Compacting gravel driveway

[alexinPA]

I'm getting crashed stone delivered and spread on my old gravel driveway. I will crown and level it. Then a guy with vibrating roller will come over and compact it. Would it be a good idea to have stone dust spread on top before compacting? Please share your experience/ideas/suggestions...

 

[bcp]

I would break up the old hard gravel surface so the new gravel stays in place better.

Bruce

 

[alexinPA]

I would break up the old hard gravel surface so the new gravel stays in place better.

Bruce

Thanks. I'm planning on doing that

 

[dodge man]

For gravel to compact well it has to be surprisingly wet, almost to the point water is squishing out. I used to test compaction when they were rolling gravel and they’d have it delivered already wet. It always looked to wet but would compact very well.

 

[Gator6x4]

For gravel to compact well it has to be surprisingly wet, almost to the point water is squishing out. I used to test compaction when they were rolling gravel and they’d have it delivered already wet. It always looked to wet but would compact very well.

Wet gravel is heavy. Gravel is also delivered by ton weight. When you buy wet gravel you are also buying water at the price charged for gravel.

 

[Fixastuff]

Wet gravel is heavy. Gravel is also delivered by ton weight. When you buy wet gravel you are also buying water at the price charged for gravel.

@dodge man is 100% correct about compaction though.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

That's why I time my products delivered at least a week after it rains. But in the grand scheme of things, how many gallons of water does gravel hold? 250 gallons is a ton. I've never seem dripping gravel, or crushed stone for that matter. But not what I ordered...

 

[Gator6x4]

Okay so you didn’t like what I was typing so instead of changing wording you deleted the entire post, okay.

 

[Fixastuff]

Okay so you didn’t like what I was typing so instead of changing wording you deleted the entire post, okay.

Huh?

 

[Mtsoxfan]

The entire post shows up on my end. ???

 

[Gator6x4]

Huh?

Was the post about a paving contractor getting a visit from the EPA?

 

[Fixastuff]

Was the post about a paving contractor getting a visit from the EPA?

Naw, didn’t see that one.

 

[dodge man]

You can obviously add the water after it’s delivered and spread out.

 

[alexinPA]

Wet gravel is heavy. Gravel is also delivered by ton weight. When you buy wet gravel you are also buying water at the price charged for gravel.

Where I buy it they sell by yards not by weight.

 

[alexinPA]

No suggestions about adding stone dust before compacting? My thought was it'll make better solid surface...

 

[4570Man]

No suggestions about adding stone dust before compacting? My thought was it'll make better solid surface...

You’re basically wasting time compacting clean stone. The roller will smooth it out and make it look better but it will roll around again as soon as you drive on it. The stone dust or crusher run is the only way to make it lock together.

 

[chim]

No suggestions about adding stone dust before compacting? My thought was it'll make better solid surface...

Crushed stone could be many different things. In this part of the Commonwealth we have a product we normally call 2A Modified. I'm not sure if this is just a local terminology or common in other locales. It's pretty much anything that passes through a 3/4" screen and includes everything from the 3/4" stone down to dust and often a bit of dirt. It packs very well. As mentioned, moisture is good for getting it packed. It would be difficult to get screenings / dust mixed into stone that doesn't already have it as part of the delivered material.

I've seen people use 2B which is 3/4" clean stone. It's like having a truckload of marbles delivered.

 

[jyoutz]

I always buy a product called road base. It’s a mix of gravel, small gravel and crusher fines. This locks the road base together. Otherwise the gravel will move if it doesn’t have fines. Yes I would spread fine crushed rock on top before compacting.

 

[chim]

Back in '89 the excavating contractor I used when we built put down a foot or so of 3A Modified composed of everything that will pass through a 3" screen. It became almost like concrete. The only thing I didn't like was the dust in the dry season. Went with blacktop in the early 90's.

 

[mikester]

compact, then spread 1-2" stone dust and recompact