Refurbishing gravel driveway + my first post!

[fried1765]

I'm just the opposite. I only use my back blade to pull gravel out of the ditches after the rain washes it there. For everything else I use my grading scrapper. Does yours have ripping teeth? I use them quite often. Places like where pot holes are forming I'll rip pretty deep and plenty wide on both sides. When I'm forming the crown I just extend the side link on my 3pt. If it was me I would remove the organics. Grass forms dirt which is mud when wet. Your driveway looks flat, if so I wouldn't worry about getting your crown too high unless you have problems with flooding in low spots. You just don't want water to form a pool on your driveway (It'll become a pot hole). Ideally you want the driveway to shed water off of it but slowly. If it does it too fast it'll carry the gravel with it. If not fast enough then the standing water will cause problems. I would put enough gravel down so your driveway is about an inch higher than your ground and the crown maybe an inch or two higher than that. If you still have problems you can build it up further. The locals around here usually just call it crusher run, not 1 1/4" minus.

A 2" crown on a 12 ft.wide (?) gravel driveway.
1" per 6ft. is nearly flat, and the edges would be only 1" above the natural ground level?
Not a great plan, for the Oceanic climate of the NW Washington area.
That pitch might work well in Southern Nevada, or the Gobi Desert.

Crushed gravel has many different descriptions in parts of the US.
Crusher run, 1-1/4 minus, 3/4 minus, Stone dust (usually only very fine), Crushed stone #411, 2B crushed stone, Limestone (type),..... and there are many others.

 

[Dadnatron]

Given you don't really know what you have as a base, and you obviously have a road 'height' that is even with your surrounding land, there are a couple things to think about before you begin.

1st... a ditch is great, and very useful, if you have a grade for the water to run towards. Not only do you need a crown to move the water off the road, but you need to be able to move the water from the ditch to 'somewhere else'. That road and the surrounding ground appear relatively flat. Don't build a ditch which will only turn into a roadside pond.

2nd... since you don't really know what your base is... I would go bigger than 57s or DGA. By using 'Crusher run' or 'Crushed stone base' or your local flavor of 1 1/2" with about 25% fines, you will have the best of both worlds. You can build up a base height and have enough fines to pack it down. In a few years, if it is holding up well, you can always add DGA to create that 'packed and smooth' driveway that will make your life much more enjoyable. But I would recommend NOT adding small or high fine % gravel at this point. You can add it later, and you won't lose out by going bigger. I wouldn't go with 2's, I think that is not necessary.

3rd... recognize, that you will get recommendations here from every spot on the spectrum. While everyone here has something to add, not everything here should go into your particular 'stewpot'. TBN is a great resource... but you need to sift through the ingredients for your specific area and needs. Those posters from your area are likely to have the best advice on things specific to vegetation, weather, and ground conditions.

Have fun, post questions, post progress... and be involved. It is a very useful group you have joined.

 

[crazyal]

A 2" crown on a 12 ft.wide (?) gravel driveway.
1" per 6ft. is nearly flat, and the edges would be only 1" above the natural ground level?
Not a great plan, for the Oceanic climate of the NW Washington area.
That pitch might work well in Southern Nevada, or the Gobi Desert.

Crushed gravel has many different descriptions in parts of the US.
Crusher run, 1-1/4 minus, 3/4 minus, Stone dust (usually only very fine), Crushed stone #411, 2B crushed stone, Limestone (type),..... and there are many others.

Why a 12' wide driveway? 10' is more than enough since what he has now is at best 7' wide. 10' wide means one pass down and one pass back up with a 6' attachment with a little extra. As for crown you are just looking to direct water off of your driveway, not make it so the only thing that can travel down it is a 4x4. On a hill, sure extra crown helps but on a flat section an inch or two is all you need. Secondly as you drive on it the crown will increase as the section the tires travel on will get compacted.

