Putting in a gravel driveway

[Too many Kubotas]

Those old brick arc systems used a flat mortared or poured brick floor, and then a self supporting arc "roof". I wouldn't do it without a "floor"

In my case I'm not sure a "floor" would do any good.

That ditch has had large amounts of water in it once in 15 years, a result of me screwing up with a smaller irrigation ditch some 200 feet away.

Normally it only deals with rain (small watershed) and snow melt. The latter mostly because I pile a lot of snow in it's "intake area".

 

[dodge man]

I’ve seen arch pipes used by larger ones, the kind you can walk through. Ellipticals I’ve seen can be corrugated metal or concrete.

 

[sixdogs]

Lots of comments and opinions so let me offer one thought everyone will agree with. Spend the money and put a great base in. It can be some rocks and then lots of bank run gravel and make it deep and wider than you think.

A good--no great--bulldozer guy makes a huge difference and knows what to do. We did three gravel drives in Maine. I did the first, had help on the second and got a great dozer guy for the third. That was the best.

Oh. don't drive down the center all the time but drive off-center to avoid ruts. And a rock rake in the spring will do a great job leveling things while a blade will create more problems than you want.

What were the issues you had doing it yourself? I've got nearly the entire drive, minus the dip area, level down to the non-organics. All measured with a rotary laser. I am curious what a professional would do differently?

It's been a while but the issues I remember were not having the equipment to get a sufficient quantity of a big rock base in place. Part of the issue was the inconsistency of the ground from being scooped out with a loader and not having the power to get the bottom smooth enough. In later years I learned a good dozer guy can make a smooth cut with clean edges in mere moments while I spent all day doing an inadequate job.

Second, the dozer had the power to grade around the area smoothly for runoff and also had the ability to spread and pack gravel in the final finish. My current drive is 300 ft long, extra deep base, dozer spread and packed gravel backdragged smooth. Over 20 years later and still smooth and zero holes or ruts.

In my first driveway I used a rear blade to grade and made a mess in bank run gravel. I switched to a rock rake and got a beautiful finish by using draft control and a lighter touch.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

In later years I learned a good dozer guy can make a smooth cut with clean edges in mere moments while I spent all day doing an inadequate job.

Have you been spying on me??

My favorite is when I get it very near perfect, then decide to go for absolute perfection...and screw it all up.

 

[paulsharvey]

Paulsharvey drawing is exactly what I was talking about when I said a pipe in a low area. I was a land surveyor for a civil engineering firm for over 35 years and our plans looked like that just a little more official with an engineers seal on it.

I'm no PE by any means, but I spend a lot of time looking at their plans, and dealing with them.

 

[paulsharvey]

Ok, so generally a good operator will be faster, and the biggest noticeable difference is finishing the rock. So, I have pushed dirt with a dozer, but I can't finish grade. Now, this is a personal drive; so we aren't forced to finish to +/- 0.25", and frankly we aren't getting it ready to Pave. I think if you have the spare time, 100% you can push the rock, balance things out, and put an acceptable finish on it yourself.

Being in a snowy or atleast freeze prone area, it may be worth considering or atleast pricing what it would cost to chip seal (tar and gravel) the road surface later on. It might be as low as like $3.75/square yard, IF there are contractors in your area that do it.

 

[deezler]

Hey OP, how about some pictures of your land/forest/driveway path already? Let's get some visual context here (please).

 

[sixdogs]

Have you been spying on me??

My favorite is when I get it very near perfect, then decide to go for absolute perfection...and screw it all up.

So absolutely true. I cannot say how many times I have done that. Why do we keep doing it?

 

[sixdogs]

Ok, so generally a good operator will be faster, and the biggest noticeable difference is finishing the rock. So, I have pushed dirt with a dozer, but I can't finish grade. Now, this is a personal drive; so we aren't forced to finish to +/- 0.25", and frankly we aren't getting it ready to Pave. I think if you have the spare time, 100% you can push the rock, balance things out, and put an acceptable finish on it yourself.

Being in a snowy or atleast freeze prone area, it may be worth considering or atleast pricing what it would cost to chip seal (tar and gravel) the road surface later on. It might be as low as like $3.75/square yard, IF there are contractors in your area that do it.

I would agree with getting it pretty good. The problem is Father Time and what was once a little groove or even that quarter inch left behind, time and the weather makes it grow from the inconsistencies of packing with light equipment.

Then it has to be fixed and the same light equipment leaves the same marks and variable packing and it's bak to square one.


I've done a lot of excavating and finish grading on high end new homes and always bring in a dozer and skilled operator. I like my work perfect and that's the only way I can get it and probably keep it that way.

I understand not having enough money or whatever so find some way to get the job done. Trade goods and services; his labor for your or something like that. I did it. I also understand doing it yourself and I did it too. Just not now after life has given me the experience to judge by.

 

[asimaltaf]

Yes, arch pipes are commonly used in larger drainage systems or culverts, and they are designed for areas requiring high flow capacity while minimizing structural height. You’re right that elliptical pipes come in both corrugated metal and concrete, and they are often used in applications where vertical space is limited but you still need to maintain flow capacity. The choice between corrugated metal or concrete typically depends on the load requirements and environmental factors, such as water conditions or durability needs. Concrete tends to be more durable, while corrugated metal is often chosen for cost-effectiveness and ease of installation.