Compacting gravel driveway

[jyoutz]

What I think causes a lot of problems with these things, step 1; define the scope/goal/budget, and then work from there.

What I mean is, function vs pretty; the $2000 fix or the $20,000 fix, are we wanting are low clearance corvettee to stay clean and not rub, or are we driving a suv/truck. I really think your material will be 100% fine, exactly the way you planned it, and I think adding additional fines is an unneeded expense, and could possibly make the material worse, dustier, and more prone to washing. It would, however, probably improve ride quality and appearance.

Not true in my experience. I’ve done a long 2000’ driveway with just gravel. It was compacted but always moved. I had to regrade it frequently. Then I added the crushed rock fines and compacted that. Now the road is locked together as a solid surface and doesn’t move. Now I buy a product we call road base. It has the various sized gravel already mixed with the rock fines. It makes a big difference and really reduces maintenance.

 

[paulsharvey]

Not true in my experience. I’ve done a long 2000’ driveway with just gravel. It was compacted but always moved. I had to regrade it frequently. Then I added the crushed rock fines and compacted that. Now the road is locked together as a solid surface and doesn’t move. Now I buy a product we call road base. It has the various sized gravel already mixed with the rock fines. It makes a big difference and really reduces maintenance.

You are absolutely correct for Gravel. Our OP is buying crushed rock/road base/crusher run, whatever your local name is; but that has fines included in the material. Now, without looking at it/feeling it, I can't say if it has enough fines or not.

 

[jyoutz]

You are absolutely correct for Gravel. Our OP is buying crushed rock/road base/crusher run, whatever your local name is; but that has fines included in the material.

Oh, so he’s buying the product that we call road base? That’s all that’s necessary. It will compact very well.

 

[alexinPA]

Handbook on basic compaction.

https://www.multiquip.com/multiquip/pdfs/Soil_Compaction_Handbook_low_res_0212_DataId_59525_Version_1.pdf

Very usefull, thank you!

 

[David in KY]

What some call 'road base', in northern Kentucky they call 'dense grade'. Small angular gravel with fines. I just put 5 loads on a 16 degree hill. Placed and smoothed with bucket and box blade. After a decent rain, then drying, that surface is hard like cement. I had to chip and dig on a small area to contour it and was stunned at how hard it set up.

 

[Egon]

Very usefull, thank you!

You are very welcome.

 

[oosik]

My mile long gravel driveway had sand & silt as the very top layer. It was compacted by my daily driving on it. No need for expensive compactors. It's not going anywhere.

Over the years - 43 years - the top layer is now - gravel, sand, silt & volcanic ash. It's hard as concrete in the summer.

 

[paulsharvey]

There are a Lot of options
A: dirt; cheap to free; can be fine for many people/conditions/soil types; sometimes a dirt or sand drive can seem fine, until a heavy vehicke breaks though; can always be improved later; on a slope, erosion can get Very bad fast; its entirely depended on your local soils/slopes/drainage; DIY friendly with tractor/skid steer; or nothing ar all

B: wood chips on dirt; cheap to free; works well many times But it will need removed if improved; can attract termites; can float in heavy water; can wash; Need to have a free source, like a power ROW clearing contractor; not easy to grade;

C: improv stabalized; carpet/conveyer belts/ect; can actually work very well; look ghetto as heck, really need to be removed if you make improvements

D: sand-clay/ball field clay; cheap (if locally available); doesn't wash too bad; can be added to with more clay/rock/ect; can actually be paved over; gets slimy in rain; stains vehicles/clothes/tracks into house; if you get it delivered, you can easily spread/grade with tractor/skid steer/mini hoe

E: gravel/roadbase; can get pricey with trucking, but if close locally, it's pretty cheap; properly installed will last a long time, can be added too/redressed/regraded/paved over; some roadbase (limerock) will wash pretty bad; washed graded gravel doesn't really bond into a homogenous base; even if you add a few loads of rock every 5 years, it's still probably far cheaper than asphalt or concrete; if delivered can easily be spread/shaped with tractor/skid steer/whatever

F: crushed concrete; very good material; can be priced near roadbase depending on trucking; very dusty; water doesn't hurt it, unless it's high volume/high velocity; can be added too/paved over; often has some wire, and can lead to flat tires; easily spread and shaped intialy; can be hard to regrade later

G: RAP/millings; getting very expensive, ($900/load locally, and that's off the roadway); pretty much only available near a milling job or an asphalt plant; water doesn't really affect it much; less dusty than crushed concrete; can be paved over; don't believe it's a magical material; it doesn't turn back to asphalt in the summer

H: chip seal over one of the base materials; cheaper than asphalt; protects the base from water; eliminates dust; pretty good traction; it's very thin, and won't last as long as asphalt; don't see. to be many contractors still doing it; requires a tack truck or atlwast a tack wagon, and a rock spreader, and traffic roller; Not DIY friendly; can be paved over in the future; can be re chip sealed.

