How to level load of stone

[s219]

What type of stone? That makes a huge difference in how I approach jobs like this.

 

[swreeder]

3/4" crushed limestone, with no fines in it.

 

[deezler]

I'm with bdog, level the dirt out (and ideally compact it) before you put the stone on top. Then it's just a matter of visually distributing the stone in an even layer. Definitely good enough for a run-in shed at that point, anyway.

I probably would have leveled and compacted the dirt beforehand, and then had the dump truck driver tailgate spread it for me in two strips. How much did you get, somewhere around 5 yards I would guess?

In any case, 3/4" limestone without fines is real easy to shove around if needed. What do you have on the 3-pt now? Just use that, lol. No need to overthink it.

 

[swreeder]

Where I live there is no leveling of dirt here. At most, there is only 2-3" of topsoil anywhere on my property. The spot I have picked is on a limestone shelf that has a 2" slope from front to back and about 3" off side to side. The barn builder wants the site level to have a successful build.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Stake your levels so you know when the 2" is out.

 

[arrow]

I once had to fill in a 60x120 ft riding ring with fine gravel as a first layer for drainage.
The way I did it was to first dump loads across the beginning of the ring.
I then leveled these first loads to the grade I wanted by eye.
I used this initial leveling as a marker to spread the rest of the material dumping load after load just after my previously leveled area and using that area as a yard stick so to speak, to do the rest of the 7200 sq ft.
I used the fel exclusively.
Since the builder wants a level perimeter, you can do simply stake out as the above pic illustrates and simply finish off this area with a rake if you have to.

 

[s219]

3/4" crushed limestone, with no fines in it.

View attachment 702891

That self-compacts, so you really just need to lay it where it has to go and do some minimal spreading and leveling. Very easy to work with.

 

[s219]

BTW, if the shed will be built as a pole barn, it's easier to bring in the stone after the posts holes are drilled and posts set in the ground. If you do it before, you're going to need to clear the gravel away before the post holes can be drilled, and you will mix in the spoils from digging with the gravel and make a mess. Whenever I have to prepare a pad for a pole barn, I do my leveling to the subgrade (bringing in compactable dirt fill if needed) and then the gravel comes after the posts have been set (sometimes much later, barn may even be complete).

 

[m1garand762]

Look at outdoors with the Morgan’s on you tube mike does a great job of spreading gravel watch him and master his technique