Tracks and fences, step by step
Interactive lesson: a driveway that survives winter, paths without mud, a fence built for the animal, electric fencing and keeping wildlife out.
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The whole lesson as text
1. Plan on the map
Before the first post, draw all tracks and fences on the map.
- Vehicle track and paths — The vehicle track is the most expensive, so keep it as short and as level as possible. Make paths firm and dry on the busiest routes.
- Livestock lane — From the shed to the pasture, fenced on both sides. Don't run it through the yard and the garden.
- Three kinds of fence — The boundary fence guards the edge against wildlife and other people's stock. The livestock fence keeps yours in, and the garden fence protects the plants.
- Small but strong — It is often cheaper to fence a small part of the land strongly (garden, hen run, young orchard) than the whole holding weakly.
Why: Three kinds of track and three kinds of fence do different jobs. When you draw them in advance, the stock doesn't walk through the garden and the firewood lorry doesn't get stuck at the gate.
- Draw on the map from H01-03 and the layout from H01-04.
- Wild boar or deer on a meadow do damage the grass heals in two weeks. In the potato patch they take the year's store.
2. Vehicle track
A track doesn't fail because of weight but because of water.
- The route follows the terrain — Go along the contour or at a gentle angle, not straight up the slope. A gradient of up to roughly 8–10 % for a car and tractor in all weathers.
- Strip the topsoil — Strip 15–30 cm of topsoil across the full width and stack it to one side. You'll need it for the garden or a bank.
- Crushed stone in layers — The lower layer is coarse crushed stone 20–30 cm, compacted in layers. The top layer is finer, 10–15 cm (Type 1 in the UK, road base in the US), rolled until it "closes".
- Water off the track — A cross-fall of 3–5 % towards a ditch on the uphill side. At dips a culvert under the track, and on steep stretches angled cut-offs every 20–50 m.
Why: Water that stands on a track or runs down it softens the base, and then the wheels churn it up. A good track is built so that water leaves it fast and doesn't come back.
- Rounded river gravel won't compact and spreads under the wheels. For a track, crushed stone is better, because its angles lock into each other.
- The track and ditch must not send water onto a neighbour's land or the public road. For a new access onto a public road, ask the highway authority (in the US, the county or state roads department).
3. Paths and gates · Locked
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4. Livestock fence · Locked
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5. Electric fencing · Locked
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6. Wildlife · Locked
Buy the Tracks and fences module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.