Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: aggregate choice  (Read 9752 times)

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
aggregate choice
« on: February 10, 2021, 10:08:50 am »
Morning all,

Mud worse than ever this year (big horses!). In front of concrete apron to stables and walkways - hoping if affordable to do something and avoid same again next winter.  Plan is to dig down maybe 6-8" (in spring before the clay turns to the texture of concrete!), lay a membrane and fill with aggregate of some description. Crushed concrete probably most economical, but tends to have undesirables within!  Any experience of road planings?  do they melt in sun? / any other suggestions please? Needs ideally to be permeable and sweepable-ish (not a word I know but will I am sure make sense!).  Hope to create a fall but probably easier said than done. Can't afford concrete and more danger of planning getting wind of it.......... thinking with aggregate can let the grass grow to disguise!  (have looked at the different grass grids and not conifident any will do what we need)

Any thoughts please?  many thanks, Mark

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2021, 01:06:14 pm »
it's common practise for farms in the north of England to lay road planings in gateways in summer.  By winter they are invisible but do reduce the muddiness.

Personally I hate them in gateways used frequently by cattle - the mud inevitably reappears and the planing stones then get in between the cows' cleats.  They are a practical solution where the area is infrequently used by cattle.

If you have cattle who will be using the area frequently, then stabilising the stones with hexagonal cow track seems to be the solution.  Expensive but much longer-lasting I suspect.  No personal experience yet, but very much in the plan...
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Buttermilk

  • Joined Jul 2014
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2021, 07:36:25 am »
I have put down mud control mats this winter.  Pricey but really worth it.  The horses use them to access the high bits of the field and I no longer have the knee deep mud in front of the barn.

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2021, 05:47:57 pm »
thank you for replies..........  which mud control mats did you use please?  been looking around - the ones that look most sensible are very pricey as you say!  https://www.mudcontrol.co.uk/slabs  these??  or other?

Did you flatten off soggy ground first or just plonk them down?  If they work can I guess deduct cost of plant hire / man hours etc and less disruption! May not balance out completely financially, but if they work  :thumbsup:

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2021, 05:58:00 pm »
also come across this.  any thoughts / experiences please anyone? https://www.ecodeck.biz/ecodeck-earth-press-grass/

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2021, 09:36:54 pm »
our other thought at present (where vehicles not used) is maybe just a 150-200mm deep bed of gritty / coarse (sub angular) sand over a membrane if we can source locally enough to make it affordable.  Sounds odd / unusual but thinking this could be a nice solution - will drain well and nothing to get stuck in hooves......  daft idea????

Buttermilk

  • Joined Jul 2014
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2021, 03:26:47 pm »
thank you for replies..........  which mud control mats did you use please?  been looking around - the ones that look most sensible are very pricey as you say!  https://www.mudcontrol.co.uk/slabs  these??  or other?

Did you flatten off soggy ground first or just plonk them down?  If they work can I guess deduct cost of plant hire / man hours etc and less disruption! May not balance out completely financially, but if they work  :thumbsup:
Those are the ones that I have.  At the moment they are just plonked down as it was already muddy before we got them.  The intention is to lift and position properly come summer but knowing how jobs run away with us that may not happen for a few years.

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2021, 06:25:29 pm »
We've been round in circles a few times and back again, and a decision finally made - a risk perhaps but would like to think a calculated one:

Having checked back the planning consent does enable us to add a little more concrete but nowhere near all the areas concerned. We cut back originally due to cost and still a non-starter as works out so expensive!

We were at one point convinced digging out, membrane & aggregate was the best solution - coarse sand where horses are moved & crushed concrete for vehicle access which we have used previously. However, could be a risk planning wise, and chances are it wouldn't be granted if we did apply due to jobsworths, idiots and ridiculous policies  - and would cost a whole lot more removing it if ordered to. There will always be a small handful of morons likely to be watching and ready to complain to the planning office.  This option was also going to be very labour intensive as 8 wheeler tippers wouldn't be able to access directly to the space so would mean a lot of barrowing or expensive plant hire.

We had originally dismissed grass grids as seems they are only as good as the preparation etc and the need to bring in gravel / topsoil.

However, we have decided to run with the one we found that can be pushed into the existing surface with a vibrating roller. No digging involved, changes, or additional aggregates required - will be invisible almost.  We were very sceptical, but have been trying a sample and even just one grid on it's own have been astonished how well it seems to be working. Got the chap who delivers our hay to run over it in tractor in a reasonably wet area - didn't sink below surface or break.  Order placed for 138m2 of it - with the cost of the roller hire on top not cheap, but less than the mudcontrol mats and guessing about the same as the aggregate option, quite probably less when taking into account time/work.  Not recommending it yet - all fingers crossed for next winter!  Will report back with the results..............

We will hopefully be digging out the swamp where the tractor turns and loads the hay into the 'tiny barn' (aka as a stable with a double back door) and chucking crushed concrete / stone in over membrane - that would be pushing things too far I think for any grid!  Would be great however if we could just tip a load of stone / hardcore / crushed concrete straight into the mud - been trying to convince myself this might work, but in theory and based on everything you read or hear not a good idea or going to last long.  Anyone tried / direct experience?  Tractor running over it just once a week throughout winter.

 

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2021, 09:59:43 pm »
Sounds interesting, I wish you luck.

Have you had any livestock on it yet?

and... What is it? 
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2021, 05:02:39 pm »
https://www.ecodeck.biz/ecodeck-earth-press-grass/  not recommending at this time of course!  have walked the chunky pony on the sample grid and hooves didn't fit into the diamonds (the 2 very big ones are double the size so didnt even bother trying!). delicate horses might well fit however!?   anything with smaller feet could go through and therefore still create mud and potential for getting stuck / injured if ground saturated.  If we get sheep again (last ones went to market as they couldn't behave!) they will be elsewhere, albeit doubt they would be a problem.  As for pigs / cattle etc no idea but suspect may not be at all ideal?  delivery due monday, roller tuesday - like spring here in Kent and drying nicely  :)

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2021, 06:09:10 pm »
So far so good    Found it’s levels following existing. Grass seed and top up holes next. Proof will be next winter but so far seems ok. Tractor delivering hay went over track we have laid with little impact and horses doing little to move anything. Fingers and toes crossed. Didn’t go to edge of concrete as didn’t want to disturb hardcore which slopes out. Dug out soil to solid and added membrane and gravel. Old rubber mats cut to width on top to stop gravel spreading.

captainmark

  • Joined Dec 2017
Re: aggregate choice
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2022, 07:16:39 am »
has proved to be excellent so far. no mud at all in winter - pretty much invisible too!

 

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