Question on Driveway building

   / Question on Driveway building #1  

milkman13

New member
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
21
Location
Illinois
Tractor
Hopefully a kubota soon
I'm going to build a new house soon and since I now have my new baby ( Kubota B7500 ) thought I could do alot if not all of it myself. You put in 4 in. rock down first right and then put road pack over that but how many inches of each???? Also I seem to remember they put out a product ( a mesh roll ) that you can put down below your road pack so it won't sink and you won't have to rock it every couple of years. Has anyone out there used this and if so what did ya think of it and do ya know how much it is???? Thanks!!!
 
   / Question on Driveway building
  • Thread Starter
#2  
Oh I forgot to ask should I dig out an area for the driveway or build it right on top of the ground?? I forgot to tell ya the ground is clay
 
   / Question on Driveway building #3  
I've never personally installed a driveway, so this is only from what I've seen people do. Remove topsoil, lay down geotextile cloth, lay down large rocks (4" ?), compact, lay down smaller rocks that include fines, compact, lay down asphalt.

Might want to do a search on 'geotextile'. You will get a lot of hits since this topic has been discussed before.
 
   / Question on Driveway building #4  
Just my .02... I've done a few clay-only driveways .. they hold up decently.. but won't take lots of rain for long periods. As for clay as a base.. generally we try to excavate clay from under the finish base as clay swells and shrinks as water content changes.. the surface and finish materials are not going to like this at all. imho.

Soundguy
 
   / Question on Driveway building #5  
I would try to build it up at least a foot above the ground,if your wallet will let you.I had mine put in a few years back.I wanted it away from the water.A driveway never gets higher as time goes on.
 
   / Question on Driveway building #6  
My area the clay is perfect for future flower pots, and I've watched more people build "driveways" than I can count.
I've seen geotex used and not used.
Things that work~ Remove the vegitable soil down to clay, and then put down 4 to 6" of compacted sand. Make sure there will br drainage, be it via tiling or ditching. Add geotex on top of the sand, and then build up with stone. Make sure the stone is compacted and installed in no more than 6" layers before compaction.
Clay has a wonderful ability to saturate with water and frost heave. If there are large stones below the driveway, dig them out prior to building the driveway, or they will heave with frost and blow the driveway out.
Put off asphalt paving for at least 5 years to be certain you have a good solid base.
 
   / Question on Driveway building #7  
Drainage is the first item for a driveway. Gets this figured out and set up properly so the driveway stays dry and you'll be quaranteed success no matter how you do it.

Egon
 
   / Question on Driveway building #8  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( stone is compacted and installed in no more than 6" layers before compaction )</font>

Even laying in lifts... I think you'll find that stone won't compact...consolidate yes.. compact no.
If you want to test this, grab a handfull of marbles, or ball bearings... squeeze them in your hand... though you can consolidate them, you won't remove the voids, and change the density of the material past simple consolidation ( unless you crush them )...though if you can crush the bearings in your hand, I'll let you win the discussion /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif..and um... won't ever ask to arm wrestle with you /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

Soundguy
 
   / Question on Driveway building #9  
OK, I'll let you have that point, but, if you lay down Dolomite that has been blasted ot of the quarry, and run over it with a 20 ton Raygo with the vibrator on, you'll be surprized how many of those chunks crush.
 
   / Question on Driveway building #10  
Likewise, I'll grant you that point as well. In fact, much of the crushed limerock we purchase for our road jobs comes from hammermills, and is slap full of golfball sized rounds.. I don't like it much... but yes.. our raygo vib. roller makes it smooth... I much prefer a roll crusher... makes limerock almost like sand... but then what the heck... when we Ce's say 'about' we can mean 1/4" .. when Me's say 'about' they are talking in 1/1000's.. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Soundguy
 
 
Top