What is the cheapest solution for making access track around 150 meters or so for non 4x4 van?

[Gueyog8a7]

From old threads I have been reading online and their costs is seems like it would be about £2.5k to hire worker and have stone brought in.

Is there not some DIY way to do it?

The advantange of the land is it is flat with very slight slope but it is just mud field right now.

Would it be cheaper to get those plastic matts used for festival parking and caravan sites and such?

Like this stuff

https://www.tcs-geotechnics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Turf-Grass-Reinforcement-Mesh-Mats-Mat-Matting-Grid-Car-Park-TCS-1.jpg

How to stop vehicles from slipping on grass - Mesh4

There are many occasions when grass needs to be driven (and parked) on. Whether it’s for vehicle access routes, events which require extra overflow parking, or when a grassed area needs to be turned into a more permanent car park. Parking outside your house on grass verges isn’t illegal but if...

mesh4.co.uk

Once delivered could then lay it myself without having expensive contractors. Also none destructive and easily moved if I wanted to at a later date. Would this work for all weathers though? I want to make access over to other side of field.

I wouldn't mind if it worked for most weather and in the worst if I could wait a few days to get out or easy enough remove the van with manually putting some rocks to unstuck it.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

From old threads I have been reading online and their costs is seems like it would be about £2.5k to hire worker and have stone brought in.

Is there not some DIY way to do it?

The advantange of the land is it is flat with very slight slope but it is just mud field right now.

Would it be cheaper to get those plastic matts used for festival parking and caravan sites and such?

Like this stuff

https://www.tcs-geotechnics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Turf-Grass-Reinforcement-Mesh-Mats-Mat-Matting-Grid-Car-Park-TCS-1.jpg

How to stop vehicles from slipping on grass - Mesh4

There are many occasions when grass needs to be driven (and parked) on. Whether it’s for vehicle access routes, events which require extra overflow parking, or when a grassed area needs to be turned into a more permanent car park. Parking outside your house on grass verges isn’t illegal but if...

mesh4.co.uk

Once delivered could then lay it myself without having expensive contractors. Also none destructive and easily moved if I wanted to at a later date. Would this work for all weathers though? I want to make access over to other side of field.

I wouldn't mind if it worked for most weather and in the worst if I could wait a few days to get out or easy enough remove the van with manually putting some rocks to unstuck it.

Either mats or stone you would best put down a membrane first to stop everything sinking. personally go with stone, run the membrane yourself and find a decent truck driver who if enough experience can gradually release the stone without any need for workers or heavy equipment.

 

[kommando]

You can get the Geo grids much cheaper via Alibaba.

I used this with gravel over very clay ridden soil which at the first sign of rain becomes very slippery.

Gravel Stabilizer Driveway Stabilisation Work Geocell For Slope - Buy Geocell For Slope,Driveway Geocell,Geocell Price Product on Alibaba.com

Gravel Stabilizer Driveway Stabilisation Work Geocell For Slope - Buy Geocell For Slope,Driveway Geocell,Geocell Price Product on Alibaba.com

www.alibaba.com

Porous membrane first so the weeds do not come through.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

I've also seen a few roads made of old tyres and gravel if you have a good source nearby.

 

[kommando]

And use sharp gravel not pebble gravel plus sprinkle some cement powder on the gravel to make it even less likely to move.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

You can get the Geo grids much cheaper via Alibaba.

I used this with gravel over very clay ridden soil which at the first sign of rain becomes very slippery.

Gravel Stabilizer Driveway Stabilisation Work Geocell For Slope - Buy Geocell For Slope,Driveway Geocell,Geocell Price Product on Alibaba.com

Gravel Stabilizer Driveway Stabilisation Work Geocell For Slope - Buy Geocell For Slope,Driveway Geocell,Geocell Price Product on Alibaba.com

www.alibaba.com

Porous membrane first so the weeds do not come through.

Won't they cost the earth in shipping from overseas for that size and weight?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I've also seen a few roads made of old tyres and gravel if you have a good source nearby.

View attachment 227423

Oh great suggestion as in this case probably gotten pretty cheap and easy to come by and would be able to load them into my van in bits without having to hire anyone. Maybe 10-15 at a time.

Is that image you linked of tires? They look strange for tires.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

Oh great suggestion as in this case probably gotten pretty cheap and easy to come by and would be able to load them into my van in bits without having to hire anyone. Maybe 10-15 at a time.

Is that image you linked of tires? They look strange for tires.

They have the side walls cut out on the one side it's a bit of work as you really have to use a reciprocating saw(disk cutter eats through disks) but it's not particularly hard to do.

 

[kommando]

Won't they cost the earth in shipping from overseas for that size and weight?

How much do you think the UK importers pay, only way to find out is ask. I ordered 3 years ago and total cost was 30% of the then UK price.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

They have the side walls cut out on the one side it's a bit of work as you really have to use a reciprocating saw(disk cutter eats through disks) but it's not particularly hard to do.

Why can they not be used as is? Seems they would be stronger without doing anything to them so what is the reasoning for cutting them?

 

[ThaiTaffy]

Why can they not be used as is? Seems they would be stronger without doing anything to them so what is the reasoning for cutting them?

Just to stop the side wall showing on low spots and allow the gravel to fall in each tyre easier, I would think you can use as is but I'd cut the side wall out on any slopes.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

How much do you think the UK importers pay, only way to find out is ask. I ordered 3 years ago and total cost was 30% of the then UK price.

Aye did not think of factoring in the lower base cost of the item.

 

[kommando]

Farmers use a lot of old tyres to keep plastic sheeting down over silage etc, they need to replenish them as they rot (40 or 50 years) so find out where they get them locally. Or go to local tyre fitters who have to pay to dispose of them.

Tyres with both sidewalls are the most difficult items on earth to get filled properly or to get the water out of once left outside .

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Just to stop the side wall showing on low spots and allow the gravel to fall in each tyre easier, I would think you can use as is but I'd cut the side wall out on any slopes.

I would not care how it looked and would be loads of work to cut them. Flat on the patch I want so sounds like it would be ok.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Farmers use a lot of old tyres to keep plastic sheeting down over silage etc, they need to replenish them as they rot (40 or 50 years) so find out where they get them locally. Or go to local tyre fitters who have to pay to dispose of them.

Tyres with both sidewalls are the most difficult items on earth to get filled properly or to get the water out of once left outside .

Are tyres considered 'green' (to an extent) then in that case if they are made of rubber?

Yea but if you don't fill them won't they still hold the weight of a small van (transit connect) easily enough due to the weight distribution?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Oh one issue I just thought of though is a load of old tyres could well anger neighbours as it could be looking like a junkyard unless well covered over. Would have to be careful about bringing them in. Maybe done in bits in my own van would be better to stealth it and deploy them gradually.

Maybe the mesh is a better bet even if more pricey as that stuff is nicely stealth. Low profile but especially hidden when the grass grows through it.

More important to not to rub anyone up the wrong way.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

I would not care how it looked and would be loads of work to cut them. Flat on the patch I want so sounds like it would be ok.

It's really not that bad with a reciprocating saw drill a hole in the wall slide the saw in and have at it probably takes a minute to cut each one. I've made a fair amount of flower pots with them but never built a road.

 

[kommando]

You could go to 2 cuts for a lower sidewall, 50mm of gravel is enough so a higher sidewall is just wasting gravel.

Tyres are seen as anti green as they mainly go to landfill in UK, recycling to produce rubber granules and recover the hi tension steel wire takes time and energy so best left to countries with cheap energy and labour. Exporting costs.

The strength of the gravel comes from the friction between the pebble hence the need for sharp gravel and the cement powder to increase the friction and the binding from the tyres/grid. So tyres with the bigger distances will need a higher gravel layer than the grid, you can get away with 25mm with grid if you have a hard impacted soil.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Hmm a quick look on ebay and many listings offering scrap tyres for free if you collect.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

Hmm a quick look on ebay and many listings offering scrap tyres for free if you collect.

Going off your thread name then I won!!! the money you save in the plastic grid will likely have to be spent on gravel and reciprocating saw blades though but I would guess if the tyres are sufficiently covered they should outlast the plastic grid by a few decades.

 

[DIYrich]

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Good but that is a tiny area. I can't imagine how much work that would be to cover 150m .

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Hmm the reinforcement meshes are coming to even more than what it would probably take with gravel! Quick calculations say about £4k! Gravel I was reading 2.5k on an old post, might be more now.

Tyres are suddenly seeming the most attractive!

 

[kommando]

Have a look for local supplies of tar planings, its the layer of tarmac they remove before laying new tarmac. Cheaper than gravel and laid when its sunny with a spraying of old oil will firm up close to that of tarmac. Used to repair farm tracks.

Tar Planings : Road Surface : Planings : The Cobble Shop

Tar Planings are produced when the surface layer of a tarmac road or footpath is removed. Perfect for hard-standing areas & farm tracks.

thecobbleshop.co.uk

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Have a look for local supplies of tar planings, its the layer of tarmac they remove before laying new tarmac. Cheaper than gravel and laid when its sunny with a spraying of old oil will firm up close to that of tarmac. Used to repair farm tracks.

Tar Planings : Road Surface : Planings : The Cobble Shop

Tar Planings are produced when the surface layer of a tarmac road or footpath is removed. Perfect for hard-standing areas & farm tracks.

thecobbleshop.co.uk

There is a stream with rockbed going through a small section of the land. Would it be feasible to carry that up in buckets and smash to make my own hardcore?

Long process I imagine but I will have plenty of time .

Also would the hardcore be enough or would it sink after a while rendering it almost useless? Also a woodland section so maybe make some framing either side with rocks in the trackway?

Also would using wood alone for the track work or too slippery?

Hmm thinking about it they use wood for bridges in the past so should be ok so long as it stays in place? I know it would rot in time but good for 5-10 years or so? Then maybe replaceable again with wood that has regrown.