discussion   |   photos   |   email   |   myProfile   |   home          Login Now | Sign Up


Forum Index


New As Posted | Active Subjects



Click to Post a New Message!

Discussion Boards > Active Subjects > Messages as Posted > Landscape Maintenance Forum

Page [ 1 ] | 2 | 3 | 4 | | Next >>
Reply | Pop Up Window Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo
 12-30-2005, 21:26 Post: 122018
Carldarnell



Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Taylorsville Ky
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 91

10
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

Is there a good book on road construction and maintenance that meant for the average person and not an engineer? I have taken it on myself to maintain our subdivision road and my driveway and parking area. The road is one mile long with a steep hill at the entrance. I enjoy doing it but I need to know more about the right way to do it.
Murf, I hope you offer some info on this please.






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 12-30-2005, 21:35 Post: 122021
kwschumm



View my Photos

View my Photos  Pics
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NW Oregon
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 5764
 Road and driveway maintenance

Here's a link to some good information on gravel roads.






Link:   Gravel roads 

Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 12-31-2005, 06:07 Post: 122036
grinder

TP Contributor

View my Photos

View my Photos  Pics
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: central Maine
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 677

3
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

I think it would be tough to find a book on your particular
climate and soil conditions.
I would suggest a local road commisioner. one with a least
twenty years behind him.
One thing I think would apply anywhere is that water is the enemy. Get it off and keep it away as fast as possible.
In other words, crown the surface and ditch it to keep it as dry as possible.
Good luck!






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 12-31-2005, 09:02 Post: 122046
Carldarnell



Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Taylorsville Ky
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 91

10
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

kwschumm, thank you for the site on roads. I just looked through it and that is what I needed and I put in in my favorites for refference. I looked for books but they were mostly engineering books and not geared to the subdivision/farm road crowd like me.
Grinder, I have thought about going to the highway dept shop and talking to them. I think I will do that this coming week.
When I got my tractor last summer I started doing the road. I know some about crowning the road and ditching it. Nothing has been done to it except grading and gravel since the subdivision was started in 4/1998. It was a gravel farm road then and still is because all the lots are zoned ag2. I have started ditching my property first. I didn't want to mess up the neighbors land untill I knew what I was doing. The main reason for the tractor was to keep the road up.






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 01-02-2006, 08:13 Post: 122133
Murf



View my Photos

View my Photos  Pics
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7054

6
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

Carl, the site Ken linked to is good, but IMHO, it is a little more important to have a working knowledge first. If you don't understand the what, why, where and how, you will just be wandering aimlessly in the dark. You don't need a 4 year college program, just the basics.

One of the best examples I've found is a US DOT publication, linked to below. While it is aimed at 'real' roads, and for people who do it for a living, it is a really good crash course for anybody. Well worth the time to read it.

IMHO, the other critical item is the equipment. Without the right stuff it can be a long and tiresome job. With the good stuff, it's a joy to do.

I would suggest a good box blade is the first choice. Next is a coin toss between a good landscape rake or rear blade, hopefully both having a double offset hitch. They are for pulling the shoulders back without driving in the ditch to do so.

Ideally you would have a hydraulically adjustable, tow-able box blade with independently adjustable gauge wheels or pull-behind grader attachment. Either would be a serious investment to the average homeowner.

As always, questions are always free, Laughing out loud.

Best of luck.






Link:   Gravel Road Maintenance Manual 

Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 01-02-2006, 19:19 Post: 122160
Carldarnell



Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Taylorsville Ky
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 91

10
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

Murf, thank you very much. After 4 or 5 tries I was able to download the Adobe file. For some reason it did not want to download. It has 104 pages but I may print it because I don't enjoy reading that much at the 'puter. I printed the site kwshumm listed. I found I was doing the right things for the most part. I have a NT254 tractor with a FEL and a box grader, grader blade and ditch bucket to do the work with. Our road is a very old (about 1900) farm road and was not put in right and I have a lot of changes to make to get the drainage right. Most of what I did was common sense things which turned out right. The first 2/3 of the road is very old and has a fair base. The new 1/3 is below the surrounding ground and needs to be built up and ditched. I have crowned the older part but the new part will not crown easy. We need a lot more gravel, what is called here dense grade. it is 3/4" to dust and packs like concrete. I have been ditching my property to learn how to do it and found I was doing it right according to the booklet kwshumm posted. I just need to finish the job when it gets dry enough. We have a steep hill at the entrance and I have been digging big rocks out of the road to get it gradeable. I enjoy the road work and that is why I bought the tractor. What is a landscape rake? I am going to build a drag with railroad spikes in it to loosen up the gravel better than the box grader. I plan to make it just wide enough for one lane so I don't mess up the crown of the road. I will make it so I can adjust the angle of the spikes from front to rear to dig or just smooth the gravel. Most the time I use the grader blade backwards to smooth the road after I loosen it and crown it. I will read the DOT publication you posted to get more ideas. I plan to use calcium chloride after we gravel it next summer like you suggested in another post.
Thanks, Carl






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 01-03-2006, 07:38 Post: 122175
Carldarnell



Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Taylorsville Ky
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 91

10
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

That DOT publication should be mandatory reading for anyone doing gravel drives or roads.






