Geotextile carrier

[ENG18LT]

I am going to be putting in a 400' driveway on our property so I decided to build a carrier for the geotextile fabric. I was going to use 2x4, 3/16 wall square tube, except the supplier had some 4x3, 1/4 wall for half the price (called it surplus). I made the main beam 13' long, attached a 2' section along the backside at each end to help keep the arms from twisting. Then I took 18" pieces over to a friends and had him cut some holes with his plasma cutter for 1 1/4" sleeves. There will be a 1" pipe that will slide through one sleeve, the fabric roll, and then the other sleeve. Plan is to drill a 3/8 hole in each sleeve, then weld a 5/16" nut on as a retainer for the main pipe. As you can see I have not put in the sleeves yet. I need to get the 1" pipe first so I can make sure the sleeves line up before I weld them. Also welded on a Skid Steer plate so I can attach it to my loader. This is my first solo build so I hope it works out.

 

[BHD]

looks like it should work, and looks like your doing a nice job,

just a consideration,

I see in the back ground what looks like some gasoline cans, (not the best where one is welding), and setting on the floor like that sparks could case a major emergency,

I had a friend who lost a shop on a very similar set of circumstances,

 

[ENG18LT]

Well nobody is perfect.

 

[BHD]

not jumping on you, some times things get sat down and nearly become permanent. out even considering what is a possibility,
If the friend had not lost his shop to a similar situation I most likely would not have even seen it,

 

[ENG18LT]

No problem, just cranky cause I had to come back to the rat race and leave the farm till next weekend.

 

[smiley]

Good looking job and it'll definitely work, just remember to carry it low because they get tippy on sidehills and rough ground. We used carriers like yours for plastic dump liners and a couple times for stopping reflective cracking on already paved parking lots. Roadbeds however were generally soft so we just rolled it out by hand. You'll get your use out of it and I'm sure if you don't find another use, will be able to sell it to a contractor.

 

[ENG18LT]

I thought about just unrolling on the ground, but it will be just me. A little too heavy to screw around with by myself. This should make life a little easier, certainly easier then asking the wife to help lug the roll around!:laughing:

 

[smiley]

I thought about just unrolling on the ground, but it will be just me. A little too heavy to screw around with by myself. This should make life a little easier, certainly easier then asking the wife to help lug the roll around!:laughing:

They're definitely tough rolling out alone unless it's downhill. I imagine that if the subgrade is too soft to drive on, you could park at one end then maybe get the wife to pull it out with a 4 wheeler, lawn tractor etc.

 

[ENG18LT]

That's not a bad idea. I am thinking the substrate is going to be ok. My 9000 lb tractor doesn't sink at all, but we'll see what happens after I peel for the top soil.

 

[smiley]

Does the road get bad in the spring or rainstorms or is it just insurance? We only used geotextile to stabilize soft subgrades. We put a lot of it in over in the Syracuse area. If it's solid you might be better off putting those $ into more gravel or blacktop.

 

[ENG18LT]

There are a few spots where it can get quite soft, if not downright wet.

 

[smiley]

There are a few spots where it can get quite soft, if not downright wet.

12 ft wide will probably be in the neighborhood of $8-900 but may be worth it to use in that case.
If you have any left over, it's quite versatile stuff, It makes excellent equipment covers. I have them made from leftovers for almost every tractor, boat, etc that I own. We also wired it on machines for windbreaks around the operators. Although designed to let water through, when it's draped over something it sheds it like a duck. You just fold the edges over to double it and put in grommets or be real fancy and hem it first. We also used it to stabilize a pond dam made mostly out of pushed up topsoil. Once it silts in, the water stops going through. One thing not to use it for is covers for blacktop trucks. Some of our truckers learned that the hard way, when they arrived at the job and found it melted right into the load.

 

[ENG18LT]

I picked up a 12/6 x 432' roll of woven fabric for less then $500.00 here in Syracuse and took it out to the farm already. I doubt that there will be any left over material, at least from this roll. I will get some pictures up when I get to doing the driveway later this spring.

 

[smiley]

Sounds like you got a good deal on that because I pulled up the list price on the woven that we used and it was $600 + for a 300 ft roll. We'll be waiting for the pics and by the looks of the weather up there, you may get started on it sooner than you thought.

 

[Ledge End]

Does the road get bad in the spring or rainstorms or is it just insurance? We only used geotextile to stabilize soft subgrades. We put a lot of it in over in the Syracuse area. If it's solid you might be better off putting those $ into more gravel or blacktop.

How does one decide when subgrade is too soft?

How long will the textile last before it breaks down and is useless?

I would like to setup an area to park 8 tractor trailers side by side. Should I put this down lengthwise (with direction of trailer) or crosswise?

 

[ENG18LT]

Here is the final product. I am pleased with the way it came out.

 

[deezler]

Skills! I like it, definitely going to beat rolling it manually.

The only thing I don't like is the thought of how much shipping is going to cost to get that sucker out here to do my driveway once you're done with it.

 

[ENG18LT]

Deezler where you at?

 

[smiley]

How does one decide when subgrade is too soft?

How long will the textile last before it breaks down and is useless?

I would like to setup an area to park 8 tractor trailers side by side. Should I put this down lengthwise (with direction of trailer) or crosswise?

When required we had a proof roller, which is a large steel box on 2 large tractor turf type tires that we'd load to about 50 tons and pull it down the road. Any good heavily loaded 6 wheeled dump truck will give you a good indication just running it over the area. Spring time would be best but not when the ground is sloppy wet because naturally you'll sink then. If you have places that you drop out of sight, that area should be dug out at least 2-3 ft or to good bottom and filled with large stone. If the whole area is bad. underdrains should be used. if you just have some rutted spots, excavate a foot or more and lay in the geotextile, lapped at least 16 - 18 inches and fill it up with gravel. I would say lay it in legnthways so if soft spot developed you can stay away so you don't pump mud up from underneath and blow the textile apart. If you do develop one, it can be repaired by taking the gravel off a large area around it dig out the slop and replace with stone, Lay new textile on top and cover back up with gravel.
As far as how long it lasts. It'll out last all of us. As mentioned, I have several equipment covers that have been exposed to the elements for at least 20 years and just show some fading.
I'm on the road in S Carolina right now so have been offline and will be for a couple more days at least.

Lookin good Lee

 

[ENG18LT]

Thank you sir.