how to make mud les...
 

[Closed] how to make mud less muddy

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I have been digging a new track recently. it starts off amongst the trees and the dirt is quite nice an loamy but the further down it goes it emerges into the open the mud gets claggier and claggier... so by the bottom your tyres are a just a slick clay hoop with zero traction, sometimes even jamming the wheel.

im not interested in a smooth built weatherproof motorway, i want it to be a quite organic rut track with lots of turns to slap, but is there anything i can do to improve the lower turns? i was wondering whether it might be worth raking in a bag of mulch?

or is it just a case of giving it chance to dry out a bit? i did purposely start it when the weather man told me we were in for a dry spell, but its pretty much been subject to a constant deluge...!


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 12:56 pm
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Drainage is always the issue, if it's a big wide area, there's not much you can do. Mulch won't achieve anything.


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 1:06 pm
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As above, drainage is key, only other option is weatherproofing the track, or stick on some mud tyres ;o)


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 1:13 pm
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Adding water will also make it less muddy but possibly not much help unless you can keep it there.


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 1:16 pm
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As above, you either have to drain the water from the track or build the track out of weatherproof materials.


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 1:24 pm
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If you dig down does the ground get better? If so, lots of digging or lots of wheels over it could work


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 1:29 pm
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If you dig down does the ground get better? If so, lots of digging or lots of wheels over it could work

Only if the water can drain away. If you end up with a rut filled with water, it'll quickly turn into a rut filled with mud.


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 2:02 pm
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North shore!


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 2:40 pm
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Lol! aye, get sawing!

Joking aside, sometimes raising the level up is the only option, we've a lovely descent off an escarpment locally, looking out over the Firth of Clyde. One section was always a bit boggy, but the increased erosion made it bigger and bigger. Fortunately there's an old millwheel quarry nearby, 2 days spent filling a 20 metre section with big rock, and it's worked well since, must be 8 or 9 years ago.

You may not have that option nearby, sadly.


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 2:55 pm
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thols2
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Only if the water can drain away. If you end up with a rut filled with water, it’ll quickly turn into a rut filled with mud.

Being on a hill, gravity may be able to help with that issue


 
Posted : 30/11/2020 4:15 pm