# Driveway upgrade using recycled asphalt?



## sleuth (Aug 31, 2013)

I have an existing gravel driveway that is approximately 35 years old. I recently found what I think is a pretty good deal on recycled asphalt ($7/ton) and I was wondering how I'd go about installing it over top of my existing driveway, or at least a portion of it. Driveway is probably in the neighborhood of 6000 sq. ft. I'm figuring I could get all the asphalt material I need for around $300-$500.

What kind of equipment would I need to rent? How thick of a layer should it be? Will the surface be smooth enough for activities like bike riding (I have little kids), playing basketball, roller blading, etc.? Would you be able to drive a medium sized tractor over it?


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

IF they are fresh and it is warm they go down very well. They need spread, graded and compacted with a heavy roller. IF piled for a while and cold they end up just like frozen gravel, they clump and are hard to spread, hard to level and make smooth. Spend the time to do it right the first time....James


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

All you need is a box spreader on the back of your 3PH tractor.....


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

sleuth said:


> I have an existing gravel driveway that is approximately 35 years old. I recently found what I think is a pretty good deal on recycled asphalt ($7/ton) and I was wondering how I'd go about installing it over top of my existing driveway, or at least a portion of it. Driveway is probably in the neighborhood of 6000 sq. ft. I'm figuring I could get all the asphalt material I need for around $300-$500.
> 
> What kind of equipment would I need to rent? How thick of a layer should it be? Will the surface be smooth enough for activities like bike riding (I have little kids), playing basketball, roller blading, etc.? Would you be able to drive a medium sized tractor over it?


......................Ask the dump truck driver to spread his load out over a 100 lineal feet . A 10 yard load on a tandem axle dump truck should cover ~ 100 feet , 10 feet wide ! Once dumped , ask the driver to Pack his previous load with the duals on his truck . You can also ask the driver of the second load , to pull up\backup and pack the load of the first truck while he has a full load on his truck . This applies to all subsequent loads after the first load . , fordy


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

I had it applied to my drive like Fordy said. Not all loads were the same. Some packed down very well. Others had more gravel and dirt in them and didn't stick together too well. No problem bike riding. I wouldn't want to roller skate or skateboard on it. Is hard enough to plow snow off of. 

The potholes that took a truck load of road pack every year have needed nothing done to them since 2006!! My drive is on a hillside and I've only had one area wash since I put it on. Need to take care of that before winter. 

I would definitely do it again.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I was building a near paved driveway, smooth and level as the OP wanted to know if a person could skateboard on it. If you only want a driveway like a gravel road, you can just spread like gravel. Not the same. The good stuff is asphalt grindings, fresh from a road job. They grind the surface and to give an edge to start and finish when paving a stretch of highway. The looser type (more like road gravel) is hauled to a grinding machine, some in big chunks with gravel all mixed in, not as good for a smooth packed surface, more like a gravel road....James


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Is that 7$/ton in the yard, or delivered? Been half a dozen years since I had any dump truck come out, but their haul cost alone was $100. Would be a great price, if delivered!


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## sleuth (Aug 31, 2013)

texican said:


> Is that 7$/ton in the yard, or delivered? Been half a dozen years since I had any dump truck come out, but their haul cost alone was $100. Would be a great price, if delivered!


Does not include delivery. I thought $7/ton in the yard was a pretty good price for a new driveway. I haven't priced it but I'd expect some gravel and white rock cost more than that.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Local rock yard (construction business) sells they're regular rock (sb-2 up to rip rap) for 35$/ton... they'll load you up... or deliver, delivery extra. I know the guy that use to load me and he told me I was actually getting over 2, sometimes 3 tons of rock, for the price of one ton. New guy does the same thing.

Don't know if loading recycled asphalt by hand would be fun... imagine it'd be impossible if it were pure (and not hot).

I did have a hundred yards of my one mile long driveway 'fixed' with recycled asphalt... neighbor messed it up, told him he (being rich) needed to fix it... they put down a nice six inch layer of recycled asphalt... first time it rained, it squished everywhere except where it needed to be. I'd not put it on my road anywhere, except where the road is already established, with a solid base... even if it were free. What was a marginally bad spot is now an almost 'have to put it into 4wd' spot, with the smallest rain event.


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## Maxiem 1530 (Sep 11, 2013)

Do not go with the cheapest asphalt as it will be too dry and not stick together. My big mistake... Get the asphalt that has a higher tar content and run a rented compactor over it, last for years.


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

Idea for those who try to maintain a gravel driveway.

Our drive is 700 ft up a hill. Every hard rain it used to wash out. I finally solved the problem by installing a few speed bumps. This slowed the water down and solved the problem.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Imho, recycled asphalt is a crapshoot... you think you're getting asphalt, trouble is, you get the recycle part too, which is going to be whatever that asphalt was sitting on, which *once again, imho* isn't worth putting on your road, as the former owners wanted to cover 'it' up with asphalt. A neighbor put it on my road, to 'fix it', and now it's worse than ever, with the mud and dirt splooshing everywhere... not the smooth vision we have of asphalt roads.


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