I figgure this would be the best place to ask this question, apologies if its not.

My club is looking make a more permanant repair to the log ramp near mile marker 5.5 on the Fordyce Creek trail. Two years ago we lined the slope with logs, toed them into the bank and back filled with rocks and dirt. This lasted about two years unitll the logs started to get kicked out. The idea this time is to lash the logs together with cable and anchor the whole thing at the top somehow. If someone has a proven technique please let me know.

Here is a picture of the work we did in october 06
http://fourdice4x4.com/photos/albums/workday06/DSC00396.jpg
and may of 08
http://fourdice4x4.com/photos/albums/Fordyce-5-25-08/P5240010.jpg

TDO and the Pirates will have something to say about this -- they've worked hard to create and maintain the corduroy ramps at Walker Hill. As I recall, the key was locking them into the hill-side...

IMHO, if you do the cable, I recommend boring it THROUGH the logs and using really solid logs (no rot). Making a shallow grade should help -- folks throttling up to climb steeply out of a hole puts quite a load on your road surface.

Randii

Lots of rock. Fill with dirt as you go so they lock in place. Use the logs to keep some of them from rolling back down but you have a pretty good grade there. May take a few attempts before it settles.

Rock will tend to catch the sediment. I learned that at HH SVRA. I would look to see that grade lessened over time, fill the bottom and as it wears, keep filling with rock. When the grade is flatter, it will hold and water will run over it and not wash it out.

Courduroy lifespan is 3-7 years. Rock is longer...................

Confusing?

Just before Winch Hill 3 we did a repair similar to that last October. It's holding up great, it's right after squeeze rock as you cross through the seasonal creek bed.

We had a Pirate with us (Kevin Carey), and he helped the WeBilt guys install it. The trick IS to cut the logs into the hillside, leave a good 10-12 inches minimum spacing between the logs to fill with medium size rocks, smaller rocks and then backfill with dirt when complete.

Also, digging out the ramp in trenches for each log, and then placing the logs horizontally.

In areas like that it may take a couple of tries before it holds. Persistence will make it work eventually.

Lots of rock. Fill with dirt as you go so they lock in place. Use the logs to keep some of them from rolling back down but you have a pretty good grade there. May take a few attempts before it settles.

Rock will tend to catch the sediment. I learned that at HH SVRA. I would look to see that grade lessened over time, fill the bottom and as it wears, keep filling with rock. When the grade is flatter, it will hold and water will run over it and not wash it out.

Courduroy lifespan is 3-7 years. Rock is longer...................

Confusing?

Bingo!

The key here is that the logs must be wedged into the bank on each side. We try to cut into the bank about 8-12" on each side and make sure they fit tightly. Space the logs with 12" between and completely fill with rock. This is how we built the log ramp at the bottom of Walker Hill 4 seasons ago and it's still holding strong.

we did dig them into the side of the bank as best we could last time. However, there isnt much bank to work with on the right side, which is why were were thinking of cableing them together.

There are a lot of log-roads like that on Dusy-Ershim crossing small streams, meadows, and up stream banks like that. They are held together with rebar and large staples for the most part and they stay together very well, even where there is no hillside to dig the logs into. I have some pictures that I took specifically for ideas at Fordyce. I'll post them up when I get home.

You can kind of see how the logs are tied together.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e191/SCHooch1/4Dice%20Dusy%202007/100_1860.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e191/SCHooch1/4Dice%20Dusy%202007/100_1842.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e191/SCHooch1/4Dice%20Dusy%202007/100_1845.jpg

Is the cable stapled to the logs?

They looked more like big "U" shaped nails to me.

Bingo!

The key here is that the logs must be wedged into the bank on each side. We try to cut into the bank about 8-12" on each side and make sure they fit tightly. Space the logs with 12" between and completely fill with rock. This is how we built the log ramp at the bottom of Walker Hill 4 seasons ago and it's still holding strong.

Mark, in some places (bottom of Walker as I recall) didn't you place perpindicular logs at the sides with notches cut in to hold the corduroy in place, like giant lincoln logs?

Mark, in some places (bottom of Walker as I recall) didn't you place perpindicular logs at the sides with notches cut in to hold the corduroy in place, like giant lincoln logs?
John,
I was on Mark's crew at Walker last year and that is exactly what we did. Pretty solid technique.
Dale

Dusy pictures:

Some are held together with cable, some are rebar. They are attached to the logs with BIG staples or large bent over nails/spikes. I think some were even bent rebar- probably drilled holes and hammered in.

Some of them with logs along the edge have spikes through the edge log holding it in place and the logs together. Kinda helps keep you from slipping off into a hole on the side too.

Like I said, they seem to stay put even when there isn't anything dirt or rocks holding the ends in place. It probably also helps that most of the logs are pretty big. I'd guess most are about 12+" in diameter (much larger than those in the pics at the begining of the thread).

ttt:smokin: