Smooth Trails

[Adhartzell]

Recently purchased about 55 acres. About 25 is timber and other 30 is pretty open field. Almost all of it has just been left alone. Might have been burnt off 1x per year but other than that it was just used for hunting/trapping. I cut some access paths around the field area so we could get around the property, explore, trail ride, get to sites for cams/stands/plots, etc. Some of these paths are ROUGH. SxS and ATV are ok on them but driving the tractor even with air ride seat they will knock your teeth out.

Is there a way to smooth out these trails?

First time land owner and first time tractor owner so lots to learn

 

[ken erickson]

Is there a way to smooth out these trails?

Welcome and it sounds like your property is very similar in size as mine. I cut in about 3 plus miles of two track trails on my 57 acres. I used a box blade and cut thru the sod and things smoothed out very nice. Not highway smooth but smooth enough I can can push my manual wheelchair down the trails with out a lot of extra effort.

The grass etc will re-establish pretty quickly after the smoothing work. I did mine early in the spring and by mid summer or late summer I had to mow.

Note: the box blade on my L2501 is a lighter duty 4' . If I had not already had it for my B7100 I would have opted for a 5 footer.

 

[Adhartzell]

Welcome and it sounds like your property is very similar in size as mine. I cut in about 3 plus miles of two track trails on my 57 acres. I used a box blade and cut thru the sod and things smoothed out very nice. Not highway smooth but smooth enough I can can push my manual wheelchair down the trails with out a lot of extra effort.

The grass etc will re-establish pretty quickly after the smoothing work. I did mine early in the spring and by mid summer or late summer I had to mow.

Note: the box blade on my L2501 is a lighter duty 4' . If I had not already had it for my B7100 I would have opted for a 5 footer.

View attachment 160755

View attachment 160756

Awesome! Box blade was my thought but I wasn’t sure. Did you use the ripper shanks to get it loose first? I was also afraid to get it too loose or down to dirt because I thought that may lead to mud and more ruts/roughness.

 

[ken erickson]

Awesome! Box blade was my thought but I wasn’t sure. Did you use the ripper shanks to get it loose first? I was also afraid to get it too loose or down to dirt because I thought that may lead to mud and more ruts/roughness.

A landplane will do a good job, maybe better but I already had the box blade. I did use the rippers initially then after the sod was broken up and any upturned rocks or small roots or stumps picked out I ran the box blade over with the rippers up.

Yes, I think you do have to be careful about erosion so I would say use good judgement and even perhaps over seed with something that will germinate quickly and hold things in place till the seeds in the seed bank germinate.

My soil is very sandy so mud was not an issue, but I do have some pretty substantial hills that I had to be careful with. I drive my trails often so there are some places that have remained soil with grass in the center strip. One hill I have use the box blade and drag up material thats gets washed down if we get "frog stranglers" of a rain.

Good luck with your efforts, nice tractor and what I can see nice property!
I am located in Central Wi.

 

[BBFarmer]

Recently purchased about 55 acres. About 25 is timber and other 30 is pretty open field. Almost all of it has just been left alone. Might have been burnt off 1x per year but other than that it was just used for hunting/trapping. I cut some access paths around the field area so we could get around the property, explore, trail ride, get to sites for cams/stands/plots, etc. Some of these paths are ROUGH. SxS and ATV are ok on them but driving the tractor even with air ride seat they will knock your teeth out.

Is there a way to smooth out these trails?

First time land owner and first time tractor owner so lots to learn

Glad to have ya brother!

You got a heck of a nice tractor there.

We've been using the box blade on our trails as well for a couple of years now (scarfires up). Keeps em debris free during the summer and leaves off them in the winter.

Just be careful with that cab when you're plowing around in the woods.

 

[jaxs]

x1 on box blade. Congratulations on the new place.

 

[Russell King]

You might want to dump wood mulch on the trail and then smooth that out. It will keep erosion down. It will rot over time but will smooth out the soil and keep growth down for awhile.

 

[Adhartzell]

Speaking of learning curves

 

[BBFarmer]

Speaking of learning curves

Oh Nooooooo! LOL

Were you able to walk her out with the loader or did you have to pull her?

My youngin got my 3301 stuck like that a while back. We had a lesson on how to walk one back if you're by yourself and it aint too soupy.

 

[Russell King]

Speaking of learning curves

I’m not sure you understand what “smooth” means!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Land plane with scarfers will be much easier for a newbie to operate than a box blade

Quick Grade-Tractor Grader

Level and maintain your road with the Quick Grade-Tractor Grader. Dual 1/2" cutting edges have a 6 degree angle to both cut material and leave a level surface. Need to go deeper? Heat treated adjustable break through packed material for added material to fill low spots. All backed by a 2 year...

quickattach.com

.

 

[Motion]

I believe you need to get rid of the grass first.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Buy an old set(2) of pull discs, add 4 solid concrete blocks to the rear section, tow a heavy bar and chains behind. set discs to medium angle. after 2-3 passes it'll be very smoooooooth.
I bought 100 year old discs for $75, loaded into my pickup bed. Used them for 10 years on 5 acres then sold them for $200.

 

[Adhartzell]

Oh Nooooooo! LOL

Were you able to walk her out with the loader or did you have to pull her?

My youngin got my 3301 stuck like that a while back. We had a lesson on how to walk one back if you're by yourself and it aint too soupy.

I tried to crawl out with bucket forward and back to no avail. The bucket was in the muck too so it just dug in rather than lift me out. I tried logs/rocks under tires, tried 2x12s under tires, chained a 4x4 post to rear tire. Nothing. Finally got my neighbor out the next afternoon and we tried for almost 2hrs before he got me out. I was buried to the frame. Bent my side step and popped valve stem off rear tire.

 

[Adhartzell]

Land plane with scarfers will be much easier for a newbie to operate than a box blade

Quick Grade-Tractor Grader

Level and maintain your road with the Quick Grade-Tractor Grader. Dual 1/2" cutting edges have a 6 degree angle to both cut material and leave a level surface. Need to go deeper? Heat treated adjustable break through packed material for added material to fill low spots. All backed by a 2 year...

quickattach.com

.

View attachment 160971

This crossed my mind just a bit ago. Looking at one of those now haha.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Speaking of learning curves

I thought you said you wanted to smooth your trails! jk You need some water control first, maybe a swale to prevent standing water. If it's a spring, go around/above it.

 

[Adhartzell]

I thought you said you wanted to smooth your trails! jk You need some water control first, maybe a swale to prevent standing water. If it's a spring, go around/above it.

Oh yea that’s not one of the trails. That’s near my pond and the ONE wet spot on the entire property. Drought here, burn ban, and every piece of dirt is concrete. Except that spot