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optimistic
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2012 18:21
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We stopped at our land this weekend... Last month we had the excavator clear about 1000ft of driveway ( NO ROCK OR ITEM) and two clearings. Our "driveway" is very very muddy.. I stepped in a few places and had my entire boot slide right in... I have a "city" all wheel (outlander) SUV and did not dare to try to get in. I would have gotten stuck for sure.
I was planning to wait for another month for the ground to freeze and then get the 12'x12' shed delivered so they can put it inside while the ground is frozen.
But I am worried about being able to get in (and I want to get building materials and what not) with my car so I am trying to figure out less expensive road options.
Maybe getting a load drop in the beginning and then when I go up there - spread it toward the driveway - and get another load and so on until I have some item down all the way in (which could be a lot of loads..).... at least save me on the labor/excavator costs.
Any other ideas? I read that you can plant some kind of grass or something.
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EvoQ
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2012 18:48
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Did the Excavator guy crown your driveway ?
Where he puts a top edge right down the Middle/Center of the roadway, that way any Water will run off to either side. This Crown will slope each side of the roadway off to the side.
If he didn't do this then he was negligent big time.
At this point I would call this person up and demand that he fix the crown on the roadway first.
The make sure that any water has a place to go rather than poolup on the sides of the roadway. Even on a dirt roadway you have to have a place for water to get away from the road, by channeling water away.
if you don't do these 2 things you will forever have water problems and that Driveway will be useless.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2012 23:29
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Good idea to bring stuff in frozen. If you don't want to spend the bucks up front for rock, then the next option is to look at what others are doing in the area. Some chance that it will firm up over a season. Do you have pine needles? pine needle driveways are nice, quiet. I don't like the sound of gravel, but its a handy material. Maybe you only have to put rock in the problem areas.
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Cooks Dock
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 08:04
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Firstly..why is it wet? Is it a drainage issue or standing water or low land. Evoq makes agood point about the crown.
Water can be re-directed away by trenching but if its low it has to be built up.
Machine work is cheap compared to other options. Is there fill availible on site or could an operator dig, drag and drop from beside. Basically trenches along and dump the material on the driveway.
We had a low area (300 ft) at the road end and had several large loads of pit run (rough) fill put in. Need something stiff so it holds
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 10:36
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Freshly turned soil will be soft until its settles. But aside from that, it should be able to drain, no puddles, if there is, cut small grooves to drain it off to the low side etc. I would expect it to be packed after its all dried out in summer and then settled. If you drive on it now, you will have hardened ruts to repair.
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optimistic
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 10:43
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Walking between the trees, and not on the road, is easier and less muddy - which is like you guys said about taking a season to settle.
Any good guide out there on how to make these grooves/tranches?
I had an idea: buying a cheap ATV and using it to get in and out. I'll need to build a cement post to luck it to and I'll have some game cameras around in case someone decides to take it.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 13:13
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I use an ATV a lot. Get something faded and ugly. Park it off in the woods, like a peice of junk. Don't leave it at the end of fresh tracks, & don't leave fresh mud on the tires. When u leave, remove the seat and the gas tank. Some old ATVs the seat& tank come off with maybe 2 bolts, just a couple minutes. Option to bring the parts home or find a good place to hide them in the woods.
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optimistic
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 15:26
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Tom - that was my exact thinking. Didn't think about the seat though.. great idea!
is craigslist my best option fro finding a used one?
any rec's on what to look for? (atv specs)
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TomChum
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 20:33
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I dont know a lot about ATVs.
I would get a 4wd, much better for work & pulling a sled or trailer. 2wd are dime a dozen, harder to find a "deal" on 4wd but when theyre all faded the price goes down. I bought a really good one, 2002 Yamaha Grizzly 660. It was 9 years old and $3700 and Was the best deal I could find. It was also springtime, wrong time to look for deals.
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optimistic
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 21:33
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Thanks Tom. I was hoping to spend less than a $1000.... hhh. I guess that won't happen 
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2012 23:37
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Our drive is 8000 ft long. Part of it went through a swampy,wet area. We had the excavator put a culvert in to divert the water. We paid $7,000 for our road(some of it was a narrow logging road and just needed widening). Our road is dry no matter how much rain we get. Why not take the money for the ATV and spend it on your road?
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Bevis
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2012 09:51
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got any pics of your road ?
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2012 20:39 - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Here is one from me. It's part of the old logging road. This is before the road was finished and the cabin was built(we camped on site for 25 years before we could afford to build)we had to take our BIL's ATV the rest of the way,about one mile or a boat from the dock. My husband is standing in the spot where our road was continued. I don't have any other photos with me.
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Borrego
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2012 21:02
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Quoting: silverwaterlady Why not take the money for the ATV and spend it on your road?
^^^This^^^^
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2012 17:34
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Quoting: optimistic I stepped in a few places and had my entire boot slide right in...
This sounds very familiar.
Speaking from experience, I can tell you it's probably going to take at least a year for the freshly dozed soil to settle. As it does, you will have new low spots to deal with so don't get in a hurry to start dumping gravel.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2012 21:35
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I did have 7 of the 10 yr dump trucks haul gravel (5/8 minus) and graveled my entire drive in to my cabin and all around my cabin (also for fire suppression) and it cost $265 a truck load.
I didnt have mud as an issue, during the summer, I had "moon dust" and it was so powdery and dusty even with just footsteps. No dust at all now.
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2012 22:58
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Here's a handy calculator to help figure out how much gravel you are going to need. It tells me I'm going to need a lot!
driveway calculator
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