Ruts on your trails

[Dave63]

With it that muddy it isnt going to last long you would need a 12" bed of cut rock and then 4 inches of stone if you want it to last. Just dumping stone may make it a season or 2 but the earth is going to swallow most of it up when its as wet as that photo of yours.

 

[BJE80]

With it that muddy it isnt going to last long you would need a 12" bed of cut rock and then 4 inches of stone if you want it to last. Just dumping stone may make it a season or 2 but the earth is going to swallow most of it up when its as wet as that photo of yours.

What do you suggest Dave?

 

[hendy247]

We have corduroy some areas of our driveway.just cut them in about 8 ft lenghts in so low spots to build it up and then put gravel over the top.i don't know if u have pit run in the area but that has some bigger rock and in my area is much cheaper than gravel

 

[Dave63]

You want the same large rock Michaels uses as a bed for washout areas. I suggest at least 8-12 inches deep. You need a good solid base or the gravel will be swallowed up in no time.Talk with one of your project managers and get their imput.

 

[mikmaze]

My thought with some of the ruts in wet areas at my place was simply giving the water someplace to go. On the uphill side of my wet areas I dragged my double bottom plow to make a swale for the water to collect, and divert along the trail to the lowest point, then used the plow again to make a ditch and dropped in a piece of 6 inch schd 40 pipe witha runnoff furrow far enough to cary the water away. Not perfect, but not nearly as bad as before.

 

[BJE80]

Thanks guys.

 

[Da U.P. 'eh]

That is a mess. I can see why you could get sick of that in a hurry. I think I would go with the track idea. They are expensive I know but having that half mile filled is too.

I wonder if you renting a backhoe for a weekend and dug ditches on either side. You could dump the spoils on the roadbed and raise that a foot or so if that would help to solve the problem.

Just thinking out loud here.

 

[bat man]

Corn crib panels covered with free county wood chips may work well.

 

[MNAaron]

I would recommend turf reinenforcement mats or fabric since they spread out the weight of the rock and keeps them from sinking away. Most road authorities use them in wet areas.

 

[Jason]

here's a video about corduroy roads.

i'm going to use this method to fix some small patches of ruts. 1/2 mile is a bit much.

 

[bat man]

I wonder how those bundles of slabwood from small mills would work for this. Cheap and easy to handle. I have read a key to coduroy is a lack of oxygen to the wood. Delays decomposition.

 

[foggy]

Wow. Lotsa coat in going with fill materials. I gotta wonder if a good track machine would not be far less cost.

I'm glad I have sandy soils now.....I can get on it right after a rain with no rutting. I can feel your pain.

 

[LuckyIL]

I'm wondering the same I have lots of trails to maintain and there is no staying off when it's wet. I've always disced when dry and then just drove on it to pack it, if you can get more sunlight to it that helps, I was also considering crowning my trails a bit but wondering if that would even help.

I'm going to make my first post about something similiar

 

[kskid]

If those trails never dry due to groundwater seeps or groundwater runoff, I agree with others who have suggested raising the roadbed. I think someone elso also commented that if groundwater is the problem and you put rock down without some kind of underlayment, be prepared to repeat it as the rock is swallowed up by the muck. I have a short stretch like that and I threw on all the loose (big) rocks I picked up around my place by the skidsteer bucketful. It took a more than I thought possible. I'm sorry for all the bad news, but that may be the reality.

If it's not groundwater, this works for about 40 inches of annual rainfall I get on my place. I cut all my trails half again wider than I need for one lane. I run on the upslope side when it's dry and the downslope side when it's wet. Coming or going doesn't matter. If I have to cross over, I do it in a higher (more dry) spot. The wheels nearest the middle of the trail are always between the other two tracks. The dry side is used more so it's mostly dirt, but I stay off of it when it's wet. The wet side gets torn up, but it's used infrequently enough that it dries some and mostly revegetates between uses. The vegetation really makes a difference on the wet side. Will fescue grow in your area? Otherwise maybe just a bunch of fertilizer to thicken whatever comes up natually. These may or may not work for you - I'm just trying to offer different ideas to consider. Good luck with whatever you do.