"Trail" driveway: How do I improve it?

[Egon]

http://www.secement.org/PDFs/IS008.PDF


Another stab at a different site for soil cement.


Eddie: Done properly soil cement is quite expensive.

The materials used should be evaluated and then the proper amount of portland and water added. mixing and then proper compaction are also required.

Probably easiest to google " Soil Cement" as there are many articles on it.:thumbsup:

My personnel knowledge is well out of date but some that was laid down as a base for city streets 40 years ago is still in place.

 

[EddieWalker]

Egon,

Soil Cement and Oil Sand are two cheaper methods for cities and counties to finish off a road that they don't want to spend the money on to pave or concrete. It's a temporary method that saves them initial expense, but doesn't give them a long term road. Depending on usage, they are the worse roads out there.

Using it for a driveway instead of gravel doesn't make any sense to me at all. The machine to mix up the cement with the soil is a massive rotor tiller. It's big, it's expensive and it takes a crew to operate it. To get it out to a driveway job a pay a crew their wages makes it more expensive then spreading gravel, and thats not even counting what 2,500 pounds of cement will cost for every 100 feet of driveway. If you buy the 92 pounds sacks of Portland Cement from Lowes, it's going to be about $250 for every 100 feet.

Without aggrigate, that's more like making mortar then concrete. That's not adding rebar or anything to make it stronger, or building up a pad under it.

To me, it seems like a lot of work and expense to get a driveway that isn't much better then doing nothing.

Eddie

 

[Egon]

Eddie, if soil cement is done properly it will last. It works well as a base but does need asphalt or concrete for cover.

Most of what I have seen laid down was crushed rock aggregate properly graded and mixed in a batch plant.

 

[AGGIE00]

Egon,

Soil Cement and Oil Sand are two cheaper methods for cities and counties to finish off a road that they don't want to spend the money on to pave or concrete. It's a temporary method that saves them initial expense, but doesn't give them a long term road. Depending on usage, they are the worse roads out there.

Using it for a driveway instead of gravel doesn't make any sense to me at all. The machine to mix up the cement with the soil is a massive rotor tiller. It's big, it's expensive and it takes a crew to operate it. To get it out to a driveway job a pay a crew their wages makes it more expensive then spreading gravel, and thats not even counting what 2,500 pounds of cement will cost for every 100 feet of driveway. If you buy the 92 pounds sacks of Portland Cement from Lowes, it's going to be about $250 for every 100 feet.

Without aggrigate, that's more like making mortar then concrete. That's not adding rebar or anything to make it stronger, or building up a pad under it.

To me, it seems like a lot of work and expense to get a driveway that isn't much better then doing nothing.

Eddie

Why not mix it in with a garden tiller behind the CUT? Yes reclaimer/mixers are expensive, but that is because of the depth, width and production they handle. A simple 4 or 5' tiller behind a tractor will work. I just recomend scarifing the soil first to make it easier on the tiller, which is what we do with the big iron anyway. I would still put a light course of gravel over it or rap, but it will never pothile under light traffic.

 

[Rede166]

As a licensed Engineering Contractor, you should not use fabric, fabric is normally used for stopping rock from pushing into the ground. If rock does push into the ground ..good it will make a better base. First make sure the water drains off the roadway. So grade it so it will drain. Most roads are done at 2% slope that would be 2' in 100. If the rock locks in , then add your material. Where your low spots are just make it a little thicker since the rock will spread out the weight of any vehicle. You may have to add a little as time goes on , but this won't break the bank.

 

[Piston]

I have to say that road is absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't want to do anything to it if it's been working for years. It's hard to get something that pretty by working at it.

+1 :thumbsup: