Gravel Road .. best time to add more Gravel or Road Base to top

[CowwFace]

The builder of our place made the driveway from road base and called it recycled asphalt. There may be some asphalt in it; but it's a muddy mess during wet weather. Now the 'road base' with a gravel overlay may work just fine. I think what might work better is road base followed by geotextile fabric and then gravel; but that's just a guess on my part.

If anyone has actual experience with that method of road construction, I hope they post their comments.

In any case, water control is the key as others have said.

Up in mountainous Conifer where CowwFace is from, he may have trouble getting a semi in there to spread the load and may to get a dump truck to do it. Otherwise he gets more seat time doing his own spreading.

Hey mjncad,

Crimony... I don't know if I can get the neighbors to throw in on a few hundred bucks of gravel.. can you imagine the looks on their faces when I come to the table with geotextile option... heheheh.

I think the Crown is the key. I think I'm going to have to swallow my pride, and go back out and re-crown the road in the center. I'll be like a monkey in a cage with the neighbors poking me with a stick... "look at the stoopid tractor boy"... GULP!!!!

Thanks for your help MJ,
Phill

 

[CowwFace]

I like to spread in early summer. In the spring when the frost comes out of the ground the roads look like they need rock because they are soft from the thaw. You usually do more damage fixing ruts than you fix. If you add rock in the fall it will not be worked down by traffic before winter and will easily be taken off with the snow plow.

Dan

Hey Dan,

Only in Colorado can you have 41" of snow last week, and now this week it's been in the mid 60's up here during the day.

I think I've manuevered myself into 2 main problems:

1. A "neighbor problem"
2. Drainage problem...​

At this point I'm not sure which is the greater of the two?

It's like the Alan Jackson song... "It can be fixed.. just takes money"

Phill

 

[beenthere]

I wouldn't continue with beating yourself up over the road.

You will end up with it in better shape, and can be proud of being the one who "done it"

What equipment are you using?
If just a straight blade like on a box scraper, then getting a crown isn't easy. Even a rear blade with angle but without leveling wheels is better, but not easy. Plan to make a lot of passes moving gravel from the sides to the middle (and not when it is muddy ) with a rear blade and then back drag with the blade straight to smooth off the crown.

Have a good mix of the old gravel with any new, or the old with the 'marbles' that have rolled off to the sides. Need the fines in the mix which is hard to do if you have a rake. Rakes just separate the fines leaving the marbles on top, by my experience. With separation, it is very hard to drive over with tires and get a good pack that will shed water.

Stir it up, pull it to the middle and then shape the crown. Pack it down right away and you should be good to go.

Chuck holes and ruts can be fixed only by mixing the gravel and smoothing it out and packing it down. Just rolling marbles into the ruts or holes will very soon be rolled out by traffic, and the original ruts and holes re-appear.

If any of this makes sense, use it. Worked well for me for 35 years.

 

[EddieWalker]

...I've got some feelers out for reclaimed asphalt ... seems to be less expensive and possibly better over time?

Reclaimed asphalt is good for a road surface, but only as a top layer to something already solid underneith it. It does not have any strength to it, no matter how thick you put it down.

Road base, which also has a dozen different names around the country, is a type of rock that is so varied in size,that when compacted, it forms a solid layer. The size of the rock is critical. It has to be big enough to offer support, but also has to have all those smaller sizes to COMPLETELY compact with itself. The edges MUST have sharp, angular edges. Round rock, like river rock is totally worthless. The the tiny little pebbles in asphault are round.

Five years is pretty good for a gravel road to remain in decent shape. Of course, the amount of use it receives and how much water sits on it, also has a big factor in it's lifespan. One of the worse things you can do to a gravel driveway is to smooth it out once it's compacted. Every time you go over it, you loosen it up and make it a bit thinner. Dave said that 6 inches is what's used in his area, and that would really make a very strong road. 4 inches is the minimum. Once the gravel gets thinner then 4 inches, it no longer has the ability to lock together. Once it starts to move, water can get into it and wash away your fines. Then you will start having potholes and low spots.

To fix this, and for periodic maintenance, you have to loosen up the surrounding rock and add NEW rock. Just adding rock to a low spot will accomplish nothing. You HAVE TO loosen it and dig up the old stuff to mix it in with the new stuff.