 

[flingwing1969]

From your photo I don't see where you can go with water that you put into roadside ditches. If this is true, then ditching will do nothing but add mud puddles for you. If you have a place for the water to go, then certainly put in roadside ditches. Crowning a bit will shed the water off the roadway but again, the water has to have somewhere to go.

I maintained a couple of miles of mountain dirt road, climbing from 400' to 1300' in that mile, when I lived on my little ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains and we had no problem finding a place to put the water. The issue there was that the road had a cliff on one side and a deep canyon on the other so water speed could be amazing, culverts clogged, and so on. Now I live in the southernmost Cascades but on a large ridge and my property is almost level - my driveway looks much like yours, and getting rid of water is my problem here with only very slightly sloping land - blessedly (I guess) our soil is probably 50% lava rock and it drains like a champ - makes gardening a challenge but that is another story - your soil is probably clay and loam mix, thus the sloppy look.

When you get your gravel delivered, do so from a company that will spread the gravel for you - mine do and that 10 extra minutes for the driver results in hours of tractor time for you. Of course you will have nicely prepared your roadway first, eh.

 

[fried1765]

Given you don't really know what you have as a base, and you obviously have a road 'height' that is even with your surrounding land, there are a couple things to think about before you begin.

1st... a ditch is great, and very useful, if you have a grade for the water to run towards. Not only do you need a crown to move the water off the road, but you need to be able to move the water from the ditch to 'somewhere else'. That road and the surrounding ground appear relatively flat. Don't build a ditch which will only turn into a roadside pond.

2nd... since you don't really know what your base is... I would go bigger than 57s or DGA. By using 'Crusher run' or 'Crushed stone base' or your local flavor of 1 1/2" with about 25% fines, you will have the best of both worlds. You can build up a base height and have enough fines to pack it down. In a few years, if it is holding up well, you can always add DGA to create that 'packed and smooth' driveway that will make your life much more enjoyable. But I would recommend NOT adding small or high fine % gravel at this point. You can add it later, and you won't lose out by going bigger. I wouldn't go with 2's, I think that is not necessary.

3rd... recognize, that you will get recommendations here from every spot on the spectrum. While everyone here has something to add, not everything here should go into your particular 'stewpot'. TBN is a great resource... but you need to sift through the ingredients for your specific area and needs. Those posters from your area are likely to have the best advice on things specific to vegetation, weather, and ground conditions.

Have fun, post questions, post progress... and be involved. It is a very useful group you have joined.

EXCELLENT!
Very well said!

 

[JohnnyMX]

I just got off my tractor last night to fix my 1/2 mile driveway. We went for the nothing approach for 3-4 years when we moved in and finally realized we were basically down to dirt/mud. We had about 400 tons of crusher stone brought in and was a combination of 1" and 2". My drive is completely flat but I have agricultural fields that are above me on one side. I've learned over the past years.

- Used a sub-soiler to cut under/across the road where we have massive amounts of run-off to essentially let the water pass under and not over the road. Doing this first means you'll bury your mess in the next steps.
- I took the box blade and put it at a very high angle and dug out ditches on the sides of the road. I needed a place for the run-off and it provides a great way to catch the stone you are spreading so it doesn't push out into the yard. When the gravel moves you can just dig it out with the box blade again and get it back up on the middle of the road.
- Spread the 2" on the really mushy spots where we just get more water/run-off and spread it all with the box blade.
- Spread the 1" over the 2" and on the rest of the better spots on the driveway. The 1" is nicer to drive on but as it "absorbs" into our clay and settles it still gets the cars dirty. The 2" is bumpier but keeps the cars out of the muck. They both have their place. I also knew I'd be putting more 1" on the 2" at some point to smooth it out if needed. I did it about 3" deep to give me some material to work with and allow for compaction. Both sections have set up like concrete but potholes will still form if there is standing water.
- I originally spread it all out with a decent crown when I got the stone and didn't have to touch it for a year. Then in a dumb moment I graded it flat and back came the potholes. I'm grading everything with a box blade angled and just always driving on the right side of the road.
- ALWAYS work it after the fact when it is damp to slightly wet. It will let you dig it up easier and your rock dust won't blow away (yes, I've done that mistake as well)
- Keep in mind how you are going to mow it. With the ditch I can keep one wheel of the ZT on the road and one in the grass and I don't throw stones. If I just try to mow up to the edge things get dicey. I didn't want to spray or weed whack the 1 mile of drive either.
- I like a blade/grader that is roughly half the width of the road. That seems to work best on my flat surfaces.
- When you get stone delivered make sure there aren't humps. I made that mistake also and feel like I'm hearing the Dukes of Hazzard if going to fast down the driveway.
- Tell your wife and friends to slow down and stop slinging your hard work into the grass.

