Driveway Expansion

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
Decided to start on my driveway expansion, now that we have another driver in the house and 4 different trailers. I figured I’d get started. The lilac bushes had to come out, then I ripped out the big roots with the BH. today I Tilled the first part of the expansion. Still waiting for the large tree to get taken down. As it hangs over the power line to the house, I’m having a pro take it down. Once the tree is down, I will take off most of the top soil and relocate it. Then get the gravel delivered. No regrets on the wife wanting a tiller for the back of this machine. The tiller is a beast!

C550DBFA-E056-486A-ADA7-F7B0DBC6F27E.jpeg

46A786EF-24AB-4F72-AACC-068DDEB14D34.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

Mrlunchbox

Active member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
2023 BX2380 loader/mower. Land Pride snow pusher, Kapteyn pallet forks
Nov 21, 2020
309
135
43
Southern Worcester County, MA
Looks good! I love my little bx for the small jobs I have around my small property. How much land you got up there?
 

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
Looks good! I love my little bx for the small jobs I have around my small property. How much land you got up there?
1.5acres mostly grass and a huge pond. Letting Mother Nature take the rear of the property back with some more trees.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

B737

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
LX3310
Jun 9, 2019
2,024
2,194
113
New Jersey
November delivery, i just hit 110 hours :)

I got to use the tiller for the first time today on a friends garden, it did such an amazing job! I was happy to try it out and he was over the moon about the finish it left.

your driveway project is going to be a lot of fun. are you going to put down a base? or just do a few inches of stone, blue stone? river stone?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
Go
November delivery, i just hit 110 hours :)

I got to use the tiller for the first time today on a friends garden, it did such an amazing job! I was happy to try it out and he was over the moon about the finish it left.

your driveway project is going to be a lot of fun. are you going to put down a base? or just do a few inches of stone, blue stone? river stone?
I don’t know how much of a base I will use, most of my property is thick heavy clay. So pretty much whatever I put down eventually will get swallowed up by Mother Nature. Probably toss down 22 tons of mixed 3/4minus. That will cover the entire expansion in about 4” then after a little while I will get another 22 tons and spread it out over the entire driveway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

B737

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
LX3310
Jun 9, 2019
2,024
2,194
113
New Jersey
I just put in a gravel path extension off my asphalt driveway to my trailer parking pad, 100 feet by 15. I did the same as you planned, I just stripped off the grass and topsoil (box blade), then spread about 15 tons of 3/4". I let that pack in, then topped it with another 10 tons later. it has been great for the tractor and the pickup truck. I dont think id be driving dump trucks on it but its good enough.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
I just put in a gravel path extension off my asphalt driveway to my trailer parking pad, 100 feet by 15. I did the same as you planned, I just stripped off the grass and topsoil (box blade), then spread about 15 tons of 3/4". I let that pack in, then topped it with another 10 tons later. it has been great for the tractor and the pickup truck. I dont think id be driving dump trucks on it but its good enough.
my goal is to be able to park all the trailers, and then room to have everything on gravel all winter instead of always having something parked on the lawn. I am lucky that I have access to free winter storage for my camper and my boat. Speaking of the boat... I said 4 trailers in my first post but it’s actually 5 that we own.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
I need to dig that down 8”. Not easy with a straight edge bucket. I don’t want to break it up with the tiller since there could be whatever under it. Bit slower but I broke it up with the BH teeth. After I get it to about 6” I will toss on the box blade and rip the last bit out and move it all with the loader.
 

B737

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
LX3310
Jun 9, 2019
2,024
2,194
113
New Jersey
You could pull off 8” w bb. But why are you taking 8” off? If your just making a light duty driveway you could scrape off topsoil and put down your material.
 

Magicman

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4900 Utility Special 4WD e/w FEL & 1530 John Deere "Traveling Man"
Oct 8, 2019
5,058
6,438
113
80
Brookhaven, MS
knotholesawmill.com
That "topsoil" looks like more than 8". Any drive here needs to be sealed so that rainwater does not soak through letting the drive give way during rainy weather. We have to use a layer of clay gravel to seal it, but I have no Canadian drive building experience. :rolleyes:
 

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
The picture didn’t attach I will try to fix that.

this area is just clay everywhere. Talked to a pro who lives down the road. He recommended digging it all down 8” and then getting a load of pit run and layering it 6” thick then topping it off with 3/4. The pit run will slow down Mother Earth swallowing my gravel also with the frost/thaw we get, it will also help keepme from having to add tons of gravel every year.
 

B737

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
LX3310
Jun 9, 2019
2,024
2,194
113
New Jersey
you are going to have a ton of material to find a new home for. I think if you were building a regular driveway for daily use of passenger cars and parking, that is one of the correct ways to go about doing it. But if you are just doing a path for some utility trailers, tractor, and drive down with your truck to hook up the trailer, i don't think you need to go nuts. When I did my path recently I took off maybe 3". after it settles, you can top it again. Or put down fabric to stabilize it. I made a driveway last year, I went down 6" and used crushed concrete base, but that was the primary driveway and parking for the house.

like with most projects you can prob go as big or as little as you want. Lots of clay is a problem though.
 
Last edited:

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
This is connected to beside my current driveway. I’m just expanding from 2 to 3-4 cars wide about 1/3 of my driveway.

Edit, I have lots of room for fill. Every yard I pull out to move elsewhere is one less yard I have to buy. I’m planning on about 40 tons of fill, 20-40 tons of top soil, 20 tons of pit run and 20 tons of gravel this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

MattN03

Active member

Equipment
2011 B3200, LA504 FEL w/B2366 SSQA conversion, BH76 BH, EA Wicked 55
Sep 5, 2016
222
40
28
KY
When I cut a drive to my shop, I put down geotextile road fabric to keep from loosing material over the years.
 

Crash277

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23S
Jan 17, 2021
846
622
93
Canada
This is the pic I tried to post earlier. That’s about 1/2 the length of the expansion promised the wife I’d leave the pear tree alone.

F45FDCE5-571D-406D-843F-6CDDE5F25C86.jpeg
this is one of the many places I have available to put dirt. I need to raise that entire area up so there isn’t a “swamp” at the fire pit. That fire pit was one of my first tractor task. It was fun. Approx 8 tons of gravel in it.

F495125F-2A06-4747-82AB-26B37C5FF6AA.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

random

Well-known member

Equipment
L3301, bucket, backhoe, grader, plow, harrow, cultivator
Nov 2, 2020
717
401
63
NC
When I cut a drive to my shop, I put down geotextile road fabric to keep from loosing material over the years.
Do you know of a good source, either in specific, or generally where to look? I don't think I've seen that at Home Depot.
 

thirdroc17

Active member
Dec 25, 2013
185
35
28
Michigan
20 tons is very little dirt. When I reworked my driveway, which is only something over 100' long at most, I brought in 120 yards, which computes to 150 tons.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users