Finally got some asphalt millings..

[screamin400]

My millings will start showing up at 8am this morning. I am all dug out and ready for them. Base is hard as heck as we put it in years ago. I am shooting for 3" deep before I roll it. I will be using my loader and my box blade for the application.Today is sunny and 85 so hoping it packs hard with my roller. I am using my 1.25 ton ride on roller. I do a lot of stone driveways but this is my first millings job. I am doing my own driveway first before I dare hire out. If I am not willing to do mine I am not willing to do yours. I think 3" deep on a monster base should be enough. These are fine screened millings. Thoughts?

 

[Ed of all trades]

I have heard that hot weather is good. My father in law put some on in late fall and it was like fine gravel. Never set up at all. Hope it does well. Ed

 

[TMGT]

We've used milling on the roads in our community for the last couple years, been doing test from 1-3in, we have some pretty steep hills and a lot of people that don't know how to drive on unpaved roads and it's holding up very well.
1in lasted about a year on the hill in front of my house, 3in is holding up much longer, to give you an idea of how steep it is, a lot of times I have to be in 4wd to get into my driveway with a loaded dump trailer.

Hot weather helps a lot, little moisture seems to really help the millings pack hard and the more rolling the better. We have some flat sections that are almost like a paved surface due to vehicle traffic packing it down.

 

[PILOON]

Rural roads use millings a lot around here and on hills it is excellent as heavy rains don't wash out nor do ruts occur.
They use about 5-6" as a rule and compact it well.
Did my drive years ago with great success.

 

[Egon]

For future jobs remember that the millings come from different roads at different degrees of age. Some will have lots of asphalt with it while others may be closer to just rock.

 

[TMGT]

For future jobs remember that the millings come from different roads at different degrees of age. Some will have lots of asphalt with it while others may be closer to just rock.

And I'll add what part of the pile it comes from makes a difference, the fine material will work it's way down over time, we have a few loads piled for doing road repair between having a company come out and I have to mix them a little before getting a scoop or else it's pretty inconsistent.

 

[screamin400]

Driveway is done and looks great. Now I just hope it hardens up. I will roll it everyday for a few days. Hoping to put some type of sealer on it in a month or so.

 

[tractorshopper]

Wow, that really looks great, almost like fresh asphalt job. I don't know where to get that around here, but I wonder how it compares price-wise and strength-wise to crusher-run.

 

[screamin400]

Crusher run is 10 a ton here. This was screened and 16 a yard. A yard can be 2400-2800 pounds. Very comparable in price.

 

[TMGT]

Crusher run is 10 a ton here. This was screened and 16 a yard. A yard can be 2400-2800 pounds. Very comparable in price.

Sounds about the same as here, 7-9 a ton. Crusher run didn't hold on hills and made a mess when it rained and cost more, other stone was too expensive so millings were perfect for us.

The driveway looks like it turned out great, the regular rolling should really make it turn out nice.

 

[Rustyiron]

I don't think you can "seal" millings in a traditional sense. I've put used motor oil on it and that seemed to really tighten up the surface. I rigged up a 55 drum to 2" pipe "tee'd" off left & right to about 8' wide, capped the ends and drilled holes in the pipe. Some sort of spray would have been better, but you could see (on the surface) where the oil was and wasn't. Like little stripes where the oil hit and that was visible for years. I do think it helped, esp with some of the "dryer" millings from old road surfaces where all the asphalt had evaporated. Back 15 years or so before people didn't know what to do with them, I used to get tri axle loads, delivered for $50, as many as I wanted, some times for free if they were milling close by.
Very nice job!

 

[cford36]

I put millings in myself about 5 years ago. Held up well but it will never be asphalt. You will most likely end up after a year or so with any of the fine dust or dry stuff on top. The part of my drive that was under where you drive on was like rough asphalt. The edges hard but with the loose stuff on top. I initially thought about sealing but was told it was not recommended. The fear was that it would come off in sheets.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Normal asphalt has oil product in it mixed throughout so that after its applied and cools off its all glued together. Asphalt is often applied over a base of compacted gravel. Applying a sealer or such to the top of a layer of gravel (which is sort of what you have) may not get the results your hoping for. Just keep in mind your only sealing and holding together the top surface and perhaps a bit deeper if it penetrates heavily. If the millings you received are sort of new and are full of oil perhaps they will adhere together better. If they are from a old dried out project then you basically have applied gravel. Keep in mind gravel drives can be reworked, that could be good or bad depending on your viewpoint. Asphalt or millings that are sticking together limits your options on smoothing it up once it starts to rut or pothole. You can patch it or have a milling machine to pop it up and reapply it.

