Clearing/Grading ridge for road - best equipment?

[Zeroranch]

Hey all, I'm new here. Google searches kept taking me to these forums so I figured I'd join.

I've got a property out in the California desert I'm clearing a road to. There's a ridge that I've got to cut to create a grade comfortable for driving. I started out with a bobcat but quickly realized it wasn't the right tool because the soil is densely compacted and mixed up with semi-decomposed granite rocks. You wouldn't be able to tap a tent stake deeper than a couple inches in to this surface. I've got to cut as deep as 4 feet.

I was under the impression that an excavator or backhoe would be my best tool since a narrow bucket might be able to pull away at the surface bit by bit but I spoke with a contractor who said my best bet would be a D4 or D6 equivalent dozer with a ripper.

I'll be renting whatever equipment is necessary myself in a few months (due to the remote location can't find any pros to take on the job.) So far I'm not sure I'll be able to find a rental dozer that includes a ripper - and I'm not sure if a dozer without the ripper is going to be useful.

Curious if anyone's got guidance on this sort of project and what the pros and cons are with different types of big equipment. I'll have a full seven days with whatever I rent - so figuring I should be able to get the job done one way or another.

Appreciate any advice!

 

[coldsteelva]

Pictures are worth 1000 words; if you can post some, please do. The advice about a dozer with ripper is valid since a dozer is not an excavator, you would need the big ripper to tear into the surface so you could then turn it over.

If you can't get your hands on a dozer with ripper, perhaps you can get a dozer and a tracked trencher (DitchWitch); use the trencher to crack the surface and the dozer to smooth it out.

 

[jeff9366]

Pre-retirement I used to be tangentally involved in creating new vineyards all over the southern end of the Imperial Valley, mostly from cattle grazing land. We had contractors that would rip the tough soil like you describe nine feet deep with D9 Cats with a single claw on the rear. These contractors would drive considerable distances with the equipment for the work. When they arrived, they would often rip 300 to 500 acres for us, so we were good, steady customers.

I would shop for a contractor. Cutting through a ridge the equipment may encounter even harder soil below 3', but a big Cat can rip about anything except igneous rock. Your contract price would be higher than ours but as I said earlier, these contractors are accustomed to working all over the southern part of California.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Hey all, I'm new here. Google searches kept taking me to these forums so I figured I'd join.

I've got a property out in the California desert I'm clearing a road to. There's a ridge that I've got to cut to create a grade comfortable for driving. I started out with a bobcat but quickly realized it wasn't the right tool because the soil is densely compacted and mixed up with semi-decomposed granite rocks. You wouldn't be able to tap a tent stake deeper than a couple inches in to this surface. I've got to cut as deep as 4 feet.

I was under the impression that an excavator or backhoe would be my best tool since a narrow bucket might be able to pull away at the surface bit by bit but I spoke with a contractor who said my best bet would be a D4 or D6 equivalent dozer with a ripper.

I'll be renting whatever equipment is necessary myself in a few months (due to the remote location can't find any pros to take on the job.) So far I'm not sure I'll be able to find a rental dozer that includes a ripper - and I'm not sure if a dozer without the ripper is going to be useful.

Curious if anyone's got guidance on this sort of project and what the pros and cons are with different types of big equipment. I'll have a full seven days with whatever I rent - so figuring I should be able to get the job done one way or another.

Appreciate any advice!

To start with, I doubt that you can even rent any dozer in Southern California without rippers.

Second, how long of a road is this going to be?

Third, have you operated a dozer before with success? If yes, then a D6, if not then a D4, maybe even a D3 or equivalent.

Depending on many different things that are unknown to us, but don't be surprised if 7 days is not enough time for YOU.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[Zeroranch]

Pictures are worth 1000 words; if you can post some, please do. The advice about a dozer with ripper is valid since a dozer is not an excavator, you would need the big ripper to tear into the surface so you could then turn it over.

Attaching a couple photos. To even out the crest of this ridge, I've got about 30' of road to cut from 0' to 4'.

Once that bobcat had cleared the top soil it couldn't do much but rattle along the surface. (And because of the grade it was prone to tipping)

 

[mike69440]

My wife would be shocked to hear this coming from me, but you ever just consider letting nature be?
Yikes, that is going to take some doing!

 

[joeu235]

I've used a mouldboard plow to make a road bed but in nothing like what you have.

 

[jpolcyn]

Dozer all the way. Bigger the better. have fun!!

 

[coldsteelva]

That is NOTHING like what I expected to see. I expected a small incline ridge. What you have there is pro heavy equipment territory. Let's say you knock that ridge down...what do you do when you reach the boulders? Are you trying to make a drivable road through that landscape?

 

[Zeroranch]

That is NOTHING like what I expected to see. I expected a small incline ridge. What you have there is pro heavy equipment territory. Let's say you knock that ridge down...what do you do when you reach the boulders? Are you trying to make a drivable road through that landscape?

Luckily, there are no major boulders in the road's path! The road weaves around them. Most of the incline of the ridge, which isn't well-pictured, is at a reasonable grade already - it's just the crest of the ridge that takes a sharp dip currently.

It's looking like a Deere 650 or a D5 with rippers are going to be the right compromise between power and ease of use. I'm guessing operation of the bigger dozers is similar enough but any mistakes made end up being bigger mistakes.