Grading A Road With Water Bars

[1bush2hog]

I am currently in the process of having some road work done to improve the 'pig trails' on our property. The roads are on property we have up in the mountains and due to the slope we are using a crown and water bars which are angled to the run of the road, to move the water off of the road. I'm looking for advise on the best implement to use to maintain these roads. The roads will be several miles long once we are finished.

I currently have a Bush Hog 70-06 rear blade. I have read most of the grader threads, box blade threads, etc. but I'm not sure I'll be able to get by with just a rear blade, but am concerned the graders will take too much off of the water bars. I would appreciate any and all thoughts and comments on the best attachment(s) to handle this job, as I don't really want to spend more time than I have to maintaining the roads.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[bcp]

My first thought is for a rear blade with gauge wheel(s), and easy it over the bars without cutting. Never used one, though.

Center wheel(s) on frame:


or two wheels on the blade:


The Bush Hog blade parts manual shows several "tailwheels" that could be copied or bought.
http://www.bushhog.com/images/stories/documents/manuals/rearmtdbladesparts.pdf

Bruce

 

[ishiboo]

How many water bars and how much is sloped? All of it?

I am thinking do the vast majority with a box blade or grader, assuming you have a lot of leveling to do. Then you can toss a cheap blade on already angled and put in some water bars at the end.

Beautiful property BTW.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Any way you look at it, the water bars are a stumbling block. Maybe someone has an easy way of dealing with them. I do not. For as much road that you will be maintaining, I would have 4 separate implements to maintain the miles of roads that you will be looking after.

Do not even bother doing the maintenance without a top & tilt set for your tractor.

Land plane grading scraper (LPGS) would be the most used implement IMO.

Off set able rear blade for shaping

Box blade for when material needs to be moved from point A to point B

A very good landscape rake for grooming.

Probably going to have to hand control the 3pt as the implement goes over the water bars, or figure out a different way to control the water. If the water bars were real wide, it would be easier to deal with them, but in the end still something that has to be contended with.

 

[bcp]

You might find some ideas here, starting about halfway through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK68zUMOUnc

Maybe in this video or somewhere else, I saw/read that the Forest Service prefered dips instead of bumps for water control.

Bruce

 

[MtnViewRanch]

You might find some ideas here, starting about halfway through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK68zUMOUnc

Maybe in this video or somewhere else, I saw/read that the Forest Service prefered dips instead of bumps for water control.

Bruce

Good video, worth watching IMO.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Good vidio bcp !!
I have a couple "rolling dips" on my main road/drive. I maintain them with a rear blade and LPGS. I use water bars on my woods/tractor roads (skid trails really and ski trails). They don't need much maintainence once they are established but when they do I use a small dozer or my rear blade.

I agree with Brian - with all those roads and ditches to maintain on sloped terrain you will need several impliments. Water control will be a constant effort for you. IMO Keeping/making all the angled cuts will require top and tilt and high quality adjustable impliments.

 

[oosik]

My question - what is a "water bar". Not a term used by DOH or Forestry Dept in this part of the country and not shown in dictionary.

 

[Ford850]

My question - what is a "water bar". Not a term used by DOH or Forestry Dept in this part of the country and not shown in dictionary.

Watch the youtube video posted above. It was filmed in Boise National Forest, and is very informative. A water bar is one type of cross drain they show in that video.

 

[ishiboo]

Pretty simple... if you've ever seen a long, graded gravel road... water tends to create rivers which continue to run down (gaining velocity to a certain point), causing ruts, washing sediment down, etc. Even my driveway with minimal slope (3' in 400') does this.

A water bar is a ridge of gravel on an angle to the drive, that when water hits it, it's forced off the driveway instead of continuing to run down it.

 

[Deerherd]

Start at the top of the hill and work down, building as you go. A box blade works pretty good for making them. Open top culverts work better and are easier to maintain but are much more labor intensive to build.

 

[1bush2hog]

Thanks for all the great replies! That video contains some good info too! I do have mostly rolling dips, but had to use water bars in some of the steeper areas where we didn't have enough room to put in the dips. I have a feeling at a minimum, a TNT and grader is going to be on my priority list, although it sure would be nice to have one of those road graders Anyone using one of the Roadrunner Graders? They are about twice as heavy as the LP GS2584, and about 10% more expensive.

 

[1bush2hog]

My first thought is for a rear blade with gauge wheel(s), and easy it over the bars without cutting. Never used one, though.

Center wheel(s) on frame:
View attachment 336191

or two wheels on the blade:
View attachment 336192

The Bush Hog blade parts manual shows several "tailwheels" that could be copied or bought.
http://www.bushhog.com/images/stories/documents/manuals/rearmtdbladesparts.pdf

Bruce

Thanks for the link Bruce - I'll check pricing on those Hydraulics from BH. That sure would save me some time getting on and off the tractor to adjust the blade angle

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Thanks for all the great replies! That video contains some good info too! I do have mostly rolling dips, but had to use water bars in some of the steeper areas where we didn't have enough room to put in the dips. I have a feeling at a minimum, a TNT and grader is going to be on my priority list, although it sure would be nice to have one of those road graders Anyone using one of the Roadrunner Graders? They are about twice as heavy as the LP GS2584, and about 10% more expensive.

Yes they are heavier than the Land Pride units. But if you look at a few others you will find several heavy units that are available.

GradeMaster Grader Blades

Home | Road Boss Grader I know that these typically run about 200lbs per foot width.

 

[1bush2hog]

Thanks for the addl. links Brian. I will be in touch with you soon on a TNT kit, as soon as I figure out what I will need.

 

[Ford850]

Have you seen the DoMor blades? The first link is to the company's site where you can find a lot of variety for graders. They have some great features and I didn't know so much was available. I like the hydraulic back gate and teeth to get the function of a BB along with the grader. The second link has some pictures of a HA series blade in use.
HA Series Grader - DoMor Equipment
Photos of 2013 Other HA-96 Box Blade Scraper For Sale » Wellington Implement, OH

 

[hawkeye08]

Those water bars you mention are called Kelly bumps around here by the old timers. I think I would be looking at used road graders to maintain that much road..

 

[oosik]

Hmmmm - learned something today, water bars. My first though was a road grader also; especially when the OP indicated "many miles of road" & "didn't want to spend any more time than he had to on road maintenance". Its going to be difficult to maintain many miles of road with a utility tractor and any kind of implement(s) and not spend a lot of time on maintenance. I have a mile long driveway and I sure get A LOT of seat time doing maintenance. And by the very nature of the beast - roads in the mountains are going to require more maintenance.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I just sold a top link to the Good Year Proving grounds in Texas to use on their JD 7810. (Big tractor, 180hp I think). Anyway, they have 25 miles of roads that they maintain on 7000 acres. The guy says that the tractor runs 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. They use a Road Boss to do all of the light maintenance and have 3 motor graders that get used for things that get seriously messed up.