Sorting a Drive
Discussion
We have a drive that has a straight approach and then a turn to the front of the house to a turning circle and parking.
The surface is old stone and a good layer of road plannings, it is an old farm house. Cars, vans and trucks churn the bend which then creates lumps and divots and puddles etc.
I am planning on redoing the drive in the spring when it finally stops raining and will top it off with gravel. Question is how do I protect this corner so it doesn't jeep churning. Easy option would be a concrete slab but then eventually the edges would be exposed and divots would appear around it.
My thinking so far is;
Option 1: Install rubber matting used on grass parking spaces and cover and fill with more plannings then gravel on top.
Option 2: Create a gentle sloping concrete curve from the apex of the curve outwards and plannings and gravel on top.
Option 3: Just level out and apply plannings and gravel
No idea if these ideas would work. Any road surface experts out there who can advise?
The surface is old stone and a good layer of road plannings, it is an old farm house. Cars, vans and trucks churn the bend which then creates lumps and divots and puddles etc.
I am planning on redoing the drive in the spring when it finally stops raining and will top it off with gravel. Question is how do I protect this corner so it doesn't jeep churning. Easy option would be a concrete slab but then eventually the edges would be exposed and divots would appear around it.
My thinking so far is;
Option 1: Install rubber matting used on grass parking spaces and cover and fill with more plannings then gravel on top.
Option 2: Create a gentle sloping concrete curve from the apex of the curve outwards and plannings and gravel on top.
Option 3: Just level out and apply plannings and gravel
No idea if these ideas would work. Any road surface experts out there who can advise?
Your problem is the substrate, not the planings.
My parents have a planings drive (about a mile long) and it suffers terribly with potholes opening up, they have tried multiple approaches and candidly the only thing that would work would be to dig it out to the substrate and properly resurface with tarmac! Once the subsurface has been damaged, you will find it will always reopen there.
The latest thing they tried was digging out about 4 inches and and relaying plannings, it lasted less than 6 months before potholes started opening up again! Admittedly the contractor never applied the bitumen/tar (whatever they use) to seal before winter but I was surprised how quickly the surface deteriorated as he didn't go down deep enough and properly pack the substrate.
In the past they have filled holes with concrete, which works, but the hole just migrates to before/after the repair as that is now the weakest part!
The reality is that whilst planings are cheap and good, once you bring in water and then pressure via tyres (either turning or bumps) you will quickly open up defects again as the failure is in the substrate and the planings just get pushed out the way.
I would find some way of either reinforcing the substrate or pulling it up and relaying, then planings with a seal to help move the water away.
My parents have a planings drive (about a mile long) and it suffers terribly with potholes opening up, they have tried multiple approaches and candidly the only thing that would work would be to dig it out to the substrate and properly resurface with tarmac! Once the subsurface has been damaged, you will find it will always reopen there.
The latest thing they tried was digging out about 4 inches and and relaying plannings, it lasted less than 6 months before potholes started opening up again! Admittedly the contractor never applied the bitumen/tar (whatever they use) to seal before winter but I was surprised how quickly the surface deteriorated as he didn't go down deep enough and properly pack the substrate.
In the past they have filled holes with concrete, which works, but the hole just migrates to before/after the repair as that is now the weakest part!
The reality is that whilst planings are cheap and good, once you bring in water and then pressure via tyres (either turning or bumps) you will quickly open up defects again as the failure is in the substrate and the planings just get pushed out the way.
I would find some way of either reinforcing the substrate or pulling it up and relaying, then planings with a seal to help move the water away.
acricha3 said:
Your problem is the substrate, not the planings.
My parents have a planings drive (about a mile long) and it suffers terribly with potholes opening up, they have tried multiple approaches and candidly the only thing that would work would be to dig it out to the substrate and properly resurface with tarmac! Once the subsurface has been damaged, you will find it will always reopen there.
The latest thing they tried was digging out about 4 inches and and relaying plannings, it lasted less than 6 months before potholes started opening up again! Admittedly the contractor never applied the bitumen/tar (whatever they use) to seal before winter but I was surprised how quickly the surface deteriorated as he didn't go down deep enough and properly pack the substrate.
In the past they have filled holes with concrete, which works, but the hole just migrates to before/after the repair as that is now the weakest part!
