Gravel for Driveway...

[JDGreenGrass]

Should I use 1" or 2" or 3" gravel to get my driveway up to grade.??

Thanks.

 

[Gary Fowler]

lI would use a crushed stone rather than gravel. Gravel never really locks together like crushed rock does. I used SB 2 for my drive and it has fines and large rocks up to 3/4". It grades out nice and hardens up nice. I had a firm well drained areal

 

[gregsons]

This is what i do, deliver stone for driveways, Yes you want # 1 or 2 crusher run Ez to grade and packs down tight after a rain, the best way to gom, a 4 inch # 2 base and then 2 inch #1 topcoat. Welll thats the way to go in the north east.

 

[patrick_g]

All good advice so far but there are more good options.

Definition of terms:

Many folks call crushed limestone gravel. Natural gravel has smooth edges from previous water tumbling action and is NOT the best choice for a firm weatherproof driveway.

Crusher run is crushed rock and contains all sizes down to dust from the size specified on down. It has been screened to remove larger chunks than specified.

Do not use washed (septic) gravel as there are no fines and it is a waste of $.

Shale is a good alternative to crushed limestone. It typically is delivered in larger pieces but even light traffic quickly breaks it down. It ends up looking like blacktop consistency wise but in an attractive blue-grey color. It has less of a dust problem than crusher run limestone. It is lighter per volume so cheaper to haul. I use both but prefer shale, especially near the house.

Pat

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Recycled asphalt is what is on the drive now. It has broken down over the years and I was a bit muddy last spring......so, I am looking to bring it up to grade and add a mild slope for better run-off.

The other thing is I am not looking to do my entire driveway at this point. Just a couple of sections that "need" to be done.

Will 1" gravel get me through winter and spring.??

 

[veresjwv]

All good advice so far but there are more good options.

Definition of terms:

Many folks call crushed limestone gravel. Natural gravel has smooth edges from previous water tumbling action and is NOT the best choice for a firm weatherproof driveway.

Crusher run is crushed rock and contains all sizes down to dust from the size specified on down. It has been screened to remove larger chunks than specified.

Do not use washed (septic) gravel as there are no fines and it is a waste of $.

Shale is a good alternative to crushed limestone. It typically is delivered in larger pieces but even light traffic quickly breaks it down. It ends up looking like blacktop consistency wise but in an attractive blue-grey color. It has less of a dust problem than crusher run limestone. It is lighter per volume so cheaper to haul. I use both but prefer shale, especially near the house.

Pat

Great info, is shale specific to certain areas of the country? I am somewhat new to North Carolina and shale sounds perfect for me. Would most rock quarry's handle it or is it shipped from somewhere?

 

[radioman]

Recycled asphalt is what is on the drive now. It has broken down over the years and I was a bit muddy last spring......so, I am looking to bring it up to grade and add a mild slope for better run-off.

The other thing is I am not looking to do my entire driveway at this point. Just a couple of sections that "need" to be done.

Will 1" gravel get me through winter and spring.??

My neighbor has a 600 foot driveway along side of my lot. There was one year he was having issues so he ordered soft rock (shale) that was basically 2 inch in size. he put that down and drove all summer long and everytime he drives on it, over time the soft rock breaks down into smaller peices simalar to crusher run. This went became a very hard packed driveway and he havent added anything since. I think you need to call around to your local quarrys and see if you can find stones that breaks easily from driving on it. (FYI it kinda noisy to drive on but over time it will stop completely when it becomes hardpacked)

 

[amigauser]

We use something similar to "crusher run" here in Connecticut for driveways. It is called process gravel. The most common being 3/4 process which has crushed rocks from 3/4 inches down to dust mixed together. It locks together well after grading it and then driving over it to pack it down.

 

[Charles Billings]

I live on a private road and have a 1/4 mile drive way off that. There are many problems that arise here in the northeast, and they only seem to be getting worse. The worst problems occur when it thaws in the spring and during heavy rain storms in the summer. Summer storms wash away whole town roadways here, not just private drives.

Over the last 20 years I have tried everything from very course gravel pit deliveries, to crushed stone, and to finely crushed shale. Nothing is fool proof. Too small, which can grade and pack very well like the shale, will be washed away with even a modest storm. Too course, and it will not grade well, and traffic will form deep ruts that eventually just move the stone off to the side. It is always a balance between your terrain, your traffic and Mother Nature. At least here in Vermont the best you can achieve in a hilly terrain is the heaviest crushed stone mix that will grade and pack well. I have found this to be similar to the coarser grade of underlayment that pavers put down before they pave.

Regardless, expect yearly maintenance. Most importantly, keep the road graded and ditched so the water will run off to the side rather than tearing down the middle, and so the tires will not keep jigging or rutting it deeper.

 

[ctgoldwing]

We use something similar to "crusher run" here in Connecticut for driveways. It is called process gravel. The most common being 3/4 process which has crushed rocks from 3/4 inches down to dust mixed together. It locks together well after grading it and then driving over it to pack it down.

I just spread ~50 tons of this on my driveway & proabably need 1 more load (~abt 24.5 tons). When compacted it is a very hard surface. My driveway has a steep grade so one thing I'm trying to do is give it enough pitch that water runs off the sides, not straught down eroding everything. This material ran me $11/ton plus delivery ($90). I really wish I had a box blade to smooth it out well.

