Corral ground/dealing with mud

Help Support CattleToday:

BigBear

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
120
Reaction score
0
Location
Central Ohio
Hi everyone,
I am renting an excavator in a few weeks to get some projects done and one of those is getting my corral squared away. It's a muddy mess. It's close to our creek but has plenty of fall to shed water. It just needs the manure cleaned out and drains and gravel put it.

My question is this: I know that putting down fabric below the gravel will make a big difference with the mud but I will eventually need to put posts (9"diameter to support my alley panels) in and I'm concerned that the posts may not go through the fabric. I do also plan to put in 4" heavy wall perforated drain tiles as well (3 drains for a 40'x50' corral). Could I get away without the fabric?
 
You could get away with it, but you'll be much happier with the fabric than without. I've driven posts through it, but it's better to dig down to it, and cut a hole. If you switched to a pipe post, in lieu of the 9" wood post, I wouldn't worry at all about cutting the geotextile.
 
BigBear":3u9u8g8c said:
Hi everyone,
I am renting an excavator in a few weeks to get some projects done and one of those is getting my corral squared away. It's a muddy mess. It's close to our creek but has plenty of fall to shed water. It just needs the manure cleaned out and drains and gravel put it.

My question is this: I know that putting down fabric below the gravel will make a big difference with the mud but I will eventually need to put posts (9"diameter to support my alley panels) in and I'm concerned that the posts may not go through the fabric. I do also plan to put in 4" heavy wall perforated drain tiles as well (3 drains for a 40'x50' corral). Could I get away without the fabric?

A post driver will drive them through. I put my fabric down, then gravel, then put the posts in for my crowding pen, sweep and alley.

KEEP THE FABRIC!
 
Farm Fence Solutions":1rrjg6o3 said:
You could get away with it, but you'll be much happier with the fabric than without. I've driven posts through it, but it's better to dig down to it, and cut a hole. If you switched to a pipe post, in lieu of the 9" wood post, I wouldn't worry at all about cutting the geotextile.

Kevin drove through mine. I am almost positive he didn't cut before driving but I might be wrong, it was almost 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it stays solid and has handled years of traffic.
 
Bright Raven":3aah76kd said:
Farm Fence Solutions":3aah76kd said:
You could get away with it, but you'll be much happier with the fabric than without. I've driven posts through it, but it's better to dig down to it, and cut a hole. If you switched to a pipe post, in lieu of the 9" wood post, I wouldn't worry at all about cutting the geotextile.

Kevin drove through mine. I am almost positive he didn't cut before driving but I might be wrong, it was almost 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it stays solid and has handled years of traffic.


I've caused a mess driving through it, but it was freshly laid, with stone on top that hadn't been compacted, and it was muddy. Posts were very large, also.
 
Farm Fence Solutions":3tg2ohs7 said:
Bright Raven":3tg2ohs7 said:
Farm Fence Solutions":3tg2ohs7 said:
You could get away with it, but you'll be much happier with the fabric than without. I've driven posts through it, but it's better to dig down to it, and cut a hole. If you switched to a pipe post, in lieu of the 9" wood post, I wouldn't worry at all about cutting the geotextile.

Kevin drove through mine. I am almost positive he didn't cut before driving but I might be wrong, it was almost 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it stays solid and has handled years of traffic.


I've caused a mess driving through it, but it was freshly laid, with stone on top that hadn't been compacted, and it was muddy. Posts were very large, also.

When I built my facility, I had my dozer. I compacted it really well with the dozer on dry ground. My posts are 8 foot end posts.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I may just go the pipe route. That sounds like a better way to go anyways. I will not be putting my alley in until next summer which will give it plenty of compaction time. This fall I will only do perimeter posts with guardrail and continue to use my panels.
 
BigBear":2fmby3f3 said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. I may just go the pipe route. That sounds like a better way to go anyways. I will not be putting my alley in until next summer which will give it plenty of compaction time. This fall I will only do perimeter posts with guardrail and continue to use my panels.

My pipe supplier delivers in your area, but won't sell direct to the public. Give me a shout if you need me to call an order in for you. You won't regret having the fabric when the spring thaw comes!
 
Totally agree. Put down fabric. When I had my feed pads built, I was concerned about the fencer coming in & pounding wooden posts. The contractor assured me there wouldn't be any problem. Worked out perfect.
 
Till-Hill":g3bdcmeq said:
Anyone got a link to this fabric you talk of? Never heard of it!

It is a construction fabric. If you go to most farm supply stores they carry it. Ask for construction fabric. Comes in different gauges
 
BigBear":x7m8qwid said:
https://www.profabricsupply.com/products/woven-stabilization-fabric-heavy-duty-200lb-12-5-x-54-roll?variant=8195921215584

First one that came up in a google search. We used this at our churches property to put a road in a muddy field and it worked great. You could drive an 18 wheeler on it and never get stuck. And before we put it down you could barely get a 4x4 pick up down the lane.

I was posting as you were. Yes that is it.
 
If you have a wet area / mud area, you dig it down, put the fabric down, then layer stone/gravel on top of it.
If you just put down rock and gravel, the mud just works it way up through the rock & gravel. This prevents it.
 
I've got plenty of mud! Work on side hill? My place is pretty much a slope but clay muddy crap when rains. Up close to the shed would be nice if works the way y'all say it does
 
Till-Hill":39o6kpag said:
I've got plenty of mud! Work on side hill? My place is pretty much a slope but clay muddy crap when rains. Up close to the shed would be nice if works the way y'all say it does

I would imagine it would work on a Hill side but I would definitely try to anchor the fabric on the high side in some way and add lots of gravel so it doesn't slide. If you could start unrolling where it's flat then down the hill that could anchor it as well. I've used the geo fabric a couple times but only on a relatively flat grade. I do know the stuff works as advertised but that doesn't stop me from trying to be a cheap skate lol
 
My preference would be non woven, but with any geo textile the secret is to put enough fill over top of it. I would want a foot at least. Nothing worse than having that stuff surface. You want enough on top to form a bridge, because with that separation layer your surface material can only bond to itself.
 
3' trench for tile, get tile with sock and backfill completely with coarse gravel. Space tile lines 30' apart. Forget everything else, as you will never have mud issues again.
 
lowes is the cheapest place I've found geotextile. you have to order it in. its good stuff.
 

Latest posts

Top