Grading an "Interesting" Driveway

[EddieWalker]

Very nice looking driveway. I'd love to have that kind of elevation change, but here in East TX, it's all pretty flat.

Eddie

 

[ovrszd]

I spot collections of solar Christmas lights along the drive. I get them on sales after Christmas. Visitors love seeing lights in the middle of a remote forest.

Off subject here, but, I own several acres of steep timber land. We've built trails all over it for 4 wheeling. Last year I found an old wall mount phone booth at the scrap yard. I mounted it on a pole out in the middle of the timber along a trail. Lit it with solar lights. I've had wheelers ask me if that phone works??? Gets em everytime, especially at night!!!!

 

[Guesseral]

Ok also off subject, but how do you get the electric to your house it doesn't seem like you would have to many neighbors up there?

 

[TerryR]

Ok also off subject, but how do you get the electric to your house it doesn't seem like you would have to many neighbors up there?

There are about half a dozen houses along the paved road that you see in the first photo, so a pole line comes up that road. At the end of the road it runs across our field, about half way up the hill to our house. From there it's underground to the house, something like seven or eight hundred feet as I recall.

If this works it might help - try this link to Google Maps. The paved road is Troy Norris Rd, visible in the lower left of the map. The small un-labeled road is the abandoned state road, the lower part of our driveway visible in the first four photos in my first post. Then the drive turns right into the woods, visible as a dark shadow at right angles to the old road, first curving gently right then to the left, before the sharp turn to the left near the right edge of the woods, where it become invisible in the satellite photo.

There is a fence line, which is on our property line, visible from top to bottom about two-thirds of the way across the satellite image. The power line comes up Troy Norris until it makes a sharp turn to the right, then continues across our field to that fence line. It goes underground from there up across the field and into the woods.

Terry

 

[JRL305]

Ours is similar. 1500' up the side of a ridge. 300' elevation change. We had the power and phone line buried the entire way and had to end up getting it concreted. I'm in the process of adding rocks along the sides to keep water from running under the concrete. should be finished in another 30 or so years. Google 530 deer ridge trail in charleston, tn.

 

[TerryR]

That's quite a driveway I see in the satellite view. Looks like a lot of concrete.

I've thought of having ours paved, but the cost and concern about it getting iced and impassable in have kept me from doing it. With the gravel there seems to be enough traction even when ice does form, at least we've never had a problem with it so far.

Terry

 

[kenlip]

I do all the heavy grading uphill to try to counteract the tendency of the gravel to migrate down the hill.

Terry

Hi Terry

I have a similar situation with my driveway but, unlike you, I have ZERO experience. I am (hopefully) getting delivery of my first tractor in two days' time.

When you grade uphill, do you start at the bottom of the hill, which seems to mean dragging a lot of material a long way, or do you start a bit down from the top of the hill, grade to the top, then go down another bit and grade up the previously graded section?

I suppose another way of wording it is, do you grade in 'steps' starting at the top or the bottom?

I probably haven't worded this correctly, using all the right terminology, but hopefully you'll be able to make sense of it.

Thanks
Ken

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

I lived with gravel drives almost my whole life and maintaining them is a never ending job. Steep drives are really a pain and to keep the water damage to a minimum requires lots of rock, ditching, and colverts. Tight curves and loose gravel are good problem areas also. A heavy roller to pack the rock helps after grading I have found out. And the heavier the roller the better. I have a curve that isn't sharp but it's probably a couple hundred feet long or longer and that's my biggest area of problems. No problem with run off from rain but with delivery trucks and hot rods that think their on the interstate. I'm going to solve the problem of rock getting pushed and threw off in the yard by putting in a nice speed bump. It is aggravating spending thousands of dollars putting rock on the drive and having some ya-ho's come flying in throwing rock everywhere. I feel like i spent the money on rock for the drive not the yard. No one is in that much of a hurry that they have to drive that almost thousand feet in under two seconds. I always have consideration on someone's property knowing how much work and money is spent on keeping up a drive.

 

[TerryR]

Hi Terry

I have a similar situation with my driveway but, unlike you, I have ZERO experience. I am (hopefully) getting delivery of my first tractor in two days' time.

When you grade uphill, do you start at the bottom of the hill, which seems to mean dragging a lot of material a long way, or do you start a bit down from the top of the hill, grade to the top, then go down another bit and grade up the previously graded section?

Ken,

I start at the bottom and grade all the way to the top. I use an angle blade to move the gravel that gets thrown to the side by traffic back toward the center, clearing the ditch line. Moving gravel up the hill is secondary, so not much gets carried up. My idea is mainly to avoid making the natural migration down hill worse by grading down.

I do grade the top 150 feet or so back away from the garage because I can't get my blade close enough the other way, but that section is level anyway.

I don't use a box blade because I'm trying mainly to move the gravel sideways, not forward.

 

[kenlip]

Ken,

I start at the bottom and grade all the way to the top. I use an angle blade to move the gravel that gets thrown to the side by traffic back toward the center, clearing the ditch line. Moving gravel up the hill is secondary, so not much gets carried up. My idea is mainly to avoid making the natural migration down hill worse by grading down.

I do grade the top 150 feet or so back away from the garage because I can't get my blade close enough the other way, but that section is level anyway.

I don't use a box blade because I'm trying mainly to move the gravel sideways, not forward.

Thanks, Terry