Small amount of rain washout on my gravel drive?

[SLHawkins]

Dave,
I attended a forestry camp once just before graduating high school (I thought about career in forestry (still considering it as a 2nd career once I retire from the military). In any event, they had installed water diverters made out of logs on all of the gravel roads running through the mountains. Seemed pretty effective to me. The attached .pdf is from a road erosion project out in Montana. It may give you some ideas, especially on materials and cost. You may be able to find enough suitable logs on your property. I tried to attach a video of me refurbishing a parking lot with #5 gravel, using just the my FEL and rake. However, I am having techinical difficulties at the moment. When do you think you may get around to working on it? You are more than welcome to borrow my rake when I get home October. It is a 7' York Rake. Looks like we have another neighbor coming up on the net as well-howdy cwesrch!

Hawk

 

[MossflowerWoods]

When do you think you may get around to working on it? You are more than welcome to borrow my rake when I get home October. It is a 7' York Rake. Looks like we have another neighbor coming up on the net as well-howdy cwesrch!

Hawk

Hawk,

How are you my brother from another mother?

I am almost overwhelmed at the moment. The rain has totally stopped my tractoring, work has been busier than normal, plus I've got FAR TOO MANY projects.

The driveway is getting worse and I'm going to be forced into doing something no later than this weekend, even if I just back drag it with the bucket to smooth it out.

I need the rain to go to TX and leave me alone for a few weeks!

I was planning to take a couple days off next weekend and try to get started on my Harley Shed project, but I keep getting stuck in re-design because I keep learning new info here at TBN. I have not worked on the land clearing since I broke (and repaired) the hyd line on the FEL 3rd function and I have not fired up the stump grinder since the day it arrived last week!

Things will get better. I know it. I am taking a couple days off for Columbus day, I will get SOMETHING done...:thumbsup:

Be SAFE you hear me. When you get home for your visit, let me know. You MUST come over for smoked ribs and adult beverages once before you go back. Let the families mingle and get to know each other, if you know what I mean...

Be well,
David

 

[SLHawkins]

Dave,
I know the feeling. My projects, since I have deployed, have continued to grow as well:laughing: In between dodging bullets, creating powerpoint slides, and sitting in meetitngs, I keep my sanity by coming up with stuff to do on the farm when I get back. The smoked ribs sound good!!:licking: I am doing my best to stay safe, my brother. But, the enemy always has a vote! Thanks for the prayers and notes! Hang in there, slow and steady wins the race! See ya in a few!!

Hawk

 

[jinman]

Jinman,

More data please. Maybe a picture or two, please?

how big of a bump? how much of an angle?

My drive has been very solid, if not pretty. The problem was days of heavy rain on top of already saturated soil. water was rushing down the wheel ruts until they turned and the water didn't...

David

Larry Caldwell gave the definitive name for the hump across the road. It's water bar. I've searched and found several good descriptions.

My water bars are made completely out of crushed stone at an angle across the road. In the photos below you can see how I angled it off the road surface to divert water. Previously, just to the left of where my car is sitting, I would always get a washout up to 8" deep. Since the water bar was constructed, I no longer have a problem. In my case, I extended the bar about 5' into the grass because runoff from the yard needed to be caught and redirected to keep erosion down there too.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Jinman, Thanks for the pictures.

This is getting SERIOUS!

Last night I got home from a long and stressful day and the driveway has gotten WORSE. The rain and work has kept me off the tractor for over a week I think now.

So these hills on my driveway are STEEP, super steep. I believe I have at least a 25 foot drop in elevation in maybe 35 to 40 feet on the main hill, and same drop in maybe 60 feet on the other side.

It was almost darki, and dropping the grapple, getting the bucket, removing the toothbar was going to take too long so I took a rake and a shovel.

I am having a SERIOUS amount of washout in the wheel ruts.

Tomorrow, or maybe for an hour tonight before dark is the SOONEST I can do anything.

My questions are as follows...

1) Can I leave the tooth bar attached to the bucket while back dragging?

2) Can I back drag uphill (the water washed the gravel down the hill, right) so I need to start at the bottom and drag gravel uphill, right?

