Spreading wood chips

Bendboater · May 2, 2020

Hello,

Tractor owner since last fall and finally, my first post here.

I plan to put down a wood chip access road (to a future RV/raft/tractor barn). I realize that gravel is much more durable, longer lasting, and less expensive (here), but I prefer the softer look of chips. I have a couple other low use roads that I did similar with that have been in place for >20 years, and I love the way they blend into the surrounding landscape (juniper, sage and bitterbrush).
My question is. Now that I have a tractor to play with, is there an implement that would be helpful in spreading the chips?
I was thinking of a landscape rake, but not sure if it would work for this.
Someday, I would like to get a landplane (for my gravel roads), but I doubt this would work so well with chips????

Thoughts and opinions?

Thanks,

TnAndy · May 2, 2020

I bought an oversized "light materials" bucket for moving sawdust away from my sawmill, and it works well on chips too. Simply load the bucket and drive slow to sprinkle the chips along where you want to spread, the back drag with the bucket to smooth out the humps and valleys......same way I do gravel.

jeff9366 · May 2, 2020

I recently spread a 16-wheeler truckload constituted of 100 cubic yards of 2"-3" pine bark chips over one acre using only the tractor 1/3 cubic yard FEL bucket. Transported chips in bucket from chip heaps, spread evenly by back dragging with bucket. Worked peachey-keen.

tractchores · May 2, 2020

I use the bucket as well just back drag, similar to what you'd do with soil. Not fast or perfect, but good enough. Agree on the roads, I use them on my trails

oosik · May 2, 2020

I chip a whole lot of small - 1" to 6", on the butt - pines along the driveway. It DOES make a soft ride in those spots. However, I loose all the pine chips every winter. I plow snow with my rear blade. The chips all get graded off the driveway.

grsthegreat · May 2, 2020

I have 1-1/2 miles of riding trails thru my trees that I line with wood chips that I create while grinding downed trees and branches. Bucket does a so so job of it but never gets it too flat. I find that 2 passes with my 6 foot harrow does wonders for making a slick looking trail when I finish. Trails are about 8 feet wide and I soent weeks limboing the low hanging branches to accommodate the cabbed tractor.

Sawyer Rob · May 2, 2020

Woods chips turn to black mud, I don't want them any place I walk or drive...

SR

grsthegreat · May 3, 2020

Sawyer Rob said:
Woods chips turn to black mud, I don't want them any place I walk or drive...

SR

well I’ve had them on my trails for 15 years....no issues

Gem99ultra · May 3, 2020

grsthegreat said:
well I致e had them on my trails for 15 years....no issues

I also have not experienced my wood chips turning into black mud. I've found they make a great cushion for walking paths, covering around certain shrubs, trees, and plants, and great covering for flower beds. Eventually they do disintegrate, turning back into soil. They don't last forever, but the price is really good!

So far I've simply loaded chips in a small 4 x 8 trailer hand spread them. Having done about 50 piles so far, I do hope there is a much better system for distribution. I also have a half-yard dump cart that I use for small spots to cover.

I now have 6 piles of trees to chip up and will begin chipping when I get 10. Chipping up 10 piles of pine and sweet gum trees is about the same amount of work as building up one pile to be chipped.