Stone dust for traction on ice

[Hay Dude]

I'm getting different opinions on adding salt. Some people say salt increase moisture.. wondering what is true

On thick ice, salt is pretty useless. Works better on rain frozen to roads in light layers or thinly packed snow.
Once the layer of ice or snow is like 2”, you’re probably better off creating a new traction layer on top of the thicker ice.
You’d have to used tons of salt to melt thick ice-especially when it’s very cold.

 

[alexinPA]

I use pit run sand, I get a triaxle load every couple of years, it has some salt mixed into it to slow down the freezing in the pile.
This year when I got my load I added 500 pounds of more salt to the top and mixed it in a bit.
I also use coal ash most years to as a good way to use the ash.

The last 3-4 sacks of salt spread out
View attachment 780837

mixed into the top layer and all pushed back
View attachment 780838

Tarped and ready to be uncovered and loaded into the sander.
View attachment 780839

sander ready to be loaded and spread
View attachment 780840

That looks like what I want to do. Thanks!

 

[alexinPA]

On thick ice, salt is pretty useless. Works better on rain frozen to roads in light layers or thinly packed snow.
Once the layer of ice or snow is like 2”, you’re probably better off creating a new traction layer on top of the thicker ice.
You’d have to used tons of salt to melt thick ice-especially when it’s very cold.

I was talking about adding salt to pile of sand. Woudn"t it increase the moisture content and make frozen lumps?

 

[JJT]

Check your highway department, mine makes a 20/80 salt/sand mix available to the public. I keep a few 5 gallon buckets on hand, when I need more I stop at the town barn. The sand shed is open 24x7. They also keep a pile of 100% rock salt, but I avoid because we have dogs. All the town and village highway departments up here have a pile open to the public.

 

[JJT]

I was talking about adding salt to pile of sand. Woudn"t it increase the moisture content and make frozen lumps?

If you keep it covered/dry, no issues. If the pile is in the open, it will be frozen solid where I live.

 

[Hay Dude]

I was talking about adding salt to pile of sand. Woudn"t it increase the moisture content and make frozen lumps?

It could. Especially if the sand pile was already damp or frozen. I stopped with the piles and the tarps cause I could never keep dry and went with storing indoors in 100lb bags. I think upon guys up in the “Great White North” type locations are probably going through 5-10 times as much as me, though.

 

[rekees4300]

This winter is like never before... Temp mostly above freezing and snow melts and becoming ice on my sloping gravel driveway. I got an idea to put stone dust on ice for traction. In the spring i just rake it into existing gravel. Will it work? Than it's a storage question. Thinking about 5-6 yards to store outside with no salt. How?
Any recommendations? Thanks

I recommend chains on your tractor's wheels. They will convert your tractor into a mini bulldozer!

 

[alexinPA]

I recommend chains on your tractor's wheels. They will convert your tractor into a mini bulldozer!

I got chains. On solid ice up the hill they are no help

 

[oosik]

One year I used pellet stove ash. It worked great. Until I put it on the walkway - leading into the house.

Watch out what you use and where you put it. That pellet stove ash tracked terribly.

 

[LouNY]

I got chains. On solid ice up the hill they are no help

Sorry to say, the wrong chains then.
These will bit and go, the best of any chains I used in a great many years.

I can stop and backup on my 26% slope on ice.

Yes, to other questions salted sand does tend to hold more moisture.
But the salt helps minimize the freezing. At times I'll have 4-6 inches of frozen sand in my pile,
I can push in under it and break up most of it and the sand under is still thawed.
I keep it cover as best as a tarp will do, to reduce the snow and rain that gets to it.
I'll drive over the frozen chunks then they will go through my sander.