Spreading wood chips

[Bendboater]

Hello,

Tractor owner since last fall and finally, my first post here.

I plan to put down a wood chip access road (to a future RV/raft/tractor barn). I realize that gravel is much more durable, longer lasting, and less expensive (here), but I prefer the softer look of chips. I have a couple other low use roads that I did similar with that have been in place for >20 years, and I love the way they blend into the surrounding landscape (juniper, sage and bitterbrush).
My question is. Now that I have a tractor to play with, is there an implement that would be helpful in spreading the chips?
I was thinking of a landscape rake, but not sure if it would work for this.
Someday, I would like to get a landplane (for my gravel roads), but I doubt this would work so well with chips????

Thoughts and opinions?

Thanks,

 

[TnAndy]

I bought an oversized "light materials" bucket for moving sawdust away from my sawmill, and it works well on chips too. Simply load the bucket and drive slow to sprinkle the chips along where you want to spread, the back drag with the bucket to smooth out the humps and valleys......same way I do gravel.

 

[jeff9366]

I recently spread a 16-wheeler truckload constituted of 100 cubic yards of 2"-3" pine bark chips over one acre using only the tractor 1/3 cubic yard FEL bucket. Transported chips in bucket from chip heaps, spread evenly by back dragging with bucket. Worked peachey-keen.

 

[tractchores]

I use the bucket as well just back drag, similar to what you'd do with soil. Not fast or perfect, but good enough. Agree on the roads, I use them on my trails

 

[oosik]

I chip a whole lot of small - 1" to 6", on the butt - pines along the driveway. It DOES make a soft ride in those spots. However, I loose all the pine chips every winter. I plow snow with my rear blade. The chips all get graded off the driveway.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have 1-1/2 miles of riding trails thru my trees that I line with wood chips that I create while grinding downed trees and branches. Bucket does a so so job of it but never gets it too flat. I find that 2 passes with my 6 foot harrow does wonders for making a slick looking trail when I finish. Trails are about 8 feet wide and I soent weeks limboing the low hanging branches to accommodate the cabbed tractor.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Woods chips turn to black mud, I don't want them any place I walk or drive...

SR

 

[grsthegreat]

Woods chips turn to black mud, I don't want them any place I walk or drive...

SR

well I’ve had them on my trails for 15 years....no issues

 

[Gem99ultra]

well I致e had them on my trails for 15 years....no issues

I also have not experienced my wood chips turning into black mud. I've found they make a great cushion for walking paths, covering around certain shrubs, trees, and plants, and great covering for flower beds. Eventually they do disintegrate, turning back into soil. They don't last forever, but the price is really good!

So far I've simply loaded chips in a small 4 x 8 trailer hand spread them. Having done about 50 piles so far, I do hope there is a much better system for distribution. I also have a half-yard dump cart that I use for small spots to cover.

I now have 6 piles of trees to chip up and will begin chipping when I get 10. Chipping up 10 piles of pine and sweet gum trees is about the same amount of work as building up one pile to be chipped.

 

[Thomas]

:welcome: to TBN.

As others said sprinkle with bucket than back drag,I found using rake it can clump easier.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

They won't last 5 years here, even the landscapers, have to pull them back out and replace them every few years...

I shoveled out a wagon body yesterday that had left over chips in, that I haven't cleaned out in a few years, all of the lower layer was black slippery mud...

I see them dump chips at tractor shows too, and they have to replace them for the same reason...

Maybe we get more moisture than you guys?

SR

 

[robstaples]

I covered a limestone base construction road with wood chips to make it look more environmental. After three years, I had a contact crane get stuck on a slight incline. I had to remove all the chips and replaced with more limestone. Walking trail and low traction requirements , it’s great. May all depend on moisture level and flatness of trail. Here, Michigan, three inches down probably never dries.

 

[Bendboater]

Thank you to all for your comments and thoughts. Great group.
It sounds like my bucket will do "good enough".
Yes, wood rots on the ground. But here in the high desert it takes a long time because it's soooooo dry.

 

[Gem99ultra]

They won't last 5 years here, even the landscapers, have to pull them back out and replace them every few years...

I shoveled out a wagon body yesterday that had left over chips in, that I haven't cleaned out in a few years, all of the lower layer was black slippery mud...

I see them dump chips at tractor shows too, and they have to replace them for the same reason...

Maybe we get more moisture than you guys?

SR

I'm sure you're right about you having more moisture up north than we do down here in the south. And that, of course, would account for the length of time for the chips to disintegrate. I can only vouch for 4 years so far, but they're still good to walk on or for the SxS to drive over.

I suspect that you were expecting the chips to serve as a permanent base. I only wanted one that would be nice for a few years. I think we're both right, i.e. they'll last for a while, especially for light traffic, but certainly not a decent replacement for limestone, concrete, asphalt, etc..

For my use, i.e. walking trails, surrounds for azaleas, flower beds, etc., they're perfect, and at the right price. For a driveway... not so much.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I just don't like to have to scrape them all off later and having to replace them! That's just double the work and I already have enough of that. lol

Heck, we compost out, wood chips for the gardens and if they didn't break down fairly fast, they wouldn't be useful for compost...

SR

 

[Ortimber]

Thank you to all for your comments and thoughts. Great group.
It sounds like my bucket will do "good enough".
Yes, wood rots on the ground. But here in the high desert it takes a long time because it's soooooo dry.

The only thing I don't like about wood chips on a road is they burn. In my neck of the woods, I try to keep my roads cleaned off which helps create fire breaks.

 

[Bendboater]

The only thing I don't like about wood chips on a road is they burn. In my neck of the woods, I try to keep my roads cleaned off which helps create fire breaks.

Good point Ortimber.

 

[herm0016]

you should check out chip drop. i have used the service many times and i have paid very little for great mulch, about 50 yards so far. Here, mulch lasts many years due to the dry climate.

search for the website, chipdrop.com and sign up, local arborists will come by after a job and dump the chips they normally have to pay to get rid of. everyone wins.

 

[Bendboater]

you should check out chip drop. i have used the service many times and i have paid very little for great mulch, about 50 yards so far. Here, mulch lasts many years due to the dry climate.

search for the website, chipdrop.com and sign up, local arborists will come by after a job and dump the chips they normally have to pay to get rid of. everyone wins.

Herm0016,
Yes, I suspect your climate is similar to our's, "dry".....even when raining....which is seldom.
Thanks for the link to chipdrop.

 

[Fuddy1952]

A woodcutting company does our local power company limbing and tree cutting, then through a chipper which they were happy to dump in a big pile on my place.
I was surprised loading onto a wagon how much it was smoking (composting). Mostly cedar and pine chips.
One big pile last year a pushed pumpkin seeds into it and had lots of pumpkins in Fall.