Stormcrow's Hobby Farm

[U_Stormcrow]

Ever heard of a "drag harrow" ?
You can also make one from a section of heavy wired fencing, chain link works well. Must add weight to the home made version. You can pull with a tractor, 4-wheeler, lawn mower, etc.

Here granite gravel is mostly used for driveways. Over time, those pesky ruts always seem to appear in the same spots. Gravel seems to sink into the soil during wet spells. A drag harrow works to pull the gravel to the surface and fill in those low spots and level. Sometimes adding new material is not necessary.

Yes, I have a 4x6 drag harrow I run behind the box blade.

We have sandy clay soils, or clay-y sands, and a 1/4 mile of steady slope for the driveway, being fed by water from acres of higher elevation. Rain water tends to find its way in to where the roots of 40 and 50 year oaks, pines, hickory used to be and chasse all the sand out. I keep filling in the huge root voids, waiting for sand and rock and clays to pack in. Trying to do in a couple of years what took Ma Nature 10s of 1000s. We were a sandbar, last time Florida was underwater. Yesterday's 1 3/8" rain over a couple hours was a good thing. When we get 3+ inches in under an hour? 47 rock doesn't cut it.

To do it right, I figure I need about 250 railroad ties, end to end in two rows, 1200' of 4" perf socked drainage pipe, 450 CU yd of crusher run/baserock and about 150 cu yd of 47 lime rock. and to borrow a commercial roadway roller. Call it at least $50k in materials, I don't know what in equipment rental and labor. To really do it right, I'd need to top it w/ 4" of fiber reinforced concrete - at which point I'd have a roadway superior to most in my county.

 

[NanaK]

Sounds very similar to what we started with many years ago. Sandy in places and clay in others. This area was completely under the ocean all those thousands of years ago. Lots of shells and sharks teeth found when our wells were dug.

It takes time to get a good base built up and $$$. We don't have to do it as often anymore but still battle certain spots that will become ruts with heavy rain. The dragging helps.

We do have railroad ties along the area closer to the house. Helps greatly when new material is added.

Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the harrow.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Sounds like your experience reinforces my theory, and that I'm walking the right path at least. I'd hate to be $10, $20k down this road and find out its not going to work in this situation. Thank you for that.