Whoops!

[12Bravo]

Well it official, I suck at using a scraper blade. I think I did more damage than good on the driveway....

On my driveway the right side while going up the hill is high and keep the water flowing down the driveway, so I figured I would try to cut it down. It worked some, but not like I was thinking it would work out.

What I need to do is rip the whole driveway out and just start over with french drains and culverts and be done with it. But while I wait to afford that, I guess I will just practice and keep messing then fixing and then messing up the driveway. It can't get any muddier than it already is, so oh well......Just a little rant....:confused3:

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

Unfortunately what your doing is probably one of the best things you can do. Practice makes perfect. Don't be afrade to experiment with changing the position of your blade with the 3pt hitch. Sometimes trial and error works best.

 

[davesl708]

Yes more practice will get you the results you want.

 

[12Bravo]

Here, I just took some photos for you all to see and maybe give some pointers on what my best option is. I can't put in culverts right now and can't do french drains right now, so sloping the driveway and cutting across it is all I can do for now.






This area washed out and is soft. I think water is running under gravel and on top of the clay layer. There is a spot that looks like a spring, water just bubbles out from the middle of the driveway on this slope. Which is the steepest part of the driveway, I literally have to use 4x4 to back up this section or get a running start to make it in the wife's car, picture doesn't do the slope justice.





Drive that goes to neighbors which has a lot of run off and can't seem to get it figured out.

 

[4570Man]

If you think that is a mess you should have seen me building a driveway. A wimpy tractor can make a mess. A 18,000 pound dozer with a terrible operator ( me ) can make a way bigger mess.

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

Maybe it's just me but it looks like your driveway is really low to begin with. Maybe you'd be better off cutting some ditches and building up the driveway with some crushed stone or gravel.

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

Also, a landscape rake would work great for getting the larger rocks and debris out of the gravel before you finish grade.

 

[12Bravo]

Also, a landscape rake would work great for getting the larger rocks and debris out of the gravel before you finish grade.

If you look at the side of the driveway, there are several piles of rocks. I have used the backhoe to pull them out and then bucket to try and fill holes back in. I spent most of an afternoon pulling rocks, I have most of them but as I scrape I find more and just pull em out as I go. I'm limited in what attachments I have, can't get anymore right now.

 

[s219]

Seriously -- you need to bring in gravel and raise the driveway up, then crown it in the middle. Your options are limited right now and I think it could only make things worse working that ground.

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

If you look at the side of the driveway, there are several piles of rocks. I have used the backhoe to pull them out and then bucket to try and fill holes back in. I spent most of an afternoon pulling rocks, I have most of them but as I scrape I find more and just pull em out as I go. I'm limited in what attachments I have, can't get anymore right now.

Yea being limited on implements or funds can make it tough. I usually leave any rocks 3 inches or smaller but bigger ones like you said are best to pull out. Nice thing for you though is you can dig out the low areas with the back hoe and refill with the larger rocks. I still say your best bet is to angle your blade and cut some ditches along either side of the driveway and use whatever gravel you get from the ditches to build up the middle of the road surface. Then you can gradually taper off the road back to the ditches to create a crown in the driveway. Even a low driveway can be well kept and maintained with proper drainage.

 

[fried1765]

Here, I just took some photos for you all to see and maybe give some pointers on what my best option is. I can't put in culverts right now and can't do french drains right now, so sloping the driveway and cutting across it is all I can do for now.






This area washed out and is soft. I think water is running under gravel and on top of the clay layer. There is a spot that looks like a spring, water just bubbles out from the middle of the driveway on this slope. Which is the steepest part of the driveway, I literally have to use 4x4 to back up this section or get a running start to make it in the wife's car, picture doesn't do the slope justice.





Drive that goes to neighbors which has a lot of run off and can't seem to get it figured out.

The three most important things for creating a good driveway are:

#1 DITCHES

#2 DITCHES

#3 DITCHES

After the ditches, you will need to find a cheap gravel source, and a friend with a 10 wheel dump.
Then: keep plenty of crown on your gravel surface.

 

[devildog1]

Yep I agree Gravel, Gravel, Gravel.10" to 12" should be the ticket and as said crown it so center is a bit higher then taper down to the edges. If you have springs then you need to do culverts on the sides to allow the run off of water, you can do it, take your time, as others have said practice will make it work. My driveway in the beginning was mud, had to get wooden pallets just to walk out garage door, ah the memories, lol,lol.
DevilDog

 

[airbiscuit]

Actually, I think your work looks pretty good. I would hand dig in a piece of 6" PVC under your waterline to drain things for now. Everywhere else that water wants to pool, dig in a ditch or swale/sump that will get the water off the road. Eventually, you will have a place for all the water to go, or at least slow the flow and volume. Then you can finesse with more gravel and crowning. Either the US Forestry Service or BLM has some good information about road drainage and erosion control.

