How to gravel a 2-track?

[Champy]

I want to spread gravel on about 1600' of 2 track that goes to the back of my property. Between cost and usage, I don't need to make a whole driveway....just want to cover the truck tracks to improve traction. Using the FEL dumps too much across the whole path, and going by hand means an epic undertaking.........Is there any technique any has used to make this task easier?

 

[ToadHill]

Only thing I've ever seen is a dump truck with 2 small dump doors in the rear gate. If your having the stone delivered, tell them what you want and they should be able to send a truck that can handle it.

 

[Skyco]

I've been pondering the same problem. I've thought about making a large wedge to lay in the floor of my dump trailer so I can spread just the tiretracks as I dump and move forward. Gravel in the middle is wasted and now that gravel/rock has doubled in price in the last 2.5 years I'm even more interested in it

 

[jake98]

how about chaining a beer keg in the middle of your bucket, then it would only scoop and dump on the two sides...

 

[kemary]

My father in law spread gravel all the time on 2 tracks with his dump truck. He would put a piece of 6x6 or larger wood across the bottom of the tailgate before the gravel was dumped in. He set the spreader chains 1" narrower than the wood so it wouldn't slide out. Raise the dump bed up a little before releasing the tailgate. When the gate opens the wood slides back with the gravel against the gate and the stone can only come out at the edges over the 2 track. Once you figure ouit what length board to put in the dump bed (he used a 4 footer) it works amazingly well and the gravel goes alot farther. He did miles of farm lanes with this technique, worked every time. Good Luck.

 

[GaryM]

My father in law spread gravel all the time on 2 tracks with his dump truck. He would put a piece of 6x6 or larger wood across the bottom of the tailgate before the gravel was dumped in. He set the spreader chains 1" narrower than the wood so it wouldn't slide out. Raise the dump bed up a little before releasing the tailgate. When the gate opens the wood slides back with the gravel against the gate and the stone can only come out at the edges over the 2 track. Once you figure ouit what length board to put in the dump bed (he used a 4 footer) it works amazingly well and the gravel goes alot farther. He did miles of farm lanes with this technique, worked every time. Good Luck.

I was going to mention this technique. I've seen it done that way and it's slick! You beat me to it.

 

[zzvyb6]

Can you borrow a gravity box? Set the door to the height to deliver the release rate. Need a way to fill it though. Maybe the gravel yard can do this for you.

 

[wrangler6831]

I see people commonly use a 55 gallon drum in the center of the tailgate on the dump truck. You can either chain it down or tack weld it in a few places and grind it loose when your done.

 

[Engine66]

I have pondered this as well. The ruggedness of my terrain does not allow for a dump truck to pass or I would try what others have mentioned. I don't own a dump trailer...but have thought of making an A-frame out of plywood and some scrap 2x that would span the ground between the tracks. The A-frame would be 8' long x 60" inches or so wide. Maybe set the A-frame down between the tracks, fill loader bucket and slowly dump and travel at a slow rate of speed until bucket is empty or you reach the end of A-frame and move it up another 8'. My tracks are between 8-14" deep, so each load can only get me so far...

No matter what I try, I know it involve a lot of time and man-labor with follow-up shovel and raking to finish off the job. My property is steep with ledge and ruts...my 4x4 pick-up can't handle it. Only my Polaris Ranger and tractor in MFWD with rears locked will make it.

(What in the world was I thinking when I sold off my old CJ7 and (2) Land Rover Defenders??? The only vehicles I owned that would have appreciated over time and been able to traverse my property!)

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Do you have a hump in the middle of the two tracks? Depending on how high the hump is you can use a box blade to spread just in the tracks (if the tracks are worn down some. I have done this and all it takes is a little skill with the box blade as you need to go slow and let the box glide on the hump and the ground on the other side of the track. It will fill the track nicely without dropping a lot of stone on the grass area. I don't do this on a lot but only in spots that need some crushed stone to build it back up from time to time.

If you talk to a gravel pit you can tell them what you want and they have trucks with doors that open on both sides of the dump box's tail gate. They open the doors and drive up your driveway spreading in the tracks. There are other ways to do this also as was mentioned but one ten wheeler from the gravel pit will make very short work of this and if he spreads it heading into your driveway he will pack the material some as he drives over it when he leaves.