3) do I just grab a couple bags of gravel for pot-hole filling(think like emergency repairs) and then backdrag and pack it down with the tractor?

4) before I bought this place, during the winter of "Snowmageddon" here in VA back a couple of years ago whoever snowplowedthe little old widow we bought from out every time totally scattered the top layer of her gravel all over the sides. Is there any way to reclaim the gravel scattered all along the sides and ditches or is it a lost cause?

5) If I just bite the bullet and call for a few truckloads of crushed limestone, recycled concrete, whatever, and have it delivered will these washout spots just re-appear in the next heavy rains?

I am rapidly getting overwhelmed with this simply because I'm a noob and the only gravel drive I've ever had was just 150' flat with weeds as my biggest problem. Now I've got 1/2 mile of gravel road with a gnarley steep hill that is covered by both sides of the loop down by the house.

I've had more than one guy tell me that there is no way a boxblade will help me, this is an old and long packed gravel road.

I should have some time this weekend, and the rain supposedly stopped for a few days late last night.

Thanks in advance,
Be well,
David

 

[DennisArrow]

I havent kept up with the whole thread; but seems to me you are ignoring good advice and applying what YOU want to hear and do..........Early on it was advised that you cut the shoulders down and produce a crown so the water runs off the sides NOT down the road.........That is pretty much the ONLY way you are going to stop your problem.........

CUT THE SHOULDERS DOWN AND ELIMINATE THE TIRE RUTS............DEVELOP A CROWN.........

Yes, you probably need to dig DOWN a few inches with a tooth bar and get down to where material is packed.......BUT......in your early on pictures it really doesnt look like you have more than just surface material anyway........FOR ME......Bring in some crusher run or similar product, grade it to contour, pack it with vibrator roller...........

Good luck......God bless.........Dennis

 

[k0ua]

David you can backdrag with the heel of the bucket so you can leave the toothbar on. Think curl the bucket all the way up, and now the very back of the bucket touches the ground not the toothbar. Of course you need to be in "float mode" on the control. And yes you can backdrag uphill, but it is harder to do, and you need to move "smartly". Keep practicing if you dont get the results you want at first. It takes a while to get good at doing this.

James K0UA

 

[KYDan]

This is a good thread and there are a lot of helpful posts. If you have a good base (Creek rock with lots of small stuff makes a great base for a drive.) Then cover that solid base with dense grade aggregate if it is available as it has a lot of lime in it that makes a good bonding material. My drive is now 17 years old and it holds very good. I still have one steep area that will wash occasionally when there are monsoons, but a small amount of dense grade added and spread will solve the problem.

 

[teg]

Might be a bit late but I would use a shovel and cut a trench from these water ruts so the water runs into the ditch. Use the dirt from the ditch to fill the ruts and block the path of the water from going straight down hill. Do that every 5 or so feet. Then wait for it to dry out.

Once it dries out and you can use the tractor... remove all *loose* material from the "problem" area, the steep part. Stock pile that to be used on patching other areas on your road. Determine how firm the road base is, if it's good, lay down and pack 3-4" of crusher run on the steep part... pack it down good and put in water bars.

If after taking off the loose stuff, you find out that the road base is soft and doesn't hold up a vehicle... you'll need to lay down a layer of bigger rock 2" to 4" size rock and pack it down hard, then cover that with 3" crusher run.

I have ditches on both sides so I modify my water bars to be a "V" pointing up hill so the water runs off both sides. Road maintenance should be continuous until you no longer have a problem. Having a stock pile of crusher run waiting for you helps you stay on top of it.

 

[SLHawkins]

Dave,
I would recommend backdragging using the teeth rather than the heel of the bucket. It is the same principle as using a rake or boxblade. Only it will not dig as deep as the box blade. Without laying eyes on the site, I would say that a york rake is all you need. It is heavy enough to grade while spreading the gravel. Or, if you need to cut deeper, set the teeth on the boxblade at thier highest position so they just scratch the surface instead of digging down into it.

Oh yeah, and from the sounds of, you have moved beyond a 'small amount' of rain washout

Hawk