Road costing advise or opinions!

[dirtworksequip]

Sam, probably the easiest way to cut in the ditches is to use the FEL and rear blade in combination. Using the FEL get your tractor 90 degree's to the road. Now determine where you want the edge of your stone. At that point tip your bucket forward to start a cut. Drive forward and cut at a downward angle. When you get to what is the center of the ditch raise your bucket and slope the ditch into the edge of the bank. Cut enough ditch so that you can now get your tractor sitting in the ditch running parallel with the road. Now try and use your rear blade to cut the material with the blade angled. If you can cut the material with the rear blade that will be a lot faster. If you can't cut with the rear blade you will have to use the FEL, which will take more time. If it hadn't rained the last 3 days I could get you some pics of a road I'm doing now. I'll try to do that sometime this weekend if it quits raining.

I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish with the shale? Are you putting down the shale and then topping with limestone? Around here the shale would be the same as just building up the road with more dirt and not really improving the road for the expended cost.Also the shale around here will break down and deteriorate after time.Different locals though shale is different. By the pics your road looks like a clay and will hold up fine if you KEEP IT DRY by cutting in the ditches. No matter what material you build a road out of if its not dry it will not hold up. The best material can be made bad by getting it wet and a bad material can be made good by drying it out.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[MarkV]

Sam I built a road much like yours and what Dirt has been saying is right on. Ditches are a must on a road that is running up a grade. If I understand the setting, you are cutting into the side of a slope running up hill. I believe on your up hill side you will also need some culvert to keep the water from backing up in the ditch and crossing the road. As soon as you have a situation where the water crosses the road you will have rutting and loss of gravel. If you do not have natural places to run the water out of the ditch, as it goes down hill the volume will become to much for the ditch without a culvert.

Looking at your photo's it looks like you did some nice grading with the B26. Your first photo though shows a classic situation for a rutted road in my experience. You have a road bed where the water has no place to go and will work like a water channel to direct all the water down your road which will rut out.

MarkV

 

[dirtworksequip]

Mark, you are exactly correct. The road will be the low point without and ditches and will carry all the water downhill along with a lot of stone. Especially with a hard downpour. Ditches are imparitive for a good road. Even a road built on dead level ground needs ditches.

Sam, place your culverts either at the low points or space them out going down your road. Depending on the surrounding terrain will dictate what size culverts will be needed. On the 1200 foot road I am putting in now I have four 10 inch culverts at all the low spots to get the water under the road instead of letting it run across the road. Ask away with any questions you have. Everyone here on TBN will be more than happy to help.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[SamWalton]

Wow, maybe it's just because it is 1am right now but I swear his post says his calculations end with $3,500 plus some dozer time added in after that, yet a contractor quoted him $1,250? He's asking if the contractor's price is off? Is it supposed to be $10,000 or $1,000? Because that's around 11 hours of dozer time plus the $250 for trucking if it's 1k which is about right. That's reasonable. Does trucking mean trucking or what? Where's the cost of the gravel?

To clarify the pricing I posted in the beginning of $3552. This is for the shale alone and dozer cost was $1000. The total would be $4552.

 

[SamWalton]

We picked up our new Land Pride LR1372 landscape rake. We worked the drive way removing stones and shaping it. I also raked the existing gravel road which worked nicely to distribute the stone surface evenly. I know we must install ditches on both sides of the road but I may wait to rent or contract a dozer. Using the rear blade may not achieve the desired outcome and I am sure a dozer will make easy work cutting in the drainage. We are going to focus on finishing up on clearing the home site and removing any additional trees of the electric service.

 

[RickB]

Mark, you are exactly correct. The road will be the low point without and ditches and will carry all the water downhill along with a lot of stone. Especially with a hard downpour. Ditches are imparitive for a good road. Even a road built on dead level ground needs ditches.

Sam, place your culverts either at the low points or space them out going down your road. Depending on the surrounding terrain will dictate what size culverts will be needed. On the 1200 foot road I am putting in now I have four 10 inch culverts at all the low spots to get the water under the road instead of letting it run across the road. Ask away with any questions you have. Everyone here on TBN will be more than happy to help.

Sincerely, Dirt

The first house my wife and I rented was on a steep private lane with an 80 year old neighbor. As I was dressing the lane so my wife could navigate it with her Honda Civic, the old timer told me; "Boy, if you take care of the ditches, the road will take care of itself". It was, and still is, very good advise.

 

[Egon]

dozer will make easy work cutting in the drainage.

A road grader may be advisable for cutting ditches in your situation. If they are available is another question?

 

[SamWalton]

We decided to remove a bunch of trees at the top of the drive way to allow room for the drainage ditches on both side of road.

 

[dirtworksequip]

SAM, looks like things are coming along well..........and by your pics no shortage of rocks. Thanks for all the pics. Everyone here at TBN loves pics. Have fun and work safe.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

great thread......

my road is going to be a lot of work......and money too.....

i'll be starting a thread before i start, i want specific opinions for my situation...

but i see the ditches and fabric points......

i'll keep watching!