Seriously though, your work looks good.

 

[12Bravo]

Actually, I think your work looks pretty good. I would hand dig in a piece of 6" PVC under your waterline to drain things for now. Everywhere else that water wants to pool, dig in a ditch or swale/sump that will get the water off the road. Eventually, you will have a place for all the water to go, or at least slow the flow and volume. Then you can finesse with more gravel and crowning. Either the US Forestry Service or BLM has some good information about road drainage and erosion control.

Seriously though, your work looks good.

Thanks, that gave me a bit of a confidence boost...

 

[12Bravo]

I went back out and did some more work on it while brush pile was burning.

I think this is what I am going to do.......

I'm going to cut just about all the gravel off that is there right now and push into a pile down by the road. Call in some 3"-4" gravel to be placed and then have 3/4" fine delivered to place over top of the larger stones. With one culvert at the base of the hill where the neighbors part branches off and then cut ditches down the side about 6-8" deep on both sides. Time will tell!

One issue is winter months with snow and plowing a gravel driveway. What's the best way to move snow but not rip the crap out of my driveway?

 

[airbiscuit]

It would be best if you cut in your ditches and form the crown before the gravel is delivered. The spread of gravel will follow your profile for better or worse, so it is better to have it profiled well before the gravel comes. Cutting in the ditches will give you material to form the crown. Then, when the gravel comes and gets spread, it will be pretty much the same depth from, edge to edge and in the middle.

Ditches are your friend. I use sumps/swales where there is no downhill for me to send the the water to.

 

[sd455dan]

The three most important things for creating a good driveway are:

#1 DITCHES

#2 DITCHES

#3 DITCHES

After the ditches, you will need to find a cheap gravel source, and a friend with a 10 wheel dump.
Then: keep plenty of crown on your gravel surface.

I was going to say road fabric- for under the drive itself but it gets expensive fairly quick if it is a long driveway

 

[airbiscuit]

One issue is winter months with snow and plowing a gravel driveway. What's the best way to move snow but not rip the crap out of my driveway?

Up here, it isn't a problem. The road is frozen as hard as a brick. How much snow can you get in a single storm? How do you clear the snow now? Rear Blade? Going forward, or pushing backward?

I am sure you will get good ideas from others in your "balmy" climate. Your rear blade should do the trick if you can fab up and attach some skids or guide wheels to hold the blade slightly off the ground. Guide wheels are also awesome for maintaining a nice level road.

 

[DKCDKC]

I have a one mile (exactly) drive. I should have laid down the big stone, then gravel then crusher run... But I flat didn't have the money. It has probably cost me more over the years having to replace gravel that's sinking in the soil, but I had little choice at the time. Properly graveling a mile of curved, hilly road through a forest is awfully expensive.

The folks advocating ditches and crowned drives are correct. But mine has few ditches and sporadic crowning. However, it does work. My secret has been a box blade. By regular touching up of the crive with the BB, I have made it last a very long time. While I don't have too many ditches, I do have frequent swales or dips on hills to drain water to the side. Somehow it works, and has for 22 years now.

The drive's a mess right now because the Virginia DOT has postponed replacement of failing 48 in culvert giving me access to the drive and I can't safely run a full dump across it yet. So my drive is now really soft with patches of dirt showing... But navigable.

As for snow, I simply use my FEL and a rear scraper blade and go slow enough so I can control the cut and take out minimal stone. The drive is wide enough to scrape a lane where any stone picked up remains on the stone portion and can be scraped back into the drive in the spring.

Good luck with your drive. You will learn a lot, and ultimately win.

 

[jenkinsph]

It would be best if you cut in your ditches and form the crown before the gravel is delivered. The spread of gravel will follow your profile for better or worse, so it is better to have it profiled well before the gravel comes. Cutting in the ditches will give you material to form the crown. Then, when the gravel comes and gets spread, it will be pretty much the same depth from, edge to edge and in the middle.

Ditches are your friend. I use sumps/swales where there is no downhill for me to send the the water to.

I agree with shaping the driveway first. Get it where it works with ditches, diversions and culverts. Crown the driveway then see how it does after a rain. Fix any further issues with drainage when this is done then call in the gravel trucks. I recommend you go the trouble to find out which driver is the best at tailgating/spreading the gravel. A good truck driver can save you a ton of work. Particularly if you have few implements.