I used to fix it all the time when it was mostly dirt. Now I try to touch it as little as possible once it is compacted and will top-dress a little here and there to avoid needed 400 more tons of stone.

Good luck!

 

[dkpilot]

Again, thanks to all for the tips, advice, and thoughts. I have read each comment carefully, and will take them all into consideration .

Closest to me, they are selling 1 1/4" minus, one place calls it WSDOT CSBC.

One follow up... as I shape and prep the driveway, some low spots are evident. If these low areas are let's say 6" or more below the rest of the drive, should I fill them with some "screenings" fill or "fill dirt" instead of 2-3" rock, keeping in mind I will be going straight to a decent layer of 1 1/4" or so?

 

[void777]

dkpilot:
:welcome: to TBN we do our best to answer any questions you may about all things tractor related.

 

[Dadnatron]

should I fill them with some "screenings" fill or "fill dirt" instead of 2-3" rock, keeping in mind I will be going straight to a decent layer of 1 1/4" or so?

NO!!! you are THROUGH with dirt where your road is concerned. That last dirt involved in the building of your road was addressed before the first gravel was laid.

Dirt won't hold. You cannot pack it on a road like yours. If you put rock over dirt... in a few weeks you will have dirt over rock.

Just add your 1 1/2" rock, but make sure it has fines (smaller particles) as well. About 25% fines should be sufficient. Don't use 'clean' rock, as it won't pack well. You are looking to gain 2 things out of your aggregate on a road like yours.

1. To build up the road about 4" above your surrounding ground. This will help keep dirt and water out of your road.
2. To pack a solid, WATER SHEDDING bed, upon which you will drive.

From now on... no matter how tempted you are to 'fill a hole with dirt'... don't do it. If you have potholes, you will have to break through the hard edges down to the level of the bottom of the hole, this is where your scarifiers on a blade will be most useful.

If I were you, I'd scrape off the dirt. Scarify the top 2" or so and smooth it out (deeper for any potholes), then have your gravel spread at least 4-6" deep. It sounds like a lot, but in a few weeks, you will have a solid packed road that will last and do you good service on your new place.

 

[fried1765]

NO!!! you are THROUGH with dirt where your road is concerned. That last dirt involved in the building of your road was addressed before the first gravel was laid.

Dirt won't hold. You cannot pack it on a road like yours. If you put rock over dirt... in a few weeks you will have dirt over rock.

Just add your 1 1/2" rock, but make sure it has fines (smaller particles) as well. About 25% fines should be sufficient. Don't use 'clean' rock, as it won't pack well. You are looking to gain 2 things out of your aggregate on a road like yours.

1. To build up the road about 4" above your surrounding ground. This will help keep dirt and water out of your road.
2. To pack a solid, WATER SHEDDING bed, upon which you will drive.

From now on... no matter how tempted you are to 'fill a hole with dirt'... don't do it. If you have potholes, you will have to break through the hard edges down to the level of the bottom of the hole, this is where your scarifiers on a blade will be most useful.

If I were you, I'd scrape off the dirt. Scarify the top 2" or so and smooth it out (deeper for any potholes), then have your gravel spread at least 4-6" deep. It sounds like a lot, but in a few weeks, you will have a solid packed road that will last and do you good service on your new place.

GOOD ADVICE !!!!