Gravel driveway grading

[joshuabardwell]

It looks like I am going to buy a tractor soon. I have been holding off for months, telling myself I should spend that money on something else, or that I don't really need one, and I keep reading this forum and shopping web sites and watching videos and I think the only way I'll get anything done ever again is to just scratch that itch. So...

One of the projects I hope to get done is to fix up my gravel driveway. It has a section that slopes downhill quite steeply, and is prone to washing out. It looks to me like one of the problems with it is that the low point is basically right over where a tire runs instead of off to the edge where a ditch should be. As tempted as I am to just dive in and start digging, my girlfriend is sure I'm going to destroy the driveway because I don't know what I'm doing. She may be right.

Can anybody point me to tips or resources for doing this kind of work? I think I'll likely be using a box blade and/or the FEL. I've done some watching of the Everything Attachments videos on YouTube, and it looks like the basic technique is to set the side links so the implement has a slight tilt to it, and then start ripping, but I'm positive there's more to it than that.

 

[Wnc3]

Consider adding more gravel to the low spot and spreading with the box blade.
Or dragging the loose gravel to the low spot. I would avoid trying to dig too much or you could create a bigger problem than you are solving.
But since you will be on a new tractor, you will probably over do it and you GF will get to say "I told you ..."

 

[joshuabardwell]

Consider adding more gravel to the low spot and spreading with the box blade. Or dragging the loose gravel to the low spot.

I appreciate the advice. The problem that I think needs solving is that the driveway is basically lower than the ground to either side of it. It seems to my uneducated mind like the right thing to do is slope it to the outside so that water runs off to that side, but that would require bringing one side down by several inches at least, since currently it slopes the exact wrong way. I say, "wrong way," because the driveway is a loop, and so if water is directed to the inside, it will have to cross the driveway again at the bottom of the loop.

Last fall, I paid to have a man with a skid-steer and some experience help with repairs after the driveway became nearly impassable due to ruts. He put everything back into shape and took a stab at improving drainage, but I can see in this spot at least that the water is still running in its old ruts, and I'm concerned that just pulling loose gravel back up won't actually solve the problem. Then again, if I'm going to own a tractor, maybe that's not such a big deal, since I can just keep fixing it. Hey! How about that!

I would avoid trying to dig too much or you could create a bigger problem than you are solving. But since you will be on a new tractor, you will probably over do it and you GF will get to say "I told you ..."

Yes. That is exactly what she is afraid of. I have looked into how gravel driveways are constructed, and frankly I'm not sure how ever they are built on a steep grade without them constantly washing out. Anyway, if my understanding of the construction is right, underneath the crusher run, there should be layers of larger gravel as a foundation--which is why I probably can't just start digging and radically change the grade of the driveway--right?

Thanks again.

 

[Wnc3]

It is really hard to give much more advice without seeing it.
Are the ruts at the bottom of the slope where water is standing or flowing across? If so, maybe a small culvert is in order. I am always in favor of another truck load of gravel than disturbing a solid base.
Others here will soon chime in....

 

[joshuabardwell]

It is really hard to give much more advice without seeing it.
Are the ruts at the bottom of the slope where water is standing or flowing across? If so, maybe a small culvert is in order. I am always in favor of another truck load of gravel than disturbing a solid base.
Others here will soon chime in....

I think you're right that it's hard to give too much advice without seeing it. I could provide pictures, but even that really won't tell the tale. But since you asked, the ruts run parallel to the driveway, down the sloped part and out the bottom of the driveway. Basically, water is running down where tire wear has created a low spot, all the way to the end of the driveway. The gravel washes out the bottom of the driveway and into the road, and eventually huge ruts appear.

I tend to agree that disturbing the foundation is probably too much. If one was to go that route, I think one would probably be looking at tearing it up entirely and starting from scratch--at least in the problematic section. If I do get another load put on top, what's to stop the same problem happening again? Or is this just a fact of life with a gravel driveway on a slope?

When I had the fellow with the skid-steer help me do repairs, he had me put down Portland cement, he flattened the surface with his bucket, then we sprayed water on it and pulled a layer of crusher run over that. Since then, I have read that it's not a good idea to put cement in a gravel driveway--although this repair seems to be holding up good so far. Any thoughts on that approach? I wonder whether it would just cause the water to seek another path around the cement section.

 

[DKCDKC]

I have a mile-long gravel drive with two steep hill sections. My answer has been to put in water breaks that direct runoff to the side. And I accept that, after a few really heavy rains, I'll still need to go and regrade a few ruts to keep peace in the family.

It's hard for guys with a tractor and simple attachments to really get a gravel road to retain a crest - higher in the middle than at the sides. I don't try. In flat areas the water goes away without problem. On slopes, the crest would have to be pretty high to handle a real volume of runoff. A water break catches most of the water and diverts it to a side ditch. Heavy rains can still rut, and the ditches need attention sometimes too.

But I have learned to use a box blade and regular blade to keep my road in good shape for years, with a minimum need to add additional and expensive gravel. I add gravel in places about every 5 6o 6 years. I never use cement on the road because it creates large plates of rock that catch your equipment and prevent you from getting a smooth result.

I do make the water breaks gradual - not like speed bumps. They're easier to shape, last longer, and are easier on vehicles - and human behinds.

 

[joshuabardwell]

It's hard for guys with a tractor and simple attachments to really get a gravel road to retain a crest - higher in the middle than at the sides. I don't try. In flat areas the water goes away without problem. On slopes, the crest would have to be pretty high to handle a real volume of runoff.

That's exactly the conclusion I've come to. There's no point in cresting this road because that would direct half the water to the inside of the loop, forcing it to cross the driveway again at the bottom. Also, the slope of the road itself is so steep that the crest can't really divert the water to the side very effectively. At least, that's how it seems to me.

I'd love to hear more about your technique for creating the water breaks.

 

[DKCDKC]

The important thing in water breaks is to choose your location and made it gradual. On a long steep slope I walked it carefully and picked a spot where the slope eased for a few feet and there was a good ditch below. I removed the gravel to the extent it could from the spot and a 25 foot section above it. Then I put the teeth down a touch on the box blade and pulled dirt and foundation stone from the uphill section and made a mound at the chosen site. I kept at it - getting off the tractor to check until I had a mound that was about 4 inches higher than the road just before it. I then withdrew the teeth and shaped a bit so the new break angled just a touch toward the side I wanted. Then I moved all the gravel I'd removed back using the box blade. It took all afternoon, as I recall, but the break has lasted four years already.

Some of my breaks I put in before the road was graveled back 17 years ago.

A gravel road can be a pain because you have to tend it. But a paved road is not an option when I have a mile length to deal with. Anyway, I have friends who have paved their shorter drives and found, unless they tend to the ditches, even a paved road will be undercut and damaged.

I have fixed a wet area that tended to pothole with ground asphalt. It works well if you lay it early in the summer and roll it heavily to keep it smooth. I am tempted to try it on a slope, but fear having an almost paved drive would make it difficult to get out in an icy situation. We have ice a couple times each winter - up to a few inches - and only gravel gives me traction to get out. The highway guys around here go both ways on the question, so I may just try it to find out.

Good luck with your drive.

 

[Jim in ICT]

My advice is first, lose the girlfriend, then do whatever the heck you decide to do with the driveway!

 

[joshuabardwell]

My advice is first, lose the girlfriend, then do whatever the heck you decide to do with the driveway!

Let me just be clear: she's a keeper! She fully supports my prerogative to mess up the driveway if I want to. She's just going to laugh and say I told you so if I do.