Wheel ruts at barn entrance

[EddieWalker]

I have a similar problem at my gate where I bring in round bales for my animals. It started last year, and this year it's become a small pond. My cheap solution is to dig up all the mud and bring in dry clay so there is a mound that I can compact and get the water to flow away. I think it's a short term solution that I will not be happy with. The long term solution is to pour a concrete pad that will solve this issue for ever.

In your case, since it's where you drive to get in and out of your building, the only solution that you will do once and never mess with again is concrete. You can do it in two pours and just do where your tires go, or do a big pad that you can also use when working on projects.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Interesting idea it would work, but would probably crack and break if it’s settles, some ground work to get a good base would still need to be done. I would still remove a few feet of materiel and put sand with a 5/10 inch of gravel on top then put these and you should be good to go.

 

[MMC]

Interesting idea it would work, but would probably crack and break if it’s settles, some ground work to get a good base would still need to be done. I would still remove a few feet of materiel and put sand with a 5/10 inch of gravel on top then put these and you should be good to go.

All good points. I would also add in highway fabric under the base materials to stabilize everything. If the OP really wants to pour concrete, he certainly can, but the dirt work under gravel or concrete is still going to have to be done for success, i.e., digging down, adding substrate, etc. Frost heave will always be a consideration as well and points to depth required. But there are many areas around buildings (well, at least mine) that when finished deep enough and with dense grade on top that flatten out quite well over time, with no evident compression from heavy traffic.

And a short stretch of concrete or whatever will just push the mud approach a little further out, not eliminate it...

To be honest, I have a fenced area next to the shop to park tractors covered in mud until I can spray them off or find a dry day to "run off the mud."

 

[WinterDeere]

The concrete lintels or parking stops would probably not break, they're rebar'd appropriately. If I did my own pour, you'd better believe it'll have several full-length rebars in each plinth. It won't break.

The issue I have with individual pavers or grid sections is that they do very little to actually spread the load. Figure I have 1000 - 1500 lb. per tire, with a contact patch of roughly 6x6 inches on front tire (~30 PSI) and maybe 10x10 inches on rear tire (~15 PSI). A 12x12 paver would indeed lower the impact of the front tires, maybe as much as 4x if I center the tire on the thing. But it really wouldn't change the soil loading much of the rear tires, whose contact patch is already nearly as large as the paver itself.

A parking plinth that has a footprint of 8" x 96" would be spreading the load of two tires over an 8" x 48" section, knocking front tire impact down from roughly 30 PSI to less than 3 PSI. A 4x8x96 lintel stood on edge (strong direction) would be half that footprint, so 6 PSI... still infinitely better than a 12x12 paver 18" or 24" grid sections. All that matters in these situatiosn is soil PSI, and maximizing footprint of the concrete is usually the best solution.

I had also thought of highway fabric, just as MMC suggests. It might be a good addition, if it doesn't make forming more of a challenge than it's worth. I have some ideas for forming this, my primary goal being to ensure there's still some drainage of the soil between ribs. This area gets a ton of sun, and tends to be dry and hard as concrete in July, but always soggy in cooler weather. Really tough soil conditions for frequent tractor and mower traffic.

 

[bcp]

Two concrete strips for the wheels to drive on, maybe brick stamped.

Gives it an older look.

More:

https://www.pinterest.com/rbeusan/two-track/

Bruce

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I don't know. I've had gravel drives for a long time, and not rutted them. It probably depends on whether you do it right. Simply throwing down gravel wouldnt work... But excavated it, throw down some coarse material and throw 38s on top. We have really wet clay here, and it holds up supremely well

 

[ray66v]

Ground becomes soft from poor drainage.

No matter what you fill it in with, it's still going to be soft ground, until you improve the drainage.

Ideally, you already have any water coming off the building, draining some where else.

Then, ideally, you dig out a section in front of the door, lay geo fabric, and put down mixed stone, including fines to fill in any voids. Compact each layer, and top with a layer of 3/4" gravel, that ends up being slightly above grade. The total depth depends on the ground. Ideally, you get below the topsoil.

Then, you put a drain tile with a sock, (holes down), on each side of the stone, at a depth lower than the lowest point of the stone. Total depth depends on soil conditions. In clay, water doesn't move through it well, so you won't have to go real deep. In soft soils, you may have to go deep. It doesn't matter if you fill the tile trench with stone, or dirt, unless you get standing water there. If you do get standing water, use washed 3/4" gravel all the way to the surface.

The drain tile will keep the stone pad, and the ground dry, and it will all eventually, become nearly as hard a concrete.

All that being said, it's obviously not always possible to do all that. So, you have to work with what you can do. Maybe that means, digging some swails to divert water away from the area, if you can't tile it.

 

[oldnslo]

If you live in an area where the ground freezes it is almost always mushy and sloppy on top as the frost goes out. Depending on frost depth it may be just the top inch but still sloppy even with well packed gravel.

 

[Farmer495]

I have been buying "under 2 inch " gravel by the truck load. Mixture of fines and up to 2" crushed rock.

Eliminates far worse ruts than you have, i.e. ruts so deep the front axle of my 70 HP tractor drags. Dig down the slop, pack the 2" in, sets solid and isn't loose, will even grass over a little bit.

 

[WinterDeere]

If you live in an area where the ground freezes it is almost always mushy and sloppy on top as the frost goes out. Depending on frost depth it may be just the top inch but still sloppy even with well packed gravel.

Exactly. I've owned a few gravel drives, and have driven on many hundreds (thousands?) more. They don't work particularly well in our climate, as our ground and roads go through freeze/thaw cycles almost every single day, all winter long. Compact it as tightly as you like in the summer, redo it every summer if you like, but the daily freeze/thaw cycle will loosen it up after just the first few freezing nights each fall.

Besides, I already said I don't want to mow over gravel, or deal with having it in the grass... or even look at it. Been there, done that. Gravel ain't gonna happen, folks.