Building raods, driveways and trails with a tractor

[Jeff244]

A few things to consider regarding the asphalt portion of your project:

You should talk to the company that is going to put the asphalt down and ask them what they recommend as far as thickness of base, grades, type of stone etc. They would be familiar with the requirements for your area. Ask them for a separate quote for installing the base, that way you can decide if it's worth it for you to do the work.

Ask them if the warranty would be affected if you or an excavator put in the base. Asphalt is only as strong as the base and if there are problems, the finger pointing could start.

If you are going to have the asphalt 10' wide, consider having the base about 11' wide. That gives extra strength to the edges and if cars or delivery trucks etc. drive off an edge there shouldn't be any damage.

Good luck,
Jeff

 

[Verticaltrx]

Most tractors that are in the 35-45hp range would use 6' wide implements. Normally when you get a rear blade, you get it wide enough so that when you have it at a 45 degree angle, it still covers your tracks. For the tractors that he is looking at, that will take either a 7 or 8 foot blade.

By chance can you show us a 6' wide rear blade that weighs 600-700lbs?

I was going off the top of my head for weights, but the Woods HBL72 or Bush hog 70-06 are what I had in mind. After looking they are between 500-550lbs, but the point is still the same that heavier is better for dirt work.

As for implement width just because it takes a certain width to cover the tracks doesn't mean a tractor can really handle that wide of a blade or box blade under heavy use. I also don't recall him listing any specific models he was looking at, and as I'm sure you know there is a BIG difference between a compact utility tractor with 35-45 Engine hp and a Utility tractor with 35-45 PTO hp. We have a JD 4400 (4wd) that is 35hp engine and I wouldn't even think of using a 7-8' blade on it. We also have an IH 454 Diesel (2wd) that is 40hp PTO. Its a pretty heavy tractor for its hp and would probably handle a 7' blade, but still not an 8'.

 

[builder2]

Re: Building roads, driveways and trails with a tractor

Buy a bulldozer

Kind of a short response I gave yesterday. You will no doubt beat the piss out of a tractor trying to establish grade. With a dozer, you will have much more control final grading. You can usually rent by the week. If your intent for the asphalt drive is to have it "paver ready", you would also need to rent a roadgrader as most paving companies will need a pretty flat grade that you cannot get with a dozer let alone a tractor. As a rule of thumb, your asphalt base should be about 2' wider than the actual drive to avoid degradation on the edge of the path. Pathways would be feasible with a tractor, boxblade and FEL. This will also the piss out of a tractor. Earthwork is generally best left to equipment designed for it. I think that you are on the right track to have heavy equipment do the "heavy" work and purchase a tractor that will meet your long term needs.

Paul

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I was going off the top of my head for weights, but the Woods HBL72 or Bush hog 70-06 are what I had in mind. After looking they are between 500-550lbs, but the point is still the same that heavier is better for dirt work.

As for implement width just because it takes a certain width to cover the tracks doesn't mean a tractor can really handle that wide of a blade or box blade under heavy use. I also don't recall him listing any specific models he was looking at, and as I'm sure you know there is a BIG difference between a compact utility tractor with 35-45 Engine hp and a Utility tractor with 35-45 PTO hp. We have a JD 4400 (4wd) that is 35hp engine and I wouldn't even think of using a 7-8' blade on it. We also have an IH 454 Diesel (2wd) that is 40hp PTO. Its a pretty heavy tractor for its hp and would probably handle a 7' blade, but still not an 8'.

You are right, the OP has not mentioned any particular tractor, it is no problem to have a 7k pound 40 HP tractor. I would not even hesitate to put an 8' blade behind that size of tractor and expect to be able to work that blade hard with that amount of pulling power.

As for me, I'm looking for a 7" blade in the 750lb range to use behind my Mahindra 3215. My 3215 is 32HP and weighs in at about 5,000 lbs. Maybe I'm off in Fantasy Land thinking that my little tractor will handle it, I'm hoping to find out someday.

 

[GE222]

I tend to agree with the posts recommending you to hire it out, or rent some large equipment. Talk to your asphalt supplier ahead of time. They probably have some great suggestions. If you have the time, then rent a dozer and play.

