Flat trail on a hillside

[RayCo]

How on earth does one create a flat (horizontal from side to side) trail on the side of a hill? It was this post that really got me wondering. I have loads of areas on my property where I'd like to do this, but, well, without being able to tilt my loader from side to side, I can't figure out how this is possible.

I converted my 3pt hitch to use chains and could do something like this with my box blade now, but this is assuming that I could drive sideways on the hills in question without rolling over. This isn't the case everywhere. The only thing I could think to do would be to back into where I want to go and just slowly work at it with my box blade tilted, coming out, going in a little further, coming out, going in a little further, and so on.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've been doing a lot... for me anyway, of hillside fire breaks and trails lately...

Your absolutely correct... there is nothing like a 6-war blade to make short work of the job and that is why I bought a D-3 Cat.

I also have a BX23 at another property and spending a lot of time clearing brush and putting in hillside trails. It is MUCH slower going by using the backhoe a lot to loosen the dirt on the high side of the route. After that, I turn the BX around and use the loader with tooth-bar to cast the dirt to the low side. It helps a lot if you can start level or slightly slanted into the hill and work for there... always going back to a level spot before your next cut.

If you can or want to make the trail wide enough, you will also be able to angle the loader into the hill better.

Top and tilt can do wonders for finishing.

Just take it slow. I've noticed much better stability since I had my rear tires foamed filled... added an extra 144 pounds per rear wheel.

I had a neighbor stop by last night, and he couldn't believe the progress I've made with the BX... he always called it a "Toy" backhoe... he's a believer now.

 

[SBD]

I find that the trick is to constantly keep the ground under the tractor level so that you can keep moving forward to pick up more dirt from the cut bank of the new road as you are building it. What I do is cut into the hill a little with the side of the bucket. Then you back up a bit and deposit it on the downhill side of the new road as you make it. You can also just dump the cut earth over the edge. You use the FEL to flatten and compress the road bed as you make it so that you can safely drive on it.

You need to watch your front downhill tire at all times and make sure it is on solid ground. If not, you might soon learn what the seat belt and roll bar are for. This sometimes requires that you get off the tractor and inspect as you build.

It takes time and patience. I built another road like this without the toothbar but it took about twice as much effort.