Gravel Pit Usage

[BrianC]

I am wondering if anyone has site addresses of gravel pit safety or information they would care to share regarding the opening and operation of a small gravel pit.

We live on a 1/2 mile of discontinued town road and the maintainance of it is our responsibility. I recently have found some pretty decent sandy gravel on our property and would like to use it to maintain the road.

There are some trees on top of the area I wish to excavate and will have to contend with them as well as the roots. Where we are located, I dont think we will have to contend with regulations as I will only be going on the road along our property line.

I can kind of guess the proper procedure to use but sure would like to listen to advise and guidence pertaining to safety and anything else I should be aware of.

Many thanks and kind regards.

Brian

 

[billfires]

Brian, I have a small pit located on my proprty. It started out as cutting into a hill with a skidsteer, then a week long demo with a 12000 lb. mini excavator and finally a 30,000 lb. excavator(we moved 800 yards in one day with 3 dump trucks). One caution if you will be using a tractor w/FEL is to not only cut the trees first but also remove the stumps. It is very scary to have the stump and root ball of a 15 inch oak dropping 7-8 feet and just barely missing you. Try to plan what the end result will look like after your done with the pit and also avoid leaving "cliffs" by sloping the banks. I'm sure many others will chime in with other ideas also.

Bill C

 

[dummy]

A check with the local building/planning office should turn up some reliable information. As much as I dislike government interference, a phone call can be well worth a lack of grief later on. Sometimes, you never really know your neighbors until afterwards.

 

[TerryinMD]

I have to agree with (the?) dummy (sounds kinda funny to say that... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif)

There may be some local/county/state/federal regulations that you need to follow.

As far as the neighbors.... you just never know... My next door neighbor ALWAYS comes out and "checks" out what's going on when I have my JD fired up. He whines when I remove the multiflora rose and some of the wild raspberries on my property. I just remind him that he can certainly grow them on his and he shouldn't worry about what's going on on my side of the line. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Terry

 

[EdKing]

<font color=blue>He whines when I remove the multiflora rose</font color=blue>

I can't understand why anyone would wine about the removal of multiflora roses. I have some on my property that are half again as tall as me and probably three times as big around. I'll be years trying to get rid of those things.

 

[Chuck52]

You know, I think multiflora rose is classified as a noxious weed here in Missouri, and landowners are strongly encouraged to combat it. In fact, it's possible you might even be compelled to control it...although I doubt that happens much.

Chuck

 

[EdKing]

I don't know if its classified here as a noxious weed, but I classify it as a <font color=red>DELETED PAIN IN THE DELETED</font color=red> and will do whatever it takes to control it. It has taken over to many hayfields and pastures around here. Seems like once it gets in, its very difficult to get rid of.

 

[MossRoad]

As long as you're not digging in a wet land around here, and you aren't selling the gravel, you can pretty much do what you want. You still might want to check with the local government. I was lucky enough to get ahold of a soil book for our area. It showed a pocket of a soil type called FOX. It said that under 1-3 feet of sand would be a pocket of gravel. They were right. It was only about 50-60 feet across, but that was just right for my needs. You might want to look at your local library or soil conservation district for a book like this. It is most helpful.