pot holes

SootyBob · Apr 24, 2001

I have a dirt drive. Of course, every year it grows a new litter of pot holes. In the past I have filled them with garden rocks and wet mortar, concrete and brick debris from other projects. Just got my 22oo today with back blade and FEL. What is the best way to keep my driveway up to speed? And with what implement?
TIA,
Sooty Bob

Boondox · Apr 25, 2001

Bob -- I have both similar and opposite issues with my driveway and road. Gotta keep the driveway smooth, so I basically angle and slightly tilt the rear blade and crown the drive a couple of times each year.

I do the same with the road past my home...until the first speeding tourist sends a cloud of dust into my home. Then I go up and down the road raising and lowering the blade every five feet or so. The official purpose of this is to create waterbars to divert the runoff into the ditches. Unofficially, and to my great delight, they are very effective speedbumps. I cherish the sight of a BMW speeding up that eight foot wide road and slamming on the brakes as the driver sees the first bump. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

GlueGuy · Apr 25, 2001

In my experience, potholes are permanent unless you "make them equal" to the road around them. I used to do what you did (fill them with rocks and stuff), but they kept coming back.

Now that I have the 'bota, I use the scarifiers to tear up the road around the potholes, then grade it smooth. I use a box blade, not a regular blade.

The GlueGuy

HR_Mutt · Apr 25, 2001

SootyBob
I have a very long drive that never gets potholes. We pull a cultipacker (sp?) over it after it rains. Stays very smooth. Ever tried that?
regards
Mutt

scruffy · Apr 25, 2001

SootyBob
DON'T let them kid you! The ones claiming no pot holes have just found a unique way to pay off the PotHole Fairy! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

SootyBob · Apr 25, 2001

What is a cultipeper?
TIA,
BOb

HR_Mutt · Apr 26, 2001

OK,OK, I CONFESS!!! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif I got one(tiny)
at the top of a hill. Whew! coming clean ain't so tough after all. Turning off computer now and going out to fix it...
regards
Mutt

RichZ · Apr 27, 2001

I have about a quarter mile long, steep circular dirt driveway. After all the melting snow it was pretty rutted and had a few shallow pot holes. I went up and down each half with a york rake (aka rock rake, landscape rake) for about an hour and a half each. Its real smooth now! I guess I'll have to do that periodically to keep it smooth. if you keep up on it, you should be able to prevent pot holes.

cowboydoc · Apr 27, 2001

GlueGuy I do my road the same way. The only way to get rid of potholes that I've found is that way. If you just fill them in the fill never meshes with the existing road and the holes just come back. Like you said though if you rip it up and then regrade and compact it they don't come back.