On older milling i have wondered about the ability of a Harley rake to rework it. Anyone with experience doing so ?

 

[screamin400]

Just watered it and rolled it again. Certainly not the end all of driveways. Right now it is like a very dense gravel. I wanted to work it wet early as today is going to be near 90 and did not want to cool it during the day. I will roll a couple of times later today. I will probably put some kind of sealer on it soon. I do not want gravel in my house. If it does not work out I will take it out and put it behind my barn and use it as a loading area. It is not as easy to work with as a nice gravel and roller shows every imperfection. Sometimes I hate that roller

 

[TractorGuy]

All of the milling driveways I've seen around here are black in color. I can't remember the material price but when I checked I went into sticker shock. Are you saying it only cost $16 per yard? Mind telling us how much you purchased and what the delivered cost was?

 

[screamin400]

30 yards. 480 dollars. 2 loads. 85 per load so 170

 

[AxleHub]

A few thoughts.

If you put cheap blacktop sealer on blacktop - it will "dust" and track on carpets and floors and be hard on linoleums. So if you "seal" recycled blacktop, it is very likely to "dust" also because there is nothing to hold the two together. My office driveway "dusted" over an 18 month period because the sealer didn't stick well to the blacktop. It was a mess and I ended up brooming my blacktop and replacing my carpets.

In this area a 40 year old highway blacktop still contains about 28% petroleum yet and of course newer will be somewhat higher. But a big part of using recycled blacktop is three things:

1. what you put it on

2. how thick you apply it

3. how course or fine is it ground

Putting recycled blacktop on a long established old gravel surface is good because old established gravel hasn't been churned or turned so rain doesn't mush it anymore.
In this situation we usually see recycled blacktop applied at an inch to inch and a half on driveways or car lots. It stays stable and knits together well

Fresh or disturbed gravel is a different story. If rain can mush the gravel - then imagine what it does when when you put recycled on top of it. Clay falls in the same situation and either one requires thicker recycled and more issues with ruts.

And sand is yet the worst situation.

Recycled blacktop comes in the form of either a tailings or in a courser consistancy used to mix with blacktop.

 

[kevin37b]

While nobody is looking , soak it in diesel fuel the day before it is going to get real hot .

 

[Egon]

While nobody is looking , soak it in diesel fuel the day before it is going to get real hot .

And evaporate out the remaining Bitumen??
The diesel looks good today but long term it is harmful. See what it does to asphalt!

Asphalt is made from bitumen.
Oil is parrafin based.
they are not the same.

 

[screamin400]

A few thoughts.

If you put cheap blacktop sealer on blacktop - it will "dust" and track on carpets and floors and be hard on linoleums. So if you "seal" recycled blacktop, it is very likely to "dust" also because there is nothing to hold the two together. My office driveway "dusted" over an 18 month period because the sealer didn't stick well to the blacktop. It was a mess and I ended up brooming my blacktop and replacing my carpets.

In this area a 40 year old highway blacktop still contains about 28% petroleum yet and of course newer will be somewhat higher. But a big part of using recycled blacktop is three things:

1. what you put it on

2. how thick you apply it

3. how course or fine is it ground

Putting recycled blacktop on a long established old gravel surface is good because old established gravel hasn't been churned or turned so rain doesn't mush it anymore.
In this situation we usually see recycled blacktop applied at an inch to inch and a half on driveways or car lots. It stays stable and knits together well

Fresh or disturbed gravel is a different story. If rain can mush the gravel - then imagine what it does when when you put recycled on top of it. Clay falls in the same situation and either one requires thicker recycled and more issues with ruts.

And sand is yet the worst situation.

Recycled blacktop comes in the form of either a tailings or in a courser consistancy used to mix with blacktop.

Seems like you have some experience. I build stone driveways for a living. I have never done a millings driveway so I tore my beautiful stone driveway out and put this in. The base is so hard I cannot tear it up with my boxblade or my bucket. It is like a rock and 16 inches deep. Been in for years. I put in screened millings at about 3 inches deep before rolling. I have no idea the age of the millings or anything like that. No I am not going to diesel them or oil them. The driveway right now is as hard as any gravel driveway can get except for the very very top. If I turn my foot on it I can make a mark. I can drive my truck or tractor in a straight line with no tracks. It is like a dust on top that is irritating. I want to seal it and be done with it but want to do it the best I can.