another gravel driveway issue--need opinions

[milkie62]

My driveway is on an incline. I am constantly using either a backblade or stone rake to smooth it out after heavy rains rut the heck out of it. My plan down the road is to just get it paved to the tune of $14k but my kids who will be using my driveway to get to their houses which will be built in the future will need heavy equip coming up the drive and more than likely destroying it. Do land planes do a better job than a box blade ? Another plan I had was to have about 30 ton of crusher run dumped and mixing in some dry Portland to stiffen up the driveway and crowning the heck out of it. Water bars IMO would just cause the gravel to wash into my lawn so they are not an option.

 

[/pine]

The key is getting storm water to run OFF the road and NOT DOWN the road...either pitch it to one side and ditch it or crown it and ditch both sides where needed (may require a culvert to move the runoff from one side to the other...the benefit of "pitching and ditching is all the water got to the low side (usually)...

Good Luck...

 

[DMW]

Deal with the water. Even if paved the water will eventually undermine the asphalt and start peeling it away.
Pics help a lot for getting free internet advice that may, or may not, be useful.

 

[PILOON]

One very good solution is crushed re cycled asphalt.
Some refer to it as millings.
Heat/sunlight will 'fuse' it back to a very stable surface and water will no longer be a problem.
Also generally cheaper than crushed stone.
If you have soft 'under soil' lay some geotextile under your re cycled asphalt.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Are you using crusher run ( 1 1/4 minus) gravel. I always use 1 1/4 minus for driveways and parking areas. If it is loose or round edge gravel you will always have problems. The fines in the mix bind it together when compacted. Compaction is a must also. And as above crown it and ditch it also.

Ron

 

[dragoneggs]

We have about 800ft of driveway that we share with three other neighbors. Been gravel for 30 years. A good portion of it pretty steep. We never had much of a water run off problem as it was professionally graded and rolled with added crushed rock every year or sometimes two. The problem was the washboard on the steep parts as some folk didn't figure the proper speed to climb and eventually it got torn up.

Last year we finally all agreed andl went in and had it paved. About $26K split pretty much four ways... some of us had a little extra done. The concern was whether snow/ice was going to make it worse to traverse after paving. After almost 4 seasons, I can say it was the best decision we made. We also had record snow this winter... 18in in one dump. I was able to easily scrape with my BX. If it were gravel I probably would have torn it up.

Get your quotes and references and get it paved is my recommendation if you plan to be there for a while.

 

[oosik]

I have a mile long gravel driveway. It has two problems. One soft area( 150 feet ) that eats crushed rock like a kid eats candy. I gave up on this area long ago. I wait until the "perfect" time - reverse my rear blade - trowel it smooth - it dries hard and smooth within a week.

I have a valley in the driveway. Heavy rains will cause surface material to wash to the bottom, level part of the valley, on one side. I grade it back up that side - smooth it out - let it dry hard and smooth. This side of the valley receives all the runoff from a 150 acre field. Try as I might - I can not get a ditch on that side of the driveway that will contain all the runoff. Bedrock is too close to the surface to make a deeper/wider ditch.

So be it - life goes on.

Added note - I have a Land Pride GS2584 land plane grading scraper. It does WONDERS on washboard areas. It WILL NOT move material horizontally and will only move material short distances forward as it corrects washboard. It is an easy piece of equipment to learn to use. Many like to use it to finish grade a driveway that is otherwise in good shape.

 

[crazyal]

My driveway is pretty steep in spots and I've tried all sorts of tricks. What I've found that works the best for me is to put a slight slope on my driveway and have a ditch on one side. With just a crown (like everyone one says to do) it just put gravel in my grass. The crown would of had to been so steep that only a pickup could make it up the driveway without bottoming out. The ditch runs right down the side of the driveway and where it flattens out it puts the gravel back onto the drive. I simply pull it back up the hill with my grading scraper.

 

[Fallon]

A land plane is easier to use & takes minimal skill to use. It does a good job smoothing & flattening. However it wont move material side to side at all & only pulls a little material forward.

If you have the skill running a box blade or will do an equal job to the land plane. It can dig & pull material forward. It will pull gravel back up a hill much better than a land plane.

Neither impliment will put a crown on a driveway. A box blade can barely move a pile sideways if you have it tilted & have a pile inside. A land plane cant move anything sideways at all. You need a back blade you can angle to crown.

I've had a box blade for a long time & picked up a land plane a year or 2 ago. I picked up an old light back blade a few weeks ago at a garage sale solely to crown after loosening things up with the box or plane, likely with the scarfiers on each.

 

[Wolfy]

I have a steep 600ft driveway, what helped me was to dig ditches along both sides, and filled with 6 inch minus rock. I bought a Woods rear blade specifically to crown, but as Crazyal found, a one way sloped driveway worked better. Last month I bought a used Landpride box blade, Im dumbstruck why I never had one before, its incredible what it can do.