Driveway expansion

[duanekeys]

So my wife and I bought a horse trailer with living quarters to "save" money when traveling to shows (we're hauling and showing goats) instead of having to pay for hotels.

I failed to calculate several things into the savings including a new mattress for the living quarters, bedding, dishes, etc.

Upon arriving home with the trailer we realized width of the driveway off the state highway is way too narrow. We now need to widen our driveway to safely get the trailer. It's a gooseneck with a 27' deck and the truck we're pulling it with is an 04 Ford F350 (also probably trading that truck off now, another savings miscalculation, but that's another story). When making a left turn into the driveway we still managed to get the inside wheels off the driveway and drug the bumper of the trailer through the mud.

I've had the MoDoT engineer out and they're not paying for anything as the current culvert is in good condition and he wouldn't give me any idea what it's going to cost to add a 6' section of concrete culvert to each side plus tapered ends, then all the rock backfill.

I have a contractor coming out to bid it this week, but I wondered if anyone had a ball park cost? Am I talking 500 bucks? 5000 bucks?? There are rock quarries north and south of me less than a couple of miles away, so hauling shouldn't add too much cost.

 

[mjw357]

No way to tell without at least a couple of pictures. What size pipe are you extending? And what do you mean by 'tapered ends'? Headwalls?

 

[duanekeys]

I'll grab a pic after work.

I'm not real sure on the diameter. I would guess the pipe is 2' in diameter but it could be larger.

The engineer said it had to have tapered ends, I assumed it was something like this:

 

[mjw357]

OK that's like a precast outlet/headwall deal. Does your pipe have those now, or is he implying that you need to 'upgrade' if you do any changes to your drive pipe? If you have them now, just re-use the ones that are there. You might also consider extending the pipe 10' to just one side, instead of both sides to save some labor costs. Unless there is a reason it has to be symmetrical.

 

[duanekeys]

I don't have them now and the engineer said I need to do both sides as one side is eroding badly.

 

[excav8ter]

I'll grab a pic after work.

I'm not real sure on the diameter. I would guess the pipe is 2' in diameter but it could be larger.

The engineer said it had to have tapered ends, I assumed it was something like this:

F.E.S = Flared End Section.

Probably ASTM C-76

 

[rsewill]

That's a long trailer! How busy is your state highway? When turning left, if not too busy, try turning a dozen feet past your driveway until your truck steer axle is on the shoulder next to your driveway, then back up as you turn your steering wheel left (jack knifing your rig,) then head into your drive. As a truck driver I had to do that often. You may already be doing that, if so:

I'm sure you are already turning left from the far right side of the state road. Rather than widening your driveway, assuming you are in a rural area, you may find it easier and cheaper to widen the state road a foot or two or four with some gravel from the nearby quarry. Also you may want to haul in some three inch rock and place it on the edges of your entrance which will effectively widen the area you can use. If need be you can place rip rap around the end of the culvert to beef up the bank.

If none of that appeals to you then go with the culvert extension.

Ps. If you are in a farming area in many states you can't put anything in the ditch ( or dig it out) without a permit.

 

[bearhawk]

Have you tried backing the trailer in ?

Once you get the hang of it you should be able to put this trailer where you want it..

And the calculating the savings trick... Works (almost) every time..

I remember "We can put up a small barn so we don't have to pay the monthly board." fast forward to another barn and three more horses later.. (I should have just paid the board..