Genius or stupid?

I'm getting 10 tons of gravel dropped for my driveway this week. I'll need to spread it.

I have a wheelbarrow and shovel and rake, and gravel Guy is going to dump in a drawn out line.

I'm trying to make it easier on myself.

I had the thought this morning of attaching a 2x12 by about 3 foot to the front of my riding lawnmower, 3 inches off the ground, and using it like a redneck tractor plow.

Will this even work? Or will it be a pointless waste of time?

Get 4-5 tons every so often to top off the driveway. We used one yard that delivered on a tilt back, just follow along to keep it sliding off the deck steady and driveway width. No dumping in a pile, no wheelbarrows. Last two times they delivered w/ a concrete truck w/ chute. Just guide the chute while the driver creeps along. Shovel or rake to level.

Easy Button.

Rent a Bobcat for an hour. Done.

In reply to Appleseed:

+1. You also get to play with a Bobcat for an hour which is always a good time.

I bought 18 tons to re-finish my driveway once. After laughing at me trying to move and rake it for a good 3hrs... my neighbor drove his little Ford bucket loader over and made quick work of it.

Stupid.

Make sure they send a truck with spreader chains and a good driver. They can lay it down so there is only minor raking left. You can even specify how much depth you want. The downside is that you need lots of overhead clearance, and a lot of truck drivers (I wuz one) are paid from the neck down and cannot drive a sharp stick up a ducks ass.

And you can spread it with your lawnmower, but if you go that route have them give you a few small piles rather than one big one, and build a very short (2-3 feet max) blade with a 4x4 that is off set a bit so you can keep sideswiping the piles and taking small amounts off the edge. It works quite well.

You should drag the stone behind the lawn tractor. Hook it up like you described, but on the back, and pull with logging chains. Set up some way to lift the blade off the ground when not in use. You will not push much as you described.

My mother had a load of gravel dumped in the parking area at the summer camp.

I drove our Jeep with the snow plow, in July, to see what it could do

As long as I took light bites and got the pile down everything went well.

I have moved 3000 lbs of rock out of my backyard to my truck and then moved 3000 lbs of rock from my truck to my backyard (the wife wanted 'prettier rock' ) with just a shovel and a wheel barrow. I just suggest you find a way (any way) to avoid using the shovel and wheel barrow

My wife works in construction, so we took the "can I borrow the skid steer for the weekend?" method. But I have seen it done by dragging a railroad tie by chain, even pulled by a people.

Also, look into recycled concrete (I think). It'll set up a bit. Tell the guys at the pit what you want to do, they'll make sure you get the right stuff.

So yeah, nobody around here rents bigger equipment. There goes that idea.

Back to plowing with a redneck tractor plow. Offset the 2x12 past the wheels and take small bites. Got it.

Alternatively, use a railroad tie and chains to drag, lifting at the end. That may work for part.

I'm also going to try to have the truck spread as much as possible.

Driveway is about 150 foot long, 50 foot wide, including the parking area.

150 x 50? 10 yards isn't enough. I went though 15 going less than 100 feet at 14' wide.

If it's not, I'll get more later this summer. I'm pretty much just topcoat, as I've got a good packed base with a few bare spots. But it's all pretty much turned into peace gravel at this point.

Hoping 10 tons is enough for a 1-2 inch layer over most.

In high school, some friends and I covered an entire gravel parking lot using the following technique:
-Put end of large tarp into trunk of Buick
-Shovel/cause minor avalanche from main gravel pile onto tarp
-Drive Buick, accelerate for more gravel, decelerate for less
-Repeat until gravel pile is gone
-Put four people on tarp and drive around as fast as possible

This resulted in a surprisingly level lot at the end of the day.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: In high school, some friends and I covered an entire gravel parking lot using the following technique: -Put end of large tarp into trunk of Buick -Shovel/cause minor avalanche from main gravel pile onto tarp -Drive Buick, accelerate for more gravel, decelerate for less -Repeat until gravel pile is gone -Put four people on tarp and drive around as fast as possible This resulted in a surprisingly level lot at the end of the day.

A levellot and jusy how many cripples?

So, it wasn't enough. 3/4 is covered, and only two small piles to spread by hand. The driver was also the owner and founder of the company, and he's been doing gravel since 1972.

Gonna go spread the piles under the carport, and save pennies for the next load.

Thanks guys!