 

[amigauser]

I just spread ~50 tons of this on my driveway & proabably need 1 more load (~abt 24.5 tons). When compacted it is a very hard surface. My driveway has a steep grade so one thing I'm trying to do is give it enough pitch that water runs off the sides, not straught down eroding everything. This material ran me $11/ton plus delivery ($90). I really wish I had a box blade to smooth it out well.

$11 is a good price. The place near me charges $23 a ton plus delivery. Were are you getting it for $11?

 

[ctgoldwing]

$11 is a good price. The place near me charges $23 a ton plus delivery. Were are you getting it for $11?

In Waterbury in the east end (actually East Main Street) almost to the Cheshire border. HI White from Southbury is taking down a 'mountain' of stone. They have set up a crusher there and I understand its a 4-5 year deal. Actually the 1st load they charged me $10/ton then said that was a mistake when I came back for a 2nd tri-axle load - then it was $11. I am sure they didn't give me 'contractor' pricing.
I checked with a friend of mine who got some from Suzio (spelling?) in Meriden for $10.50/ton.

O&G wanted $25/ton (must be prettier process)

 

[FLHayman]

Back when I lived in Georgia, I made and maintained a long driveway. The first step was getting the drive higher than the shoulders, or ditching the shoulders, so that you can grade a slight angle or crown to the drive. I used what my local quarry called 57, or number 5 and 7 stones at first in order to pack them into the mud and clay. As you all know, the first few inches almost disappears when you use it every day in the rainy season.

After the first 4 inches was put down and driven on for a while, I added crusher run as needed. To grade it, I started with an angled straight blade at the edges, only to move the loose material up to the center. Keep the same angle, do one side, turn around and do the other. Then get a box blade with the teeth retracted and a tilted a bit up so that the back blade doesn't dig, just spreads out the windrowed gravel. Put a little bit of angle on the box blade in favor of your crown and do one side, turn around and do the other.

Next time it's a slight rain, or right then, if it's moist at all, pack it down with whatever you've got that has some weight on the tires. Teach everybody in your home to drive on the highest gravel line they can see, especially when wet. Ruts trap water, weakening the base, and worsening every time a tire goes in them, so fill them by regrading asap, or fill deep holes with soil, rocks, then gravel. A wider driveway allows picking more than one line, so the homeowners, at least, have the option to never drive in the lowest spots made by the heavy propane delivery truck last week, for example. If the water washes across during a big rain, you need a culvert pipe for the water to cross underneath, of course.

Now I live in Florida, and they use crushed limestone in place of almost all other aggregate. Different areas have different soil, and available materials.

 

[gregsons]

When did you get the crusher run for $11.00 that s a real good price. $90.00 for the delivery is alot of money unless it was delivered a long distance over 30 miles am charged $15,00 a ton sell it for 16,50 and charge 50 for delivery and im just a little lower priced then most people around here. but i dont get any deals from the quarry so the may sell to the big guys for less. if your putting the drive in for the fisrt time and you get wet springs i sugest a base of something alittle larger (2-3 inch covered with 1-0 inch) otherwise all those little fine compact stones will be soup in april.

 

[ctgoldwing]

When did you get the crusher run for $11.00 that s a real good price. $90.00 for the delivery is alot of money unless it was delivered a long distance over 30 miles

I am about 5 miles from the quarry. Just to be sure we are talking about the same thing with a diffrent name - I bought 3/4" process which is crushed stone (no larger than 3/4) that includes everything from that down to stone dust. My 1st triaxle load was about a month ago ($10/ton) and the 2nd about 2 weeks ago ($11/ton). The delivery charge makes the delivered /ton price either $14 or $15.

 

[tradosaurus]

Old post but looking to repair a 850 ft driveway and all these terms seem confusing.
I guess gravel (using this as a loose term) has more than doubled since 2009.
I am being quoted $38/ton plus delivery fee.

 

[tradosaurus]

top coating

 

[Citydude]

Holy cow! I paid $10.50 for a ton of gravel, $8.50 a ton hauling fee for a total of $19.00. That was in 2019.

I haven't checked the rates since the pandemic screwed everything up.

 

[deezler]

Gravel prices are very regional, up to 3x differences for same product sometimes. Live near a gravel pit in a semi-economically depressed area? Almost dirt cheap. Live in wealthy suburbs? Eyeball gouging.

Also depends on how far your truck driver has to go to get and deliver it, of course. $38/ton should INCLUDE delivery, IMO. Thats pricey.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

For the top layer of my gravel driveway (which is misleading because it never had a formal set of lower layers), I like the premium offering from my local gravel pit. It is described as 1.5 inch crushed gravel “dense grade”. It's about $425 a truck, supposedly 15 cubic yards. Part of that cost is the delivery fee, I'm off the beaten path for their drivers.

Crushed gravel is key, as the pieces will pack down and lock together, never washed gravel (with round edges).

The "dense grade" is also refers to the fines. And this particular blend is all grushed gravel fines, no dirt. I mistakenly ordered (because of confusion with the person I placed the order with) a cheaper quality mix last winter, and the "fines" are basically dirt. I don't like the look of it, and I suspect it's more prone to washout.

Meanwhile, the stuff I put down last year looks and acts really nice after the winter. I'm very pleased with the result. Now I just need to stop the snow plows from putting a bunch of the mix into my lawn. Someday I'll just do the driveway myself, the people who plow just do not care.