what to do with a pile of asphalt

[4570Man]

Isn't burying it just like dumping oil on the ground?
Going to poison ground water & kill everyone within 100 miles?

What’s the difference in burying it and leaving it there? Or if it was big deal to begin with maybe using millions of tons of it to build roads isn’t a good idea.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I'd look for a contractor who wants to buy it.

I've hauled lots of waste asphalt and there is no real value it it. The best we got out of it was a free dump as opposed to a per yard fee for construction spoils. In a big hard pile like the Cougsfan has, there is too much work involved to break it down to a useful size.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

What it turns out to be is about a dump truck full of asphalt that someone oddly decided to cover with dirt.

I worked for a dump trucking company on the west side of the state so that piques my curiosity. When they batch too much hot mix, it's never just dumped, it's always brought back to the batch plant and dumped in their waste asphalt pile for later reclaiming. My only other guess is that it might be grindings from a resurfacing project that the previous property owner thought he could use on a driveway or something. After that stuff sits in the hot sun for a few years it becomes about as hard as hot mix. They will often sell that for a song or just give it away if close to the job, just to save trucking costs.

 

[Streetcar]

I think SR has given you a clue as to why the prior owner covered it with earth. Lot's of good suggestions here but turning broken eggs into an omelet, I'd look for a contractor who wants to buy it.

If you are lucky it won’t cost too much to haul away. I cant believe anyone would buy it

 

[Cougsfan]

There are no paving companies nearby to talk to. I talked to the local sand and gravel contractor about it. He just shrugged his shoulders. He said he could bring in his track hoe and load it into a truck and haul it away, but it would cost a lot, he is swamped, and he really had better things to do.
Several years back at my old house, a guy in a pick-up came barreling up to my house and asked me if I wanted a load of asphalt. He had an extra load to a site where they are working and would give it to me for free but I would have to pay to have it spread. I had no need or interest. I then lived about 10 miles away from this site. Maybe this is that same load

 

[plowhog]

a guy in a pick-up came barreling up to my house and asked me if I wanted a load of asphalt. He ... would give it to me for free but I would have to pay to have it spread.

Offering cheap or free "excess asphalt" from another job is a very common scam used by disreputable asphalt companies. In such cases, its just a high pressure sales tactic. No excess material even exists.

If you agree, asphalt gets dumped on your property, but the "spreading fees" and other fees go up and up. Problems are discovered with your property resulting in extra work, all chargeable to you, and it goes on and on.

Before I finished my driveways, I had the same guy knock on my door with the same pitch several times. He always had "excess asphalt" from another nearby job-- but I had to commit right then and there to get a killer deal.

Just for fun, I once told him I couldn't possibly let him do my asphalt work that day, but asked if he would have some "excess asphalt" around the end of the following week. He responded by saying they were doing a "huge commercial parking lot" nearby, and he could order an excessive load for that day to ensure there would be some excess material for me.

Total slimeball.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Try a little diesel on the pile. The diesel will soften the asphalt and make it manageable with your tractor.

Many drivers who hauled asphalt had a small tank sprayer full of diesel to spray the outside areas around the tailgate to keep asphalt from sticking. It was forbidden by the asphalt company to use it inside the box when paving, they provided a soap solution to spray the box. As to your point, he would be risking some serious fines if any government agency found out, and then he would have to hire someone to remove the asphalt and any surrounding contaminated dirt. He described it as being 8 to 10 yards so it would take a lot of diesel and a lot of time.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Offering cheap or free "excess asphalt" from another job is a very common scam used by disreputable asphalt companies. In such cases, its just a high pressure sales tactic. No excess material even exists.

Reputable paving contractors when paving a road, will often ty to sell driveway paving for a reduced price since the crew and equipment are literally at the end of the driveway. It can save the homeowner some coin if he was already thinking of paving and the company gets a little extra profit.

 

[plowhog]

It can save the homeowner some coin if he was already thinking of paving and the company gets a little extra profit.

What I don't understand about that is the site preparation needed for a good asphalt job.

Three separate contractors advised me to remove clay and poor soils to a depth of 6 inches before putting asphalt down. That required heavy equipment for excavation and haul off of many large truckloads of material. Then an equal amount of road base was imported. Then two different sized rollers compacted it. That process took several weeks. Only then was I ready for 3 inches of asphalt to sit on top of it.

The "scammer" had told me I didn't need any prep. He said 2 inch thickness would be fine. My asphalt contractor said it would look fine at first, but in a year or two I would be paying to have it broken up, hauled out, and re-do the job the right way.

Maybe there are homeowners with properly prepared sites who are waiting for a knock on the door to get a deal on asphalt. But I think more likely whoever is buying it doesn't understand what they are doing ...

 

[4570Man]

I've hauled lots of waste asphalt and there is no real value it it. The best we got out of it was a free dump as opposed to a per yard fee for construction spoils. In a big hard pile like the Cougsfan has, there is too much work involved to break it down to a useful size.

Agreed. There’s no way someone is bringing a dump truck and a piece of equipment out to get it even for free much less paying for it.