What size crushed stone?

[CobyRupert]

There's a little ditch/swail in front of the barn that water channels in as it runs away from the barn. Problem is, this is in front of the door that I park my tractor in. So when it rains, this 3'-4' wide swail can be very soft and the tractor creates a big puddle in the swail where the tires cross it. Then I'm left with a muddy area/puddle.

Without going overboard and hiring a backhoe and putting in drain pipe etc, , I was going to dig out some of the dirt here and put in crushed stone. I'll dig with FEL and/or by hand, we're not talking a big area were the water collects, (3'-4' wide , 12' long), before the natural slope rushes water away.
What size stone?
Put stone over a plastic liner or not?. I'm thinking not? A ditch w/ a plastic liner wouldn't drain the surrounding area?

 

[/pine]

Different regions have different names for crushed gravel...I would recommend what we call "crusher run"...it is from about 1.5" down to course sand...this packs very well...the key is something with "fines" i.e., sand) once spread and driven on it will pack down almost like pavement...easy to form a drain swale with too...

good luck...

 

[tallyho8]

I would not use crusher run. This packs down and water would not flow through it. You are trying to make a French drain. You do this by using larger rocks that do not pack and allow water to drain through them like in a septic field.

Use either #57 or #67 limestone.

 

[/pine]

I would not use crusher run. This packs down and water would not flow through it. You are trying to make a French drain. You do this by using larger rocks that do not pack and allow water to drain through them like in a septic field.

Use either #57 or #67 limestone.

My thought was that if the water lays there now where will it go after it drains through gravel?...by using a packing material a more defined swale would direct the water away from the front of the barn...

 

[paulharvey]

No plastic, but Mirafi, filter fabric, silt fence, or go textile under the rock to keep from pushing rock into dirt as well as to keep mud from pumping up into rock. I agree with basic #57 (1"-4.75mm size) or bigger. #67 is 3/4" to 3/8" and is not nearly as cheap or available around here.

 

[Streetcar]

Use a filter fabric under the gravel, the larger the stone the better it drains and slower it clogs with debris

 

[crazyal]

It really depends on what you want the end resort to be. If you're looking to push the water away from your barn door then I would put fabric down and crusher run down. If you're looking to create a way for water to drain across the front of the bard door then I would go a different route. You could put down some fabric then washed stone used for septic systems that will allow water to pass through it, then more fabric, and finally something like crushed gravel. You could use a culvert instead of the washed stone but that would add cost as I wouldn't go with anything smaller than 12" (10" and smaller culverts tend to get plugged). If you just put down washed stone then mud and debris from your tractor will seep down into it and clog it up. Creating a second layer of fabric will stop that from happening.

 

[s219]

Short term solution would be fabric and #57. But I'd put in a pipe if it were me. Even a small pipe (6") would be beneficial, and if it's not a major ditch it's not likely to get filled with debris.

 

[HillStreet]

Short term solution would be fabric and #57. But I'd put in a pipe if it were me. Even a small pipe (6") would be beneficial, and if it's not a major ditch it's not likely to get filled with debris.[/QUOT

I had the same problem in my back yard between garage and shed-- deep mud in spring. I scraped out a shallow swale with FEL, put in 6 inch pipe, and a few tons of 1-1/4 washed stone. Problem solved.

 

[skyhook]

Get some of that stone you see by river beds etc, fill in the swail with them, they'll make a good base for the weight of your tractor and allow water to pass through.
Then a bucket or two 3/4 inch on top.