Looks like you guys had a great time!! :fing32:
I have a steep 1/4 mile drive. I fought sogginess for a few years, then learned two lessons.
1) You can not have any soil in the driveway that will support plant growth.
If it will support plant growth, it will "wick in" water, it will never dry.
I covered my driveway with shale. Then I covered that with pug-mill run.
2) If there is inadequate crown, the driveway will stay wet.
Everybody "wonders" about my crowned driveway, but, they also notice it stays there!!
My driveway is both shaded and north facing, two worst cases for a wet driveway.
Since I re-did it, it has been almost perfect for close to 20 years.
I also purposely left a few dips in the driveway, they insure the water gets off, and slows down the speed demons!! :fing32:
This is far from a driveway. Just a pass through from lower field to upper old logging road that he also has smoothed out. He actually seeds the roads/paths so it holds together.
Munderhill, I was on another forum that talked abut a similar washout issue. The advice that was given was interesting to say the least. I was interested because of the problems that I have with my drive. What was done was to trench at an angle across the drive. then place a U channel made of 2 2x6 verticals and a 2x4 spacer (think bottom of the U) screwed and silicone to seal. Also strapping was used to keep the top from crushing.
While up in NH over the weekend my Brother wanted to get his machine home for the winter. It's been up on the mountain all spring/summer. He fixed and made a lot of roads etc. Drainage prep and so on. He was up in the woods archery hunting so My Son, Friend and I got the trailer hitched to the old ford and went to fetch it. About the time we started headed off the hill he came out of the woods to help too. Got him to take a picture, no sign language this time!
Took a couple of Son by Brothers wood pile all cut, split and ready for seasoning-next years boiler food-fuel. 4 rows a bit over 30' long.
Got it loaded and home safe (2 miles up the road). Pressure washed all the mud etc off. WOW did he have it caked with muck! All set now for winters nap.
MU
There is a very similar little track hoe parked across the street from my house this past summer, the town is installing sewer pipes, and had to build 3 pumping stations for them, and one is directly across from my house..(a bit of an eyesore, but I prefer that, to another house being built there!)... I've been very tempted to go sneak over there and take a closer look at the machine, but have not dared to...been watching the guys using it to dig, and spread a lot of dirt around the slabs they had to pour, etc, and that little thing has some cahonies, I was impressed with what that thing can do... I wish I could borrow it for one afternoon, I could remove & clean up all the bent over trees in the woods that were ruined in a blizzard 2 years ago, in a few hours, it can do what takes days by hand to do...