Driveway gravel

[deezler]

To expand on this a little… do you drive and pack the snow to create a firm base before plowing early in the season, so that you are not constantly digging into the gravel? That should help to minimize the gravel that’s pushed off your drive. It gets a bit more challenging when you have melts part way thru the winter like this year. The flip side of this depends on the vehicles and tires you use in the winter. All season tires could lead to other issues.

Yes, when it works out that way. We only get 40-60" of snow every winter, down here in the southeast corner of the mitten. Often in fits and spurts, with occasional thaws.

But yes, when I see a strong stretch of winter coming and the driveway is bare, we let the first 2-4" of snow get packed into the drive. I was able to have a few very efficient plowing sessions this year when I could go full speed and not even think about the blade behind me doing any damage.

But now it has been above freezing during the day for most of the past couple weeks, and I still have solid ice chunk sections of my driveway. We got iced up pretty dang hard this year; never melted off completely, since new years.

 

[FROGSTEPHEN]

I have a big heavy Rhino rear blade. Offset, angle, tilt - brings the "lost" gravel right back up out of the ditches. The only grass I have is right down the center of my driveway.
View attachment 735817

Wife drives normal in driveway, I drive to the right going & coming, helps keep grass down in middle.

 

[BLKDOGFARM]

I bought a Stihl Yard Boss power sweeper a few years ago to clean up the grass around my gravel road. I know they are a little pricey, but I have tried most everything and they work the best!View attachment 735794

Agree Power Sweeper is the way to go. Maybe you can rent one from the local small engine shop or Grand Rental if you only need it 1-2 days per year.

 

[ruffdog]

Wife drives normal in driveway, I drive to the right going & coming, helps keep grass down in middle.

^^^Same here. It also keeps it all packed down evenly.

 

[STAYSAFE]

The Amish method $ave$ and gives you free exercise. With gas over $4 now.........

 

[gstrom99]

The Amish method $ave$ and gives you free exercise. With gas over $4 now...

by pulling the sweeper with a horse, but then they could leave other piles to pick up...

Update...
I actually just spent an hour out there. Seems the worst of it is/was what the loader bucket scooped up, when I was clearing add'l piles. Seems the snow piles melted a bit and left the stone on top. There were piles of stone, that I could scoop up with snow easily. Some was still ice encased though. The blade only scooped a fairly small bit, to the side of the drive. Still more work to do.

 

[mkendrix]

That’s why my driveway( almost a half mile) is processed road gravel. The little bit plowed off into the pasture doesn’t hurt the grass. I top coated it about 12 years ago and it’s just now getting to the point of needing it again.

 

[gstrom99]

Update... The big shop vac is working well, albeit slow. Early now, there is not much grass/junk and it also picks up even the little bits of gravel that nothing else would. The cyclonic action in the tank separates the grass pretty well too.

 

[bigtiller]

Did any strangers wave at you as they drove by?

I know it looks odd, I have seen a couple drivers point and wave at me while I vacuum the lawn.

 

[gstrom99]

Luckily, no.