Clearing trees to build a road

[clovergecko1]

I want to start by saying this may be the best web site Ive ever found, Everyone is soooooo helpful! Having said that how can I remove trees and build a dirt road w/out heavy equipment? Can it be done w/ a chainsaw and a pickup truck?

[jonseyhay]

I don't see why not. A piece of railway track on a chain makes a handy sort of grader blade. You can drag that behind the ute if you take it easy. Leave the bigger trees; just go round them, a nice meandering track will make a pleasant approach to your home. It may take a bit of time but as long as you don't expect a four-lane highway I think it would be doable.

[Dberry]

Yes.  A chainsaw and a truck can move most anything.

If you are asking the question though, this isn't like DIY wiring or plumbing where a good manual and common sense can get you through.

I must caution you that cutting down trees even with a lot of experience is one of the most potentially hazardous things you can do.  I strongly urge you to hire a pro to do the felling...   at least until you gain an understanding of what is going on.   This may not be one of the skillsets you want to learn if you are only planning on removing a few trees.  It's very unforgiving.

Regards,
Dan

[clovergecko1]

Has anyone ever heard of dragging a section of chainlink fence? Does it work well, how would it compare to the railroad suggestion? Does that accomplish a different part of building/maintaining the road?

[jonseyhay]

Yes I have tried that, but it doesn't work as well as the length of rail track. If you have a fairly grunty ute an old cattle grid will work well. Walk the track first picking the best line then clear the smaller stuff out so you can drive it in the truck. Think about how the track will work in the worst sort of weather you will get.  Then just keep dragging the iron back and fourth as you use it A bit of shovel work and eventually you'll have a decent track.

BTW, Dan is right, stay away from the big trees unless you have the experience with a chainsaw.

I am assuming this is just an access track for you. If you are thinking about using it for heavy-duty traffic you will probably need to get someone to put in a proper road.
An 8' length of universal beam (I beam) will work just a well. You should be able to pick up a bit at a scrap yard cheap. Weld on a couple of lugs, one at each end so you can hook a chain to it and Bob's your uncle.

[clovergecko1]

yeah I really just need to be able to drive onto my land so I can build, there is an old logging road part way. probably just a couple trees to cut down mostly small stuff I think I can handle it, I have cut down trees before I've just never built a road, dirt or otherwise.

[jonseyhay]

If you want to get flash you could build something like this

           

[peg_688]

 Has anyone ever heard of dragging a section of chainlink fence?


  [size=12]  

 A old navy buddy of mine tried that, the cop asked "Sir do you know anything about a chainlink fence a mile or so back?"  My buddy said , " No offinner I don'ttt now notin about not skinlen  fennce !"

 




[/size]

Does it work well, how would it compare to the railroad suggestion?


 [size=12]

 The cop said "What about this one your dragging by your bumper?"

 So that didn't work to well



  [/size]  



Does that accomplish a different part of building/maintaining the road?

 

  [size=12]

 Depends  


[/size]

[glenn-k]

Looks like you guys have this covered.  I use the drag for a nice looking light smoothing on the road or ground-- mine is made from "I" beams.  Sometimes I put rocks on them for weight but a cage to hold the rocks on would make it better.

[glenn kangiser]

I was burned out a bit last night and not in possession of a fully functioning brain.  I had another thought earlier and lost it.  Found it this morning. :-/

Tree stumps can be cut off near the ground if too large to remove with a pickup.  Drill holes in the top and get stump remover from Home Depot or somewhere else.  It is salt peter--- I forget the chemical name --- pour the powder into the hole -- add water if desired and let it set.  Refill as needed.  It will go through the wood roots etc and deteriorate them.  You can also set it on fire later if there is no surrounding fire danger and since the powder is an oxidizer and has traveled through the wood over weeks or months it will burn out underground.

[PEG688]

  Huum why not rent a  backhoe or kabota with a box blade :-/ and get the job done in a weekend , instead of spending weeks or months pecking at it  

 Which will result in:
#1 More fuel costs . traveling to and from.
#2 lost time doing the same.
#3 lost interest in the project due to the same pecking at it.
#4 lost of total interest / process due to same pecking.



  #5  Get the right tool for the job.

