harm does it to try?

The right tool for the job is also expensive. More so if it's specialized for the task needed.

I disagree with this statement as well, and looking on here (the forum on various threads) a person will see where using the most basic of equipment I have accomplished some rather nice looking feats. It comes from thinking through a problem, using what I have, and staying profitable as a farmer by not falling into the mind-set that I must buy implements and equipment to get things done. My inspiration has always been my family; back in the 1800's using oxen, axe and stone boat to do everything I do today with modern equipment. They would not be amazed at me; they would be angered that I don't accomplish more considering what I have!

And then there is the cost of an accident, injury or breaking something.

What I am about to say pretty much sums up the entire human race and in particular the internet, but I have found that when questions like these are asked, 1 out of 15 people will say that whatever is proposed cannot be done. And while thinking through their points has merit, again by thinking through the problem should keep the injuries and damage to a minimum. The biggest step I have found in any project is often just starting. Last year I was on a land clearing job and it was daunting. Standing from the road it was 18 acres of mountainside, and one guy quipped, "It would take 5 years to complete." It actually only took 5 weeks! I have found that just starting is the first step, then the energy of the project just keeps it plodding along, so I encourage people to just start. Modern tractors can accomplish a lot!

Since he has never built a road before, will he get it right the first time or will it be an ongoing project of adjusting and fixing it?

ANY road is an ongoing project...refine, refine, refine, but it is also immensely gratifying. It is also incredibly convenient. After years of extending a network of heavy haul logging roads outward from the main road, watching loaded logging trucks ply my roads always make me smile. It has also made my farm very productive and really reduced soil erosion. But that is just icing on the cake; gratification in a project comes from enjoying actually doing it, and not looking forward to it being complete.

here are two before and after photos taken last spring, then after my road was completed. The only thing I used was a Kubota 25 hp tractor, my Ford Explorer, and my log trailer. (My bulldozer was broken during the project with a busted transmission pump).

 

[gersus]

Nice work broken track! And thanks for the encouraging post.
I saw a post on in the kubota owners fb page awhile back where a guy built a nice road with his L2501. Some decent elevation change and cutting into the slope a bit in places. He did a really great job. Just took some time!

 

[BrokenTrack]

Nice work broken track! And thanks for the encouraging post.
I saw a post on in the kubota owners fb page awhile back where a guy built a nice road with his L2501. Some decent elevation change and cutting into the slope a bit in places. He did a really great job. Just took some time!

That is what I have for a tractor! A L2500...

I had a quote of $7000 to do the work, but jeesh I had the gravel pit, I just had to haul the gravel 1/2 mile from the pit to the road. After a little while I realized my Ford Explorer could haul the gravel in my log trailer that comes with a dumpbox. It only holds 1 cubic yard of gravel, and at first it seemed impossible...1 cubic yard at a time...I needed 350 cubic yards just to surface it!!

But then again how does a person eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

My wife and I figured out that if we did 10 loads per day, in 35 days we would have the road done. Suddenly it was doable. She hauled the gravel with the dumpbox behind her Ford Explorer, while I was down in the gravel pit loading the trailer with my tractor. She did one side of the road first, then the other side. Every 10-20 loads she would come and get me, and I would drive up the hill and level out what she had dumped. One day we hauled in 60 loads, and another day only 5, but it still got done within a month's time: and at first it seemed impossible.

After that we built water bars (required because this was a Federal erosion control project), then the rock check dams. It all turned out well. No $7000 spent, just some fuel...

Mine was across a field so it was a lot easier granted, but I loosened the soil with a 3 point hitch turning plow, formed my ditches, then leveled off the top with my loader before hauling in the gravel. I did fabricate a tow behind grader to get a super-smooth finish lengthwise to the road, but with skill with the front end loader you can get something drive-able upon for sure.

 

[gersus]

Man that's a lot of loads. I would've probably done the same though mostly because you had the gravel available and I'm a tight wad lol. I plan on getting some of my gravel from the river but I don't have access to enough to do everything though. I'll just the river gravel where it really needs it then chat everything later.

 

[/pine]

The terrain is different here in the N. GA mountains...but the grades in the description and pics appear similar...I too am on a river and have cut a road/cart path down to it...(actually rehabbed an old road)

The wider and longer the new lane/road the more area there is to collect storm water...it is hard to tell from the pics but it appears that in some areas you will basically be making a big ditch (road itself) down through the grade...around here with a decent frog drowner storm it can turn such a new road section into a mini grand canyon in a heartbeat if the storm water is not controlled...

I'm curious about the OP mentioning the "camber"...around here most would take advantage of the bias and pitch the new road to one side or the other rather than crowning and ditching both sides...(granted in hard ice conditions sliding sideways can be an issue) ...but it makes controlling run off much simpler...often eliminating the need for a culvert...

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Anything is doable. After i built my house, they backfilled some awful dirt along the front porch, where the flowers bed needed to go. I hand dug 1 ft deep, 3 -4 ft wide, 42 ft long of stuff out, and backfilled with nice topsoil handdug from my creek bottom. All moved with a cart behind my lawnmower. Had a pretty good hill to come up also.

Should have bought a tractor with loader before i built.

 

[Code54]

I have a slightly different approach. Go rent a mini Ex and knock it out. Should be an easy 8 hr job and you have the tractor to final grade and finish everything off. Around here a mini ex is $200 for 8-10 hrs (depends on who you get it from, some give you an extra 2 hrs on the "8hr" weekend rental.)
I have a mini ex and wanted to run a road down over the hill from the house. It it very close to your steepest section. I knocked this in after work before dark one night - maybe 3- 3.5 hrs max.

 

[airbiscuit]

Any project worth doing is worth buying more tools/attachments for! Titan has their Stump Bucket on sale for $377 with free shipping!

 

[Rock Crawler]

Kind of funny video... Showing a stump bucket.... Not removing stumps.

 

[airbiscuit]

I'm guessing the OP can figure it out. Should work with his smaller trees.