Maintaining the Carriage Roads at My Farm
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 and Fernando Ferrari took on the task of raking the roads with our new Land Pride Power Rake PR1690. It's an attachment that fits our new Kubota M4-071 tractor. The equipment works in tandem to grade, level, and shape the gravel on the surface. Once the road is raked, our trusted Polaris Ranger follows behind with our own soft rake system to pick up any fallen leaves or light debris.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- This is our new 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 12-foot wide road.
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- Before any of the road work begins, it is important to blow all the leaves or needles, so the edges of the road are clearly visible. Fernando fills the tanks of our STIHL blowers. I’ve been using STIHL blowers for many years.
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- Pete and Fernando work together to blow both sides of the carriage road near my tennis court. These blowers are powerful and fuel-efficient. The gasoline-powered engines provide enough rugged power to tackle heavy debris while delivering much lower emissions.
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- And then Pete takes the wheel of the tractor and slowly drives along the road. One can see the gravel and road dust being picked up by the roller and moved.
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- Our Kubota tractor has large wheels – almost five feet in diameter. These wheels are made to have big grip pads that “bite” into the ground and also prevent it from sinking into wet soil.
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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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- Not far behind, Fernando is doing what we call “dragging” the road. Here he is in our Polaris Ranger. I love these off-road vehicles. We use them every day for so many tasks.
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- We created this special device to rake the gravel, so it is even and also picks up any debris along the way. This is done every couple of weeks to keep the roads looking neat and tidy.
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- It is made from four soft garden rakes attached to a wooden frame. It is crucial to maintain gravel roads, so water can flow properly during storms.
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- Here is Pete passing my tropical hoop house. He drives along one side of the carriage road and then the other to cover every part of the surface.
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- And here is Fernando close behind.
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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. During this time of year, we also place wooden stakes, made right here at the farm, along the carriage roads to delineate the road from the grass. Each stake is about three feet tall, so it is well seen above any snow drifts.
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- Here is our duo again – this time on the road near my American beech grove going toward the woodland.
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- In this section of the road, there is a small pothole, or a depression in the surface, where traffic and water have removed the gravel.
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- As the tractor and power rake drive over it – very slowly – about three miles per hour, it moves the gravel and dust to level the area and get rid of the depression.
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- This is what it looks like after the power rake clears the road.
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- And here is Fernando going over the same spot.
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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 power rake and “drag” the four-miles of carriage road, but they all look so well-groomed once it is completed.
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