Maintaining My Carriage Roads
It's always so important to keep up with the maintenance at my working Bedford, New York farm - especially the four miles of carriage road that meander around my homes, my gardens, my horse paddocks, and through the expansive woodland.
Yesterday, Pete Sherpa, from my outdoor grounds crew, took on the task of filling some of the potholes that had developed over the last few months. He used our Land Pride Power Rake PR1690 - an attachment that fits our trusted Kubota M4-071 tractor. The equipment works in tandem to grade, level, and shape the gravel on the surface. Then, Pete follows the area with a hand rake to give it a finished look.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And be sure to read this review article from Vice.com on my special Pumpkin Spice CBD Wellness Gummies - just click anywhere on this highlighted link. All my CBD products are available at shopcanopy.com.
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- My farm sits on 153-acres of land that includes four miles of gravel-covered carriage road. Gravel roads are attractive and accumulate less pollutants over time, but it is important to keep them well-maintained by filling any holes that develop and keeping them shaped for good drainage. This photo shows the carriage road leading into my Japanese Maple Tree Woodland in spring.
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- This spring photo shows the carriage road along my clematis pergola leading to my Winter House.
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- This section of road is behind my stable. Here is one of the potholes that developed over the summer. A pothole is a depression in the surface, where traffic and water have removed the gravel.
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- Here is another one about 15-feet away.
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- This is our Kubota M4-071 tractor. It’s designed to use auxiliary equipment such as the L1154 front loader that helps us transport so many things around the farm – potted plants, mulch, wood, etc.
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- On the back is our Land Pride PR1690 Power Rake. This piece of equipment has a 90-inch rake to work on large properties. We are using it to rake and grade the carriage roads, but it is also capable of windrowing soil, rocks, and debris in a field.
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- Here is a closer look at the roller of the power rake. When it is lowered onto the road surface and tilted to the proper angle, this attachment moves the gravel and road dust to the center, creating the proper crown for the surface. There should be about a three-percent slope from the shoulder to the center of the road.
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- Pete takes the wheel of the tractor and slowly drives along the road and over the holes. One can see the gravel and road dust being picked up by the roller and moved.
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- The power rake freshens up the gravel as it turns and brings any compacted gravel to the surface.
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- He drives slowly over the hole a couple of times to make sure he covers every part of the area.
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- This is what it looks like after the power rake is driven over the road. This task is good to do after a good rain because the surface of the road is soft.
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- Then, Pete uses a landscape rake to spread and level the gravel over and around the hole just filled.
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- This razor-back aluminum landscape rake has a wide head and teeth to level gravel quickly and smoothly. These landscape rakes are easy to find at home improvement shops and some gardening centers.
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- When maintaining a road it is important to ensure it has a crowned driving surface and a shoulder area that slopes directly away from the edge for water drainage. It looks so nice after it is raked.
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- This hole is too close to the stone pavers, so Pete fills it manually.
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- Pete fills it and packs the gravel into the void. Because we had rain the night before and light showers during the day, flying dust from the gravel was minimal. Filling the hole only took minutes to do.
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- On the other end of the Linden Allée were two more pot holes.
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- As the tractor and power rake drive over them – very slowly – about three miles per hour, it moves the gravel and dust to level the area and get rid of the depressions.
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- Here is the same section of road after the tractor covers it. The holes are filled after just a couple of passes.
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- And then Pete goes over it again with the landscape rake, making it look neat and tidy.
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- I love how the roads look after they are done. I built these carriage roads this way because they provide the best footing for my horses. It takes a bit of time to keep these roads groomed, but it’s all well-worth the effort.
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