Since I don't live in an area where it snows, I can't speak for snow removal on a gravel road. From what I know about roads and rock, I would make sure that I NEVER touched the road when removing the snow. Leave an inch of snow on the gravel. Every time you desturb the rock, you start the process of it washing away. If you never touch it, it will last for decades. Driving on it disturbes it, so that's where your periodic maintenance and replacement of lost rock comes into play.

I own part of an old Army Base that was built in 1942. I have part of a road that was left sitting for 60 years without anybody driving on it. In those years, there is no sign of it eroding or wearing out. I can't speak for what condition it was in when they closed down the base, but just guessing, it's in remarkable condition for all those years in an area that gets almost 4 feet of rain in an average year, with 2 to 4 inch downpours not being uncommon. Sadly, I tore it up for other things and changed the road around to meet my needs.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[/pine]

just my 2｢
Unless you actually displaced (moved) the existing gravel it should still be there...generally after I grade out our hilly gravel road it takes several good rains to wash out the clay/mud that gets disturbed...after several rains the gravel is back on top...if there is standing water (mud holes) they should be addrssed...

If as you say..."nothing" has been done (as in new gravel) to the road in several years...the neighbor may just be trying to use your "good deeds" as a way of trying to get out of paying their share...?

Gravel does "migrate" to the shoulders and down slopes over time...often it is burried and not obvious...before I start any grading I try to locate and collect/stockpile any usable gravel that has left the actual road surface,,

 

[dodge man]

I'll add that even if you have a great gravel road, when you go through several wet frezze thaw cycles, they can get soft.

 

[dave1949]

One thing that works with a private road - form a road association and meet once per year to decide/vote on what road maintenance will be done, set a maximum cost, elect a job 'foreman' to get estimates, etc.

I suppose it varies considerably from state to state, here in Maine a road association has legal standing. If a majority of road property abuters vote to do something, they can obligate all abuters to pay - whether they use the road or not.

That may be more than you want to get into, but at least an informal neighborhood gathering to discuss the road would help. Otherwise, there will always be some one who 'knows' you messed up, usually the person who never lifts a finger themselves. As you say, no good deed goes unpunished.
Dave

 

[mcd176]

Ahhhhh.......... the issues of private gravel roads, I too have been there and still doing that My road is 3/4 of a mile to my home, we have 5 families on our road but only me and my brother in law do anything to maintain it, that includes the gravel and unfortunatly my brother in laws driveway ends before mine so I have at least 1/4 of a mile to pay for myself because my cheap a** non gravel buying, always has and excuse neighbor wont pay for anything! Sorry just had to vent

Anyhow, you guys are right WATER is the biggest enemy, I have done alot to correct water flow but still have some more to do this spring.


-Mike

 

[beenthere]

Regards snow removal, for many years I would not touch the blade to the drive to remove snow until the drive was frozen. I'd let the snow melt in or melt off, whichever came first. The drive is all asphalt now, and I don't have the problem of dust. But I also don't have the advantage of the extra traction, and I miss it.
I liked dropping the blade down on the drive when it was frozen, as it rolled out a bit of gravel that would help with traction. Removed a small bit to the side, but not a major pain. Same with spring, if the gravel wasn't frozen, then I stayed off it with the blade. Just tears it up.
For those yet to make the decision, don't get involved with a shared private drive unless there is a working agreement for those using it. Nothing but trouble or ill-will.
As to re-processed asphalt, it works well as a drive if after a year or two, it is sealed with oil. That will reconstitute and bind the asphalt together. Not as good as hot asphalt laid down, but can be darn close to the same. In some places, have to put that oil on at night tho.

 

[CowwFace]

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to say thank you again for all of your input.

I think the road base is still in great shape.. pretty firm, so I'm going to try the reclaimed asphalt route. Now of coarse we have more snow on the way this Saturday / Sunday so I'm going to try to hold off till after that.

Now that I have a better padawan knowledge I think I will be prepared in future as well.. I had no idea it was so important to have all the different sizes of aggregate to get things to bind togeather.. You guys Rock!

Phill