Pushing in New Roads and Trails

[3RRL]

Here's a close up of one of those darn rocks. Man, that country is full of them. And I had to avoid the obvious outcroppings. No going through there.



This is what I was talking about.



Towards the end of the weekend, I finally finished the last trail that leads back to South camp. Now Loretta and I can have a decent path to hike or ride the ATV on when we cruise around the property. It opened up a lot of terrain that we only visited once in a while when we were really hiking, not just strolling. We noticed thousands of animal footprints when we got back, so they are using them too.

Here's the trail back.

 

[john_bud]

Rob,

I have read this thread several times and I still don't get why you are going back-wards. I have done battle with similar sized rocks and forward is the only way to do it, unless you enjoy fixing things on the 3pt. I know you are very skilled, but ....

It is possible that your technique is still in the formative stages. If that is so, you really are limiting your future self's ability to use your tools correctly and efficiently. Try dropping the scarifiers down and tilting the box so that it rides pretty level. Then go over your path with the box held to a couple inches of digging. You will hit the big rocks and may pop out a few. When you do, you will have a pile of dirt to re-fill the hole. Keep going over the same path and widen it out. If you set the 3pt arms to raise the box so that one end is up, keep that end to the middle of the trail to add some crown to it by making round trips.

As the path takes shape, you can and should modify the box front to back tilt as conditions require.

Best of luck with your little slice of paradise!
jb

 

[EddieWalker]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the update on your latest progress. I think trail making is about the most fun you can have with your land!!! There's just something about the process and the end results that give me more satisfaction than anything else. And seeing your progress gives me that same happiness.

Do you have any plans for the rocks? I know you've mentioned building a pond in the future, and they would be great for that. I'd love to have some of them for sitting areas around my ponds. You could put them in a semi circle around a fire pit along the shoreline.

Eddie

 

[Timber]

That looks great Rob, You have one of the best playgrounds But so does Eddie LOL. Maybe some day you will let my come over and play in your sand box LOL

 

[3RRL]

Man, I would love to have all you guys come over and goof off on the property. Trail making is fun like Eddie said and I saw Tiber's thread where he is dong it too.

John,
I hear why you are questioning by bulldozing in reverse. Thank you for asking. It is a technique I found that is (for me) quite a bit safer than pulling the boxblade when first cutting the trails and roads. Here is why.

On some areas, (not all), if I start driving up or down an incline, transversing it, the entire tractor is tilted sideways quite a bit. It is very unstable sideways like that and even the slightest rock or boulder can send it over on its side. If I use the FEL to dig out rocks and such in my path, I am doing it all on that tilted side plane. If I should accidentally push real hard on a rock or boulder, I could skid over it and if my tires hit it, adiós man...I'm tipping over for sure. In any case, the path I make is still on that side slope using the FEL. Using the boxblade and tilting it to cut into the higher side still requires that I drive the tractor on that slope which has not been cut by the boxblade yet. I find that dangerous and it exceeds my pucker level.

On the other hand, using the boxblade in reverse and tilting it, I can cut into the high side AS I am approaching a tilted side slope. I do this one cut at a time, cutting the high side and pushing that dirt/rocks behind me making a level path for my tires to be on. Now the tractor is not tilted sideways but level. I continue this method until I get the sloped traversing trail down or up to a level area. Then I turn around and drag the boxblade in the normal fashion. I make umpteen passes that way, pulling, until I have a fairly smooth road or trail and it is level now, not tilted anymore.

So keeping the tractor level while I am doing that heavy ground engaging work is a key for me, reducing the risk of tipping over tremendously. If you have not tried doing that, You should give it a shot. Often when I back cut like that, I can push a trail down and through a steep ledge and just keep going down the slope I just made where you couldn't drive forward over it. The rear tires (and fronts) are always on fresh cut soil and are very stable and level. It is a very effective way to do it, much like a dozer with a 6 way blade would do when cutting trails and roads on side inclines.

And yes, it's hard on the drag links but just watch it on the size cuts you take. (I missed on one attemp, obviously) Hope that clears it up.

 

[dfkrug]

Man, I would love to have all you guys come over and goof off on the property. Trail making is fun like Eddie said and I saw Tiber's thread where he is dong it too.

