Advice on How to reduce slope on dirt roads

[Citydude]

I took out the crest of this hill and deposited the material on the awning side of my newly built barn. I cut 2’ out of a 100’ section with an L2501 utilizing the box blade.

 

[Egon]

It is amazing what can be accomplished with small tractors.

I built this 450 foot road section with nothing but a 27 HP Kubota Tractor.

I dug the ditches, put in the sub-base, hauled in the 350 cubic yards of surface gravel from my gravel pit 1/2 mile away, and even installed the rock check dams for erosion. This was only a 9% grade, but in the end it passed inspection as a Heavy Haul Road by the Federal Government (USA).

It is surprising what can be accomplished with patience and proper use of the equipment at hand!:thumbsup:

 

[shooterdon]

I will share a story.

When I was in college my first love was the daughter of a guy who worked for the Canadian Government. He was a member of an exchange trip between Canada and China. This was in the early 1970's before the US had established relations with the US. The group was invited to see the construction of a large dam project. There were over 10,000 men with wheelbarrows moving dirt and fill. One of the Canadian members was a heavy equipment supplier hoping to make some sales and he told the Chinese he could do the work of 10,000 men in a couple of days. The Chinese fellow heading the meeting said the equipment would require capital they did not have, require maintenance and spare parts from North America. But they had plenty of people who needed work, labor was cheap, and they had plenty of time.

I am one of those posters who is guilty of "doing it efficiently". Part of that is my training (engineering), part is my age, and part is laziness.

In this case, I would hire the work out....BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARY! Even a small tractor is much better than a wheelbarrow.

As in most threads, we put our values into the recommendations we make. And we think the way we did, or would do, a job is the best way. Even if it is the best way, it is not the only way.

 

[Jim Nelson]

For those of you who say that a tractor is not for building roads,Please don't come sneaking around here and tell my B7800 that.My little tractor has built and maintained miles of road with no problem. It's not the tractor without the ability, it's the operator.

 

[airbiscuit]

I love the check dams.

 

[jaxs]

Hello All,

I just bought a Bx2680. My first urgent project is to reduce the slope on a dirt road/trail that runs from the front of my 11 acre property down to the river. There are two drops. The first one is about 30ft drop and the second about 20ft. The slope on both is very high. Eventually, I want regular 2WD SUVs and golf carts to be able to easily go up and down. Right now, my KIA 2WD SUV barely makes it up either slope. I want to start using the front loader to start shaving the dirt in the steep sections and reduce overall slope. I'm thinking around a 25 degree slope might do the trick. It is all dirt and not too hard so I'm hoping the front loader does the trick. My question is: Do I need to get the front loader blades even for pushing just dirt? ARe the other tricks or other attachments I need? Thanks!

Has anyone answered his question? I can't because I've never dealt with multiple front loader blades and don't know what "get them even"means.

 

[airbiscuit]

Hello All,

I just bought a Bx2680. My first urgent project is to reduce the slope on a dirt road/trail that runs from the front of my 11 acre property down to the river. There are two drops. The first one is about 30ft drop and the second about 20ft. The slope on both is very high. Eventually, I want regular 2WD SUVs and golf carts to be able to easily go up and down. Right now, my KIA 2WD SUV barely makes it up either slope. I want to start using the front loader to start shaving the dirt in the steep sections and reduce overall slope. I'm thinking around a 25 degree slope might do the trick. It is all dirt and not too hard so I'm hoping the front loader does the trick. My question is: Do I need to get the front loader blades even for pushing just dirt? ARe the other tricks or other attachments I need? Thanks!

Has anyone answered his question? I can't because I've never dealt with multiple front loader blades and don't know what "get them even"means.

If the question is "should I tilt my bucket 90 degrees to turn it into a dozer blade to push just dirt?", the answer is a resounding NO. That is a good way to bend hydraulic rams. The better question was the second one - Are there other attachments he needs? YES - a BOX BLADE!

 

[Diggin It]

It's surprisingly amazing the yarns people can spin with an imagination and keyboard and the number of people who will readily tangle themselves up in them.

