Small amount of rain washout on my gravel drive?

[Zxyrthe]

I'll see if I can't get before and after photos of the driveway as well this weekend. It's pretty remarkable.

And fwiw - my tongue is still in one piece.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I'll see if I can't get before and after photos of the driveway as well this weekend. It's pretty remarkable.

And fwiw - my tongue is still in one piece.

Pics are always good!

Glad about the tounge! I was going to say something about your measurement meathods (not a typo)...

David

 

[Zxyrthe]

You can backdrag in the direction of the driveway (not sideways) and turn your wheels slightly one way or another as you back up. It looks tight but as you cut left (going backwards) you'll smear the gravel to the right and vice versa. Also, if you can, you could come straight back keeping your left side off the crown and effectively tilting/angling the edge of your FEL. It'd be tricky.

Keep a spade and rake handy in case things go bad. Maybe a case of beer and some friends too. You'll have to go all Tom Sawyer on it.

I am planning a drag chain harrow for the pastures.

Long ago I rented a SCUT with a FEL to move 22 (or was it 44?) yds of excellent black topsoil into my brand new sub-dvision, brand new backyard. All it had was a FEL. So in order to smooth the soil out I dragged a chain-link gate with cinder blocks on it around the yard...

I had totally forgotten that story until you said "I made a harrow from about 8 feet of chain link fencing, a 4x4 and a cinder block." :laughing:

You and I, we could be brothers!

So the land to both sides of the drive way is VERY steep, one side drops, the other rises. I cannot get the tractor sideways on the drive. I'm worried about knocking down the little crown I currently have... Am I crazy?

Be well,
David

 

[GUS FINK]

It looks well-crowned. Practice the backdrag in the center of the drive a few times. That's a sparse amount of gravel so I would be careful not to "smear" too much of it into the ditch.

It's amazing what water will do to rocks.

Consider investing in a drag harrow too. My box blade is good for major repair but it's more of a hammer than scalpel. I made a harrow from about 8 feet of chain link fencing, a 4x4 and a cinder block. (Although I had to purchase 50' of the fencing). A few quick passes with it and gravel is nice and smooth.

When I'm done, I drive the tractor down my driveway a full speed with my tongue sticking out. If I don't end up biting my tongue in half, I've done it right.

IF you have one an old set of bed springs does an excellent and quick job of leveling your your repairs

 

[Zxyrthe]

That was my first choice, Gus. Of all my junk - no bed springs. Although it would've been a hoot if the wife came into the bedroom and the bed was sitting 8" shorter. LOLOLOLOL

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Although it would've been a hoot if the wife came into the bedroom and the bed was sitting 8" shorter. LOLOLOLOL

:laughing::laughing::laughing:BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!:laughing::laughing:

David

 

[massey990]

It appears from the images that the crown is not working. The runoff is supposed to flow across the road and into the ditches and not down the road. There looks to be a shoulder betwen the road and the ditch that is holding the water and causing it to run down the lanes.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

It appears from the images that the crown is not working. The runoff is supposed to flow across the road and into the ditches and not down the road. There looks to be a shoulder betwen the road and the ditch that is holding the water and causing it to run down the lanes.

Massey,

There is not much crown, but it has been working fine. But we've har so much hard pouring rain this week. I'm almost afraid to start the tractor. I have standing water almost EVERYWHERE. My ponds are almost at spillover.

I have not been able to get out into the forested 42+ acres, but I fear I've got many more downed trees than I know of already, and all the trails are slimed.

I suspect last night's rain was just too much, too fast, on top of saturated ground.

I will try to do the wiggle method described and rebuild the crown.

David

 

[Zxyrthe]

A little late, but here are pics of my hi-tech harrow. I failed to get any before pictures of the driveway but I've included some "afters".

 

[EddieWalker]

All, here are 2 shots of the worst spot (not that bad really).

One is looking up, the other looking down.

David

What you have there is loose rock on a road. It looks crushed at one time, and sized about the same, which looks to me like it's a decorative or top coat type of rock. It is NOT road base.

No matter what you do with this type of rock, it will continue to move on you. Your ground under this rock must be very good. Is your soil rocky?

Road base is a rock that is crushed with the rock varying in size from an inch or so in size, down to fines. The edges of the rock are jagged. When spread out with a thickness of at least four inches, and compacted, it interlocks and becomes a solid surface that will shed water and support vehicle traffic.

If you have less then four inches, it will not hold up or remain locked together. This is when you get pot holes. NEVER take away from one area and use that to add to another area. BUY MORE ROCK!!!!! Mixing the new rock with the old rock will ensure a uniform compaction and long lasting repair.

The box blade is an OK tool for initially spreading and smoothing out your gravel road. It is also a fair tool for fixing a pot hole or low area with NEW rock. It is a TERRIBLE took when used to smooth out an existing road. All that it accomplishes is to thin the amount of material that you have, break up the compaction of the existing rock, and SPEED UP the decay of the road. The more a box blade is used on a gravel road, the more damage is done.

Eddie