Minnesota Outdoorsman

General Category => Lawn & Garden => Home Improvement => Topic started by: Tom7227 on January 01/14/20, 12:54:11 PM

Title: gravel drive
Post by: Tom7227 on January 01/14/20, 12:54:11 PM
My daughter just bought a house that has a gravel drive with about 1 inch rock.  They are having trouble clearing the snow.  They have a hand operated snow blower but it is tossing rocks.  The previous owner used an ATV with a plow but that seems like a problem pushing the rocks around.  To top it off their is an uphill grade from the drive to the street and it is iced up and hard to negotiate with a 2 wheel drive rig.  It is in Afton and putting down a lot of ice melt isn't that great an idea.
 I don't see an easy solution short of either smaller rock or paving.

Thanks for your time.

Tom
Title: Re: gravel drive
Post by: Leech~~ on January 01/14/20, 01:01:04 PM

May be best just to keep driving it down to a packed snow layer then may be throwing down some sand once in a while. That way the snow blower can run over the top of it better. The rocks are going to always be a problem until compacted down.   :sad:
Title: Re: gravel drive
Post by: Rebel SS on January 01/14/20, 01:16:12 PM

May be best just to keep driving it down to a packed snow layer then may be throwing down some sand once in a while. That way the snow blower can run over the top of it better. The rocks are going to always be a problem until compacted down.   :sad:

x 2. let the snow pack down a layer on it. Drive back and forth over it. Used to have a long gravel drive too, and that's what I did.
Title: Re: gravel drive
Post by: mike89 on January 01/14/20, 02:37:29 PM
also adjust the skids on the side of the snow blower maybe...
Title: Re: gravel drive
Post by: Gunner55 on January 01/14/20, 02:46:06 PM
We put some extra HD skids/shoes & lowered them on our blower up at the lake. They're easily double, maybe even close to 3X thicker than the OE. Our drive up there is close to 600' long but the rock is nowhere near that big just gravel. We also use a wheeler & blade that's set up to leave a nice layer of snowpack.
Title: Re: gravel drive
Post by: LPS on January 01/14/20, 03:12:13 PM
Hopefully they just put that big rock down and it hasnt had enough time to pack down.  Maybe come spring it will get worked in with the snowmelt.  We had constant maintenence on our drive until we put down crushed granite.  Now we don't even get pot holes.  Makes a nice smooth driveway. 
Title: Re: gravel drive
Post by: HD on January 01/14/20, 04:18:00 PM
I got a gravel driveway with class 5 sized rock. I plow with a tractor. On my bucket I added a couple skids to bring the bucket edge up 2 inches. For the majority, it keeps the rocks out of the bucket.