Posts
64
Joined
12/25/2014
Location
Princeton, MN
US
Hey I’m looking for some input on how to make my private track soil conditions better. It is a clay track, but if I work the soil too much it turns into moon dust. Should I be mixing sand? Wood chips?
I personally am a sand rider but I still like to be able to ride out of my shop. It sits on about 10 acres of land so it’s a decent size track. I’m also located in MN if that makes any difference.
A local track of mine has brought in wood chips over the years and turned a hard track into a deep black soil. Though it does smell like a Treager smoker sometimes when pulling back into the pits. 😄
Sawdust/wood chips. Heaps of that stuff they sell for chicken coops and horse pens works too. Basically the same material - pulverized wood chips. You can also mix in some decomposed granite and/or sand.
I helped till a local private track that happened to be right down the street from a lumber mill. We would spread the wood chips throughout the track then run a tiller over it.
You want small, finely chopped wood particles. No sticks, twigs, large chunks of bark.
Haha I’ll take that over the cow manure mine smells like after our cattle have been out there!
The cattle do help keeps the weeds down though.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Free shipping: VITALMX
I built a turn track last year and have the same issue. This year I only take the tractor to it after it rains and disc it minimally and use a section of chain link fence tied to the disc to level it out and bust up any clumps. My Problem came from running disc through it alone to bust the clumps up. Which in turn would get the clay real fine.
I work in sand and gravel. So later in the year if things slow down I plan on adding sand and also mulch if I can find it cheap.
You want Mulch, not "wood chips". And don't bother if you do not have a roto-tiller or some other implement to mix it in thoroughly. Otherwise you'll just have wood chips or loose stuff laying on top of the baked clay which is even worse.
Many places that are green and have trees and shrubbery (not here in AZ!) take green-waste for free at the dump and then give it away for free as mulch after it has composted. Usually it's free but you have to get a dump truck or some way to haul it.
We had a couple of local cabinet shops deliver thier sawdust/shavings to us for free.
There are some types of wood that isn't good for stables, so they'd bring us all they had of that to keep from having to pay to dump it.
Almost a pure clay base. LOTS of sawdust ripped in as deep as I can, then watered, then tilled. When I have the $$$ I add sand. On a good day, it's the best dirt I've ever ridden and there are many who will agree.
From someone with a track that farms and has a sawmill you want Saw dust. The only time you would use wood chips or mulch is if you get a winter and in the late fall you till the soil deep then you add that in and till again to mix it. Then you would pack it and let it decompose over winter and spring. Guys that add wood chips and mulch just ruin their tracks imo. A lot of the pro riders feel the same. Heard quite a few guys complain about highpoint. Any kind of manure is also a good thing to mix into the clay.
That is the good stuff. Walnut isn't suitable for animals. Its actually poison. If I'm out cutting walnuts in the months where they hold moisture like late spring summer and early fall I get massive hives rashes and blisters if the sawdust touches my skin. Years back I was cutting some in the summer and didn't have a shirt on my whole chest and back was full blisters and burnt from the chips. Lasts for a while and will actually scar.
You might be sensitive to juglone.
I am for sure, worse than anyone I've met. Its not great for anyone or anything though. I love it so the welts won't stop me. Just have to be more cautious. I'm also allergic to hay and animals but its part of the game. I'll also add that if I'm running a lot of lumber thru the planer the planer curls or whatever are also good for a track.
Reminds me of a friend of ours who was an outstanding and passionate veterinarian. He developed a severe allergy to pet dander that got so bad it became life threatening and forced him to retire. Hope your condition doesn't worsen over time.
Thats terrible, I couldn't imagine. Thanks I appreciate it.
The local track made a deal with Asplund (big tree trimming/removal company). They dump their chips/sawdust on track property for free. Free is good.
When I had a track close to our horse stable using the sawdust from their stalls to loosen the clay worked great. My current track is much further back on the property so I used slightly gravely sand. That worked good at first but the soil broke down and fine white sand washes down the hills whenever it rains hard now so I'm constantly pulling it back up the hills. The soil dries out really fast too making it very slippery. Bottom line, in my opinion sawdust is way better than using sand!
If you can disc in some sand that will help immensely.
That soil was muy perfecto!
Pit Row
Lakewood uses wood chips/mulch and Colorado soil is like concrete.
You want horse stall manure. Sawdust plus horse poop.
If you could bottle Kenworthy’s dirt it is phenomenal.
The old Lakewood was in fact very close in consistency to concrete. That was the days before any meaningful track prep existed.
Clay particles are flat, like a piece of paper, this allows them to stack very neatly together and pack down, similar to a sheet of OSB. You have to mix something in with a different particle shape to stop the compaction, ie sand, mulch etc. Avoid wood chips as mentioned. Saw dust works well. Yes horse stall muckings are awesome. When you squeeze a handful of your dirt together it should hold its shape but still crumble easily. Having fun no matter what is the real key.
Not sure what type of agriculture you have in your region, but here in NorCal, most of the operators mix in rice hulls from time to time. Rice farming is huge here so they are very easy to come by. I've also seen sawdust, mulch and some manure.
NCMP is clay based and the owner has brought in tons of sawdust over the years. Dirt is amazing. When ripped the lines are deep and the traction is wild! Track is super soft and the ground beside it is rock hard. The sawdust works... Just takes a lot and then you have to keep it worked in!
You just sent me down a wild and fascinating rabbit hole looking at electron microscope images. By god, clay particles are flat! Talk about compaction…
That's also why clay is so slippery when it's wet.
This is a great view. When you plow a field and it dries up a bit you can actually see this without the microscope. Back to the topic I dont think you can go wrong with saw dust shreddings from a planer any manure rice hulls or sand. But please don't ruin another track with wood chips or mulch unless you till it in and pack it to decompose over winter and spring.
Any photos of the track? Love a good backyard track. Good luck with the soil project!
Post a reply to: Private track- How to fix clay soil