Asphalt driveway damage / repair

[DHCarrotfeeder]

I’ve been at my farm for two years now. One of the features I was most pleased with when we bought it was the 1000 ft asphalt driveway.

Since then I’ve noticed significant alligator cracking down one or both sides. The chunks haven’t lifted out yet but some spots look ready to start. This has put a pit in my stomach, because replacement would cost the better part of $100k.

We use a trash service that clears a dumpster every week as well as a porta-potty that gets cleaned weekly. Both of those trucks are heavy.

Where do I go from here? I’m concerned that next winter it will lift and start potholing. I’m also concerned we ruined it. I wonder if we have to eliminate the trucks altogether.

[airhorse]

We had our 1,500 foot drive done in 2001 for 72 cents per square foot. Same contractor now wants over 7 dollars per square foot for repairs. 6" fiber concrete is just over $6 per square foot. Needles to say, concrete is slowly taking over our driveway. We plan to do a few hundred feet per year.

We have the same issues with the semis and garbage truck tearing up the asphalt. Concrete will be a much better solution long term.

[ReSomething]

You CAN move the dumpster and get that truck off the body of the driveway. Build one of those landscaping surrounded fences and an enlarged area for the truck, then you’ll have to carry the trash to the dumpster, I know it’s a PITA.

Worst part of purchasing any property that comes with a cemented or asphalted area is that you never know how well it was laid down till you find out the hard way.

[Fred]

Our driveway is a mess too. The part from the road to the house is ashphalt and is cracking and heaving. Looks terrible!
I would like to tear the whole thing up and put down gravel. Has anyone done this?

[ponygirl]

[QUOTE=Fred;8142756]
Our driveway is a mess too. The part from the road to the house is ashphalt and is cracking and heaving. Looks terrible!
I would like to tear the whole thing up and put down gravel. Has anyone done this?[/QUOTE]

You could have it turned into asphalt millings.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=ReSomething;8142160]
You CAN move the dumpster and get that truck off the body of the driveway. Build one of those landscaping surrounded fences and an enlarged area for the truck, then you’ll have to carry the trash to the dumpster, I know it’s a PITA.

Worst part of purchasing any property that comes with a cemented or asphalted area is that you never know how well it was laid down till you find out the hard way.[/QUOTE]

Not really. This is our entrance lane, and I’m pretty sure I can’t / won’t stand for a dumpster next to my mailbox.

[Fred]

[QUOTE=ponygirl;8142769]
You could have it turned into asphalt millings.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your response, ponygirl. I am not sure what asphalt millings are though.

(OP, I hope you don’t mind - I don’t mean to derail your thread in any way)

[clanter]

have you looked into “chip sealing” ?

http://evansconstruction.com/asphaltchip-seal-driveway-qa/

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=Fred;8142796]
Thank you for your response, ponygirl. I am not sure what asphalt millings are though.

(OP, I hope you don’t mind - I don’t mean to derail your thread in any way)[/QUOTE]

When they make asphalt they coat rock chips in oil. When they remove old asphalt they grind it up into gravel again. Those are millings.

[ReSomething]

So here we have another thing to add to what might be useful in a larger farm, which is a service entrance.
I don’t know how big OP’s farm is, and I know ours is so small we cart the trash to the street weekly (and so does my trainer, all 8 cans and feed bags full of it), but for something in the 20 acre+ with lots of road frontage bracket, a secondary drive to the services, the hay barn, trash area, arena etc, might be worth it. Short and ugly with a cement pad turnaround, not client pretty.

[Fred]

[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8142889]
When they make asphalt they coat rock chips in oil. When they remove old asphalt they grind it up into gravel again. Those are millings.[/QUOTE]

Thank you, Mosey!

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=Fred;8143081]
Thank you, Mosey![/QUOTE]

No problem Millings make a decent driveway, too. We used to get some from the asphalt company as they drove by our place often and would unload if they had a small load of them on.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=ReSomething;8142968]
So here we have another thing to add to what might be useful in a larger farm, which is a service entrance.
I don’t know how big OP’s farm is, and I know ours is so small we cart the trash to the street weekly (and so does my trainer, all 8 cans and feed bags full of it), but for something in the 20 acre+ with lots of road frontage bracket, a secondary drive to the services, the hay barn, trash area, arena etc, might be worth it. Short and ugly with a cement pad turnaround, not client pretty.[/QUOTE]

A service entrance would be fabulous, but since our property flags to the road over a creek, I couldn’t do anything more than build a second bridge and make a second path next to the driveway.

And no obvious way to connect thru any neighbors lots either, even for a few days.

The chip seal option seems interesting - it should accommodate the damaged condition quite well.

David

[Mosey_2003]

If you want to do chip seal (we usually call it tar and chip) get calling and get on someone’s books now, once summer hits they’ll be busy doing county roads usually

[SusanO]

Reported