Installing rip rap

[CHCRandy]

I am surprised the county don't keep that ditch clean. I would honestly go talk to the county first. It would suck to go thru and do rip rap to have them come along next summer and clean out the ditch and your rip rap. Here in Hendricks County our ditch crew is always mowing along county roads and cleaning out ditches to keep drainage flowing. Heck, maybe if you complain about it, they will clean it and install rip rap for you.

Do you guys have county tractor that mows along them roads or is that just being done by homeowners? If you do go with rip rap, I bet that would be pretty easy with your tractor.....just don't try doing no handstands!

 

[phylodog]

The county will come by a few times a year and mow the sides of the road but they don't touch the ditch where it begins to rise up and meet my lawn.

 

[dudley0]

That's not a ditch. That's a small hill. I would think you could mow that pretty easy. Especially if you wanted to buy my side mower.

My county mows on the side of the road in a lot of places, but hasn't hit this area for over a decade. Maybe complaining would remedy that.

 

[Rookie]

The county installed rip rap down the road a few years back. It looked great for a while, but now it looks like overgrown weeds with big rocks everywhere. I would spray it once or twice a year and call it good.

 

[Leadeye]

Appreciate the insights. I was planning to talk to the county before doing anything. This particular ditch holds very little water, even when I have a river flowing through my pasture when we get heavy rains. The rip rap idea was just for aesthetics but also to eliminate one route the foxes and coyotes have to get close to our chickens undetected. We had a fox come in a month ago and grabbed a hen. He popped out of the overgrown ditch, grabbed her and was gone before we even realized what had happened.

PM Shibumi about chicken defenses, he's a professional. Living in the jungle has educated him in ways of livestock protection.

 

[phylodog]

That's not a ditch. That's a small hill. I would think you could mow that pretty easy. Especially if you wanted to buy my side mower.

My county mows on the side of the road in a lot of places, but hasn't hit this area for over a decade. Maybe complaining would remedy that.

I sent you a PM. A boom or side mower is the only way I could mow that. I couldn't pull a push mower up and down it and it's way too steep for any kind of riding mower that I've seen.

 

[indyjohn]

I agree with the idea of mowing. Spray for broadleaf, wait for it to die off then bring in dudley0's side mower to keep it nice.

If your better half won't allow a guard, it seems a fancy attachment for that bad a$$ tractor of yours is an appropriate alternative.

 

[indyjohn]

I follow this guy on YouTube. He lives in Lebanon and has good content and a decent following. This is what you're getting into with an Offset mower (I think that's what dudley0 has). Very useful.

[video=youtube_share;BcZqmBzZ23E]https://youtu.be/BcZqmBzZ23E[/video]

 

[DoggyDaddy]

The police were of no help with placing the rip rap.

What about retired police?

 

[ditcherman]

You can buy a bush hog for the tractor for what you might spend in stone, and you’re left with a bush hog. And don’t worry, tractors are much more stable side to side than they are longways.

 

[phylodog]

I have a bush hog but it’s not cut out for mowing this hill-ditch. I’m going to pick up DudleyO’s side mower and see if it’ll work for me.

Thanks again for the info and suggestions.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I have a bush hog but it’s not cut out for mowing this hill-ditch. I’m going to pick up DudleyO’s side mower and see if it’ll work for me.

Thanks again for the info and suggestions.

Thanks for being good-natured about the smart-ass comments. Hope it works for you.

 

[wagyu52]

I wouldn’t riprap that. Plant a vetch or clove, they are perennial, stay low to the ground,suppresses weeds and are very beneficial for pollinators

 

[KLB]

I've been trying to convince the wife that we need a Great Pyreneese but she isn't going for it. She doesn't want more animal hair in the house. I've told her that I don't want it to be in the house, it can't do it's job when it isn't outside. She has a hard time considering having a dog which stays outside 24/7.

You might want to research the Great Pyrenees before you want on. They tend to want to wander a lot. There are a lot of breeds of LGDs. If you were closer, I'd say bring your wife to see ours. They are totally happy living their lives with our(well their ) goats. She just needs to realize they are not pets, they are workers. That is not to say that they cannot be lovable. If they are going to guard livestock, they need to live with them. Chickens are a bit different from what I read in that the dogs don't bond with the chickens, but rather just protect them.

I always love watching this video.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2333151730035011

 

[phylodog]

Update: I went up and met with DudleyO this morning and picked up the side mower. It is gonna work out well. I have some strategy to figure out to get everything knocked down but it already looks a lot better.
Before:

After:

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Wow, that looks MUCH better phylo! Much easier than messing with rip rap too.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

You can buy a bush hog for the tractor for what you might spend in stone, and you’re left with a bush hog. And don’t worry, tractors are much more stable side to side than they are longways.

Yep, I would weed wack that the first time so I didn't find any surprises and then easily mow that with my 790 with a belly.

 

[phylodog]

I would be willing to try mowing it with my 1626 but I don't have a belly mower.I'd want that low slung weight before I'd feel comfortable.

 

[CHCRandy]

I would be willing to try mowing it with my 1626 but I don't have a belly mower.I'd want that low slung weight before I'd feel comfortable.

I don't blame ya man. Pretty easy to get in trouble quickly on a tractor, as you know....and on a hill, not many 2nd chances if that thing rolls. I have known a couple people who have been killed by tractors while bush hogging. Stay safe brother.

 

[phylodog]

I learned my lesson, I won't be tipping my tractor over very far at all.