Spreading Wood Chips

[rScotty]

I'm trying to get anything at all to grow on some stretches of bare sterile ground left by a recent flood. After removing most of the larger rocks, all that is left is sand and gravel. The flood killed all the trees in the valley, and as a result there are a lot of wood chips available. We already have a couple of chip piles the size of small buildings. But how to spread them on the flood-deposited sand and gravel? Wood chips don't rake or backdrag because they just clump up.
My guess is that one solution is to broadcast spread the chips like some seeders do with seeds. That would be the best. Is there an implement like a seeder that will spread wood chips?
Thanks, rScotty

 

[rd_macgregor]

Maybe a fertilizer spreader? Or, you could try a snowblower?

 

[MidTn Mark]

I use a chain harrow with the tines up to spread large piles of wood chips. In you case I would probably try to use a front bucket to leave at least 6" of chips or more.

Nice place. I would love to have a creek like that on our property...

 

[pmsmechanic]

I do as much as I can with the the front end loader and then I use my rototiller. I lift the flap at the back all the way up and slowly back into the clumps that are left. It isn't ideal but after several passes you can get a level surface.

 

[boomer1025]

Use a manure spreader

 

[clevalley]

+1 on the manure spreader.

My old neighbor had the bright idea of spreading wood chips on his lawn prior to planting apple trees - the other neighbor offered to plow the grass up prior to spreading but he declined. Needless to say it is a mess now with weeds but I digress.

The wood chip neighbor had no tractor, only some hand tools and wheel barrow. His wife put an ad on CraigsList wanting free wood chips. Well, the tree trimming companies brought in load after load and the poor guy could not spread them fast enough.

I took my tractor with loader and spread them out the best I could and touched up the high spots with a york rake. After that he could feather out further with a hard tooth hand rake and it looked REALLY nice (before the weeds started to grow through). He was spreading them about 8" thick but if you wanted to broadcast them thinner I think a manure spreader would be the ticket. I have since moved and last time I was by there he had about 4 mountains of chips, still spreading by hand...

 

[rScotty]

Nice place. I would love to have a creek like that on our property...

I thought so too....but that was before the flood. Since then it is a mixed blessing.

See all those rocks in the photo? After picking up each rock and moving them into piles what is left is sand and gravel spread rather thinly over yet more rocks. All the dirt we used to have is gone - washed away - and replaced with this flood-deposited rock, sand, and gravel. I'm afraid a rototiller's tines wouldn't last long. I wish that it was tillable, but there are just too many subsurface rocks. Same thing applies to any kind of ground engaging tool. I've tried rakes and spikes of several types. All they do is bring up more and more rocks.

I'm not picky about what to grow and have found that with some fertilizer, grass and weeds can be induced to grow in sand and gravel. All it needs is some sort of cover to hold the moisture. So broadcasting wood chips seems to be a reasonable next thing to try. I'm sort of leaning toward the idea of a combo manure spreader and seeder - something with a large hopper & PTO driven flinger that would mount onto a 3pt hitch. The idea makes sense, but I've never actually seen an implement like that. Has anyone?
If I find one it might be best paired with a medium sized old ag tractor with turf tires. That would be OK.

I recall pulling ground-driven manure spreaders 40 years ago. Don't think that will work here; those old spreaders worked surprisingly well, but were designed to be pulled over a long path and weren't useful for small areas like a three point pto spreader would be.
With yesterday's delivery I now have about 120 cubic yards of chips in two chip mountains!
rScotty

 

[jimmysisson]

Is that your house? Wow, what an assault! When did this happen.
Local extension service have any aid, or suggestions, or dirt? You could mulch that but could you ever mow it after? Yikes!
Best of luck, Jim