Stone dust for traction on ice

[alexinPA]

This winter is like never before... Temp mostly above freezing and snow melts and becoming ice on my sloping gravel driveway. I got an idea to put stone dust on ice for traction. In the spring i just rake it into existing gravel. Will it work? Than it's a storage question. Thinking about 5-6 yards to store outside with no salt. How?
Any recommendations? Thanks

 

[Thomas]

heck give it try and give us update.
If it's a fine dust not sure how much traction you shall get...need little more grit.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I tried stone dust on ice a few years back. It works ok but isn't as good as coarser material. It did darken the road surface though which helped with sun melt.

It's expensive to use as anti skid and keeping the pile from freezing is also a problem.

 

[Hay Dude]

This winter is like never before... Temp mostly above freezing and snow melts and becoming ice on my sloping gravel driveway. I got an idea to put stone dust on ice for traction. In the spring i just rake it into existing gravel. Will it work? Than it's a storage question. Thinking about 5-6 yards to store outside with no salt. How?
Any recommendations? Thanks

Can you get “rice”? I used that with excellent success on ice.
It’s just one level coarser than stone dust.

 

[oosik]

Our weather has been so screwy the last three or four years. About the time I get ready to spread some wood pellets( pellet stove stuff ) it turns nice and rains. Driveway dirt/sand get tracked onto what little ice there is. Problem solved.

 

[alexinPA]

Can you get “rice”? I used that with excellent success on ice.
It’s just one level coarser than stone dust.

Is "rice" also crashed stone?

 

[Hay Dude]

Is "rice" also crashed stone?

Yes, in my area it’s pulverized limestone or granite. Your quarry may/may not have it. I used to get a dump truck load of it when I cleared roads and lots. I downsized operations about 10 years ago and switched to 100lb bags of concrete sand.

 

[jyoutz]

In my area, the highway department spreads crushed volcanic cinders, but sometimes coarse sand. Cinders might be hard to get in your area, but I’d guess coarse sand is available everywhere.

 

[bigtiller]

Some mountain towns out west use DG (decomposed granite)
It is black and when the sun hits it the ice and snow melt.
But they have a lot more sunny days than the rest of us.

 

[jyoutz]

Some mountain towns out west use DG (decomposed granite)
It is black and when the sun hits it the ice and snow melt.
But they have a lot more sunny days than the rest of us.

Even when it doesn’t melt, DG and cinders stick in the snow/ice and add roughness to the road, improving traction.

 

[Oaktree]

heck give it try and give us update.
If it's a fine dust not sure how much traction you shall get...need little more grit.

I dunno...I use woodstove ash on ice here and it works better than sand. It's about as fine as it gets. Downside is it tracks more than sand too. We remove our shoes before coming in the house so it's not as big a deal.

 

[Hay Dude]

Usually there’s 100lb bags of coarse sand available at your local masonry supply. They are manageable and can store for a few years before the bags give out.
Dirt cheap, too.

 

[jmc]

Might make a difference of what kind of stone that's available. We only have limestone around here, which is famous for retaining moisture and clumping when cold enough. Haulers warn about spreading #53's* when it's freezing because of clumping.


* part gravel, part limestone dust, for packing

 

[Paddy]

I had a pile of limestone dust, on ice it was like white mud and did not help much. I'd think crushed stone "11's" would be much better, about the size of small pea gravel

 

[LouNY]

I use pit run sand, I get a triaxle load every couple of years, it has some salt mixed into it to slow down the freezing in the pile.
This year when I got my load I added 500 pounds of more salt to the top and mixed it in a bit.
I also use coal ash most years to as a good way to use the ash.

The last 3-4 sacks of salt spread out

mixed into the top layer and all pushed back

Tarped and ready to be uncovered and loaded into the sander.

sander ready to be loaded and spread

 

[alexinPA]

Usually there’s 100lb bags of coarse sand available at your local masonry supply. They are manageable and can store for a few years before the bags give out.
Dirt cheap, too.

Do they freeze up in winter?

 

[Hay Dude]

Lou, very nice work.

 

[Hay Dude]

Do they freeze up in winter?

I have not had that problem so long as the buyer or the supply house doesn’t leave them outside.
Typically when I did masonry work, the masons didnt want it to freeze, either. My supplier stacked the bags under roof and off the bare ground.
I kept the bags in my garages along with 80lb bags of rock salt. I would load my spreader with one bag of salt, then one bag of sand, mixing along the way, until the spreader was full.

 

[Ehanson]

I think it will work, I use North Thompson River sand, well, what I do is in the fall when the water level is low, I take 5 gallon buckets and a shovel down to the sand bar, load up a few, bring them home, then use it on my icy gravel driveway. As long as the ice is not to hard, it works incredibly well to prevent slips or falls. sprinkle the sand on, traction gained.
I have thought about heating the sand slightly to "melt" it into harder ice, but, have not tried it yet.

 

[alexinPA]

I'm getting different opinions on adding salt. Some people say salt increase moisture.. wondering what is true