What size crushed stone?

[CobyRupert]

There's a little ditch/swail in front of the barn that water channels in as it runs away from the barn. Problem is, this is in front of the door that I park my tractor in. So when it rains, this 3'-4' wide swail can be very soft and the tractor creates a big puddle in the swail where the tires cross it. Then I'm left with a muddy area/puddle.

Without going overboard and hiring a backhoe and putting in drain pipe etc, , I was going to dig out some of the dirt here and put in crushed stone. I'll dig with FEL and/or by hand, we're not talking a big area were the water collects, (3'-4' wide , 12' long), before the natural slope rushes water away.
What size stone?
Put stone over a plastic liner or not?. I'm thinking not? A ditch w/ a plastic liner wouldn't drain the surrounding area?

 

[/pine]

Different regions have different names for crushed gravel...I would recommend what we call "crusher run"...it is from about 1.5" down to course sand...this packs very well...the key is something with "fines" i.e., sand) once spread and driven on it will pack down almost like pavement...easy to form a drain swale with too...

good luck...

 

[tallyho8]

I would not use crusher run. This packs down and water would not flow through it. You are trying to make a French drain. You do this by using larger rocks that do not pack and allow water to drain through them like in a septic field.

Use either #57 or #67 limestone.

 

[/pine]

I would not use crusher run. This packs down and water would not flow through it. You are trying to make a French drain. You do this by using larger rocks that do not pack and allow water to drain through them like in a septic field.

Use either #57 or #67 limestone.

My thought was that if the water lays there now where will it go after it drains through gravel?...by using a packing material a more defined swale would direct the water away from the front of the barn...

 

[paulharvey]

No plastic, but Mirafi, filter fabric, silt fence, or go textile under the rock to keep from pushing rock into dirt as well as to keep mud from pumping up into rock. I agree with basic #57 (1"-4.75mm size) or bigger. #67 is 3/4" to 3/8" and is not nearly as cheap or available around here.

 

[Streetcar]

Use a filter fabric under the gravel, the larger the stone the better it drains and slower it clogs with debris

 

[crazyal]

It really depends on what you want the end resort to be. If you're looking to push the water away from your barn door then I would put fabric down and crusher run down. If you're looking to create a way for water to drain across the front of the bard door then I would go a different route. You could put down some fabric then washed stone used for septic systems that will allow water to pass through it, then more fabric, and finally something like crushed gravel. You could use a culvert instead of the washed stone but that would add cost as I wouldn't go with anything smaller than 12" (10" and smaller culverts tend to get plugged). If you just put down washed stone then mud and debris from your tractor will seep down into it and clog it up. Creating a second layer of fabric will stop that from happening.

 

[s219]

Short term solution would be fabric and #57. But I'd put in a pipe if it were me. Even a small pipe (6") would be beneficial, and if it's not a major ditch it's not likely to get filled with debris.

 

[HillStreet]

Short term solution would be fabric and #57. But I'd put in a pipe if it were me. Even a small pipe (6") would be beneficial, and if it's not a major ditch it's not likely to get filled with debris.[/QUOT

I had the same problem in my back yard between garage and shed-- deep mud in spring. I scraped out a shallow swale with FEL, put in 6 inch pipe, and a few tons of 1-1/4 washed stone. Problem solved.

 

[skyhook]

Get some of that stone you see by river beds etc, fill in the swail with them, they'll make a good base for the weight of your tractor and allow water to pass through.
Then a bucket or two 3/4 inch on top.

 

[LD1]

How much water and how fast is it moving through the swale? If any volume or speed at all, it will wash away 57's or crusher run. And 57's dont make a good base by itself over a soft area.

I used 1's and 2's of limestone for a pond overflow that carries alot of water. I like the end result. It is solid to run over even with water flowing over the top. It isnt bad to walk on or drive equipment on either. But if you dont have much clow that will wash away smaller stone, you could always top that with 57's.

Here is 10 tons.

 

[Ken45101]

It depends on the soil type, how soft and how heavy your equipment is. Putting #4's (2") on new excavation on our driveway just sunk into the mud. #2 (3-4") packed well and held up. Likewise, in front of our one barn, I put #2's and then 57s (3/4") although the 57s do not pack well, 304 (57 plus crusher run) would have packed much better.

I am not a believer in fabric unless you are really putting down enough gravel on top of it (8-12" minimum). Otherwise, it gets pushed down into the mud. Big rock works better IMO.


BTW every area (state?) has different terms for the various sizes. I live right next to Kentucky and when I get stone from there and ask for the Ohio names (2',4's,57's, etc.) they have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about! 304 is ROMs in Kentucky.

 

[radioman]

wow - many opinions here. Mine is different. I would NOT use plastic or fabric if you put stones down a good 4-8 inch thick. with the soil I have around here in ny, I would scoop some of it up and put in a good 1 ton or 2 of either driveway mix crusher run (5/8 to 0") to build a hump to let water run (divert) away from the area you want to drive over or number 1 stone (5/8") to let water in and out for awhile if you have poor drainage. It works for me around here.

 

[Walkin Horse]

Ken is right about the the bigger rock. My barnyard had gotten so bad through the years that it was impossible to move through it without sinking.

I scraped a 10' wide area around the barn and add #3 RCC in about 6" thick. Packed it down with the backhoe. I waited about a month and then put more to get to the grade I needed. The boarders grumbled for about 2 more months about having to walk on that big stone. Then i put a layer of crushed concrete on top. I wet it down and worked it into the base with the backhoe. The whole area has tightened up to where I can drive the hoe on it on the wettest of days. The boarders love it and try to keep it clean. We pickup any manure or waste hay and every so often I rake it with a leaf rake to get any debris off of it. It has stayed fresh looking for a year and I have not had any settle spots or pot holes in it.

The big rock is the way to go. Put some in and watch it settle put some more in and don't rush it. I learned a lot when I built my road and took my time. I knew I didn't have to turn traffic loose on it right away.

 

[Walkin Horse]

Here is a pic of the stone I did.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[ace10]

Large stone. Like #1 or equivalent. Unless there's a lot of foot traffic.

 

[CobyRupert]

Follow up: I used a #3 stone (about 2-3" dia.), small enough to walk and drive on, big enough to let a lot of water through without a pipe (I hope). $33 for 3 tons.

 

[paulharvey]

Hope it works well for you. Did you put anything under the rock?

 

[CobyRupert]

No. I only ended up using half the load, so if it sinks I'll add more.
Time will tell if this was a mistake. My biggest concern is if it fills up gaps in stone with dirt, then digging out a couple tons of stone will be a pain.

 

[paulharvey]

No. I only ended up using half the load, so if it sinks I'll add more.
Time will tell if this was a mistake. My biggest concern is if it fills up gaps in stone with dirt, then digging out a couple tons of stone will be a pain.

I think that will only happen bad if your in an area where the ground freezes and turns to mush in spring.