Adding parking space in yard

In my experience railroad ballast makes a much better base than ABC/crusher run. All I had on my driveway for about 7 years was the first layer of railroad ballast I put down in 2007. A couple hundred feet of it is still just railroad ballast that has been there 11 years and still holding up good. I personally hate crusher run because of the fines. They just make dust in the summer and soup in the winter. I have washed stone down now, and I definitely prefer it. But it does migrate a bit more than crusher run.
 
In my experience railroad ballast makes a much better base than ABC/crusher run. All I had on my driveway for about 7 years was the first layer of railroad ballast I put down in 2007. A couple hundred feet of it is still just railroad ballast that has been there 11 years and still holding up good. I personally hate crusher run because of the fines. They just make dust in the summer and soup in the winter. I have washed stone down now, and I definitely prefer it. But it does migrate a bit more than crusher run.
Not much right or wrong between ballast or crushed. The Fines, help Hold it all in place. Ballast doesn't have fines. If you got soft soil, for the ballast to pack into, great. Optimum would be do 2" ballast, topped with 2" crushed, & let it work in together. But that's getting completed, unless some guy with a single axle wants to haul several small loads. You still top it off with the washed stone. Now the fines are covered, no dust, no mud, & pretty.
I missed the driveway/ dump truck question, earlier. Your probably fine with a tandam truck, with 14 tons, as long as it backs straight in. No twisting. But we tell customers we can't guarantee the driveway. Yours is aged, so that is good, & if you look close you'll find hairline cracks in it. That's natural, but bad when they get broken open. And don't drive on any edge, Especially the corners! corners are the weakest. If you want the truck to drive off the concrete onto the dirt, throw down a couple 2x6 /2x8, at the edge to sort of lift the tires up off the concrete, & not adding extra pressure at the drop off point. Loaded single axle probably exerts the same psi per tire, as the larger load on the tandam.
 
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Well, one of my customers was hauling gravel for himself and said he’d hook me up with a load at his cost. He said $250 but I gave him $300 for his time. My driveway held up fine but he came in at a weird angle, and left quite a bit on the driveway since it’s been too wet to back off the concrete. Now I have 4-5’ of gravel on the concrete right in front of my garage where my wife parks. She flipped out when she saw that, that was fun. Shoveled a good bit out of the way, and now I’m scrambling to find a tractor tomorrow and get the grass cut off and fabric down and spread this out this weekend. Wasn’t quite ready but I had to take it while I could get it for that price!


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16.4 tons. It’s downhill from where I took the pic so it looks small. But it is a let less than what I need.
 
Whatever it is, cost me $300 and leaves me with a mess to work out and my wife is not happy about a big ugly pile of gravel in the yard and on the driveway!

If I have to do it all by hand it’s gonna be a long weekend and my back is gonna hate me.
 
Two things, that's not going to be enough and spreading it by hand yourself would be crazy. Call a friend or call Sunbelt, it'll look better and your body will thank you. Also put some fabric down first. Wish I was closer would be glad to help.
 
Two things, that's not going to be enough and spreading it by hand yourself would be crazy. Call a friend or call Sunbelt, it'll look better and your body will thank you. Also put some fabric down first. Wish I was closer would be glad to help.

It’s not nearly enough but will get me started. The cheapest quote I got from anywhere else was $475 delivered. So when I had the offer at this price I took it. I have the right fabric I’m being home tomorrow. The plan is to remove all the vegetation and about 2-3” off the top, put Mirafi 500X geofabric down and then spread the gravel over it.
 
You should rent a sod cutter to remove the turf. It makes it easy to pick up and haul away if you're doing it all by hand. You can set it a little deep to get as much removed as possible.
 
Im getting my friends tractor today, but it’s too heavy for my trailer so I’m going to get @Chris_Keziah trailer in Winston, then go pick up the tractor in Randleman, and drag it back to Trinity. Lots of running around today!
 
Curious hijack for you guy.
@rodney eppes especially.

I just had 10 loads of stone delivered. 5 "big base" and 5 "crush run"...by a long time friend.
I specifically told him I wanted his normal rate. He has a 22.5T truck. Charged me $275/load. I thought this was going rate but y'all got me thinking eh gave me a buddy deal. That aint how I roll...

Is $400+ rally the going rate for gravel?
 
Curious hijack for you guy.
@rodney eppes especially.

I just had 10 loads of stone delivered. 5 "big base" and 5 "crush run"...by a long time friend.
I specifically told him I wanted his normal rate. He has a 22.5T truck. Charged me $275/load. I thought this was going rate but y'all got me thinking eh gave me a buddy deal. That aint how I roll...

Is $400+ rally the going rate for gravel?


Absolutely depends on the quarry. I can go to vulcan next to my house and get abc for 22.50 a ton or drive 40 minutes to Marion and buy it for exactly half the price. No telling how much weight he had in the truck but sounds like he hooked you up on delivery fee.
 
@Ron $425 is what I paid and the quarry is less than 5 miles from my house. That was one load though so maybe a bulk price for you.
 
We normally pay $100 delivery fee no matter where it goes. But we bought a lot of gravel
 
We normally pay $100 delivery fee no matter where it goes. But we bought a lot of gravel

I live less than 5 mins from two and both wanted a $150 delivery fee.

On a side note the last I checked the going rate around here for abc was ~$28/Ton plus delivery. @77GreenMachine got it for ~$18/Ton delivered which is a pretty good deal in my book.
 
@Ron My local BF Va. gravel folk charge $25/ton delivered or $20/pickup

In the last 12 months, I've:
  • Picked up a "ton" of "57's" (baseball/grapefruit) size to fill a washout by the house
  • Had 40 tons of crusher run spread the length of our drive
  • Had 10 tons of clean spread between our drive and road (1/3 mile... along with 20 more the neighbor had dropped)
  • Had 20 tons of clean spread on our drive
  • Picked up a ton of crusher run to fill a couple holes
I can safely say after shoveling the last ton... it WILL whip your ass!
 
On a side note the last I checked the going rate around here for abc was ~$28/Ton plus delivery.

I'm sitting here waiting on the last load of ABC M to be delivered. I got 60 tons, for $21.50 a ton and 150 delivery from Vulcan on 66.
I have the rate sheet back at the office for all the types of gravel, and none are over $34 a ton until you get into boulders.
 
Y'all made me call my buddy.
He says he pays $10.70/T for ABC...

So he didnt lose money but he couldnt stay in business for what he charged me either.
Ill leave an envelope in his mailbox on the way home.
 
The scam Vulcan runs is that their abc is "dot road base approved" which is why it's so damn expensive, plus they pretty much run the market.
 
The scam Vulcan runs is that their abc is "dot road base approved" which is why it's so damn expensive, plus they pretty much run the market.
it is actually the cheapest rock you can buy at Vulcan quarry

My rate with my grader was $13 a ton delivered but he so busy right now he couldn't get to me for the next 3 months
 
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