EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Hi Rox,
I'm still a little lost on your layout and would really like to see some pictures to be sure we're all on the same page.
2x4's are used for the edges of a pad. They are 3 1/2 inches wide, but still called a four inch pad. You lay them on the ground and put pound stakes into the ground on the outsided of the 2x4's. Then screw through the stakes into the forms. This is where you get your edge of the form from, and what needs to be level.
Since your going up a hill, you need to work on your angle going up and align it with the other forms.
There's no advantage to pouring extra concrete, it's just extra work and money. The thickness should be uniform to help save on expense and labor. To fill in the form, sand is really good. Easy to work with and usually fairly cheap. Gravel will work also.
You width should be what's comfortable for you to drive on. 8 feet seems kind of wide for a tractor. I'd think 6 feet would be plenty, but I don't know your tractor.
If your gonna do it in sections, which is perfectly fine, than I'd start at the bottom and work my way up.
Decide on a size that you can do easily. Lets say you make it six feed wide, than if 8 feet 2x4's are available, I'd go that far for the pads. six feet wide, 8 feet long.
Put rebar down under the area the tires will drive over and one more in the middle. Then cut and lay another piece of rebar across the long ones every two feet. Tie them together with wire. You can buy chairs to hold the rebar up in the middle, or you can just put rocks under it.
In order to tie the pads together, drill holes in the 2x4's that will connect to the next pad. Put the rebar through those holes so it's sticking out a foot or two. How far doesn't matter since it will go into the next pad. Three pieces of rebar will be perfect for what your doing. If you go wider, than maybe another stick or rebar would help.
Pour first thing in the morning and keep at it until you get it done. Plan on buying allot of extra cement for the first time. It's real easy to under estimate how much you will need.
Get some trowels, floats and an edger for the finish. You will also need a straight board wider than your forms to work as a skree. Once you dump the concrete into your forms, you will want it jsut over your forms. Pull the strait board along your forms to smooth out the concrete. This will give you a rough finish that you will go over again with yout trowels to smooth out.
Once it starts to dry a little, drag a push broom over the finish from one side. This will give you what's called a "broom finish" It puts small ridges on your concrete that will give you traction.
Your drainage question has me confused. Does the water run down the area you want to pave? Where does the water go now and how does it get there? It might be a good idea to put a pipe of some size under you pad for water to pass under it.
SPeaking of pipes, it's also a good idea to put one in there just in case you want to run something under it later on. Maybe a water line or an electrical one. Two one inch PVC pipes wont cost you much, but if you ever need to get under your pad, it's nice to have them already in place.
Eddie
I'm still a little lost on your layout and would really like to see some pictures to be sure we're all on the same page.
2x4's are used for the edges of a pad. They are 3 1/2 inches wide, but still called a four inch pad. You lay them on the ground and put pound stakes into the ground on the outsided of the 2x4's. Then screw through the stakes into the forms. This is where you get your edge of the form from, and what needs to be level.
Since your going up a hill, you need to work on your angle going up and align it with the other forms.
There's no advantage to pouring extra concrete, it's just extra work and money. The thickness should be uniform to help save on expense and labor. To fill in the form, sand is really good. Easy to work with and usually fairly cheap. Gravel will work also.
You width should be what's comfortable for you to drive on. 8 feet seems kind of wide for a tractor. I'd think 6 feet would be plenty, but I don't know your tractor.
If your gonna do it in sections, which is perfectly fine, than I'd start at the bottom and work my way up.
Decide on a size that you can do easily. Lets say you make it six feed wide, than if 8 feet 2x4's are available, I'd go that far for the pads. six feet wide, 8 feet long.
Put rebar down under the area the tires will drive over and one more in the middle. Then cut and lay another piece of rebar across the long ones every two feet. Tie them together with wire. You can buy chairs to hold the rebar up in the middle, or you can just put rocks under it.
In order to tie the pads together, drill holes in the 2x4's that will connect to the next pad. Put the rebar through those holes so it's sticking out a foot or two. How far doesn't matter since it will go into the next pad. Three pieces of rebar will be perfect for what your doing. If you go wider, than maybe another stick or rebar would help.
Pour first thing in the morning and keep at it until you get it done. Plan on buying allot of extra cement for the first time. It's real easy to under estimate how much you will need.
Get some trowels, floats and an edger for the finish. You will also need a straight board wider than your forms to work as a skree. Once you dump the concrete into your forms, you will want it jsut over your forms. Pull the strait board along your forms to smooth out the concrete. This will give you a rough finish that you will go over again with yout trowels to smooth out.
Once it starts to dry a little, drag a push broom over the finish from one side. This will give you what's called a "broom finish" It puts small ridges on your concrete that will give you traction.
Your drainage question has me confused. Does the water run down the area you want to pave? Where does the water go now and how does it get there? It might be a good idea to put a pipe of some size under you pad for water to pass under it.
SPeaking of pipes, it's also a good idea to put one in there just in case you want to run something under it later on. Maybe a water line or an electrical one. Two one inch PVC pipes wont cost you much, but if you ever need to get under your pad, it's nice to have them already in place.
Eddie
) a smooth sand subgrade there would be gaps underneath so it would not be evenly supported. In this case rebar would be necessary to prevent cracking as it would be acting as a beam. You would need to take a closer look at the size and placement of the rebar and the concrete would have to be stronger/thicker to get the same result.