John,
I hear why you are questioning by bulldozing in reverse. Thank you for asking. It is a technique I found that is (for me) quite a bit safer than pulling the boxblade when first cutting the trails and roads. Here is why.

On some areas, (not all), if I start driving up or down an incline, transversing it, the entire tractor is tilted sideways quite a bit. It is very unstable sideways like that and even the slightest rock or boulder can send it over on its side. If I use the FEL to dig out rocks and such in my path, I am doing it all on that tilted side plane. If I should accidentally push real hard on a rock or boulder, I could skid over it and if my tires hit it, adiós man...I'm tipping over for sure. In any case, the path I make is still on that side slope using the FEL. Using the boxblade and tilting it to cut into the higher side still requires that I drive the tractor on that slope which has not been cut by the boxblade yet. I find that dangerous and it exceeds my pucker level.

On the other hand, using the boxblade in reverse and tilting it, I can cut into the high side AS I am approaching a tilted side slope. I do this one cut at a time, cutting the high side and pushing that dirt/rocks behind me making a level path for my tires to be on. Now the tractor is not tilted sideways but level. I continue this method until I get the sloped traversing trail down or up to a level area. Then I turn around and drag the boxblade in the normal fashion. I make umpteen passes that way, pulling, until I have a fairly smooth road or trail and it is level now, not tilted anymore.

So keeping the tractor level while I am doing that heavy ground engaging work is a key for me, reducing the risk of tipping over tremendously. If you have not tried doing that, You should give it a shot. Often when I back cut like that, I can push a trail down and through a steep ledge and just keep going down the slope I just made where you couldn't drive forward over it. The rear tires (and fronts) are always on fresh cut soil and are very stable and level. It is a very effective way to do it, much like a dozer with a 6 way blade would do when cutting trails and roads on side inclines.

And yes, it's hard on the drag links but just watch it on the size cuts you take. (I missed on one attemp, obviously) Hope that clears it up.

I have not built as many trails, but my experience has been similar to
yours, Rob. Simply put, ripping in a transverse direction on a slope
causes the tractor to slide sideways. The tougher the cut, the more
likely that is to happen. I got stuck sideways against a big tree once,
and once on the fill side of a slope. Thankfully, I had another tractor
to pull me out in one case. The other required a come-along. :-(

Bull dozing backward with the box blade works well, but its hard on the
neck. Hillsides can really be scary. I have lots of rock, too, but sandstone,
not the granite you have.

 

[3RRL]

Yeah Dave,
I forgot about what you just said ... sliding sideways and getting stuck against a tree trunk or big boulder. That has happened many times to me and is rather intimidating, to say the least! You may have seen earlier photos where (among other things) I always carried a farm jack, pry bar and come-along on the tractor. LOL ... Guess what they were for. Bull dozing backwards is a pain in the neck, so to speak, and tough on the lower drag links, but it sure works great. Especially with the hydraulic side tilt cylinders.

My technique is such that when I hit a giant boulder, I keep some reverse pressure on it and raise the 3pt to dislodge it. Works just as good as the fel pulling or pushing the boxblade if you got it hooked right. Also for me, if the large diameter rear tire goes into the recess, it's much more likely to crawl out of the hole then a smaller diameter front.

Including my main dirt road and the new trail roads, I must have over 5,000 feet of road that I now maintain by dragging the boxblade forward. I do that every time I go up to the property, just touching them up or cutting gutters. So I have had many, many hours experimenting with the boxblade. I still have to watch out for when I pop another boulder out, but it is not like that one is going to send me over sideways now. I can go back and use the fel to dig or fel and grapple to move those suckers and the road stays level.

Thanks for looking.

 

[dfkrug]

Also for me, if the large diameter rear tire goes into the recess, it's much more likely to crawl out of the hole then a smaller diameter front.

Including my main dirt road and the new trail roads, I must have over 5,000 feet of road that I now maintain by dragging the boxblade forward. I do that every time I go up to the property, just touching them up or cutting gutters. So I have had many, many hours experimenting with the boxblade.

That's a good point about the tires and holes. That's a lot of road!

When you complete your backhoe thumb, you can compare/contrast that
handy item with your FEL grapple for removing rocks. My thumb has been
VERY handy, but I have never used a FEL grapple. Being able to grab rocks
and logs and misc has helped a lot, even if they are sometimes too heavy
to lift.