Trail Blazing

[100Acre]

I've been advertising my machine and skills as a trail installer and have installed trails for 5 clients since buying the Yanmar. I've also been installing more here on the farm and at the same time, managing my land. On the back north lot, it's really steep and covered in Kudzu, goldenrod, Pokeweed etc. Mowing it always presented a challenge at 45* or more slope. Now that I have the excavator, I can cut right across the face of a slope and more or less on contour depending upon the lay of the land. Every time I install a trail, I rip out all the brush and small weed trees within reach of the bucket and thumb and then drop it in a wad on the low side of the slope that I'm about to cover. After dumping the wad, I then proceed to dig into the high side of the bank and dump it onto the wads. Using the angle blade on the excavator, I am able to move more soil onto the wads as well. I go through these steps and repeat. After I've installed the trail, I'll go over it a few times dragging my box blade on the tractor to grade, smooth and level the trail. It's kind of fun and a good way to zen out while adding trails, access and value to your land. I think I'll call my business; "Trail Blazers". Seems fitting too.

 

[Admin]

 

[ProudDadOf5]

How bout “Appalchia Trail Blazers” 😉

 

[BWAF]

Looks good

 

[JenElio]

🤔 So when does your off-road park open? 😂😂😂

 

[Adam490]

Looks good Dan, lot of work you put in there.

 

[100Acre]

🤔 So when does your off-road park open? 😂😂😂

Heck, it's open! Come on by! We even have a range and all the eggs you can eat!

 

[100Acre]

Hi, my name is Dan and I have an addiction...Trail #5 on the steep slope got started today. It’s Gonna look like a stepped pyramid when I’m done.

 

[Vikes79]

Looks great!

Im curious how you manage drainage during heavy rains to prevent erosion or mudslides (worst case) ?

Are you laying down some coarse base etc?

 

[100Acre]

Looks great!

Im curious how you manage drainage drone heavy rains to prevent erosion or mudslides (worst case) ?

Are you laying down some coarse base etc?

Just all the organic matter within a 15' radius each time I move forward and I do dig at least 4' horizontally into the side of the slope. The machine is like 6' wide...Running the 8,500 lb machine back and forth does help to pack it down too. Drainage usually just runs down the trails and at any low spot, I just cut in a drainage down to the next trail.

 

[Smitty335]

Just all the organic matter within a 15' radius each time I move forward and I do dig at least 4' horizontally into the side of the slope. The machine is like 6' wide...Running the 8,500 lb machine back and forth does help to pack it down too. Drainage usually just runs down the trails and at any low spot, I just cut in a drainage down to the next trail.

We call them water jerks.

 

[100Acre]

We call them water jerks.

You mean drainage spots?

 

[Smitty335]

You mean drainage spots?

Diverter trenches to catch the water running down the road and off the mountain, you can do the same thing in slope fields but with swales diverted to a pond that you can still bale for hay. Works great.

 

[BigOL3]

I've been advertising my machine and skills as a trail installer and have installed trails for 5 clients since buying the Yanmar. I've also been installing more here on the farm and at the same time, managing my land. On the back north lot, it's really steep and covered in Kudzu, goldenrod, Pokeweed etc. Mowing it always presented a challenge at 45* or more slope. Now that I have the excavator, I can cut right across the face of a slope and more or less on contour depending upon the lay of the land. Every time I install a trail, I rip out all the brush and small weed trees within reach of the bucket and thumb and then drop it in a wad on the low side of the slope that I'm about to cover. After dumping the wad, I then proceed to dig into the high side of the bank and dump it onto the wads. Using the angle blade on the excavator, I am able to move more soil onto the wads as well. I go through these steps and repeat. After I've installed the trail, I'll go over it a few times dragging my box blade on the tractor to grade, smooth and level the trail. It's kind of fun and a good way to zen out while adding trails, access and value to your land. I think I'll call my business; "Trail Blazers". Seems fitting too.
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Good job on the trails Dan. I am totally surprised at the 'lack of rock' showing in your trails. I would have figured the hillside to be filled with large rocks/bolders.

 

[Smitty335]

Good job on the trails Dan. I am totally surprised at the 'lack of rock' showing in your trails. I would have figured the hillside to be filled with large rocks/bolders.

Yes it is strange, We live in NW Arkansas on a Plateau, you can't find a rock big enough to throw until you are 3 feet deep in the soil, If you do find a rock, It's a large field stone? I love this place. Our home is twice as large as we need, due to the boys still at home when we built it. So here we will stay!

 

[Adam490]

Just all the organic matter within a 15' radius each time I move forward and I do dig at least 4' horizontally into the side of the slope. The machine is like 6' wide...Running the 8,500 lb machine back and forth does help to pack it down too. Drainage usually just runs down the trails and at any low spot, I just cut in a drainage down to the next trail.

Make sure you cut a few spots where you can lay down when your estrogen levels spike!

 

[DG Rider]

Don't the eco-nazi's give you flak for this?

 

[russknight]

Nice work. I'd make the trails a tad wider and make sure I always wore my seatbelt while operating.

 

[100Acre]

Good job on the trails Dan. I am totally surprised at the 'lack of rock' showing in your trails. I would have figured the hillside to be filled with large rocks/bolders.

Like Bigfoot and unicorns, they're there but you just don't see them that often. I have more rocks in my rock collection than I do on 18+acres.

 

[100Acre]

Don't the eco-nazi's give you flak for this?

I use eco-nazis as my garden fertilizers and as bed support for my trails.

 

[100Acre]

I am so divinely thankful that I never sold the 500. My trails are perfect for it and they allow me to fly again. Like Quetzalcoatli man....
Currently at 5 trails on contour on the back slope. The soil is a high concentration of sand silt and clay. Lots of white quartz a little granite and a bunch of what I call rotten rock, It makes good trails.
Cleaned away huge amounts of Kudzu and other crap. Tomorrow I’m doing a trail along the creek.
“Fly like a beagle, to the sea” I saw Steve Miller twice with the Grateful Dead and James Cotton at RFK in DC in the late 80’s.