Dairy lane repair,
across Southland.
A dairy lane that has gone to pieces slows the whole farm down. The herd picks its way around holes, feet get sore, and every wet week cuts it up worse. I regrade and rebuild dairy lanes across Southland so they drain, hold up and stay easy on the herd - and I do the work myself, start to finish.
How I do it
What the job involves
Every lane is different, but the approach does not change: find out where the water is going, fix the shape, then put a surface on it that lasts.
- Walk the lane first
- I look at where the water sits, where the surface has broken out and why it failed. There is no point topping up a lane that has lost its shape, because it will cut out again by calving.
- Reshape, not just refill
- The power rake cuts through the potholed top and gets the lane back to a sound base. Then I rebuild the crown so water sheds off to the sides instead of sitting in the wheel ruts.
- Fresh rock only where it earns its keep
- Plenty of lanes just need reshaping and compacting with the metal that is already there. Where a lane is starved, I cart in fresh rock and blend it through, and I will tell you exactly how much you need and why.
- A surface cows can walk on
- The rake screens the big stones out of the top so the walking surface is firm, even and easy on hooves. That is the difference between a lane and a riverbed.
The payoff
What that means for the farm
The lane is where lameness, slow milkings and wet-week headaches start. Sort the lane and a lot of other problems go quiet.
Fewer lame cows
A rough, wet lane is where a lot of lameness starts. A firm, even surface with the coarse stone screened out of the top means sounder feet, fewer vet visits and fewer three-legged stragglers at the back of the mob.
Milking runs on time
Cows walk a good lane at their own pace instead of bunching up and picking their way through. The herd arrives settled and milking starts when it should.
It survives winter
Shape and drainage are what get a lane through a Southland winter. Water that runs off cannot pump the fines out of your surface, so the lane you pay for is still there in spring.
No surprises
Straight talk on lanes
What I sort
- Regrade and recrown lanes so they shed water properly
- Cut out potholes, ruts and soft spots down to sound base
- Clean up lane edges so water can actually get away
- Top up with the right rock and leave a compacted, cow-friendly surface
What I will be straight about
- If a stretch is sitting on a spring or a swamp, reshaping alone will not save it - it needs the wet dug out and proper rock put under it, and that costs more
- A lane with no fall and nowhere for water to go will always be a battle - I will tell you what it really needs, not just what is cheapest today
The work
What it looks like done
Where I do it
Based near Winton, working across Southland
I do dairy lane repair right across the province. Pick your district for the local rundown, or just call and tell me where you are.
- Winton →
- Invercargill →
- Gore →
- Makarewa →
- Lumsden →
- Riverton →
- Wyndham →
- Otautau →
- Balfour →
- Mossburn →
Somewhere else in Southland? Give me a call and ask.
While I am there
Other jobs I can sort on the same visit
Got a lane that needs sorting before winter?
Send through a couple of details or just give me a call. Free quote, no pressure.