 

[Egon]

He’d bury a box blade with the loader.

 

[Code54]

Regardless of tractor size, the proper tool would be a box blade. Use it to shave material and move it. It will be so much faster and more productive than using the front loader (not to mention, the front loader is not really built to do what you want).

While a BX will take longer to do this job than the right size tractor, an appropriately sized box blade will be the most effective approach to the problem no matter what size tractor.

Yep - hit the nail right on the head. It can be done with some time investment. Box blade with rippers will break up the dirt, then drop it down the slope. Not real expensive for that size machine and will useful for possible future projects as well.

 

[FTG-05]

Did the OP ever show back up here with pics?

Maybe we scared him off?

Maybe he's too busy bulldozing with his tractor vs. hot-air typing here?

Mysteries abound.

 

[dragoneggs]

I hope he does come back. Some here did imply that he was basically crazy for attempting the project. I was not one of them but there are concerns that need to be understood and addressed.

 

[katyhorn]

Hello Fellow Members,

My apologies for my absence. I kept up with the posts the first few days, then stopped. I was not getting any notifications that you all were posting so I apologize for my absence. I am still working on my project. I took the advice of some of you and got a Landprice BB1248 box scrapper, just yesterday. The pictures are for the 2nd elevation. THe bottom of this hill is level with the bank of the Colorado River, so when the water goes over the banks, this area all fills. In the 2 yeas, I've owned the property, it has happended twice up about 5-7 feet. The hill itself is about 12 ft high. The work you see was my first attempt trying to scrape the slope with just the FEL. Today and tomorrow, I'll use both the FEL and the box scrapper. I'll post pictures. THe other hill is about 30 ft high, but that has already been resloped by a dozer then a skid steer. The fellow I contracted just left it too steep still, so my plan is to gradually reduce the slope further over time.

 

[old and tired]

If you know how to use a box blade... stop reading now.

If not, here a little advise: to cut into the dirt and fill the box, you'll want to shorten the top link so the front blade hits the dirt before the rear blade does. The rear blade is good for smoothing the surface out, you need to extend the top link so that the rear blade needs to touch the ground first.

It doesn't look like you need side to side adjustments.... but If you ever need to cut along a side hill, you'll want to tilt the blade with the 3ph. It helps to place a 4x4 to take weight off the screw, you'll need to raise and lower back to the 4x4 to reset the pressure on the screw... Anyway, practice, practice and practice more... good luck.

Hydraulic top and tilt makes this SO much easier!!! And shortens the learning curve...

 

[katyhorn]

First time using the box blade, for that matter the FEL and tractor, so I'm up a very steep learning curve - thank you for the advice. Quick request for advice. I'm going to have to make the trail wider. Should I be doing it all at once? What is the best way to cut onto the sides to make the trail wider?

 

[airbiscuit]

I would cut into the sides as they are now with the bucket. After that use the box blade on the full width.

 

[old and tired]

How firm is the dirt on the edges where you've dragged down from the top? It looks a bit loose on the right side... I would load up the FEL with dirt/rocks (for weight) and compact the soil as much as you can. You compact dirt a few inches at a time. Drive the thin yellow line (see photo) and gradually move outward to the thicker yellow line...

Once the edges are firm (so the tractor will not rollover from the edge giving away). I would cut the top (area above the blue line) with the box blade off-set as much as possible to the side (without it touching your tire). You are going to need the rippers down since you'll be cutting roots... you might need to only use a couple of them if there's to many roots. Think, smaller bites, more trips which only help to compact the dirt...

Do you have extra rock or dirt you can bring in? Also, that small tree needs to be taken out...

 

[katyhorn]

Thank to all of you who provide some great insight. Progress after about 6 hours over two days of reducing slope on the hill with FEL & Box blade. I also started clearing out and leveling out the trail that goes out to the river. The slope is such that my riding lawnmower and tractor go up and down comfortably. It needs more work, I think, to get a golf cart up and down with ease.

 

[airbiscuit]

Fun, right?

That little tree has to go!

 

[Egon]

Might consider starting your cut a little farther back. Your bucket will work better than the box blade.