One of the very first posts discussed water drainage. This is very very important as poor water drainage can really cause damage and never ending frustration.
It is also a good idea to let the drive settle for a few months or more before laying the asphalt.

 

[lewbest]

OK I have some questions concerning a similar situation. I'm about 100 miles north of Austin but my land is sandy. Apparently little organic matter as it does very poorly trying to grow a garden but does a good job with Coastal Bermuda grass pasture/hay. Normally (when it's dry) it's quite hard but gets real sloppy when wet.

I need to gradually build a road; have a dump trailer & can get pit run gravel (used a lot around here for driveways, etc.) quite cheaply at a gravel pit less than a mile away. Most of this was apparently gravel in the past & will see very little traffic (maybe 20-30 "trips" over it a year?) but I do need to be able to drive my truck around the house occasionally to get to my shop building.

Is just laying in this gravel adequate? If so how thick should it be? I have a Ford 4000 diesel & a good heavy box blade; sould soon have a pretty good size (4 cylnder wisconsin engine; about a 6' wide bucket; rated at about 1500 pound lift capacity iirc) skid steer loader. I just need to finish putting it back together as that project got "sidetracked" when winter came. IOW I think I have adequate equipment to move the gravel around but welcome ANY advice on putting it in (thickness, how high above grade, etc.); the land here is quite flat.

Lew near Waco

 

[Gittyup]

I built a road using a 7' blade behind a 25 HP gear tractor. Tractor was stronger than the blade (woods RB84). Blade bent; tractor kept going. A rear blade should (must really) cover your tracts when angled. For my tractor, that meant a 7 footer.

Now for the box blade, which is not angled and is way more aggressive. I have a heavy 6' old Gannon. I'd probably be better off with a 5 footer, which would still cover my tracts. But, it was the best used deal I could afford. I just take smaller bites.

TnT really helps a lot with rear blades.

For ground work, a geared tractor is better. But, when you are done, an HST may be better.
On the paving, I'd leave that to the paver to prepare. That way if there is a problem, it's clear who is responsible. And they'll be done in a day or two. I suspect when you account for materials, you won't be saving all that much anyway by doing it yourself. Though, you will do a better job than the pavers, in most cases.

Concrete work: the box blade and loader (toothbar recommended) will let you excavate nicely (Bobcats with loaders excell at this too). Form, wire, and call in the concrete truck. Make sure you have enough help to pour and finish before it begins to set. You are talking a pretty big pour, if done all at once.

If only getting one implement, get the boxblade.

Going through the woods or expecting to have to dig out big rocks: Bulldozer. Though small trees (<2") can be taken out easily with a FEL and toothbar.


Words to the wise: crown, ditch, culvert, geotex

 

[dangerdoc]

Well builder and Mark, you ahve me really thinking now.. If I subbed out the driveways, paths and carport, I'd probably go ahead and have them dig the lines for irrigation and pop in my new trees. All of a sudden, I only need the tractor for mowing and light landscaping. I probably would no longer need to spend $32K+ for something that would do that really well...

Right tool for the right job.

Sub out major dirt moving, it will save you money.

Do the small dirt jobs yourself, it is more cost effective. Even if you do hire out the big jobs, you will still have routine maintenance. Ruts to fill, ditches to clean, you will still need a tool for that job.

Used tractors can be a real bargain. I bought a 10 year old 54 HP AWD Kubota for $12,000. A few grand more in various attachments. I was able to build most of the drive but one section required moving hundreds of yards of dirt to build up the drive, this was done partially with a track hoe and dump trucks, used to turn a very sharp drop off into something I can mow with the mower and the rest with a road grader which could move more dirt in an hour that I could in a day (or two) with the tractor. Spending a few thousand bucks on a professional allowed me to buy a tractor sized to my day to day needs and get the project done in a reasonable time.

I still did most of the work myself, saved a lot of money and have a tractor I use year round. I moved logs out of the woods yesterday, moved firewood today. It dug me out of the snow last month. Pulled me, my father-in-law, neighbor and a stranger out of the snow this winter.

Don't bite off more than you can chew but on the other hand there are some jobs you can do cost effectively and there is something therapeutic about seat time in a tractor.

Good luck.