rekees4300
Elite Member
ditto ... never underestimate the power of water!
Gravel Driveway Advice
- Thread starter MMH
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ditto ... never underestimate the power of water!
Birdhunter1
Veteran Member
As everyone else said, get the water off the road first, then call a trucking company and tell them how thick you want it and where to start and stop. At the same time rent a ride on vibrating roller and pack it down good and tight after you have it graded with a crown in the center. Wallah, don't touch it again till after you decide to re-grade and screw it up
_BTDT_
Since the drive is the low point where did the gravel go? traffic usually moves the gravel to the shoulders.
The key obviously is to get the water to run across drive and not down it.
I would not bother trying to crown the drive as long as gravity will move the water. Pitch the road to the lowest side and cut the shoulder to allow the water to run off. Cut a ditch on the other side to prevent runoff on that side from reaching the drive.
Chances are you will find gravel on the shoulders. Once the pitch and ditches are established a landscape rake is usually all that is required to re-distribute gravel for a smooth surface.
Also You mentioned that all that remains is "fines" they are what usualy get washed away first, it is imperative to have enough fines to support larger gravel. Chances are you will find gravel at the bottom of the hills the same as the shoulders, you may not see it but a little scraping will expose it.
Since the drive is the low point where did the gravel go? traffic usually moves the gravel to the shoulders.
The key obviously is to get the water to run across drive and not down it.
I would not bother trying to crown the drive as long as gravity will move the water. Pitch the road to the lowest side and cut the shoulder to allow the water to run off. Cut a ditch on the other side to prevent runoff on that side from reaching the drive.
Chances are you will find gravel on the shoulders. Once the pitch and ditches are established a landscape rake is usually all that is required to re-distribute gravel for a smooth surface.
Also You mentioned that all that remains is "fines" they are what usualy get washed away first, it is imperative to have enough fines to support larger gravel. Chances are you will find gravel at the bottom of the hills the same as the shoulders, you may not see it but a little scraping will expose it.
MotorSeven
Elite Member
Mike I think you will have to post pic's of your homemade runoff trough's. They are kinda hard to envision.
Eddie's right, a box blade flat ruins the crown which lets the water either sit on a flat driveway or run right down the tire tracks of a inclined driveway. Light boxing must be done on an angle. My driveway has been in place 2 years but the project stalled so it didn't get enough traffic to pack it 100% and I didn't add gravel after the concrete trucks made their mark. I now have water streaming down the tire tracks in two places, so Mike's runoff trough's are going in after new gravel gets put down.
Oh, and I like larger rock first then "crusher run" on top....holds the bigger stuff in place.
Eddie's right, a box blade flat ruins the crown which lets the water either sit on a flat driveway or run right down the tire tracks of a inclined driveway. Light boxing must be done on an angle. My driveway has been in place 2 years but the project stalled so it didn't get enough traffic to pack it 100% and I didn't add gravel after the concrete trucks made their mark. I now have water streaming down the tire tracks in two places, so Mike's runoff trough's are going in after new gravel gets put down.
Oh, and I like larger rock first then "crusher run" on top....holds the bigger stuff in place.
flusher
Super Member
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My driveway is 20ft wide x 330 ft long on a moderate slope. We only get 20" of rainfall per year, so washout is not an issue and no crowning was necessary. The gravel is roadbase used by the county--called crusher run, 3/4" rock down to essentially sand--what comes through a 3/4" sieve. The driveway is 6" thick, laid down in 2" thick lifts, watered and packed with a big, honking vibrating roller between lifts. It was installed in May05 and has not required any maintenance since then.
Rick I dont have a picture on hand. I wrote an article for Backwoods Home Magazine that was published several years ago with pictures and a drawing. Ive suffered several PC crashes since then and dont have a copy. I have written the editor and will post a PDF here when I get it.
You basically make a twelve foot long trough with an eight foot and four foot piece of 2x4 for the bottom and three eight foot 2x6' s for the sides. (Cut one of the 2x6's in half) Stagger the joints so you dont have continous seam across the trough. I strapped the opening in the middle and at the tire tracks with 1/8 x 2 inch wide steel. Just a piece of steel with two holes drilled in it on each end nailed across the top of the 2x6' s. Anything would work there. Its just to provide strength. I glued and nailed the pieces together. The whole deal is buried in the ground flush with the roadway at a slight angle downhill. Any water running in the road falls into the trough and is carried off the road by gravity. You need a ditch or low place on one side to have somewhere for the water to go. They work great.
If you want more water handling capacity use 2x8's for the sides. To be clear you want the 2x4's sandwiched between the 2x6's. It gives you a trough 3 1/2 inches wide which is just big enough to get a garden rack into for clean out.
You basically make a twelve foot long trough with an eight foot and four foot piece of 2x4 for the bottom and three eight foot 2x6' s for the sides. (Cut one of the 2x6's in half) Stagger the joints so you dont have continous seam across the trough. I strapped the opening in the middle and at the tire tracks with 1/8 x 2 inch wide steel. Just a piece of steel with two holes drilled in it on each end nailed across the top of the 2x6' s. Anything would work there. Its just to provide strength. I glued and nailed the pieces together. The whole deal is buried in the ground flush with the roadway at a slight angle downhill. Any water running in the road falls into the trough and is carried off the road by gravity. You need a ditch or low place on one side to have somewhere for the water to go. They work great.
If you want more water handling capacity use 2x8's for the sides. To be clear you want the 2x4's sandwiched between the 2x6's. It gives you a trough 3 1/2 inches wide which is just big enough to get a garden rack into for clean out.
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Here is a diagram of one:
BCP mine are like your first drawing except mine have the 2x4's sandwiched between 2x6 uprights and mine have steel straps across the top. I like the pipe idea. I would use bolts or all thread rod instead of spikes.
Where did your drawing come from? I thought I had an original idea here.
I used the material I did because it minimized cost. All the lumber is pressure treated of course. Mine have been in the ground for over ten years and still look and work great.
Where did your drawing come from? I thought I had an original idea here.
I used the material I did because it minimized cost. All the lumber is pressure treated of course. Mine have been in the ground for over ten years and still look and work great.I like the bottom wider than the sides to prevent the trough from working up.
The drawing was on some gov't PDF document on gravel road building, I think. Probably Forest Service. I saved only the pictures.
Bruce
The drawing was on some gov't PDF document on gravel road building, I think. Probably Forest Service. I saved only the pictures.
Bruce
