The latest project

[smallfarmer]

I pretty much used up most of the first 50 hours doing "catch-up" stuff with my BX2350 like moving rocks and digging out buried stuff. Currently I'm out in the woods moving felled limbs and taking out some small trash trees. Since the ground is still quite wet I can lay some over with the bucket weight and flip out the root ball. The other, more established, I cut off and pulled with the 4WD truck....... Very satisfying to come home from work and destroy something.
The goal is to create some winding walking pathes through the woods and sow in some unknown type of grass that likes shade. So far I've cut about 150 feet and I figure about 200 to go.

 

[EddieWalker]

Creating trails through the woods is my favorite thing to do. Then after it's cleared, maintaining them is allot of fun too!!! I have mine about ten feet wide so I can cut them with my 6 foot rotary cutter in two passes. I like that so I can get right to the edges, but still be wide enough to walk on them side by side with my wife. We also do hay rides on my trails a few times a year, and everyone really enjoys that.

For grass, just let nature do it's thing. Mine are in heavy woods where no grass used to grow due to the thickness of the trees. Then in the spring time, grass started to grow. Mother nature and the wind will find your open trails with grass seed!!!! What's best is that whatever grows there, it's perfect for that location.

Eddie

 

[GCLnIndiana]

When you cut a trail through the woods, do you let grass grow on the trail or do you put something down on the trail like sand,wood chips or gravel to pack it down?

 

[easygo]

..... Very satisfying to come home from work and destroy something.......

I got a great laugh out of that. Isn't that true sometimes. Good luck with the trails.
I'm in the third year of trying to connect two trails on my rocky property, but I have to build three bridges as well. One down two to go.

 

[Bigman]

I know what you mean easygo, 2 years ago I bought 38 acres and built a new house, very very rocky. I have three trails that cut thru my property and I have managed to connect 2 of them by filling in between the rocks that my B3030 wouldnt budge. I actually built a road almost 2' thick and 75' long just to get over the darn rocks!!! Ii also have to build a wetlands crossing/bridge to get to the other side of my property.

 

[ChuckinNH]

easygo, how about a picture of the bridge? I need to build one, or three, and can use all the ideas I can get.

 

[easygo]

Chuck,

The bridge is very simple. Place two short pieces of logs (2-3 ft) on the ground parallel with each other and cut a "V" notch into them. Do it on either end of the bridge. These are the "foundations" of the bridge. Lay a third (strong log across the first two and adjust the ones on the bottom to be 10-16" narrower then the intended bridge width to allow for decking to overhang. Adjust the distance between the two sets to the length of your support beams. Notch the cross pieces to the intended width of the support beams. Put the two support beams in place and decked it over with slab wood. I made this very low (20-30" or so off the ground) bridge about 50-60ft long over a small seasonal creek and surrounding wet area. I used cedar from my property as the structural stuff and the free slab wood came from a guy down the road who has a portable sawmill and has large piles of slabs.
The only problem is that I built the bridge to be strong enough for a 600# ATV and a loaded trailer. The total weight that had crossed the bridge (ATV, trailer, firewood and me) was about 1800 lbs and it held fine. However!!!!
I have not crossed it with the tractor yet!!!! I will do some reinforcements before I do that. I don't have any pictures on the office computer, but I will have to do something about that won't I.

 

[easygo]

Bigman,

I don't even have enough dirt to use as fill between rocks. I recently got a wood chipper and will use the chipped up brush to smooth out the worst parts of my trails. That is way down the road though. First I have to build a sandbox and swing set for my son. I intend to use wood from my land for those as well. I can't wait to get started, but have to find the time.