Well guys I’m still a newbie when it comes to scarifying. So I need some advice; I’ve got a couple of miles or gravel roads which have some potholes 6 – 8” deep. There are some close together but, most of them are many yards apart. My first thought was to take a deep enough cut with the moldboard to remove all the washboards and potholes. Then I got to thinking maybe I should scarify the road first? So, if I’m going to scarify, should I do the complete road? Should I just do the area there the holes and washboard areas? I would appreciate some recommendations from your experience! Thanks, Paul
Grading ? Hello Buggyman, A few ? first. Are these private, as in logging, ranch, roads ? Or county roads. Or state roads ? What is the traffic count ? Heavy/ light ? Anyway, having to maintain traffic of some sort, while doing your work, also affects how you do it. Will Flaggers be necessary ? Assuming you have little traffic, I'd just scarify the localized regions of the chuckholes. Don't scarify too deep, otherwise you will bring up, big rock, that you have to get rid of, later. Just grade the job in sections where there is convenient turnarounds. Washboarding has to be cut to the bottom of the ruts. The material has to be blended to a uniform mix, not segregated . Scarify the worst deep potholed areas, roll the base course out with heavy cutting and roll it back in, with lifts, to assure blending. Do heavy cutting elsewhere, rolling out a heavy windrow and then placing it back. Use a water truck if available and a compactor if available. Don't forget to restore the crown in the final grading also. For proper drainage. Might do some ditch work 1st to assure proper drainage. A key element of roads. Keep water from running across roads, lying on the road surface, with no place to go. Or ponding up in the ditch,saturating the road bed. Grade the road in convenient 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile , 1 mile, or whatever,sections depending upon the terrain. Post signs up for the public , if this is public roads. Food for thought , hope its enough.
Northart summed it up very well. I find that with the deep potholes it's hard to cut them out by blading. I would just rip out the group of potholes, not the whole road. Happy grading!
gravel roads.. ////
I think there's an "oops" in that last post.
ummmm:beatsme please translate
Thanks Northart My first reply didn’t come out quit right so here it is again. A few ? first. Are these private, as in logging, ranch, roads ? Or county roads. Or state roads ? This is a small "7 mile" road district. What is the traffic count ? Heavy/ light ? The main road into the district which is 3/4 mile long has the main potholes. There is about 70 homes in the district which use most of the road. Will Flaggers be necessary ? No.. Might do some ditch work 1st to assure proper drainage. A key element of roads. Keep water from running across roads, lying on the road surface, with no place to go. Or ponding up in the ditch, aturating the road bed. The road is shaped good and for the most part has enough base. Any more questions???
Grading ? Hello Buggyman, Just another note, make sure you have a good 2% crown for drainage. Heavy rains and constant traffic create puddling , leading to potholes in a hurry. If you have a compactor available I'd suggest using it. Sounds like this is a 2-3 times a year grading effort. Happy Grading
Try to not scarify any deeper than necessary to reach the bottom of the holes. Deeper scarifying will only bring up dirt which is no help. Also patience and repetition is your friend. Once you have it ripped up, then roll the material back and forth, back and forth, until you have no chunks and well mixed, loose material. Then start shaping and packing with the grader as you go. Patience and repetition. It works best when you have some moisture in the mix. If it's too dry the material won't stay where you put it. If it's too wet it won't pack solid. Pray for no rain for a couple days until the traffic gets it beat down. If you work an area and then it rains on it that night, it's not pretty and doesn't make friends very well. Lastly, watch traffic closely!!!! They will pull right up behind you and sit there like you should get out of the way. Always check mirrors before backing up!!!