I'm new to this tractor thing and looking for some advice. I want to cut a new 600' driveway through a pasture in N Texas and surface it with the usual driveway material like crushed limestone. The soil is hard, mostly black clay with a good stand of coastal grass growing on it and the land is flat. I see lots of info on how to use a box blade for a driveway, but nothing on "engineering" the driveway for the soil conditions. What depth should be removed and how thick should the stone bed be? Also, is geotextile a good idea under the stone? I hope these are the right questions to be asking. If not, please let me know what I'm missing...
Grading a new driveway
- Thread starter Borane4
- Start date
armylifer
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
If the soil is hard and flat, why would you want to cut it down? How about killing the grasses and put crushed rock over it? The clay would become the binder after the first rain and you could maintain the driveway with your box blade and or the FEL. That is exactly how I put in my driveway and it is very easy to maintain. The only difference is I do not have clay for soil So I had to use more crushed rock than you probably will need.
My tractor doesn’t get delivered until Thurs, but I’ve been watching youtube videos. It seems like many of the commercial landscape/excavator guys put large rock down and then smaller rocks. I know when my road was built that’s the way it was done. For the main road, he also used a road level self propelled roller.
I plan to follow the advice of a guy from NC that builds roads. He said to put a thin layer of rock and follow up with a second layer of smaller rock when I create a small road and parking area.
Some people suggest fabric first, but since my road wasn’t built that way, I don’t think I will. This could be regional thing and we only get about 12-14 inches or so of precip per year.
I plan to follow the advice of a guy from NC that builds roads. He said to put a thin layer of rock and follow up with a second layer of smaller rock when I create a small road and parking area.
Some people suggest fabric first, but since my road wasn’t built that way, I don’t think I will. This could be regional thing and we only get about 12-14 inches or so of precip per year.
armylifer
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
You are absolutely correct that how to build a driveway is a regional thing. Considering the amount of rainfall you get, the best way to build your driveway may be to lay 1 3/4" to 2" base then smaller crushed rock over that. Either way, the clay is going to become the binder after a rainfall or two. You may have to add more aggregate after that but it will still be very easy to maintain.
Passenger car, F250 and horse trailer. There will be some construction for a year on a house, but temporary use for that.
When it's wet and rainy the grass keeps it driveable. If the clay is exposed it gets very slippery, btu still supports weight. If no grass you can get "stuck" on perfectly flat land without sinking in. It never freezes.
armylifer
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
Even if the construction use is temporary I would add extra base and crushed rock on top of that. Think about cement trucks, loaded trucks with lumber, or any of the materials you are building with and that is a lot of traffic that is not normal. Depending on what time of the year they are delivering materials, it can make your drive pot holed and uneven. The cost of extra aggregate and base rock in my area makes it well worth the cost to go heavier than I normally would if not expecting heavy vehicles on my driveway. This is a case for making a drive heavy enough in the beginning and just maintaining that afterward.
Thanks. that makes a lot of sense. Killing the grass will be a good start. There are fire ant hills and some dips from cattle paths. I didnt know if just dropping stone would result in ruts and uneven edges without any cutting down.
Ive seen the #2 followed by #1 stone thing as well. Makes sense to help build a solid deck. Good luck with the new tractor!
4” of 2-4” material topped with 3/4 minus will make a nice drive.
In most cases it is best to remove any topsoil layer which is what usually leads to digging out a driveway. There’s no hard and fast rule that a driveway needs a “trough” to sit in. Up north it is actually detrimental if roads and drives are constructed as such without any subgrade drainage.
You could likely get away without the 2-4 if your existing soils don’t rut. The larger aggregate is mainly intended to provide a solid base for the top aggregate. Pay attention to any areas where water may cross the proposed drive and install culverts.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
The main concern is WATER ! You need to decide WHERE the rainwater will go. Consider making the roadway 25' wide with gentle swayles(shallow ditches) 5-10 feet away on each side. If you do this, then water won't be a problem.You need to put down big rock, smaller rock, 3/4-..... It's IMPORTANT that each 4" of material be well packed down BEFORE the next layer goes down. Obviously it'd be nice to have a 'steamroller' for the job.Having a wider roadway does allow you to drive on right side, left side, middle to pack down the 'material', and the mor eyou pack it down, the better it'll be.
Spend the time and money NOW, to do it right...otherwise you'll be 'roadgrading' every Sunday morning......
Spend the time and money NOW, to do it right...otherwise you'll be 'roadgrading' every Sunday morning......
You can rent a vibratory roller or an 800 lb walk behind plate is sufficient at most rental stores. Good base good road. Spend money now you will be good for years cheap out now you will pay for years or until u spend big bucks again to do it right trust me I built roads for a living most of my life good base good drainage make. The difference. After done construction regrade, add 1/2 stay matt or sure pack. And compacting base and each layer make the difference.
^ this sounds like highway construction.
I agree with @eipo , scrape out few inches of topsoil, add base, add topper, and move on with life.
I have been adding a longer drive to my property. I have a solid base and I cut down. I have an elevation change of 3 feet. So the drainage is a challenge.
When I cut I set the scarifier at a minimum to work with the front blade in the box. Depending on the terrain you can crown the road or slope it.
I will finish it with 1/4 stone.
Arizona, not much rain, hard ground with rocks
When I cut I set the scarifier at a minimum to work with the front blade in the box. Depending on the terrain you can crown the road or slope it.
I will finish it with 1/4 stone.
Arizona, not much rain, hard ground with rocks
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
I helped a friend do his 700' driveway. we used 'car coil spring grinding wheels' as base material. Think of 4.5foot diameter by 2" thick grinding wheels' They went down first, then load of big stone then a load of little stone. That was 4 decade ago.... he's 'topdressed' that driveway twice since then.
meanwhile ,silly neighbour across the street keeps adding material to his 500' driveway EVERY year, and it's always 'lumpy-bumpy'...
if this is your 'forever' home, doing it right ,once WILL pay off in the long run.
meanwhile ,silly neighbour across the street keeps adding material to his 500' driveway EVERY year, and it's always 'lumpy-bumpy'...
if this is your 'forever' home, doing it right ,once WILL pay off in the long run.
My new driveway to the new house we are building is paved with 4'' of clay gravel, which after construction will be capped with gray crushed granite, which we call SP2. It's great stuff which will set up after time and will be a great drive. Only thing until then the heavy concrete trucks and other loads keep the clay gravel rutted and this time of year is a pain in the rear. It rains a lot and freezes from time to time. By the way I am in south AR. If I had remove the top soil it would only add to the water issue.
From my experience, DRAINAGE is the biggest issue. Even if your land is flat - water pooling on the road will give you mush that can mire even a tractor, and if you let it run on its own it will cut paths in places you REALLY don't want them. Be sure the water sheds at least to one side and drains away from the road.
In my limited experience this is key. You need to keep water from softening up the soil/earth under your road/driveway. It needs to be diverted away if that does not occur naturally.
But it sounds like this is not an issue since you say after rain you can still drive over the grass without issue (if I remember right).