I: asphalt; cheaper than concrete /pavers; dust free, not affect by rain/minor run off water; you do need to patch and crack seal as needed; can be milled or overlayed; fairly easy to cut or demo if needed; not DIY friendly, however, you really can Pave a small area with a dump trailer, box blade, and a plate tamp; in 90% of cases asphalt will be laid on top of another base material; but full depth asphalt, using asphalt as a base is also done in areas where time or water are critical issues; that gets extremely expensive when you start talking about 6-9" of asphalt.

J: concrete; if done correctly, with good subgrade it should outlast you, but is very expensive; poorly done concrete costs just as much, but will be a mess as quick as anything else; unaffected by petroleum/most chemicals; unaffected by water; cutting/demo very expensive; can Not be overlayed; can be very good looking; needs cure time after pour. Pretty DIY friendly, and can be done in sections/phases; many contractors; concrete plants deliver on ready mix trucks; can be pumped in some pretty bad terrian; can be groved to improve traction on slopes;

Few odd ball options;
Soil cement; has to be the right native soils (sandy, low organics); can be paved over; water doesn't break this base down; if soils are right, you are only importing the Portland cement to mix in; can't really be regraded after it cures; can reflect cracks though asphalt
Geostabalized grids; pretty costly, has to be paired with an aggregate base; can help bridge bad subgrade, but eventually the subgrade will rear its ugly head; don't know if it needs removed or top coated with additional base to Pave over?
Pavers; probably the most expensive, and to do properly for long life, they need to be on a good base; often grow mold/slime; will settle individually; can often remove a few broken ones to repair or remove and replace to trench under the drive; can also be mortared in

 

[paulsharvey]

Sorry, I know I'm quoting myself; but I'm not spending the brain power or the time typing all that again.

 

[cbosworth]

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...

 

[cbosworth]

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...

My driveway is 1/2 miles. After its laid, Gravel sinks and disappears when its wet and driven on. I had deep ditches built with tin horns/culverts installed in the low areas. Then 1 1/2” crusher run gravel was laid 5-6” deep with a belly dump truck. I spread it with my tractor 7ft angle blade. Crusher run has the fines mixed in. When it rains, it packs and locks in.
Then 3” rock was laid and spread.
Then 1/2” crusher tun again was laid and spread.
Near the house pea gravel was laid and spread for easy walking

The road gravel must be higher than the wster in the ditch during a rain, the the gravel sinks. Deep bar ditches is key.

 

[wploetz]

We have always used unwashed crusher run#1 limestone but you can get it in granite, slate and in different sizes. Already has stone fines in it and it packs like concrete.

 

[Gord Baker]

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...

Dig up and Fill any Potholes/low spots first. Spread your Crushed Stone and don't worry too much about the Crown. Put down the Stone Dust (1/2" Crusher Run) before final vibrating. I would suggest doing the final compacting after a rain.

 

[renoel]

As others have suggested, spread/compact the crushed stone, then spread/compact stone dust or fines. Another option is spread/compact asphalt millings rather than stone dust/fines. My neighbor did the latter for a large area over which he runs a variety of heavy equipment and it's remained solid, plus no dust issues.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Morning Alex,
Last year I redid our 800ft DW. I have one steep section that was always a problem with a spring coming out of the bank especially during our wet season. So prior to putting down surepack or crushed limestone I put in a 100 ft long diagonal trench with 1 1/2" crushed stone and drain pipe. That got rid of all my excess water ! Then I had a number of triaxle loads of the crushed limestone with fines brought in and spread, crowned it and had it rolled with a vibratory roller. It has held up amazingly well considering the large amounts of rain we have had !Driveway Drainage Project

 

[joea99]

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...

If you're getting the "stone" that already has sufficient fines in it (called "item 4" or 2A by some around here), then adding more stone dust on top will not help compacting at all. It's the fines mixed in with the stones that holds things together.

It might give you a smoother looking finish, but, seems to me whatever is not locked in between the stones will soon wash off.

Just my opinion.

 

[AnotherBueller]

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.

All true, but around here I pay by the trip (load). 2 Cu Yds delivered cost me the same as 3 yds, so the weight of the water doesn't cost me any more and I always use 1 1/2" minus (fines) lime stone (with my slope, anything smaller washes with any kind of rain). Price of the stone at the quarry is negligible compared to the cost of hauling.
Having said that, dry seems to work a little easier. So I order when I'm able to do the work and when I've got the driveway looking the way I want it I put the sprinkler on it for a hour and then roll it. It's just like floating concrete, you get a better finish and it doesn't seem to wash away nearly as much.

 

[eddieirvine]

I would have it delivered no matter how they bring it Not sure if you can tell them to bring it dry? Any way spread it all out the best you can bucket angled back and running in reverse is how i do it, Then wet it all down good and do your compacting. How do you do compacting with your tractor ?

 

[AnotherBueller]

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.

Need to mix the two or a lot if the fines will wash off in the next rain.

 

[aircommuter]

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.

Also known as drain rock. Road base is what you want.