Driveway gravel

[gstrom99]

With the snow piles melting, I'm now seeing the gravel that got picked up and left on the grass. Here and there, with a few "piles".

Anyone have any tricks/tips to share on how they put it all back on the driveway, where it belongs? Picking up individual stones (put into a bucket or tossed back) gets tedious FAST.

 

[JJT]

Simply rake it back into the driveway. I switched from a plow to a blower 25 years ago and rarely pick up any gravel now. With the plow, the snow banks always had lots of gravel.

If you have young kids - put them to work. Mine are in there 30's and they still complain about picking rocks when they were younger. Back then I paid $.25 a bucket, I'm hoping the statute of limitations on child labor has expired.

 

[JohnnyMX]

I use a landscape rake angled for my 1/2 mile driveway and just try to get them the best I can. That is mostly 1-2" crusher stone so they are larger pieces. My parking area near the house is smaller gravel and I just started using the broom/sweeper attachment for my Stihl Kombi system. It puts it al back in the driveway in about an hour or less and keeps my grass where it was.

If the snow was still mixed in you could move the pile back to the driveway and let it melt so the stone ends up back on the drive.

 

[Joe Hickerson]

With the snow piles melting, I'm now seeing the gravel that got picked up and left on the grass. Here and there, with a few "piles".

Anyone have any tricks/tips to share on how they put it all back on the driveway, where it belongs? Picking up individual stones (put into a bucket or tossed back) gets tedious FAST.

I would vote for children and grandchildren!!

 

[Amvcane]

Can you back drag some of the snow with high concentrations of gravel back onto the edge of the driveway to melt?

 

[LD1]

Depending on driveway gravel size....#8's as we call them around here (3/8"-1/2") or about the size of pea gravel....are easily picked up with a shopvac but not so easy to rake.

#57's (bout 3/4" stuff) is the wild card. They dont rake well or shopvac well.

Next common size we have is #4's. Those are about golfball sized stuff. No shopvac but rake easily with a leaf rake.

One trick as you will find out in the future......make your last mowing of the season really low. At least along the drive or where you plow snow to. I typically mow at 4", but in the spring that makes it a little more challenging to get the gravel out of the yard. Shave the grass down as low as you can without scalping makes this spring task alot more bearable

 

[ruffdog]

Two people, a scoop shovel and rake can get lots of gravel from the grass. Even a small one handed spring rake for flower gardens and a dust pan will work. It depends on how much gravel and how much time you have.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I use a landscape rake with gauge wheels to keep the tines from pulling up the grass.

 

[gstrom99]

It's mostly the 3/4" size. Thanks for all the good ideas. It's going to be awhile til I get out there after it, as it's forecast to be cold again for awhile.

 

[bigtiller]

With the snow piles melting, I'm now seeing the gravel that got picked up and left on the grass. Here and there, with a few "piles".

Anyone have any tricks/tips to share on how they put it all back on the driveway, where it belongs? Picking up individual stones (put into a bucket or tossed back) gets tedious FAST.

I just did this job yesterday while the temperature was unusually an high 67 degrees.
I just barely covered the bottom of the can.
In years past it was a LOT more.