Redoing drive to chicken house

[MarkV]

Richard,

I have heard of road fabric before and thought it was a great idea. Never have seen it around here, do you recall a company name? Would also be interested in about what the cost runs a foot, or however they sell it.

MarkV

PS. Sorry about the double post earlier, everyone.

 

[Billc]

Mark

You're right, having a grade rules out gravel. The driveway to my house is 1/4 of a mile, the last half is up a good size hill. When we first moved here the driveway up the hill was covered with loose gravel. Our pick up, because it is light in the rear-end, couldn't get good traction. I'd have to switch to 4x4. Have had the drive coated with crush and run twice since we've moved here. No more problems coming up the drive.

The driveway to my shop and storgage buildings out back is across level ground, so no slipping problem.

Bill Cook

 

[cowboydoc]

Mark,
My friend got me four rolls of it two years ago and I haven't had to buy anymore. He got it for me at his cost which was I think about $185 a roll. The roll is like 12 or 14 foot wide and I can't remember quite how long it is. This last roll that I used I built a road about 400 ft. and I've still got quite a bit left on the roll so it's pretty long. I will get ahold of him and see exactly what the name is and where to buy it. I will snap a digital pic of the stuff and email it to you.
Richard

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I will snap a digital pic of the stuff and email it to you. </font color=blue>

No fair!!!

Post it here so's the rest of us can see it, too. I'm looking at fixing up a muddy stretch of my own tractor road and I'm very much interested in this fabric. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

No problem Harv I will do that. In the one place where I put some of this it was marshy like you say. I had put about four loads of gravel in that place over the previous few years and it never lasted. I put the fabric down, added two loads of gravel and it hasn't needed any since, I'm really sold on it. The only thing that you to make sure of is that you have enough road on top of it to prevent it from coming up. When I first put it down I put it down by my barn and only put a few inches of rock on the top. Well when the rock would get moved and the tractor was on it it would dig in and pull the fabric up. I tore it all out and used the skidder to dig down about 8" below grade. Put the fabric down and put 4" of dirt back over the top, rolled and packed that then put the gravel back over the top and it's been great ever since. Before that in the fall and spring when there was alot of water you would be 6" deep in mud getting from the one barn to the other. Haven't had any problems since. On the roads I did them the same way. I made my initial road right at level with the surrounding ground and cut down 2" with the skidder. Then I put the fabric down and filled and rolled that level with the ground. Then I built up a base with lime and dirt about 2". Then I brought in my road base for another 4" and finished it with the 1/2" or less road gravel. This has worked well for all the roads I've done on my two places.
Richard

 

[gerard]

Cowboy doc got it right. Without fabric the mud is going to come up forever. (Actually the stone gets forced down, displacing the mud which then oozes up.) To do it right you put down the geotextile fabric first (it's basically a kevlar weave) and then put your stone, base etc on top of that. You can get it at any construction supply place. Goes for about $250 for a 300ft x 16 ft wide roll. Really pretty cheap. I have friends who have done gravel roads in VERY wet area's with great success and have other friends who are civil engineers who put forest roads in for the state. Won't put one in without laying the geotextile first. (Tip, when you start the roll excavate a foot deep trench and bury the end, prevents it from bunching up as you spread the gravel/substrate on top)

 

[dmccarty]

I'm glad you guys started talking about geotextile fabric for the driveways. From the stuff I have been reading its the way to go in wet conditions. I have about 200 feet along the driveway to be that gets muddy after rains. Reading the military manuals and a some road building books it seems like the best, cheapest, fastest solution was the geotextile fabric.

The only trick I have seen to using it was making sure that the rock/dirt base gets placed on the fabric to make sure traffic does not rip it up. I just have not seen a price.

The city just fixed a major road in front of my house. Ripped up the asphault and gravel. They put fabric down and rebuilt the road. They left a roll of the stuff down in the woods that I kept my eye on for a couple of weeks. Eventually it was gone. Don't know if the city came back for it or if someone else got it!

My father-in-law just retired as s DOT inspection engineer. His driveway is crush and run that he ran his cars over to compact and flatten. That was it. I'm going to put down ABC/crush and run, on the fabric and hope for the best.
I'm figuring six inches for the 500 foot long driveway. I forgot how any yards per ton but I think I figured 180 tons. For some culverts, the ABC, and transportation I think it is going to cost $2500.

Hope this helps...
Dan McCarty

 

[MarkV]

Richard, Gerard, Dan, thanks for the great information. Sounds like you guys have a handle on this road building stuff. As a city guy working on new roads for the fist time, I have spent so much money on gravel, I could have bought about 10 miles of the fabric. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif One question, do you need the larger gravel to start, if you use the fabric, or do you just start building up crusher run?

Richard, I am sure many readers would enjoy a photo, when you have the time. I am still waiting for you to call the wife and explain why we need a skid loader and a tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Thanks for the information.

MarkV

 

[gerard]

Depends how much you want to build up the road and how much you want to spend. Ideally you would put down a base of larger aggregate first then top with the running crush which is the different size stone and fines mixed. That will then work down between the base stones and eventually pack rock hard. That would be the best way to go and you should have a pretty durable road surface.

 

[cowboydoc]

Mark,
My wife doesn't say too much about the machinery. She's got her own stuff that she has. For me I could do without the skidder but boy is it nice for building roads, tight places, ripping, loading, etc. I wouldn't give it up for anything. As far as photos what would you like to see? The roads or the fabric? As far as the roads it'll be a few months. We've had about 40" of snow since november it would be hard to see the roads. With the fabric I put down the 1" first and then the road grade. I really don't think it would make alot of difference though after doing it. Also no worries about ripping it. Before I did it right I ripped it up daily by the barn and it never tore at all. The stuff is pretty indestructible. The rocks don't even cut it.


Richard