Reclaiming Old Gravel Driveway

[shooterdon]

Not sure how "dirt" gets on top of a gravel drive...maybe someone tried to cover the gravel to grow grass? Seems it would take a very long time for "dirt" to establish itself through any natural process.

You say it is 6" higher than the surrounding grass. I would dig a test hole and see what is there. You could have 3" of dirt placed over a decent gravel base. If that is the case, scrap off the dirt/gravel mix and pile it somewhere.

Mud is a PITA so I understand wanting to deal with that problem.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Here and other places that we've put in feild access roads, usually the gravel is to slow the sinking into the field by vehicles and tractors. If that's the case then it is definitely not a good idea to disturb it by digging it up.

Last time someone drove off one they were almost a foot deep into the mud.

 

[LouNY]

for temporary use I'll go along with the leave it alone and drive on it,
I have no idea of how your winters are, do you have snow or just rain?
You could have a couple of loads of screened gravel or crusher run dumped in a pile.
If the driveway gets sloppy and rutted just fill in the ruts or add a bit to the slop,
or pull the slop off and add fill.
I would never advise to get pit run around here you can't even think about top dressing with pit run,
thats at least a 6 inch fill.
When you do a new driveway or decide to incorporate some of the existing into then its time to dig down a bit and use a good geo textile fabric,
with fine gravel or crusher run on top of the fabric.
You don't need to get fancy and extreme with good fabric, we have a couple of field roads that go through some soft muddy ground.
It was graded smooth the fabric rolled out and 4-6 inches of gravel tailgated down run in a bit with tractor tires and then just used.
It has held up to 20 years of cattle traffic and some vehicle traffic, the cattle traffic is rougher when it wet then vehicles.

 

[Jstpssng]

Not sure how "dirt" gets on top of a gravel drive...maybe someone tried to cover the gravel to grow grass? Seems it would take a very long time for "dirt" to establish itself through any natural process.

You say it is 6" higher than the surrounding grass. I would dig a test hole and see what is there. You could have 3" of dirt placed over a decent gravel base. If that is the case, scrap off the dirt/gravel mix and pile it somewhere.

Mud is a PITA so I understand wanting to deal with that problem.

As somebody else mentoioned over time the rocks sink into the dirt. Also, grass will eventually start growing, creating an organic layer over time. I have a road built of screenings up to 12” deep; after 12 years it’s reverting back to grass.

I wouldn’t put organic matter such as sawdust or mulch down, as it would be even worse than grass when it gets wet. Around here al load of gravel is 150$/load, which would cover about 75 feet.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Winters are mild, just rain. If it does snow the state just closes. It's not a huge deal I just wanted to see if anyone else has dealt with this before so I could knock it out before rainy season. If it gets too bad I'll just have some gravel brought in.

 

[ismilelots]

I agree with Mat4644. We had a section of our drive not being used and it started looking like yours. I sprayed it with roundup and made a bunch of passes with a land plane. It pulled the rocks up and let the dirt fall. I did a couple of passes a day and it look great in about a week. Now I spray it regularly to keep grass from growing up through it.

 

[Sportsman762]

I would use it as is. If ruts or any issues start forming I would put in a two track gravel drive. It uses about half the gravel of a normal drive, and looks decent. Its more work to add gravel to, but the cost savings on an well established drive is worth it.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

I would use it as is. If ruts or any issues start forming I would put in a two track gravel drive. It uses about half the gravel of a normal drive, and looks decent. Its more work to add gravel to, but the cost savings on an well established drive is worth it.

That's a good option, the driveway mats if they are available in your area. Just remembered about those.

Or geo grid or whatever they call em. They are square or oval shape tiles you push into the ground.

 

[bcp]

I would use it as is. If ruts or any issues start forming I would put in a two track gravel drive. It uses about half the gravel of a normal drive, and looks decent. Its more work to add gravel to, but the cost savings on an well established drive is worth it.

I've seen 2-track driveway gravel spread by a dump truck with a wood block at the tailgate center.

Bruce

 

[VoyagernOK]

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.

View attachment 712718

The purpose of a gravel driveway is to keep from forming ruts, getting your vehicle stuck or muddy, etc. The gravel driveway, especially as it is above grade, even though grown in with grass, accomplishes all this. It isn't less stable because of the grass growing in it, it is actually more stable. I have a 1200' driveway that is gradually growing over with grass, bermuda coming up from below, and we take 60,000# trucks over it even when it is soaking wet with no problem.

I'd leave it as it is and use it. And that is ABSOLUTELY the least expensive option.