Back to our OP, give us an update once it's done, Maybe some pictures, and what you like/dislike about it.
Apologies in advance if this is an inappropriate post. I welcome constructive criticism if I am hijacking the topic and/or should post under a different section of the forum.
In anticipation of adding gravel to a country driveway in western Washington that has considerable slope, I would like to smooth some of the ridges and potholes. I’m hoping not to hire heavier equipment for this task but my subcompact Yanmar 1610 D with a bucket and box scraper may not be up to the task. I would appreciate commentary from experienced members of the forum regarding the capability of this small workhorse. The existing driveway has a good base of the basalt rock starting with 6 to 8 inch diameter which was built up with 2 to 3 inch riprap then multiple layers of three-quarter inch minus gravel over the years. Part of what I would need to smooth would involve some of the 2-3 inch material which is quite well compacted but is contributing to the ridges and potholes. I know it’s difficult to make recommendations on the basis of a verbal description but I would appreciate guidelines from the group. Thank you!
In anticipation of adding gravel to a country driveway in western Washington that has considerable slope, I would like to smooth some of the ridges and potholes. I’m hoping not to hire heavier equipment for this task but my subcompact Yanmar 1610 D with a bucket and box scraper may not be up to the task. I would appreciate commentary from experienced members of the forum regarding the capability of this small workhorse. The existing driveway has a good base of the basalt rock starting with 6 to 8 inch diameter which was built up with 2 to 3 inch riprap then multiple layers of three-quarter inch minus gravel over the years. Part of what I would need to smooth would involve some of the 2-3 inch material which is quite well compacted but is contributing to the ridges and potholes. I know it’s difficult to make recommendations on the basis of a verbal description but I would appreciate guidelines from the group. Thank you!
So, for pot holes in your base, 1st, get the water out, then rip the area of the pot hole before adding additional material, and then recompact. You don't want to just pack material in the holes, or it doesn't really form a cohesive unit with the rest of the material. Pictures would always help.
The second part, the ridges, we locally refer to as washboarding; and the only way I know to get rid of it is to cut some of it off and redistribute. If your machine can, you can basically just scratch up the surface with box blade rippers, maybe 1-2" deep, smooth it all back out. Wash board is created by a vehicles suspension bouncing, and once it starts, it basically makes itself worse with each pass in a vehicle, as shocks/struts/springs bounce
You mentioned getting additional "gravel", so, ideally, that would be added to the scarified surface. You don't really want smooth, compact layer, and then place a thin layer on top; that ends up leeding to what we call Scabbing; a thin surface layer, not really bonded, that separates. Being on a steep grade will back that worse, as you either brake going down, or accelerate going up in a vehicle.
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texas42
Silver Member
Been following this thread with interest. First off, the terms used are not interchangeable.
Gravel is unprocessed natural stone - it would be like trying to drive on marbles of different sizes. Crushed gravel is natural gravel that has been processed and larger pieces reduced in size, may have some fines - better than gravel but not much. Crushed Stone is stone that comes from a quarry usually blasted out of a solid state and crushed, processed and sized to meet certain requirements. Crusher Run is crushed stone that varies from a top size of 1 1/2 or 2 inches down to and including fines. Readily compacts especially if watered while being compacted
Gravel is unprocessed natural stone - it would be like trying to drive on marbles of different sizes. Crushed gravel is natural gravel that has been processed and larger pieces reduced in size, may have some fines - better than gravel but not much. Crushed Stone is stone that comes from a quarry usually blasted out of a solid state and crushed, processed and sized to meet certain requirements. Crusher Run is crushed stone that varies from a top size of 1 1/2 or 2 inches down to and including fines. Readily compacts especially if watered while being compacted
Thanks for your input, paulsharvey.
"Gravel"" was incorrect. Crushed rock, probably 3/4 minus or 5/8 minus has been added over the years after the road bed was established.
Roger that on the pothole treatment. Do you think my 18 hp Yanmar would be up to the task?
The ridges are primarily in the center of the driveway, running parallel… more or less the result of the formation of adjacent ruts. These are not wash boarding or what in eastern Texas we used to call "corduroy road", ridges running in a perpendicular orientation.
I'll try to get some images posted.
Your machine is fine, if you have a box blade with a couple ripper teeth. I'm Not talking deep ripping, so maybe max of 2", and you can always remove or flip some teeth up if your bogging the machine.
