Putting in driveway, what all do i use ?

[dirtyb115]

Hi all. I am in the process of trying to get a driveway in on some land that i bought in south western ohio. Right now i want to just get the flat part started so i have somehwere to park, but eventually i will be working with somewhat steep grades (10-15%). Anyways i think i am ready to start laying down some materials, but dont know what i need. Money is an issue so keep that in mind. I want to use asphalt millings, but i assume i can put them down directly correct? If i can that would be great. What do i need to use as a base before laying the asphalt millings? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[schmism]

what and how much base is determant on the type of soil your placeing it on and how much load you want it to carry.

a safe bet for a long term solid base would be 3" of 2" crushed stone compacted followed by a 2-3" layer of 3/4-minus (with fines) often called crusher run or your asphalt millings

This gives you an overall "pavement" depth of ~6" which for most soils will support normal loads fine.

 

[rtdiggr]

In this area[southwest Ont. Canada] i use a product called trafficbond or grade "a" stone it is a mixture of stone and a small amount of concrete dust. and it packs really tight.
The depth is 10" to 12". That is what i use to prep an area for paving.

Shane

 

[dirtyb115]

Thanks for the info guys. Now, any idea on about how much the #2 rock weighs? Or better yet, how many tons i would need for a 12ft wide driveway to make it 3 inches deep. (say for 100 feet)
Thanks again!

 

[EddieWalker]

I've always been told you need at least 4 inches of rock for it to bond together. If it's thinner then 4 inches, it will flex and move around while you drive over it. with four inches, it's strong enough to hold together and form a solid mass. Mine is 4 inches and the few times that I've had to remove some rock, it comes up in giant pieces with quite a bit of effort.

More important then what you use, is how much drainage do you have? Water is your biggest concern. You have to MOVE water away from your road for it to last. To do that, you need to crown your driveway,and you need ditches to move that water away. The faster it moves away from your road, the faster your road will dry and remain dry. It's really that simple, but also the most complicated part of any driveway or roadway.

12 feet if road top is nice, but not really needed. Since you mentioned that you are on a budget, you should realy consider ten feet as your width, or less. Of course, if you have a local law that requires 12 feet, then that's that. Mine is 8 feet wide and plenty wide enough for everything from cars to 18wheelers. Of course, you have to drive straight to stay on it, and I've had people drive off of it. The guys laying the carpet in my house did just that during a rain storm. That wasn't fun.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[dirtyb115]

I know i have to have at least 10ft wide, but i thought maybe they said 12. If i can do 10 i definitely will. Now everything i have read says you need to remove all the top soil. I have some low areas that i am trying to build up, so i have been using the deeper clay/soil to do this. Is this a bad idea?

 

[EddieWalker]

Top soil is different all over the country. Be sure you know what it is when you decide to remove it. I don't have any here. Just some grass or leaves then it's solid clay. I've seen threads where guys have dug down a foot of soil and then put down a foot of rock without evern knowing what they were removing, or why they bought so much rock.

Top soil is dirt that is full of organic material and will continue to break down (settle) over time. If you build on it, your road will never compact and as the organic material decomposes, your road will settle, resulting in your surface cracking and giving you potholes or ruts.

To build up a low area, fist be sure it's dry. If you try to cover mud with dry material, it will take months or longer to dry out and become solid. Dig out the wet soil and spread it out somwhere so that it can dry out over several months. This soil is no good for anything until it's dry. Replace the soil and build it up to a higher elevation then the surrounding land.

The secrete to a long lasting road is to keep it dry. When the water has someplace else to go, it will move away from your road and allow your road to remain solid.

Eddie

 

[Egon]

Rather than thinking in tons of gravel think truck loads. Usually a tandem dump truck will haul 10 to 12 yards of material. If the fellows use different types of trucks still order by the yard. You may have to pay by the ton but this can vary on the amount of moisture in the material.

Figuring out your needs by yardage is a lot easier.

If the recycled asphalt is cheaper go with it for the full depth.

 

[Soundguy]

Could use a bed of crushed limerock, compacted.. or even red clay base.. though not white clay. If you are in a wet area.. skip the clay.

After that, gravel, crushed hard rock, asphalt millings.. or crushed concrete.

soundguy

 

[SnowRidge]

Could use a bed of crushed limerock, compacted.. or even red clay base.. though not white clay. If you are in a wet area.. skip the clay.

After that, gravel, crushed hard rock, asphalt millings.. or crushed concrete.

soundguy

What, no shell rock? That's the toughest thing out there. Impervious to everything except fire ants.