The reality is that whilst planings are cheap and good, once you bring in water and then pressure via tyres (either turning or bumps) you will quickly open up defects again as the failure is in the substrate and the planings just get pushed out the way.
I would find some way of either reinforcing the substrate or pulling it up and relaying, then planings with a seal to help move the water away.
Sounds very similar to me. Yes hardness variation moves the holes to another place. Maybe digging a bit deeper, some rebar mesh, some base stone and plannings on top of that. My parents have a planings drive (about a mile long) and it suffers terribly with potholes opening up, they have tried multiple approaches and candidly the only thing that would work would be to dig it out to the substrate and properly resurface with tarmac! Once the subsurface has been damaged, you will find it will always reopen there.
The latest thing they tried was digging out about 4 inches and and relaying plannings, it lasted less than 6 months before potholes started opening up again! Admittedly the contractor never applied the bitumen/tar (whatever they use) to seal before winter but I was surprised how quickly the surface deteriorated as he didn't go down deep enough and properly pack the substrate.
In the past they have filled holes with concrete, which works, but the hole just migrates to before/after the repair as that is now the weakest part!
The reality is that whilst planings are cheap and good, once you bring in water and then pressure via tyres (either turning or bumps) you will quickly open up defects again as the failure is in the substrate and the planings just get pushed out the way.
I would find some way of either reinforcing the substrate or pulling it up and relaying, then planings with a seal to help move the water away.
Heavy duty gravel grids laid over geotextile? Ultra duty gravel grid
How long is the driveway you need to maintain, and what (big) equipment do you have?
For the turn, you will always have to maintain planings/gravel, e.g. hand rake, tractor + box blade, or digger. Or go for concrete. Cost vs. time!
On mine (fairly long) I box-blade it once/twice per year in the bad bits and the pot-holes vanish. It has rippers to get into the potholes, you need to properly break them up. It's all about drainage :-)
For the turn, you will always have to maintain planings/gravel, e.g. hand rake, tractor + box blade, or digger. Or go for concrete. Cost vs. time!
On mine (fairly long) I box-blade it once/twice per year in the bad bits and the pot-holes vanish. It has rippers to get into the potholes, you need to properly break them up. It's all about drainage :-)
Edited by biggiles on Friday 20th February 17:12
biggiles said:
How long is the driveway you need to maintain, and what (big) equipment do you have?
For the turn, you will always have to maintain planings/gravel, e.g. hand rake, tractor + box blade, or digger. Or go for concrete. Cost vs. time!
On mine (fairly long) I box-blade it once/twice per year in the bad bits and the pot-holes vanish. It has rippers to get into the potholes, you need to properly break them up. It's all about drainage :-)
The full drive is about half a mile, but that is a track, the bit I want to do is an area of about 40sq m that churns up by the house. Got a tractor and a JCB so have gear to work it.For the turn, you will always have to maintain planings/gravel, e.g. hand rake, tractor + box blade, or digger. Or go for concrete. Cost vs. time!
On mine (fairly long) I box-blade it once/twice per year in the bad bits and the pot-holes vanish. It has rippers to get into the potholes, you need to properly break them up. It's all about drainage :-)
Edited by biggiles on Friday 20th February 17:12
I was looking to get a box grader for the track are they good? They always look a bit flimsy to me in images but interested to see what they are actually like?
Tom8 said:
biggiles said:
How long is the driveway you need to maintain, and what (big) equipment do you have?
For the turn, you will always have to maintain planings/gravel, e.g. hand rake, tractor + box blade, or digger. Or go for concrete. Cost vs. time!
On mine (fairly long) I box-blade it once/twice per year in the bad bits and the pot-holes vanish. It has rippers to get into the potholes, you need to properly break them up. It's all about drainage :-)
The full drive is about half a mile, but that is a track, the bit I want to do is an area of about 40sq m that churns up by the house. Got a tractor and a JCB so have gear to work it.For the turn, you will always have to maintain planings/gravel, e.g. hand rake, tractor + box blade, or digger. Or go for concrete. Cost vs. time!
On mine (fairly long) I box-blade it once/twice per year in the bad bits and the pot-holes vanish. It has rippers to get into the potholes, you need to properly break them up. It's all about drainage :-)
Edited by biggiles on Friday 20th February 17:12
I was looking to get a box grader for the track are they good? They always look a bit flimsy to me in images but interested to see what they are actually like?
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