For those parallel lines, I think same thing; just lightly rip the entire cross width of the the drive, running with the travel way. Make sure you don't remove the crown, so take the time to check that you aren't messing it up, and just start ripping a couple days before the new material is coming in. Don't go deep, don't move a lot of material, and take your time. Also, don't obsess over perfection.
So the naming conventions get weird; we don't use gravel, crushed stone, or crusher run here; we use limerock roadbase. It is a soft rock that is mined either by blasting, drag line, or plain track hoe, and is very soft for the most part, and runs from powder upto fist sized. There are also granular base materials, almost never used, and the normal #57/83/ect washed rock, clean 'gravel' that is a hard rock that is cracked, and fines washed off, for use in concrete, or as a non-compacting pipe backfill or other specific applications. Although not really available around here, you also have smooth, river rock type gravel, that frankly is suitable for landscaping. Being all marbles, and no fractured sides, not suitable for a roadbase, driveway, or use it concrete.
Crushed concrete is a great material at times; but we don't just use it from every crusher, has to be pre-approved, for the specific reason; 10.of us all stand here and say "crushed concrete", I garrantee we each are talking about a different material; one guy is thinking large construction entrance rock, no fines, no small rock, basically soft ball to base ball; guy 2 is thinking of the stuff that comes out as powder to maybe BB sized, works fantastic for a brick paver base material; I'm here thinking of powder to maybe 1.5" mix if material, that works good under asphalt. As often as not, I think guys mean #57 stone when they say crushed concrete, as all 57 stone around here is basically from recrushed, graded, and washed recycled concrete.
The ideal base material for a standard base is going to be approx equal parts of many grades (sizes), starting from dust, on up, to somewhere around 1, 1.5, inches, upto maybe the size of your fist. Do to it's nature, this type of material requires moisture to compact and achieve max density. Too much water can often lead to pumping while trying to comoact, the base moving up-down-side, and then it needs a chance to dry. This kinda material dumped into a wet hole, or if it gets a heavy down pour of rain before being compacted can be a real mess, but once in place/compacted, resists rutting.
If you are dealing with wet areas, a washed stone/gravel is a good material, as it can be dumped and spread, it will be unaffected by the water, it is essentially compacted by default as soon as it's dumped in, and can be topped with a proper base material. Another (non approved, but works) approach to a wet area, is roadbase, compacted till pumping, and then scarify, add a couple bags of Portland cement, regrade and compact and get the Frick off it, and let the Portland do it's thing.
Crushed concrete is a great material at times; but we don't just use it from every crusher, has to be pre-approved, for the specific reason; 10.of us all stand here and say "crushed concrete", I garrantee we each are talking about a different material; one guy is thinking large construction entrance rock, no fines, no small rock, basically soft ball to base ball; guy 2 is thinking of the stuff that comes out as powder to maybe BB sized, works fantastic for a brick paver base material; I'm here thinking of powder to maybe 1.5" mix if material, that works good under asphalt. As often as not, I think guys mean #57 stone when they say crushed concrete, as all 57 stone around here is basically from recrushed, graded, and washed recycled concrete.
The ideal base material for a standard base is going to be approx equal parts of many grades (sizes), starting from dust, on up, to somewhere around 1, 1.5, inches, upto maybe the size of your fist. Do to it's nature, this type of material requires moisture to compact and achieve max density. Too much water can often lead to pumping while trying to comoact, the base moving up-down-side, and then it needs a chance to dry. This kinda material dumped into a wet hole, or if it gets a heavy down pour of rain before being compacted can be a real mess, but once in place/compacted, resists rutting.
If you are dealing with wet areas, a washed stone/gravel is a good material, as it can be dumped and spread, it will be unaffected by the water, it is essentially compacted by default as soon as it's dumped in, and can be topped with a proper base material. Another (non approved, but works) approach to a wet area, is roadbase, compacted till pumping, and then scarify, add a couple bags of Portland cement, regrade and compact and get the Frick off it, and let the Portland do it's thing.
Picture of our standard base material, picture stolen from V.E. Whitehurst, a company of great good old boys.
Locally, "gravel" or #57 stone, is almost never a good choice for a driveway or a base material; it is Far more expensive than limerock, doesn't bond together, ect. It does however resist washing unlike limerock.