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 01-03-2006, 08:15 Post: 122177
Murf



View my Photos

View my Photos  Pics
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7054

6
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

Carl, glad I could be of some assistance. It's amazing how much there is to know about something as simple as a gravel roadway isn't it?

A landscape rake is basically a set of large curved spring tines, about the same size, shape & format as a rear blade, but instead of a mouldboard, it has flat spring tines about 1/2" wide and spaced closely together. It is very good at surface finishing and will usually roll all the larger stones of the surface for you. It is also handy for doing things like raking all the leaves off in the spring, or clearing light snow falls, without chewing up the road surface.

Best of luck.






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 01-03-2006, 15:10 Post: 122191
dsg

TP Contributor

View my Photos

View my Photos  Pics
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Franklin, Maine
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 528

3
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

The best tool I have for gravel road maintenance is my rake with Gage wheels and drop down blade. It's like an all in one tool.

David






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
 01-04-2006, 20:59 Post: 122264
Carldarnell



Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Taylorsville Ky
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 91

10
Filter by User
 Road and driveway maintenance

I will have to look into that. It sounds like it may be worth having one. Thanks






Reply to PostReply | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo




Bookmarks: Digg It | Del.icio.us |
Reply | Pop Up Window Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo


Page [ 1 ] | 2 | 3 | 4 | | Next >>

Discussion Boards > Active Subjects > Messages as Posted > Landscape Maintenance Forum

Thread 122018 Filter by Poster:
091755 4 | Carldarnell 10 | dsg 3 | grinder 3 | kthompson 4 | kwschumm 1 | Murf 6 | yooperpete 1 |

 (advanced search)

Picture of the Day
DennisCTB

Current Events - House Fire Near Me
House Fire Near Me


Unanswered Questions

Gas Generator Weather Protecti
Horse Injured Polyrope Electri
Do electric fences keep out de
Any Peruvian Paso Owners Out T
gas powered post driver
My new born foal is really sic
Trailer Axle
dump trailer blueprints


Active Subjects

Gas Generator Weather Protecti
Went to see Dennis Reis this w
Signs to look for prior to lab
leg injury
Broodmare has welts all over h
Some Christmas Humor For Horse
poles in the ground vs. concre
ever thought about moving?


Hot Topics

new app owner
Some Christmas Humor For Horse
Any Peruvian Paso Owners Out T
Heating a Garage
Gas Generator Weather Protecti
Do electric fences keep out de
gas powered post driver
Trailer Axle


Featured Suppliers

Mountain Creek Labradoodles
      MountainCreekLabradoodles.com





New Forums on Gun Sport Shooting and Hunting -- BarrelPoint.com  New Forums on Horses ManePoint.com
Talk Horses at ManePoint
Hunting + Gun Sports at BarrelPoint



Most Viewed

+ Stone Driveways
+ I need a new 14 or 16 chain saw
+ Pole saws
+ Woven wire field fence construction
+ Removing cattails from ponds---what do you use
+ How long should a chainsaw chain last
+ Chainsaw won t start
+ how to get rid of a snake
+ New String Trimmer Needed
+ Burrowing animals a problem

Most Discussion

+ Pole saws
+ Road and driveway maintenance
+ Stone Driveways
+ Stihl MS 192 T
+ Chainsaw won t start
+ I need a new 14 or 16 chain
+ Woven wire field fence constru
+ grass clippers removal
+ Burrowing animals a problem
+ Removing cattails from ponds--

Newest Topics

+ Help Searching for a manual
+ Elm Tree Removal Minot North Dakota
+ Trimmer on wheels
+ roof vp 75 mower
+ Chippers shredders
+ TREE HIEGHT
+ Yazoo Mowers
+ grass clippers removal
+ Need gearbox for a First Choice GM35-84
+ selling our Bobcat s250 760 hr
















Turbochargers for Tractors and Industrial Machines
Cab Glass for Tractors and Industrial Machines

Alternators for Tractors and Industrial Machines
Radiators for Tractors and Industrial Machines

Driveline Components for Tractors and Industrial Machines
Starter Motors for Tractors and Industrial Machines