How can I build a road up this hill

   / How can I build a road up this hill #21  
How long and wide of an area are you wanting to cover with rock? That sounds like a lot. And I wouldn’t use his method. Crushed asphalt covered with gravel?? Maybe large gravel for a base covered with crushed asphalt or gravel.
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill #22  
From reading some comments....

He can't work from the top down if he can't get to the top first.

Fill dirt is the last choice for building a road. Requires lots of compaction and work. Grading off dirt and leaving an undisturbed base is the best beginning. You have an acre at the top. So it sounds like you have ample room to cut in a gradually sloping road/ramp straight up into that hillside (which sounds like the route you want to take) which will leave undisturbed base all the way from bottom to top.

You don't want gravel for a road topping. Gravel is round. Round doesn't lock together. Each time you drive over round gravel your tires push it around and to the sides, leaving two tire paths with a crown in the center and crowns on each side. Gravel requires more maintenance. You want something crushed with lots of jagged edges so it locks together and doesn't push around when you drive over it.

My father used gravel and it didn't work well. Then he tried crushed limestone. It worked better, but it still pushes around. The best thing we've found so far is slag from steel mills. Looks like lava rocks. Locks together and just doesn't move around at all when driven over. However, that isn't available in lots of locations.

Crushed asphalt tends to lock together pretty well, too. Wonder why your gravel guy wants you to put gravel on top of it? I'd put the gravel on the bottom and the asphalt on top as well.

What's your soil type in that area you want to put the ramp in? And what degree angle is the existing slope and what degree angle are you aiming for when complete? I know I asked that earlier, but it really helps for people to understand what you're currently dealing with and what you want to end up with when complete. ;)
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill #23  
No other options but build from the bottom up if there is no way to get the bx up on top. Rent a mini ex and save your bx a lot of grief.
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill
  • Thread Starter
#24  
Made lots of progress today. Levelling off another part of the property and dumping all the soil on this slope. It is really amazing what can be done with a piranha toothbar on the smallest Kubota! I dug out maybe 20 yards of hard packed soil and rocks in about 5 hours. I might be a week or 2 away from driving up this baby.
 
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   / How can I build a road up this hill #25  
Pictures or it didn’t happen. It’s just talk.
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill #27  
It looks to me from your photo you are in the PNW. Firs, Hemlocks, Cedars. Coast range probably. Unstable soils. I would quit screwing around and get JD 450-550, or D4 in for a morning, stick in some water bars and rock it. Best case as far as I am concerned would be to cut sidehill with one switchback. Compact it, ditch it. Let it set till spring and rock it. just sayin';-) Oh, did I forget to mention a competent operator?
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill #28  
I would quit screwing around and get JD 450-550, or D4 in for a morning, stick in some water bars and rock it. Best case as far as I am concerned would be to cut sidehill with one switchback. Compact it, ditch it. Let it set till spring and rock it. just sayin'

For a 10 foot hump?

I have one beautiful acre behind my house but it is elevated above the rest of my lot but about roughly 10 feet.


Makes me wonder what you'd do for my 30 foot hill.
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill
  • Thread Starter
#29  
Pretty much stalled now due to mud! Yes, I'm in the PNW. I have about a foot of soft soil on top, then compacted clay and rocks. Kinda losing hope now. YOu can see in the photo the camera is level. Still not even close to being able to climb this thing.

Here's a photo showing the slope a little better.
Screen Shot 2019-01-07 at 2.00.42 PM.png

And this is where I'm getting my fill dirt.
Screen Shot 2019-01-07 at 2.01.06 PM.png
 
   / How can I build a road up this hill #30  
If you're just compacting it by driving that tractor back and forth over it, that isn't gonna be enough compaction for a lasting ramp and it's gonna wash out over time. The tractor doesn't have much more PSI on the ground than a large person in size 10 shoes.
 

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