Ouch ... just priced our annual gravel delivery!

SFM in KY · #1 05/18/08, 06:08 AM

The only way to even begin to live with the mud problem ... after years of trying all kinds of solutions that don't work ... is to have several loads of gravel brought in every year. The last several years, we've had a neighbor with a small dump truck bring in 3 or 4 small loads and dump them in various places where they are easy to get to with our small loader ... uphill barn and road ... corrals and barn at the main house.

Gravel prices have remained fairly stable over the last several years ... $60 for a full load (small dump truck) and hauling started at $25 and was $35 last year.

Just got the quote for this year. Gravel prices haven't changed ...

Hauling is $65 per load!

wogglebug · #2 05/18/08, 01:04 PM

So - what does someone with a big dump truck quote for one load, dumped in three or four places (if they can get in)? My guess is you would have saved money that way last year, even at this year's prices.

Scrounger · #3 05/18/08, 01:11 PM

Have you ever checked into crushed concrete? It usually comes in a couple of ways (here). One is 2" to 3" chunks and the other is about 1/2" and smaller.
Get the small stuff first, then put the big stuff over it.
We had a problem spot like you have and put out the fines. Cured them. Set up like concrete, then we added the big stuff.

In front of my barn, I collected small "fist" sized field stones (several people were glad to give their piles a new home....). I tossed them out in a single layer. After a couple good rains (and snows...), we covered them with the 2"-3" crushed concrete. Works wonders.

**clovis** · #4 05/18/08, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrounger

Have you ever checked into crushed concrete? It usually comes in a couple of ways (here). One is 2" to 3" chunks and the other is about 1/2" and smaller.
Get the small stuff first, then put the big stuff over it.
We had a problem spot like you have and put out the fines. Cured them. Set up like concrete, then we added the big stuff.

In front of my barn, I collected small "fist" sized field stones (several people were glad to give their piles a new home....). I tossed them out in a single layer. After a couple good rains (and snows...), we covered them with the 2"-3" crushed concrete. Works wonders.

This is what I was going to suggest.

More places are recycling concrete. Might check into construction-demolition recycling places.

Clove

SFM in KY · #5 05/18/08, 03:36 PM

Will mention the concrete option to DH ... not sure there is local availability, but have never looked, either.

We plan to get a big truckload of gravel hauled in this year and just dumped in one place. There is only place that the big trucks can get in. Haven't got the quote yet so don't know what that is going to run.

Unfortunately, I don't know how much it will save us as they can't get up the hill to the big barn at all ... or back to several of the areas where it needs to go, so we will be hauling it ourselves with the small loader and trailer. We'll be using more gas ourselves and it will take a lot of work time that we should be/ could be doing other things.

When you're in your 60s and 70s everything takes longer!

**Cabin Fever** · #6 05/18/08, 08:21 PM

Next time, put a sheet of geotextile fabric underneath the gravel and it won't "disappear" in the mud.

TNHermit · #7 05/18/08, 08:51 PM

What do you have for a base. there should be some double ought down for base. then if you put 3/4 stone then bank run it should turn into something almost like concrete

3kidsomy · #8 05/18/08, 08:51 PM

I charge $70 an hour for my 10 yard dump truck(i run $10 cheaper to get more work too) and gravel(3/4"minus) is $14 a yard here. I would put road fabric down first and then compact the gravel, or put a foot of pit run down and then 6" of 3/4" minus on top of that. Your gravel will just keep getting eaten up when it start raining otherwise.

george darby · #9 05/18/08, 09:07 PM

the geo textile works well really bad spots need a geo grid which is similare to woven wire made of plastic the cheep way would be giong back to the old roman way of using large stone to "chock" off the soft areas before placing the fine surface stone , old carpet makes a servicable geotextile . the recycled concrete is fine but it will continue to deterioate over time and may have metal in the mix that would cost u a tire so watch out unless it is close the hauling may make virgin aggragate cheeper . another product is concrete washout from the concrete plant often free for the hauling it varies from a powdery lime like product to the coarse aggragate works well for farm roads not heavily traveled might even think of it as a fertilize as ithe fines washes off the road here in the lime deficit east. i would stay away from the crushed asphalt products that are somtimes avalable as a salvaged material due to the petrolium leeching out

texican · #10 05/18/08, 10:19 PM

Sounds like an awful good price to me... I can't afford to get a truck out... it'd be more like 500$... ouch...

I can go to their 'yard', with my 7x18' trailer and get two yards of rock or gravel on it... for ~40$... plus I get the 'enjoyment' of unloading most of it by hand... sure beats a gym.

O, the geo fabric is worth it's weight in gold. I've put some of that stuff down, and have stopped feeding the mud gods ever since... before, they devour the gravel...

Quint · #11 05/19/08, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Next time, put a sheet of geotextile fabric underneath the gravel and it won't "disappear" in the mud.

Cabin Fever has not only hit the nail on the head, he's driven it clean through the board and out the other side.

While the geotex fabric is initially expensive you'll recoup that cost fairly quickly in not having to constantly buy rock.

The main section of my lane was done without geotex and it has eaten many loads of gravel. By blading you can "bring up" some of the old to help smooth the road out, eventually I have to bring in new gravel. Another section of lane I put down geotex and it never needs new rock. Just smooth it out occasionally. I really, really regret not putting geotex down over the entire lane. I'd have probably paid for it in gravel by now. I'm almost to the point of removing a couple of feet of rock from the old lane, putting down geotex and putting the gravel back. Not sure how that would work though.

chris30523 · #12 05/19/08, 06:20 AM

We just paid 450.00 for a load of gravel. Just the gravel was 360.00 the rest was the haul bill.It was about 100.00 cheaper last year .

SFM in KY · #13 05/19/08, 06:58 AM

I'd love to try the geotextile stuff, but unfortunately we're not dealing just with roads, in fact, the roads aren't really the problem. The roads have a good base and only require minor upgrade/maintenance now. Most of the gravel goes into corrals, areas around the barns where the horses stand and under the trees out in the pastures ...

I swear half the acreage here is sidehill swamp, at least in the winter/spring months ... and I don't even want to think what 3 to 5 acres of geotextile fabric would cost!

hillsidedigger · #14 05/19/08, 07:15 AM

Our driveway is 600' up a moderate hill. 3 years ago I had 20 tons of gravel dumped on the side of the road at the top of the hill. I spot apply gravel with two 3 gallon metal buckets that, yes, I carry. There is still plenty of gravel in that pile.

The former driveway maintainer here added 20 tons each year to this driveway and scraped it after most heavy rains. He liked to play with his tractor. The scraping merely loosened up the gravel and underlying dirt and let it wash away. It hasn't been scraped now in 3 years and looks better than before. I do occasionally rake the gravel in problem spots with a leaf rake.