Road building with 2305

[chipsndust]

Chipsndust,

Now that's some nice work. Just curious as to about how much time it took you to complete that project. Seems like that would be a lot of trips for stone and dirt! Impressive to say the least. They say beavers are quite the engineers, but I think you're one-uppin' em.

Hammer:
I'd be guessing if I tried to estimate the hours. I worked on it all summer, when I had the time, after work and weekends.
The road runs east to west, I started on the west end, so that end is packed down from all the repeated trips. I ended up moving the stone in plywood boxes mounted front and rear on my 4-wheeler (Yeah, lots of hand work). The logs were floated or hand carried. They came from standing trees in the flooded area. The dirt came from banks on either side of the swamp (mostly from the west end, until I could get the tractor across). I used the boxblade to loosen the dirt and moved it with the FEL. I leveled the road with the FEL.
I'm anxious to see how it holds up through the winter; I expect I'll need to do some work on the east end, since it didn't get packed down as much. (More seat time )

 

[Tororider]

Nice work, I would guess that you will have some work to do next spring in upkeep, but like you said, more seat time.

Not to be contrary, but my first thought was that the logs would decompose as well. Why is it that since they are underwater they won't decompose? I know they don't have the air or sun, but I would still think they would have to decompose relatively quickly with wet dirt in contant contact with them.

 

[Defective]

An often overlooked fact: Water does not cause decay, oxygen does. Oxygen is not as free to move from water to wood as it is from air to wood.

 

[EastTnFarmboy]

An often overlooked fact: Water does not cause decay, oxygen does. Oxygen is not as free to move from water to wood as it is from air to wood.

Very interesting. I learned something today. I suppose I should have known it already!

 

[bjcsc]

I have to admit that my first thought involved dynamite, however after seeing your road, and provided you don't need to use the land for anything else, I think your project looks great. The extra wildlife should be interesting, too...

EastTnFarmboy: You would be amazed at the industry that pulls centuries old timbers from the bottom of the great lakes in order to dry them out and sell them (typically as veneer)...