The Horse Farm

April and May, 2017 – The Horse Farm

Here’s a few photographs from a private property we share access to with a couple of other clubs.  The land owner was having a problem with trespassers littering, parking and blocking the trail head and entering here to hunt without permission.    

Here’s how we handled it to exceed the expectation of the land owner –

  • The club scheduled two new dates on our club calendar and a plan is shared with members.
  • A site visit is done on our first visit to determine the best solution to the problem.  The volunteers also identified a challenging trail loop to add on to the trails network already in place.  This is a win/win for the land owner and the clubs that share the limited access.
  • A materials list is completed and materials are acquired to be delivered for pre-assembly off site at a member’s house.  The club donated all materials cost for the project.
  • The second date is postponed one week due to weather to minimize environmental impact.  This is one reason we sometimes say, “…Because adventure is easy.”
  • Members arrive with the tools needed, the materials needed and any safety gear needed.  The work day is broken in to two parts:  The gate installation and the trail cut.
  • Using the owner’s tractor and post digging rig, the old rotted gate remnants are removed and our new gates are installed.  To prevent trespassers from parking, it was recommended by the land owner to install the gate closer to the road than we originally planned.  We collectively found there was an old primitive gate here across the stone wall.
  • The gate is fully installed in under two hours, with new signs and a programmable combination lock.
One member suggested we drill holes and push lengths of rebar through, to stabilize the poles in 5 gallon pales.
This worked very well to keep the buckets mostly stabilized to pour concrete mix into. The ground was still frozen when we assessed the work plan, so our intent was to build posts we could deliver and adapt to our needs based on soil composition.
The gate posts are over 8 ft tall.
The bucket is buried about two and a half feet deep. It is buried in rock that will allow water to drain around the post so it last longer. The soil removed was primarily used packed in around the outside of the plastic buckets.

 

The finished product. The gate is level but the road slopes steeply down. 🙂

Here is the completed gate.  Heavy duty wooden posts are cemented into five gallon buckets.  The 8 ft tall posts are then buried.  The gates over lap to cover a narrower gap than originally planned, closer to the road.  When we open the gates to access our trails, the opening is plenty wide enough for our vehicles and the gates can be secured in the open position without swinging closed.   
Working closely with land owners and managers creates lasting relationships with mutual benefits.  After this gate was completed, our members were privileged with the opportunity to add additional trail.  The new loop we completed utilizes rock ledge, tight turns and small hills to provide a fun, challenging trail.  The loop also connects to another small difficult loop trail, and created a larger loop feature to the property.  Our club strives to provide multiple loop trail systems when working on private properties.  This allows a variety of trail difficulties while also allowing wheeling in a confined space to seem like an all day adventure.

Here’s some additional pictures of the trail work and USING the new trail the same day it was completed.

John joined Mohawk 4×4 Adventures in 2014, as soon as the club began accepting applications. He’s been active on trail work days, trail rides and is often helping members with their projects.
Our trail work often requires tree removal. We carefully select which trees to remove, if any, to minimize impact on area we recreate. In this case, dead trees were removed to open a desirable hill feature up. The path chosen minimizes erosion and gets rid of tree dangers along the trail.
Craig’s antique Jeep CJ5 is powered by a modern, fuel injected Jeep 4.0L H.O. engine. He’s shown here attempting part of the ledge we incorporated into our new and difficult trail.
Amanda’s Jeep TJ, dubbed Black Ice, is taking a less difficult trail up the ledge. At this obstacle, we elected to create an easier path near the very difficult section. Planning for this ahead of time reduces or eliminates trail braiding. Both paths on the trail are fun, but one is extremely difficult and one is going to be more suitable for other people. Skills and vehicle builds can open opportunities to try more challenges. It’s important to know that when trail work is done, prime consideration for the design of the trails is chosen by THOSE WHO SHOW UP!

 

 

 

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