Cost of improving my dirt road

[Norton]

The road up to our mountain land is degrading quicker than I can maintain it.  It's a deeded right of way and I share the road with some other folks who have property up beyond mine.

They use ATVs to go back and forth but I use my Jeep because I'm coming from long distance.  The road is getting dangerous on the "upper approach", which is how I've been coming in.

The "lower approach" has been impassable since I bought the place.

"Upper" is a long stretch of road and they use that to go back and forth so I don't want to pay to make their lives easier, knowing it will just get trashed again

The "lower" way in is very bad for a very short distance (about 20 yards).  The rest of the way in is abandoned property so road gets no traffic and is very good.

I think I want to get a fella in with a bulldozer to fix the "lower" way and dump some big gravel in there.

Anyone had this sort of work done recently?  I got a number from the guy who sold me the land and am going to call today.  He said it wasn't cheap, but that's sort of relative to location.  What's "not cheap" for down there may seem downright reasonable compared to here.

[280plus]

Shop around. Just to do a little regrade shouldn't be too bad. Depending on how far back he has to go to get to it.

[Art Eatman]

If that lower way just needs fill, a couple of dumptruck loads or so might do the trick, and a guy with a backhoe can put the fill in the right place and then backdrag for smoothing.

Which is why I have a backhoe, dumptruck and a 1954 model "Fat Alice" (Fiat-Allis) half-size grader.  I have to maintain about three miles of roads on my place.

Art

[Norton]

Art,

If I were there full time I'd do exactly what you've done.  You'd pay for the equipment in just a few years, it seems, compared to paying someone to do it for you.

[Guest]

Depends on what you are willing to spend.  want it fixed for a good long time??  gona take a saturday worth of work and a bit of $ on your part.   my sugestion will depend on your location.  

do you have a good truck? (minimum of 3/4 ton, any smaller is unsafe for pulling a big heavy trailer)  if so procedd like this

Go to your friendly nieghborhood rental guy, and rent a mini excavator, preferably a bobcat 330 (mines a 331) somthin series,  just the right size, not too big or too small.  

Controls are pretty user friendly, and it has a stabilizer/grading blade on the front of it too (which will come in handy later on during the project)  

hop in your rental,  scrape back about 12-18 inches (all depends on location)  of the dirt.  where you dispose of that dirt is up to you.  this also depends on how wide you want to go. if we're talking 8 feet wide by 60 feet,  you'll need about 20 tons of #3's  for your base (you could go 304's, but i preffer just big ones for base)  

lay them in about 8-10 inches deep ( thats what i use for a driveway that will see a privatly owned semi tractor, you can pry go lighter if its just for a jeep, say 4-6", )

then cover those up with straight 57's, about 10-15 tons will do it (again, thats open to the needs of your job, but that would be my best guess. And, you can never have too much spare gravel!)

gauren-damn-teed to last for quite some time.

[Guest]

projected price for around here (N central ohio), would run you just under a grand.  those prices figure in have the stone trucked out to your place by a trucking company and rental of the digger)

[280plus]

you can never have too much spare gravel!

Amen to that, I could use some right now!:D

[Tallpine]

The cost will depend a lot on how far you are from a source of gravel, and how far you are from a contractor to do the work.  He(or she, these days ) is going to have to charge you travel time for hauling equipment to do a couple hours work.

You might check if there is a local landowner with some equipment who could do the work...?

Another thing to consider, depending on where you live: a bunch of gravel got hauled from the river bottom to put on roads in our area (before I bought this place).  Later, it was discovered to be full of weeds seeds and now we are all fighting noxious weeds on our properties.

[280plus]

Hah, I remember a job a couple years ago, they picked up a bunch of sand and gravel for a driveway and when they dumped it on site it was full of SKULLS and variuos other human bones. They had excavated the top half of a long lost multiple gravesite. When we got to the gravel pit where it came from there were all the legbones sticking out of the side of the hole.

[Guest]

Skulls??  sweet! I'm getting ripped off then, the coolest bones i ever get delivered are old cow bones from next to the quarry.


I second the "ask a neighbor" thing.  thats how i get the majority of my jobs

[RevDisk]

Hah, I remember a job a couple years ago, they picked up a bunch of sand and gravel for a driveway and when they dumped it on site it was full of SKULLS and variuos other human bones. They had excavated the top half of a long lost multiple gravesite. When we got to the gravel pit where it came from there were all the legbones sticking out of the side of the hole.

If I was the homeowner, I'd request that said bones be used to line the sides of the driveway.  Think of it as an improved "This home is protected by ADT" (or whomever) sign.   I mean, seriously, if you were a criminal, and you came up to a house with a driveway lined with REAL FREAKIN HUMAN SKULLS, would you go INTO such a house?

[Jamisjockey]

Another vote for ask the neighbors up there.  Someone might be in the business.
Post pictures of this 'bad' approach next time you go up there.  I'm a pretty experienced off-roader and might be able to throw some pointers at you to make it easier to drive.
Is it rutted?  Muddy?  steep?
Start with, regardless of what's making it hard, airing down the tires on your jeep.  12psi-ish if you've got a compressor nearby, 15-18-ish if you need to drive down the road to air back up (never drive at highway speeds under the optimal air pressure for your tire/vehicle combo).

[Art Eatman]

Noxious weeds?  One tablespoon of "Remedy" in two gallons of diesel, in a two-gallon hand-pump-sprayer.  Remedy is about $95 a gallon at Tractor Supply.  Anything that'll kill mesquite is Good Stuff.

Art

[Norton]

Another vote for ask the neighbors up there.  Someone might be in the business.
Post pictures of this 'bad' approach next time you go up there.  I'm a pretty experienced off-roader and might be able to throw some pointers at you to make it easier to drive.
Is it rutted?  Muddy?  steep?
Start with, regardless of what's making it hard, airing down the tires on your jeep.  12psi-ish if you've got a compressor nearby, 15-18-ish if you need to drive down the road to air back up (never drive at highway speeds under the optimal air pressure for your tire/vehicle combo).

I'll try to get some pics when i go back up there.

The "upper" road is not too deeply rutted, only a couple of truly bad spots.  Up on that road the major problem is that it never dries out and is muddy with that slick, gooey clay mud.  I almost went over the mountain a couple weeks ago.  It will need drainage work in addition to grading and gravel.

The "lower" road has an incline of about 10% over the course of those 30 or so yards and the kids have eaten ruts about 2ft deep between the atvs and the erosion.  It dries out pretty quickly fortunately.

I'd be afraid to drive that way in with my little Liberty.  I haven't finished my skids off yet!

[Guest]

You know, we havent addressed the other, much more painless and possibly cheaper fix for your road. and to do it, you need never lean on a shovel.  think "lift kit"

I'd be afraid to drive that way in with my little Liberty.  I haven't finished my skids off yet!

Growth spurt!

I'd also like to know how a 6'7" big ass pollock can even fit in one of them little things!?

[Otherguy Overby]

Art, what's this "remedy" you mention?

[Tallpine]

We use 2-4-D which I got at TSC.  It kills the broadleaf weeds (spotted knapweed, mostly) and leaves the grass.

To my knowledge you need a license to buy anything stronger.

[280plus]

If I was the homeowner, I'd request that said bones be used to line the sides of the driveway.

You could always put a skull on a pole at the end of the driveway and use it for a lamppost. That should raise an eyebrow or two.

"Warning! This property protected by CANNABALISTIC HEAD HUNTERS!!"

[Norton]

You know, we havent addressed the other, much more painless and possibly cheaper fix for your road. and to do it, you need never lean on a shovel.  think "lift kit"

I'd be afraid to drive that way in with my little Liberty.  I haven't finished my skids off yet!

Growth spurt!

I'd also like to know how a 6'7" big ass pollock can even fit in one of them little things!?

You'd be surprised how much room there is in that little critter.  More leg room than an F150, though it is a bit narrow.

If I get the new bumper for it that i want, I may put a lift on it.

[Art Eatman]

OO, "Remedy" is the trade name of an herbicide.  I've noticed that it will kill other woody plants besides mesquite.  No license for it is required.  

Spray a fine mist on a plant, or if you cut a stalk/trunk and spray the stub, it's dead.

Art

[Jamisjockey]

Okay, the upper sounds a little tougher.  Buy some tire chains for that route, put 'em on just like you would in for snow.  This will, however, contribute to the road damage.
On the lower, try and straddle any ruts.  If you have to cross a rut, go easy and slow at about a 45* angle.  Crossing at a 90* angle puts too many tires into the hole at one time, and could leave you high centered on the bumper or behind the axle when both tires drop in.
Get a hand winch (comealong) and some tow straps in case you get stuck.

[Tallpine]

"Spray a fine mist on a plant"

Ah ... therein lies the problem - finding the plants, without just broadcast spraying the entire property.

Back on topic, it might actually be worth buying an old tractor just to keep up the road.  You can get one of those old Ford 8/9N's for $2-5K, and lots of parts and accessories are available for them - including a grader blade that fits on the 3-point hitch.

My own is a 1950 Case, which is a little bigger than the little Fords, but it doesn't have a 3 pt.  It does have a front end loader, however.