Gravel too thick?

lhfarm · Aug 27, 2017

After 20 years had to change my "gravel guy." Former guy had a heart attack and had to slow down. He had a single axle truck and, although it took a few trips, could lay down a smooth layer of gravel. My drive is 1400' climbs 250' in elevation and has a couple of turns. After asking around tried a new hauler. Tri-axle trucks and laid down a very heavy layer of gravel. I've had to smooth it every few weeks because delivery trucks "spin out" on the curves and it "wash boards" in sections. Never had to do maintenance this often.

Is it possible to have too much gravel? If so, am I better off leaving it alone and just planning on heavy maintenance or trying to remove the excess.

Thanks,
Barry

LD1 · Aug 27, 2017

Need to k ow what size the gravel was before we can answer if it was too thick.

A washed, uniform size stone, don't pack and lock in well. So yeah it's possible to be too thick.

Around here we have what we call 304's and 411's. Lots of dust and fines and packs in real tight. That stuff can be applied heavy and packed in for a good base and can even be left at that for final coat. Some call it crusher run, or 3/4" minus or something similar.

A washed uniform sized stone is only good for a top coat. And yeah, easy to spin out on and have a mess if it's too thick.

Limestone vs gravel also makes a big difference.

fried1765 · Aug 27, 2017

lhfarm said:
After 20 years had to change my "gravel guy." Former guy had a heart attack and had to slow down. He had a single axle truck and, although it took a few trips, could lay down a smooth layer of gravel. My drive is 1400' climbs 250' in elevation and has a couple of turns. After asking around tried a new hauler. Tri-axle trucks and laid down a very heavy layer of gravel. I've had to smooth it every few weeks because delivery trucks "spin out" on the curves and it "wash boards" in sections. Never had to do maintenance this often.

Is it possible to have too much gravel? If so, am I better off leaving it alone and just planning on heavy maintenance or trying to remove the excess.
Thanks,
Barry

Is it washed gravel, or crushed gravel that you are using?
What screen size?
Loose, washed/crushed gravel will never compact.
You need to buy crushed gravel with some fines included.

jimmyj · Aug 27, 2017

What sort of gravel is it? For example, is it 3/4" crusher? Or clear stone? From my experience if the gravel is round not crushed it won't pack. Crusher run usually packs down fairly quickly but maybe your hill is the issue. My parents had a 1500 foot lane and the crusher run was probably 6 inches thick and we didn't really have any issues (but it was flat). I'm sure there are more knowledgeable TBN'ers than me though.

Streetcar · Aug 27, 2017

It sounds like you have wrong gravel
Crushed gravel locks together better than most natural gravel
Is gravel uniform in size. To pack tight, gravel must vary in size

Redlands Okie · Aug 27, 2017

If you do have the washed rock with no fines in it then you can probably topcoat what you have with some fines or chips. Drag your shallow set box blade teeth thru it to mix it up. Should help solve some of your issues.

mapper · Aug 27, 2017

Even with crusher run on a steep driveway it needs to be well packed before any delivery trucks or heavy stuff comes up it, if it's loose at all it will rut and washboard. Moisten and pack - more than once!

lhfarm · Aug 28, 2017

I looked at the invoice and there is no indication of the type of gravel. I know that most of the drive had crusher run (plenty of fines) and that section (about 3/4 of the drive including a 90 degree turn) is doing fine. Near the top of the hill by the house, a different gravel was spread. It might have been "washed" as it is smaller and has a more "finished" look. I've never paid attention to gravel size/type since my guy always did a good job. The drive was put in over 60 years ago, so the base is solid.

I used a rake to crown the gravel and left it piled in the center. We are expecting rain the next couple of days and I'll see how this works.

Thanks for all the advice.

sixdogs · Aug 28, 2017

I don't know the names of the gravel but it's possible that he used rounded gravel as opposed to crushed that has irregular edges. On rounded stone/gravel drives I have seen the gravel slide all over the place.