| SWECO Trail Machine |
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The SWECO Trail Machine is a 4 foot wide dozer specially designed to build and maintain OHV trails. This piece of equipment was purchased with ATV Funds in 1996. The Oregon Department of Forestry has hired a nine month seasonal position to operate the machine. Several volunteers have also been trained and are qualified to operated the machine. The operator works during the week and volunteers work on projects on the weekends.
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SWECO building waterbar on FireBreak 5.
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The SWECO is dedicated to OHV projects and is used primarily on trail maintenance and trail upgrades. Waterbars and draindips are easily built to drain water from trails, culverts can be placed and buried where springs use to cross trails, and ruts can be quickly filled in by the trail machine. It also makes new trail construction easier and it has been used to reroute trails around problem areas or to make new short trail connections.
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Close-up of SWECO. Note winch and rippers on back.
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SWECO after grading trail.
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The trail machine has a six-way blade which is the primary tool used on the machine. The blade can fill in ruts, build waterbars, build berms, dig holes for culverts and smooth trail surfaces. A Warn winch and rippers are attached on the back. These can be switched out for a backhoe attachment or a compactor/roller. A 1.5 yard dump trailer has also been built to haul rock into trail sections requiring surface hardening. Metal tracks allow for good mobility.
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Backhoe loading rock into SWECO trailer.
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SWECO grading rock after dumping rock with trailer. Filter fabric was used to prevent rock from sinking into the dirt.
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This is an excellent example of ATV funds, ODF and volunteers working together to maintain and improve OHV riding opportunities in the Tillamook State Forest.
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