Ice control "recipe" sand / salt / other??

[hazmat]

Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

Found out we are getting a small year end bonus (paid in March). Convinced the wife to let me spend half on tractor. So, tire chains are on order as well as Landpride spreader.

In an effort to keep the gravel on the driveway, The first couple of plowings, I kept the blade off the ground a bit with the skid shoes. As long as is stayed cold, this was OK, because it was snow. After driving over it a bit, and a couple freeze - thaw cycles (more freeze than thaw /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif) I now have a very slippery sheet of ice on the driveway. the wife fell once, I almost lost it taking the garbage out. the dog can't get enough traction to jump into the truck. I need to use 4x4 to get up the steep side of the U-shaped driveway.

On one hand, I like the "ice pavement" because it keeps me from plowing the gravel, but now that it is slick, it makes plowing a chore (chains should help with that).

What do y'all use? Sand for traction or melt it? What about ashes from the wood stove? I've heard from my dealer that the spreader doesn't like a 100% sand mixture: it bridges. My driveway is relatively small measured in feet not fractions of a mile so cost of the spread isn't a big factor. If I were to use sand, I'd buy it by the bag, not truck load. I assume that the higher tech melting pellets work better than plain old rock salt. Depot has CaCl for $11 / 50# bag.

Please share your experiences.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

we have over 1600 ft driveway. I use up all the ashes from 2 wood stoves. Ashes, in a way, are free, the only thing is, they do or can make a mess after you walk in them, then go inside. The ashes seem to work great on ice, especially packed snow/ice on a driveway

 

[Will_C]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

Haz,
I would try some "hot sand", a mixture of sand with some cacl thrown in to keep it from freezing. Most gravel pits will have it in stock, it is what the rural road crews use around here. You could buy a pick up load as you need it.
Will

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

Hazmat,

I remember a guy I used to work with telling me how he salted his short, unpaved driveway [don't know what was actually there] and then had to live with a soft track for the rest of the winter...

Seems the salt kept it from freezing and the vehicles kept it churned into a butter like mess...or so the story went. Said he NEVER used salt there again.

Just a thought...couldn't help but thinking you could melt the ice and then have to deal with a couple months of goo...

Now for all I know this guy might have got a half ton of salt free somewhere and laid it down really thick...was a funny story when he told it though...

 

[Mosey]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

I'm not sure what to tell ya hazmat. The sand and/or ashes might create a nice base for weeds to grow in and you'll have to spray Roundup all summer (that's one of the reasons I got my drive paved). I was going to suggest salt until I read what Henro said. Maybe you could just use heat for the areas you walk on get the chains for the tractor for the plowing. A turbo heater or one of these torches might work.

 

[WVBill]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

Keep doing what you have been for this year and use part of the second half of the bonus to pave the driveway.

Just a thought 'cause I just got direction from the CFO to get our 350' driveway paved this spring...

 

[hazmat]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

<font color="blue"> Now for all I know this guy might have got a half ton of salt free somewhere and laid it down really thick...was a funny story when he told it though... </font> '

Sure sounds like he put closer to 500# down than 50#. Once the salt melts the snow it makes salt water (duhhh) If drainage is good, it should go somewhere. If you put a massive amount down, I could see it making perma-mud.

Based on reply's so far, I'm thinking use a little CaCl to melt the ice down a bit ( it is a couple inches thick in some places). Then maybe give the sand / ashes a shot. the driveway isn't in the best shape anyway (dirt vs actual gravel). So I don't think I will grow any more weeds than I do now. Also, I don't plan on applying after each snow storm, just when/if it gets slick.

 

[Rowski]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

I would not use salt. In the spring or during a thaw you will have a really soupy mess espically when the frost comes up. Sand is you best bet. Sometimes its better to leave an inch of new fallen snow so that when it thaws (or feezing rain) it prevent icing as bad. Knowing when to plow and watching the weather forecast can cut down on your work, I call it playing the weather. I don't have the luxury of doing this with my 110 drives that we plow but on some of them it is a real must. Playing the weather doesn't alway work either. Remember Mother Nature like to play games with the weather forecasters /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

You might be able to make a sander with your loader. If you can box the front of the bucket off with a peice of plywood and cut some small slits in it you can feather the dump cycle and let the sand sift out the slits while driving. I have seen this setup a long time ago and seemed to work well for what it is. You might find the the LP spreader will throw you sand too far (out past the banks). I believe they run on PTO so you would have to keep the throttle at near idle to keep you spreading pattern small. The LP specs say 24' to 54' spreading width but don't mention at what speed. As far as getting sand you local municipal must have a sand pile. The sand from them it is a bit more granular than the store bought stuff, it may also have a small amount of salt mixed in (a few precent, to keep it from freezing).

Best of luck.

Still coming up for skiing?

 

[hazmat]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

Derek,

Thanks for the advice. The town does let us take some sand for personal use.

As far as spreading past the snow banks, not a problem this year as the banks are higher than the spreader. If I was just using sand, I wouldn't care if it got in the lawn. On plowsite they talk about making deflectors for spreaders to minimize the width for sidewalk use. Might be worth investigating -- have to try it first!

Still Trying to find time to get up north Skiing!

 

[Boondox]

Re: Ice control \"recipe\" sand / salt / other??

Like Derek, I leave a bit of snow on the ground. As you drive over it, the stuff compresses into ice, but if you scrape it again before it reaches that point it roughs it up enough for another couple of days' worth of traction. When it gets too bad I simply run Clementine back and forth with those big ice chains; the divits take the worst of the slippery out of it.

I don't use anything on mine. The way my drive is sloped if I use salt it runs off in spring and kills my wife's irises. This gets me in big trouble. If I use sand, it silts up her garden and gets me in big trouble. If I use ash from the woodstove, the dogs track it inside the house and get me in big trouble. Used sawdust one winter and while it worked pretty well, it stuck to boots and paws and got me in big trouble.

It's hard being a husband sometimes.

Pete