Gravel pad/drive build

[mwemaxxowner]

When my tractor finally comes in, one of the projects I have in mind is to clean up this area and put in a gravel pad to possibly park my trailer. It's a 9000 gvwr trailer and a half ton truck, so I won't ever be a huge load on the pad. I downsized from a super duty and this new truck meets all my needs these days, I have no plans to do any upgrading or have any heavier equipment than this trailer and my BX tractor.

Id like to have a drive leading out from that pad through this area between the trees.

View from yard facing toward the road.

View from the road facing toward where the pad will eventually be.

I've never installed a gravel drive before. Some time on Google suggests I want at least 3 layers of gravel, 3-3" thick per layer, and start with the coarsest/largest rock and end with the finest.

I feel like this is a little bit overkill, and it seems I've seen gravel driveways installed without all of that before. If I were to clear it and prep it and spread one layer about 3" thick of something like 57stone, and then one final layer about 3" thick of something like crush and run (I've also seen it called crusher run), would that be sufficient?

I see you guys talk about long gravel driveways often so I decided y'all could probably help.

Right now I have my trailer parked under a shelter, but if I could build a nice pad to park it on I would consider parking it here beneath the trees to open up shed space for more important things.

I plan to use treated 6x6 timbers or railroad ties to build a border around the pad part, and something (undecided) as a border along the driveway also. Probably landscape timbers or a plastic bed border.

 

[Rebeldad1]

my vote...
order a full load of 1 1/4 crushed rock. in our rural area the biggest expense is the dump truck time. a extra few yards of gravel is a bargain.

make your pad. you will know more when you are done. enjoy. i always keep extra gravel around.

 

[Cat385B]

Depends on what’s underneath. If you have a thick layer of black dirt, or a mixed clay soil, I would go a minimum of 4” thick. 2” of rock that drains well, then 2” of crushed gravel on top of that.
If you a sandy soil that drains quickly, you can get by with putting 2” of gravel over it after clearing off the vegetation.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

It is sand. Poor sandy soil that does drain well.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

my vote...
order a full load of 1 1/4 crushed rock. in our rural area the biggest expense is the dump truck time. a extra few yards of gravel is a bargain.

make your pad. you will know more when you are done. enjoy. i always keep extra gravel around.

You're saying make it all crush and run? If so I'm definitely down with that!

 

[Cat385B]

It is sand. Poor sandy soil that does drain well.

Then you’re golden. Strip vegetation and any dark soil, install edging, and fill it up with gravel or recycle.

 

[EddieWalker]

With it just being grass that's already cut short, and your soil being sand, just dump the gravel on top of it and make it smooth. Where I live, we call it road base, and it's crushed limestone that comes in a variety of sizes from 3 inches on down to fines. It's all mixed together and when compacted, it forms a solid surface that sheds water. It has to be at least 4 inches thick to do this. I've torn it up with my backhoe and it comes up in big chunks because it holds together so well. I now buy crushed concrete because it's harder then the limestone that we have here in East Texas. It also compacts even better then the limestone and you can get away with less material. Since conditions vary around the country, and your usage is going to be different then everyone else, just keep it simple and buy the local road base that is available there and spread it 4 inches thick or thicker. Then see how it holds up. If you need more, you will know it, and add what you need.

Compacting it requires water. Usually what happens is you spread it, drive over it to compact it and it feels hard to you, and then you get a big rain and it becomes soft. Then it dries out and it's now super hard and compacted better then ever before. If you can add water to it when you are spreading it, you will end up with that super hard compacted finish right from the beginning and not deal with it after your first major rain.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I can definitely water it as I spread it in.

I would still like to cut it down a bit so the gravel surface is about level with my grass. I don't mind going 4" at all. I was just hoping to not have to do several layers of different material.

I appreciate all the help!

 

[Midniteoyl]

How can you guys get away with dumping it directly on sandy soil? I have what we call 'sugar sand' for soil (think beach) and all rocks and gravel just sink in over time.

 

[EddieWalker]

I can definitely water it as I spread it in.

I would still like to cut it down a bit so the gravel surface is about level with my grass. I don't mind going 4" at all. I was just hoping to not have to do several layers of different material.

I appreciate all the help!

You NEVER want your road to be level with the grass. You want the water to have some place to go when it lands on your road, and the grass needs to be lower then the road.