Help !! - Drowning in River Gravel

njrqs · May 4, 2002

Well it has taken us 18months since we moved in, but I finally got around to finishing the driveway.

Christmas time I got the straight bit of the driveway done in some good roadbase type material. Doesn't look pretty but now is like concrete !

Near the house and around the circular garden in the driveway, I was saving for something nicer. Decided on washed river gravel. Looks nice, not dusty etc.

Well being a QS I measured the amount required and away we went. Had a bobcat and 16m3 of gravel.

Well it is easy to put the gravel too thick to start with and then it looks like you need more. After half an hour of the wife's nagging, I order another load.

Well now the driveway and turnaround are done, but it is way too thick. The car struggles to plow through the stuff. Being rounded, the river gravel won't pack down, and just shuffles around all over the place.

So I am going to have to get the bobcat back and strip some off. Now I have enough gravel to go all the way to my shed.

Anyone had experience using this type of gravel?

Cheers

Thomas · May 4, 2002

About 3" +- should be enough depending how coarse of the river gravel...plus if you get some real good soaking rain you could drive over the gravel and pack it.

If you decide to remove some gravel just make a stock pile area for the future.

River gravel..real good wash river gravel $$$ up in my area.

njrqs · May 4, 2002

Thomas. This is fairly large stuff. Supposed to be 20-30mm but there are some suspiciously large ones in there.

They said to use it about 50mm (2") thick but that didn't work for my levels etc. so it has probably ended up about 100mm thick.

Doesn't seem to compact much. Driving in straight lines it does, but turn a corner and it sprays out like water !

Only cost me $38.50 Aus delivered per m3 so it was the cheapest way out for me (Trying for something looking good too)

So I'll see how it goes. So far we haven't gotten bogged but I suspect a visitor might !!

Cheers

Egon · May 4, 2002

Neil:

It's like trying to pack marbles as all the stones are smooth and rounded. Doubtfull you can get the desired look and still good drivability with this type of rock. The adddtion of fines may help some. If a you reduce the thickness of the rock layer and get the driveway real wet and soft you may be able to compact them into the groud which may hold them but this will only work for a single rock layer.

Gravel compacts because of the number of fractured surfaces on the rock and sizing from very fine particles to the full screen size gravel so you have a dense mix. Many gravel crushing contracts call for a minimum % of fractured surfaces and specify the range and size of fines required in the completed product.

Sorry I can't be of help and have only added trivial information but perhaps someone else will come up with the solution.

Egon

Inspector507 · May 4, 2002

My drive had some river gravel layered on top when I moved here. Gravel won't pack down like crushed stone will......just keeps rolling around.

gerard · May 4, 2002

Guess you found out the hard way that river run, round stone or whatever name it goes by is not suitable as a driveway base for the cited reasons. You need crusher run stone, larger for the base and you can top dress with fine gravel (small marble size but crushed so it will have sharp edges and not be round). That leaves a pretty nice finsished look but will not move around as much. You're effectivley driving on ball bearings! River run is good for landscaping but I wouldn't want to drive on it!! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

JerryG · May 4, 2002

After a while it will settle. I have used a lot of it on roads on my farm. It's amazing how much different the price is it different areas. I get river gravel because it is cheap. All I have to pay it the trucking charge, the gravel is free.

njrqs · May 4, 2002

Jerry

Someone finally tells me it will be OK ! - Now that's what I wanted to hear!!!

I am still very doubtfull that it will be but I will give it time before I remove some of it. I didn't want the roadbase type look, and this looks nice so I went for it.

They have often sold it for driveways are parking areas (Local caravan dealer has it) and they reckon it is OK.

Hmm - Oh well. Storey of my life.

Egon

Yes I had thought of some crusher dust spread on top. It should work it's way down through th gravel, leaving the nicer gravel on top. But don't want to contaminate my nice stuff just yet !!

njrqs · Jun 10, 2002

Thomas/Gerry

Well the rains came and I went a drivin.......

Drove my truck around and around the driveway. Got to the point where some mud started to pump up through the gravel in some thin bits so I stopped.

Guess what - now I have a nice HARD surface that still looks pretty.

I assume it is best now to keep off it as much as possible when it is really wet as I'll squish it down further.

But hey - I am happy now !!!