   #6 Get it done. ( The job / phase .)  
 
   #7 Move on to the next phase of the project , period ! 8-)  

[Dberry]

I've heard of folks using charcoal briquets to remove stumps.  Just make a small pile on the stump and light.  May take a while, but eventually, they slowly burn all the way down.  Never tried it myself, but it seems logical.

[clovergecko1]

These are some good ideas, since it is only a camp road for minimal use. I really like the idea w/ two I beams.
But Im wondering if burning out stumps will cause some kink of sink hole?

[PEG688]

My Granddad burned a stump for about fifteen years , very patient man . Near the last few of the fifteen you could see she was going to give out some time in the next 15

Didn't get that patient gene in the package , good luck ,bring lots of brickets , hope your young now so you'll be able to see the results in 25 to 30 years  

[glenn kangiser]

The charcoal may burn where it contacts but the stump remover will take the fire deep into the roots. Potassium Nitrate if I remember right.

Guess I did.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate


May make a sinkhole but not bigger than the area occupied by the roots.

When I was a kid some loggers put 12 sticks of dynamite under a stump to remove it - that was fun.  It landed somewhere in the next canyon.  

[Kevin]

One thing about burning out stumps, If you let it smolder for a long time it can burn the roots and pop out 15 feet away were the roots end and cause a fire or so I have been told by a couple of fire guys I know.
Don't know for fact but something to think about

[achildofthesky]

I currently live just out of the city limits and after logging out some pines of the property we used the slash from cutting and raked up the duff and simply built a fire on the stumps. It took a while but they burnt down fine. No problems with smoldering roots carrying the fire underground as the trees were green when cut. We didn't have a compost pile so we burnt all the yard waste too.

Patty

[jonsey/downunder]

My thoughts on that would be to do as little clearing as possible. As soon as you start clearing you have erosion problems. If you can, just leave the bigger stuff in place and drive round it. The rail grader is little more than a maintenance tool. If you need to build a proper road you would be better off to get a dozer to do the work. That means proper drains, culverts and such.

[Amanda_931]

I've had a couple of people come in with a bulldozer.  First lot was building me a circular driveway.  I'm very very glad to have gotten a semi-circular driveway, although I've had to do some graveling and channeling water on it.

Second guy was very good on watching where water went, made good suggestions on how to route what I wanted.  Not cheap per hour, but he sure didn't stop to talk once he started working.  We used quite a few of the trees he pushed over for the vertical log cabin, in fact that's where the idea came from.

I thought the jobs were well worth hiring out, neither ran over $300 bucks.

I've tried to pull stumps of small trees with the truck.  [highlight]Use a fairly stout log chain[/highlight].  Don't use a nylon tow rope, unless you want the stump to come flying at you when it lets loose!  Nylon stretches!

One of the things you don't want is little pointed stumps puncturing your tires.  Fear of that is one of the reasons I didn't do more pulling by truck.  That and a pretty steep hill.

The birds really love the brush piles I've left for them.

[glenn kangiser]

When my dad was in younger they used to tie a logging chain to the back axle  of a police car and hook it to something substantial.  Another one of the guys would go speeding by in front of him.  I wonder if this would work for pulling trees.

Unfortunately the old police cars were not as well built as a truck and would sometimes leave their back axle tied to the substantial object. :-/

[rwalter]

I have to agree with Amanda, I used and old logging road for my driveway as well. It was two years ago and I think I paid $55/hr for a local contractor to come in with his 9 ton dozer. I had already cut down the trees need and he was done in no time flat. If the logging road already present already goes where you want you might not need the dozer but my guess is your going to have to have some one come in to level the building site anyway, or at least bring in heavy equipment to excavate or put in a foundation of some sort. So why not just do both at the same time. Schedule the dozer/backhoe operator and gravel trucks to arive on the same day once you get all the site work you can do yourself first.. Thats what I did and it worked out very nicely. I think you'll spend a lot more time trying to pull tree stumps with the truck than its worth. Good luck.

[clovergecko1]

well guys that gives me plenty to think about, hopefully the old logging road isnt too grown up. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[Pala]

Keep in mind, are  you gonna need to get cement trucks or lumber deliveries down this road?  Make sure they can negotiate it.