Gravel driveway question

[Trigger Mike]

I have a long gravel driveway.   The gravel cuts down on the pot holes I used to get with a dirt driveway.  Once in a while I spread more gravel with my tractor loader.  Due to the virus etc it took me 2 years to find gravel.  My other sources went bankrupt or stopped delivering to my area.  I finally found some but it was 1200 for 26tons.  I intended to use it sparingly until things got better. 

 

My son came home early from his Job on a 600 acre onion farm and decided to smooth my mom's driveway and then ours.  I asked him to do my mom's first.  

 

I decided to check his progress and discovered he had taken the ripper we use to pull up tree roots in fields we want to plant in and made deep trenches over half my driveway,  destroying the Hard pan that looked like a paved road after an earthquake.  He said he meant to do that.  I had him smooth it back out and he used half my load of gravel. 

 

What do I need to do now?  

[Alpo]

After you beat the hell out of the kid and make him buy you another load of gravel?

[Trigger Mike]

Just now, Alpo said:

After you beat the hell out of the kid and make him buy you another load of gravel?

Yes, after that.   I recall someone on here telling me to not break the Hard pan on the dirt road I live on as I ASKED first what would happen if I used a tiller to smooth out the constant ruts.  

[Rip Snorter]

I have a third of a mile pit run gravel driveway.  I have had gravel added and the road smoothed once in 15 years.  I do fill ruts gently using the snow plow on the UTV, and constantly vary the track I take with the various vehicles, particularly on wet days.  Of course, here is dry high plains.  I was thinking the other day that I should get some more gravel in the next year or so.  Worst case for you, there is a product used to stabilize oilfield roads you could use if you have wet spots.  Have used to for a patio and a walk, the name will come to me.

[Rip Snorter]

Can't recall the brand, but if you search road stabilizing polymers there is a bunch of info.   I got mine in bags at one of the Big boxes, Home Depot or Lowes, I think.  Water activated and dries pretty quickly.

[Sundog]

Use or rent a grader box for the three-point hitch... that is what I do.  The last new one that I purchased cost $350... maybe more now due to inflation. 

 

[Trigger Mike]

Reckon it'll be alright if we keep packing it down and grading it then?  

 

Maybe use the polymers for pot holes?

 

 

[Rip Snorter]

Just now, Trigger Mike said:

Reckon it'll be alright if we keep packing it down and grading it then?  

 

Maybe use the polymers for pot holes?

 

 

Haven't tried it yet, just filled a pothole where the driveway meets the asphalt for the dozenth time.  If I try, I'll report results.

[Sundog]

If you are lucky... and after a good rain... get on something real heavy (like your tractor or heavy truck) and drive over the driveway several times making sure you don't drive in the same tracks each time up and down.  You should be able to pack it back down.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I have about 1/4 mile driveway out to the county road. When we put in the road, my contractor brought in some rock/gravel about the size of a fist and made a base out of it. Then he leveled it out with a big roller and then put regular gravel over it. In 20 years I have added gravel once. 

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

My farm had a driveway to the main road 3/4 mile long, which was also gravel. But each year, or when I had it re-graveled, I would take a chain link fence section with a couple of old railroad ties laid on top and drag it back and forth over my driveway to level it. Took maybe 1 or most 2 swipes. Come Spring, I would do a one way drag.. Worked every time.

[Eyesa Horg]

The theory here is to scarify before adding more so as to get a good bind. I have noticed on mine, if I just fill a pothole, it reappears after a few rains. When I scarify, it rarely come back in the same spot. The trick is to keep the wife and others from driving thru puddles! It just splashes the hard pack right out. Seems to be constant maintenance no matter what

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

Did your offspring survive his "chastisement"?  

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

Every 4-5 years I run a good heavy skid steer to cut the high spot out of the middle of the driveway then spread that over the low spots. My property was fully wooded so several stumps were in the drive. Those are where my potholes always develop (water oaks mostly).

When I first cut the driveway in , I spread #3/#4 to make a base. I didn’t add gravel for a good 20 years, at that point 57 stone. 
 

[Trigger Mike]

5 hours ago, Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 said:

Did your offspring survive his "chastisement"?  

so far.  I'm not thru yet though.  He did smooth it all back out.  I had to temporarily back off, i was too ticked off.  he has tread lightly since then.