whistler

New User
I have a mile long muddy/gravelly two track through the woods that I would like to ditch on both sides.

I have a couple of older tractors with loaders and even a small backhoe at my disposal but it seems like there has to be a faster way than digging one scoop at a time.

Is there an implement/strategy that would work reasonably well in this situation? Ideally I would throw the soil into the middle of the two track to be graded later. But that's not an absolute requirement.

Thanks in advance.

Pete
 
A grader (motor patrol) would be ideal for the job. Hiring the job out would gain a skilled operator with experience building projects like yours. If you want to Do-It-Yourself, a moldboard plow and a 3 point hitch blade could get the job done. Include culverts in the low spots to prevent washouts from destroying the driveway.
 

Thanks for the speedy replies. There seems to be consensus around the moldboard plow.

This is in the middle of nowhere and isn't going to be used as a driveway. We're currently using it for ATVs but need to do some improvements because the water and subsequent ruts are becoming a real problem. As much as I'd love to have a professional do this, it's beyond the scope of what's reasonable and necessary.

Thanks again.
 
(quoted from post at 13:43:48 12/01/17) A 3pt grader blade angled and one corner set low will also work. You mentioned through the woods so I suspect roots may be a problem.

In almost all areas the roadway has been churned up by mud and ATV tires so there aren't any roots to speak of.

The drier areas were recently logged and so the trees are all very young with minimal root growth. Certainly nothing over an inch but the question is more about density. With a 30hp tractor what could I reasonably expect to cut through with a moldboard plow?

I don't have a belly mount blade unfortunately. I do have a 3PT back blade but don't know if I can set the corner low enough to accomplish much.
 
(quoted from post at 12:27:28 12/01/17) I have a mile long muddy/gravelly two track through the woods that I would like to ditch on both sides.

I have a couple of older tractors with loaders and even a small backhoe at my disposal but it seems like there has to be a faster way than digging one scoop at a time.

Is there an implement/strategy that would work reasonably well in this situation? Ideally I would throw the soil into the middle of the two track to be graded later. But that's not an absolute requirement.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

Have any farmer friends? Ask them about a PTO ditcher. Handy as a shirt pocket it will lay the dirt in the middle if it has a director shield. Next thing I wold use to go deeper is a grader blade.
 
i picked up a 3 pt middle buster-subsoiler from rural king a couple years ago, about 150 dollars or so. i use it to point my waterway ditches, then go back over it with a 3pt back blade. does a nice job. pull the ditcher with a fergie to-20 heres a link to the middle buster
poke here
 
Use your 3 point blade. Angle it then either shorten your top link or lower one side of your arms. It may take several passes but you can build a nice road if you are
patient.
 
Plow.

Pack (disk and harrow, get a rain....)

Plow again. (Freshly plowed dirt doesn't like being plowed right away, gums up and plugs....)

Use a 3pt blade to shape and help as needed. That will work well in the loose fresh plowed dirt. Can form the crown and so forth.

You won't be winning awards, and building a road from topsoil is not really approved (should push away the topsoil, build out of subsoil clay,
then put topsoil back in the shoulders....) and you won't really address drainage issues without using culverts to move water across low spots,
but for what you want you will get some workable results with a plow and a blade.

Paul
 
whistler another way to handle the wetter areas is to build whats called a corderary road using smaller trees cut to the road width, brush, willows. lay them across your road in the wet areas after you have the ditching done, then spread the dirt over the tress and brush. if you go on you tube and look up "the boss of the swamp" and watch his video's of building a corderary road he has had good results rebyuilding his cabin roads with this method.
 
In the woods roots might be a problem! Years ago a developer plowed the roads for a lake lot development with a large tractor and a 5 bottom plow. The followed up with a one way disc and roller then a grader. It was a large man made lake and they did miles of road this way. They had lots of lots sold before they rebuilt the roads/streets. What would have been low areas they did build up with gravel.
 
Thanks everyone! You guys are great!

We've put a new spin on a corduroy road for a couple of the really boggy sections. Over the years I've collected chain link fencing that was being thrown out or otherwise discarded. I've also collected about 150 heavy duty plastic pallets.

Since most of the fencing was 48" wide and we want a ~7' wide road we rolled it out so that it overlapped in the middle. Then we tied them together with aluminum fence ties. The pallets went on top two wide to create an 80" path. We tied the pallets to each other with rope to keep them in place while the vegetation grew back and really stabilized everything.

We have been collecting discarded culverts and 6" iron pipes in order to move water under the road ahead of this next building phase.

Thanks again all!
 
I got this old single bottom plow off of a guy cheap I use for stuff like this. I had a ditch that had filled in for the most part due to the lot being abandoned for ten or so years, The tin horn was completely covered. I used the plow to dig it out and then took a blade and drug the turned over dirt away since it was all in a nice neat row.
 

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