IS the road doctor in

[richh]

IS the road doctor in

I have a 1/2 mile of drive way to try and keep up, about 10 to 12' wide and there is a section maybe 200 yards that keeps wash boarding on me. I have a gravle base and put down a layer of reground asphlt on top about 3" thick and had it graded with a road grader so it was as smoth as a babbys bottom has a nice crown and it was great for about 6 to 8 wks. Then the washboard stared, and i have been after it ever since. I have been using a landscape rake whitch looks like it dose a good job but in 2 -3 weeks it gets washey agin???? Last time i took about 100 yd. section and droped the bucket teeth down and ripped it up and regraded it still the wash came back??? I looked at the road boss but don't quite get it? I do have a rototiller 6', and have though about trying that once. IS there a doctor in the house??

Rich

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: IS the road doctor in

I've always wondered how that happens, can I come over and sit in a chair and watch? I've thought it is from driving a track machine down the road and then the rain worsens it. I've never heard of it in a private driveway. I guess I'm fortunate that I've never had it on my own land. I put a driveway through the woods with my tractor (fun to feel you are forging the trail through the wilderness). One of the local gravel companies was selling what they called "tails" or something like that, basically all the "garbage" that is left over after making everything else, sand, some rock, some smaller. It was far cheaper then real gravel, I thought it would make a decent base over my rocky ground. At that time I didn't have the BX and rake only the toothed bucket on my Ford. It was nice as I could push it around and do a fair job of leveling it. My ground is such that only a big track machine can level the ground with the rocks, they either push them down or break them off. After 4 years I haven't even put gravel on top of it. It is not "professional" in that it is not done "properly" but driving on it is pleasant with no jarring bumps, even with the Jeep. Is your driveway going up a hill? That of course is a different story.

 

[MChalkley]

Re: IS the road doctor in

Rich - A few questions: Have you noticed when the washboarding occurs? Does it occur steadily and progressively regardless of the weather? Only when it rains? When you say you have a gravel base, what kind do you mean: Crusher run? 27A? or something else?

MarkC

 

[ERNIEB]

Re: IS the road doctor in

Rich, I'm sure no road doctor, but I have had a little experience in the materials business. I'm not real familar with what is available in your neck of the woods. This gravel you spoke of, is it screened? What size is it? I've heard of some gravel that was deposited by glaciers, is that what you have there? You said ground up asphalt, so I'm assuming your not talking about recyled asphalt, that is reheated, reoiled or watered and laid down much the same as hot mix or cold mix. Unless, a binder has been added ground up ashalt just won't pack. Does the gravel layer, or the asphalt layer seem to be packing, and harding? My guess would be that either your layers are not packing, or they are packing very slowly. The material is being redistributed by water (in the form of rain) and by driving over it. This could lead to the washboarding you describe. Have you noticed if the ripples appear across the complete width of the driveway, or only where the tires roll over it? Also is your driveway on level ground?
Ernie

 

[DVerbarg]

Re: IS the road doctor in

Rich,

Great question! I have the same problem (on a shorter scale, only 1400 ft). My initial observation/thought is centering on water runoff and relatively high speed travel (over 25 mph). It seems that the washboard starts with one small bump and then extends from there.

Looking forward to a solution, not that I mind having an excuse to go out and play on the tractor /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif but don't really want to have to regrade the same thing every month.

DaveV

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: IS the road doctor in

Speaking of grading multiple times, I have one acquaintance that drags a big metal beam down his driveway with his truck once a month, leaves it at one end and then drags it the other way the next month or so to keep everything from getting out of hand. Doesn't take much time.

 

[gordon]

Re: IS the road doctor in

This is a very difficult question to give one answer to. So many different kinds of soils, so many different kinds of base materials,so many different grades, so many different rain runoff patterns, so many different driving habits. All of these come into play to get to the bottom of this.

What might come into play here is the base and rain runoff. It only takes one ripple to start a wash board effect. Then it goes down from there. If there are a few soft spots in the base and you regrade just the top layer your only hiding the problem not fixing it. It you have runoff going across the drive then that is a possible starting point. A culvert of some sort or a ditch to keep the runoff from going across the drive will stop or help prevent the washboard. But base to the driveway is always the key and somtimes you have to cut everything away and start from scrach in order to fix the problem. Or truck in enough crusher run to give a good base. Another thing that is coming into play is ground fabric to help give a good base. Around here those are the two key factors the base and the rain runoff if there is enough material down already on the drive.

In this area the ground ashphalt will pack just like pavement if it's put down in summer. Takes longer if put down when the temp is cooler. But it's very hard to work with. Also it requires a good 4" layer to amount to anything long term. But if the base shifts at all you will get potholes in the drive.

Here is a good link about gravel road maintance http://www.ruralhometech.com/fr/index.htm This may give you some answers to your problem. Or maybe a few ideas on how to fix it.
Gordon

 

[Thomas]

Re: IS the road doctor in

richh,
I had a section of my long driveway when it rain heavy I could plan on removing that part of the driveway from the lawn. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
I tried coarse gravel..3/4"pee stone etc..but still no luck. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

A good friend of mine told me to try crusher run so I did,and the last four years I haven't had any signs of a wash board on this pitch of my driveway. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
I hope your local sand&gravel company offer this product,for it might be the answer to your problem.

Take care and have a pleasant day. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

 

[richh]

Re: IS the road doctor in

More info; Only a slite grade maybe 2-3" in 200 yards so the rain dose run that way but i don't think it has any thing to do with the problum. the base is pit run with the big rocks picked out, then over the years i have just add more what we call road gravle 1" and smaller may be 3" or so then last yr. put on the recycle asphalt [old road that they have run through a crusher] I try and drive the whole road but it is worse on the main path. There arn't realy any ditch's but it dose have a crown and it dose'nt get pot holes any more. I thought that after i took the tooth bar on the bucket and riped it up that it would have when deep enough so that it would'nt come back, worng, wash is back.
Rich

 

[richh]

Re: IS the road doctor in

Ernie What gets me is it only happens in this one spot???? It dose seem that the mat. is slow to pack in that area. This stuff is reground up road just crushed
Rich