Reclaiming Old Gravel Driveway

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Morning all,

My family has just moved onto our new property. We moved a house trailer out to where there was one several years before, while we finalize plans and build a house. There was/ is a gravel driveway in the right spot but it has been so long since it has been really used it is almost undiscernible from the rest of the lawn. I know there is gravel under there but there is a layer of... lawn?... on top of it. I guess the grass grew through and created soil in and on it. Is there a way to reclaim it short of just adding gravel and packing it in? I have a 1025R and a box blade. I started to just start dragging and see what happens but I'm afraid I'll just make it worse.

You can see the slightly discolored grass where the driveway is here. It is raised 6-8 inches from the yard grade. This is from when we were setting it up so don't judge the mess and unfinished trailer please.

 

[LittleBill21]

i have dug up gravel with a land plane, but there is a limit, you also need somewhere for the dirt to go, it doesn't just drop down below the rocks, it also regrows grass faster now that you have exposed the dirt. although i was able to get rock up, over double what was there, (and my driveways are 2x better then what your showing there. it gets over run with dirt pretty fast. I will need rock shortly.

I honestly would start over based on that photo

i would dig it down about 2-4 inches, drop this in

Geotextile

then i would add 3 inch, then 2Amod. and it will be years before you need to mess with it.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Also we are planning on this only being 2-3 years max. By then we plan on having the house built and selling the trailer. So I really don't want to spend a fortune.

 

[Tinhack]

Your box blade with scarifiers/rippers should work if you can pull it with that 1025R.

Will you be using the same driveway after the house is built? If not, I'd just leave it the way it is.

 

[Smokeydog]

I thought after decades of using grader and box blades maintaining my 1/2 mile driveway I was an expert. Bought a like new B26 from a local rental business and when he delivered it he brought a land plane to try out. One pass up and down the driveway I was gobsmacked. Used my M5030DT tractor and it could tell it was back there. Didn’t buy that one but bought Everything Attachments 6’ version. Saved so much time and money reclaiming gravel. Additional roads by the barns were grown over like yours were reclaimed and looked like fresh gravel without using the scarifiers. Only regret is not having one 40 years ago.

 

[Fixastuff]

What happens is the rock sink in one by one over time. If you want a gravel driveway to last put geo fabric down before aggregate as Bill says.

 

[jeff9366]

Also we are planning on this only being 2-3 years max. By then we plan on having the house built and selling the trailer. So I really don't want to spend a fortune.

I would make do as is.

You will have a mess for a year if you start to rip the drive up to "improve" it.

 

[shooterdon]

Spray with Round Up. Use your BB with scarifiers down to dig up the gravel. Level. Spray every couple of months to kill any grass that comes up.

That should be the most affordable option for a 2-3 year use of that drive.

 

[Mat4644]

Use marker paint and outline driveway. Spray with roundup. Fill and smooth low areas with gravel if nessary. If temporary why spend a lot of time an effort.

 

[Michael In Tennessee]

I would use the box blade with scarifiers and see what you come up with. It won't hurt to try. I'm also in the camp of not doing too much for a temporary situation. I box bladed an old driveway at my place and much improved it. Its far from perfect, but also rarely used and the effort was definitely value added.