Pros and cons?
This would for a 3200# horse trailer, a small dump trailer, and eventually a smaller tractor in the long run (short term, an RV that I think is about 7000#). Am thinking something about 16’x22’ or so, will cover also with a roof in the future after pad is done.
just my thoughts and I pretty sure others will have objections but to me gravel, if this is just a parking pad … also my thoughts are based up how hot it gets here
While not disagreeing with clanter’s good points, I’m going to say concrete pad - at least for the tractor - as my experience parking my truck on gravel was not good.
After 5yrs the moisture from evaporation rotted out the rear brakes.
Truck now sits on my concrete driveway.
And worry has been transferred to my seldom-used aluminum trailer parked on the gravel pad…
Always go with the least intrusive, here gravel.
You can always later move the gravel somewhere else you need it and put a pad in if you feel that is what you need.
If you change your mind and want to park somewhere else later, gravel is easier to move.
A concrete pad is better if you have a lot of traffic, you are moving stuff on and off it several times a day.
For just letting stuff sit there, gravel is fine.
Now, if you have a weed problem, you will have to spray for weeds regularly in gravel, not hardly on a concrete pad, only on the edges.
Now, if you cover it, maybe concrete pad could possibly be better, won’t have mice and such trying to make a home in that cozy spot if it is concrete as they would in gravel.
Everything has it’s good and bad points.
Concrete is expensive, requires water run-off management, is easy to move on, can be cleaned up with a pressure washer, and is permanent.
Gravel is cheaper, rain pretty much soaks in, can be “disturbed” by certain wheel movements, requires vegetation control, and is non-permanent.
If money is not an object and the location is unlikely to change I do the concrete.
G.
I personally would prefer concrete. Ease of cleaning, no worries about gravel being picked up in tires and dropped thru the yard as you move trailers or tractor. If you need to work on equipment easier to be on.
I would also look at pavement, it might be a cheaper option (might, because I really don’t know).
If you and DH are handy and like work you could always put down pavers or have someone else do it so that is another option.
Gravel is certainly a good choice too. Your budget, might dictate your final choice but look at all three possibilities and get quotes on prices.
I have crushed stone under mine because I ended up with some that wasn’t horse field quality. It looks nice and serves the purpose well.
Concrete would be great but the cost was not justifiable for me.
Here, there is also an option of crushed, milled asphalt, that packs down better than gravel, especially if it is seconds with some fines.
That is what we have in our parking lot in front of the barn.
It does need adding to at times if you have much traffic on it.
If you use a 1" clean rock you can always put concrete on top if you don’t like it. You’ll have to add a little to level it out, and have it formed and poured, but with either plan you’re going to be buying gravel.
Right, just wondering what I would be happier with in the long run.
Concrete is hard to beat to be “happy” with.
Just be sure to put it exactly where you want it.
Concrete tends to be permanent, very hard to break up and move.
Hope your needs don’t change, you later wish it was a bit more here or there.
If sitting in the right place, happiness will ensue.
We use crushed road base in an equipment parking area that works well.
Consider drainage and your native soil too- we have sucky clay and we mix in (powdered) cement, then water and compact (roll the tractor back and forth… for a long time) then put the road base over the top. Our parking area drains to the back well enough to not puddle.
Relatively inexpensive for the area we need to keep drained and clean-ish, barn helpers can do the work and it lasts pretty well.
For boarder parking, we have compacted decomposed gravel (called different things in different areas) with some concrete added for stability, then bird’s eye gravel (kind of like giant sand particles, maybe pencil-eraser size, and rounded) over the top.
This combo is fine to drive on, and also OK for the horses to walk on whereas pea gravel is bigger, rolls, and the pieces are pointy enough to hurt the sole of a horse’s hoof. But the birds’ eye gravel would get mushed into the base too quickly by the very heavy equipment, so we used the larger, courser road base (basically, that is crushed up concrete chunks, bigger than pea gravel) under the heavier equipment.
Stuff like this- always a good idea to talk to the counter guys at your local building supply place (not Home Depot, but the places where contractors buy material) and you can usually learn useful things about the local conditions and customs, and what materials are used in your area for these kinds of purposes.
Yeah to be honest I mostly see the construction types parking on gravel… My concern is rock traveling throughout the area, rutting, and just in general becoming a mess :(. I’m…fussy. Rocks all over would make me grumpy. I’d make a grumpy face each time the mower hit one. Do yours pretty much stay put?
My plan is to have it in a “back in” situation, so that I pull around in front of it, then back the trailers in. So I wouldn’t be driving back and forth over it, just back in, then pull out. And like I said, I do ideally want to cover it at some point in the future.
Do the cement.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
