Driveway woes

[rswyan]

Do you plan on living at this location for some time ? If so do yourself a favor and get a roll of landscape fabric and put it down before the gravel is spread. It will prevent the gravel from being pushed into the clay, and having the clay infiltrate into the gravel.

I'm in the process of relocating and replacing an 600' asphalt driveway that was built over heavy clay. When my father built this driveway some 25 years ago or so, he failed to really create an adequate base. He did put down heavy slag initially, then cinders, then limestone pea-gravel. Repeatedly. Before the driveway was paved there was always a problem with ruts and chuckholes, after it was paved there were repeated problems with the driveway heaving and cracking.

I removed all the asphalt from the old driveway (since I'm relocating it to an area with better drainage) - what was interesting to see is that how little of the original base is left under the asphalt - most of it is gone - sunk and intermingled with clay at this point. I wasn't able to get this project finished last fall before bad weather set in - and the old driveway base is now a mud bog.

 

[dmccarty]

daveman,

Use geotextile fabric. I see you already dug out the road before I could answer. The stuff I use is costing me something like $340 for a roll 360 feet long and 12.5 feet wide. My driveway is something like 500 feet long at present. Eventually it will go back another 150 feet or so. I'm building a barn foundation right now that will have a gravel base. The gravel will be put on the fabric. The soil around the barn to be is a VERY wet soggy clay. The fabric will keep the stone from being pushed into the clay.

My soil is clay or wet soggy clay. My driveway has water running down it when it rains due to grading changes during the house construction. Its ugly but the fabric keeps the stone in place. One you get off the fabric its gumbo. The road I have is in decent shape but I graded it a year ago. My driveway has never been graded and does not show signs of needing to be graded due to the fabric. Even with all of the construction traffic, logging truck, dozers, cement trucks, etc, the driveway handled it real well.

The guy I buy the fabric from sells it off the roll for the same price per foot as if you bought the whole roll. He has rolls 15 feet wide as well. He has the stuff down at his business. He has dump trucks in there all of the time dropping off loads are picking up. His gravel is as good as the day it was dropped.

Get the fabric if you can. I think you might have been able to have put it down on grade after the grass was removed. It would save you from spending the time and money on the gravel. For my driveway I figured a four inch base of ABC. I know in places I have less than that amount but I don't have any problems. I have some more stuff to truck into the new house so maybe by the end of 2005 I'll bring in a few load to top dress the driveway but that is a cosmetic issue not structural.

As far as I'm concerned fabric is the only way to put in a driveway.

Later,
Dan

 

[PineRidge]

Rswyan where did you get your fabric? I have an area that I need to gravel up to my burn area. Getting to it in the winter with the TC-40D has been a real mess. I have finally decided to dig out and put down a good base of stone.

I also have a parking area next to the pole barn that needs the same treatment. I wonder if those boys down at Discount Drain on Arlington carry the fabric?

EDIT: Just called Discount Drain and they only sell full rolls of 12-1/2 foot wide X 432' long. If anyone knows a source for split rolls please let me know. Thanks!

 

[daveman]

Wish I would have spotted that before I dug. Wife said they have the large rock there already. And they spread it decent with the truck. Should I dig this back up? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Or just see how it handles it first. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif Driveway currently went back only 50' so far. I hit a soupy spot that sunk my tractor last night. And after getting it out I was to aggrivated to continue. (After 10:00pm The neighbor kiddy corner across the street starts staring. Don't want to upset anyone yet. Still moving in.) I'm thinking of taking the backhoe and seeing how deep this soupy spot is. Then backfilling with some gravel or something solid. Like concrete from the Barn I've yet to tear down! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I'm hoping to put a workshop at the end of the parking area. So I can finally have my own play space without animal cages and supplies. (10 years in business with the chinchillas and they finally have there own place. ) Is there a good way to pack the stones? And the future pad for the workshop?

 

[PineRidge]

Soupy spots normally indicate water run off. If you have water problems you will need plastic drainage pipes under the drive to move the water. If it is allowed to cross the top of the drive it will never firm up.

I have 3 pipes diverting water under our drive in various locations. They keep the drive stable.

 

[rswyan]

Mike,

As you surmised, Discount Drainage is the place. I bought a roll last summer to redo the driveway but have used a good portion of it (maybe 1/4 or 1/3) to line 250' of french drain I put in. I don't recall whether I got the non-woven (360' roll) or woven (432' roll) - it was whatever they recommended for the application (driveway.) I'm going to have purchase at least another roll - maybe two - to complete the driveway.

Let me know how much you need, and I could either take the remainder of your full roll if you were to buy one, or I could hook you up with some of the roll I have here. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Hey thanks so much for the kind offer Rswyan. I'll take a measurement and let you know tomorrow at the lunch meeting.

Cheers!

 

[hhw]

Sorry about the typo (50 vs 15) at least I plugged the right # into the equation, 35-40 ton total. As far as compacting the stone; what we have been using is a rental walk-behind Vib Roller. They get about $125/ day for one here. You need to be able to fill it with water on site. I know this much; when you turn on the HYD. VIB. you know there is something at the end of your arms. I've used one for 5-6- hours in a day. I think it took me three days to stop shaking. But, the "thing" as I call it seems to do a good job.

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sorry about the typo (50 vs 15) at least I plugged the right # into the equation, 35-40 ton total. As far as compacting the stone; what we have been using is a rental walk-behind Vib Roller. They get about $125/ day for one here. You need to be able to fill it with water on site. I know this much; when you turn on the HYD. VIB. you know there is something at the end of your arms. I've used one for 5-6- hours in a day. I think it took me three days to stop shaking. But, the "thing" as I call it seems to do a good job. )</font>

I ran one of those babies for 2 straight days when I was filling in one corner of the foundation for my shop. (packing dense grade) When I was done on day 2, I decided to celibrate with a frosty cold one. I popped the cap of the Hieny. I was shaking so much it made my brewsky foam up...... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[daveman]

I have a friend that does concrete work that has one of those "Things". I've seen him use it before pours. I never thought of that! Wonder if it is loanable! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Although with the "Springtime in Ohio" snowfall I had this weekend. I couldn't do anything on the driveway. For those waiting on pictures, be patient! Right now I have 12" of snow covering it so it looks like part of the field. I didn't want to plow it with the loose stone. Would have been messy. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif