Compacting gravel driveway

   / Compacting gravel driveway
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#15  
No suggestions about adding stone dust before compacting? My thought was it'll make better solid surface...
 
   / Compacting gravel driveway #16  
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.
 
   / Compacting gravel driveway #17  
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.
 
   / Compacting gravel driveway #18  
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.
 
   / Compacting gravel driveway #19  
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.
 

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