clay problems

JJT · Nov 4, 2005

( I think it's more likely that the 5"+ will work its way to the surface then beat down into the clay. )

I don't think those stones are going to work their way to the surface. I did my driveway very similar. Took off 12" of topsoil, backfilled with 8"+ of bank run gravel, (cobbles), added 4" of crusher run and it's been in place for 15 years. Once a year I'll take the box scraper and york rake to the drive, every 3 or 4 years I'll add a 15 yard load of crusher run and that's it. The driveway is 800' long and sees a fair amount of truck traffic.

have_blue · Nov 5, 2005

( I'll have a descent layer of 1.5" on top, so I'm really hoping the won't migrate up over time. )

Only thing you have to watch is road width. Make the bed 2 or 3' wider than the desired road width and it probably won't creep back up on you.

ccdck20hst · Nov 5, 2005

Yup, clay in a gravel road bed is a bummer. Long time ago my folks had a house in Townsend, VT off about a two mile long dirt/clay/gravel town road and our 1/4 mile driveway. When it rained real hard and long my brothers and I would "ditch" parts of the driveway subject to wash out by etching accross the driveway in those areas not served by culverts. In mud season one year I watch my dad take a sapling about seven feet long and stick it straght down, until it was out of site in a "mud pot hole" in the town road that we had been driving around (got stuck in it a couple a times first). I have clay on my small lot here in northwestern CT. Here in Goshen they used to make clay pottery with the clay. Anyho you might end up getting a 1,000 foot roll (6 feet wide I have read) of geotextile grid to put under the first six inches? or so of your gravel. This would let your driveway "float" over the clay. I am not an engineer but they talk about this product as allowing one to basically put a patio over mud and have it work right. Also can be used for roads I beleive. The material is plastic with the gird holes being about an inch apart I think. I am thinking of using it on my short driveway to aviod pot holes if I put down a driveway may of pavers. Good luck with it. Charlie

RonR · Nov 5, 2005

This thread is going two ways........

For clay to grow stuff in, I first tried adding hundreds of pounds of gypsum over five years. Didn't really see much change in our fescue lawn (in clay).

Last year, we topdressed with 6,000 pounds of composted zoo doo. It really has made the lawn springy when you walk over it now. Before, when it was dry, it was like walking on concrete. All the new organic stuff seems to have helped the ground grow grass better. We're thinking of next year, adding another 2-3000 pounds. Might use an aerator then to work it in (or use the aerator prior to adding the zoodoo).

My two cents.

ron

JimMorrissey · Nov 6, 2005

Charlie,

Yeah, I have hundreds of feet of geotextile here. It will be used for the main sections that are not in need of the big 5" stone. Our geotextile is tightly woven and extremely strong. Excellent stuff. As a friend told me, "Even scraps of it make a big difference". These rolls are 12.5' wide and 400' long.

Townsend is about an hour south of me. Used to drive through it all the time on my way south to Boston or the Cape.

JimMorrissey · Nov 6, 2005

Like that will be, but why do you think that's the case? How does the bed width affect stone migration......

I'll leave the top layer a bit shy of the base for easier drainage.

JimMorrissey · Nov 6, 2005

Yeah, it's turned into a general clay discussion. That's OK /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I still hate clay......

Farwell · Nov 6, 2005

Jim,
There is a Geotextile Grid product that is not a woven fabric, it is a bunch of little boxes that are in a mesh like form that actually holds the rock in place. I have seen it in California in flood prone areas along highways. Those boxes are 6 inch by 6 inch squares that have a 4 inch or larger walls. There are many different sizes and uses for these products. If you already have the Geotextile mat material I am probably telling you something that you already know.
Farwell

JimMorrissey · Nov 6, 2005

Yep, you're right.....I've looked at websites of various manufacturers and there are many different kinds. I saw some "fabric" that was made with strands of Kevlar believe it or not. A 400' roll of the stuff was something like $1200. However, they claim you can lay big rock on top of it and basically build a road or parking lot on top of a swamp /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

We're pretty lucky to have these materials and technology available to us. I thank my hoe everytime I use it. Immigrants used to do this work by hand......absolute craziness. The shovel just bounces off and my back hurts after 15 minutes of hand work. Maybe it's just that I'm getting "soft" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

RonR · Nov 6, 2005

I learned a lot when I bought the current house!

Grew up in rich, sandy loam ground that was wonderful to grow stuff in. Our first house has similar sandy loam. Not quite as good as Dad's house, but tolerable.

Then we moved. I never thought to check the soil! The house had a nice lawn on it. Little did I know that when dry, a pickaxe wouldn't penetrate it! And don't think about using a hand shovel.

We tried to put a cedar fence around the back to keep our dog in. I rented a 20HP tractor and PHD. Knowing what I know now, the PHD auger tip was probably not set right, but we spent 8 hours digging 24 holes, some only 18" deep.

When we shop for the next house, the realtor will think I'm nuts, but I'm taking a hand trowel and digging a hole a foot deep in a few places to check out the dirt...............

I know some in our area got so fed up, they hired bobcats to take out a foot of "topsoil", replaced it with real topsoil, and planted in it..........

Good luck with your clay!

Ron