Woodland Trails

[Wlmedley]

Weather has cooled down and I've decided to try and improve the trails through my woodlot. I know many of you can go out with a chainsaw and cut trails through the woods without a whole lot of trouble being you have fairly flat land but here in WV I have mostly hillside. In my area the hills aren't quite as steep as some other areas of the state but are still a challenge. I mostly use the natural benches in the hills and have found if I stack the small logs and treetops that I cut on the lower side of the benches in time leaves and dirt will wash down and be stopped by logs  forming a fairly level trail. I don't need a wide trail as I have a small tractor and a SxS that I use to get logs and firewood out. The older I get the more of a rush I'm in trying to make things easier on myself. Some of my property is still unaccessable and I'm trying to find a cheap way of making a few more trails. Thinking about renting a small excavator to link some of the benches together and level out a few rough places. Don't really want to disturb the ground anymore than I have to so a dozer would be to much. Any suggestions ?[url="https://fo

[beenthere]

Small excavator would be a good place to start. 
Then you will learn from there whether to continue of take a different route. 

[East ky logging]

I'm in about the same hills you're in. A dozer will be fine if you can slope the road so it can drain and put water bars in 

[barbender]

A skid steer, especially a track skid steer would likely do the trick.

[Klunker]

A mini ex. would be a great way to go. You can get alot done in a day with one. I rented one this spring for my trail work. I don't have the hill issue tho, I was pulling rocks so the trails can get an occasional mow so that they don't over grow with seedlings/brush.

There will be some disturbance but odds are in a year or two it won't be very noticeable. In my case after a couple of months you couldn't even tell I was there but again I was just pulling rocks.

[Jeff]

I've been doing the same thing, but my ground is mostly flat. I've been building up with the clay I removed digging my pond, but since I have a very heavy 2wd case, I can only work in the woods when it is powder dry, as any moisture on my land and it becomes a slip and slide, and any ruts hold water until it evaporates.  

[GRANITEstateMP]

Bill, we take a couple days a year and do a.little maintenance on trails so.they don't get too bad.  When it comes to building new trails, sometimes its just cutting a bit of brush, but most of the time we need to kill at least a few trees.  I've found that either a tracked skid steer or a mini ex makes that work easy and enjoyable.

Do you have any old customers from your days turning wrenches that you could trade some of you milled lumber towards some mini work or a discounted rental?

[Wlmedley]

Granite, I know several people who have a mini ex but most are not close to me but that would be a perfect deal. I was thinking if I could find someone who needed some repair work done such as undercarriage replacement or maybe some hydraulic cylinders resealed I could trade mechanic work for use of machine. Wouldn't really want to get into major engine work or pump work but maybe if I put the word out I could find something. I think that as high as mechanic charge out rates are that that might be worth more than lumber but I would do either one. Would be nice to have use of one for about a week without having to pay a weekly rental rate which would be pretty high and then I could take my time.