After digging the first section of my backyard trail using hand tools, I needed a more efficient solution. It was slow and tedious work! A bit of YouTube research led me to this guy who uses a rotary tiller to cut his backyard trails.
What a revelation! I didn’t even need to visit the hardware store as I already owned a two-stroke powered rotary tiller! It has certainly made light(er) work of clearing away the top layer of growth. Here’s a time lapse of me cutting in a switchback earlier today. After I rode it a few times I realised I needed to make the trail a little wider…
After marking out the turn with line paint, it’s just a matter of working the tiller over it, cutting a couple of metres of trail at a time. Rake it clear and take out any stubborn clumps with a mattock. Repeat the process a section at a time until the trail is done (or more likely I run out of energy).
Rake, mattock, shovel, spade and tiller. Tools of the trade!
Since using the rotary tiller I’ve cut LOADS more trail. What would have taken me a whole day to clear manually I can knock over in a couple of hours. It’s still hard work of course, my poor road cyclist arms and shoulders are aching!
I have a newfound respect for trail builders. All those Tasmanian trails I ride on the regular would have taken months – if not years – of hard labour to carve into the mountain ranges.
My very first fork in the trail.
Over the coming weeks I’m hoping to build a couple of wooden obstacles, some rollers, add a berm or two and cut the rest of the trail down to the bottom of the hill. It’s slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Hopefully the results will be rewarding!
you are so fortunate to have such a piece of land. enjoy
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It was never in my “life plan” to own acreage, but in times like these I’m glad I bought this place!
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yes I have always wanted to do that but always too cautious .
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