Stuck in yard, ruts. Install driveway? Ideas please.

[SCADAMAN29325]

Not exactly RV DIY, but DIY for the RV.

- 2023.02.12 Calhoun Falls State Park, campsite 74, 5 days.
11am Sunday morning, everything loaded up and ready to GO! OMG! EXACTLY ON TIME! Put it in gear and NOTHING but spinning tires! The rain we had yesterday and last night had soaked the ground awful.
STUCK in the mud, in our own yard!!!!!!!!!!!
NEEDED A TOW TRUCK!!!!!!! $85
Took two tries but he got us out of the yard.
Big mess waiting for us when we get back.
Even the front tires left big ruts.

- The rest of the trip was MARVELOUS, BEAUTIFUL, PEACEFUL!

- Now what do I do? Been running the numbers for options...

A- use 4 pieces of 2'x4'x3/4" plywood sections to "leapfrog" back into original area? Or same idea but using sets of 2"x12"x4'...? (CHEAP and quick, $100)

B- install a gravel driveway about 12'x60'? (Guesstimate $1000 - $1500, maybe less, maybe more?)

C- install a concrete driveway (same size)? (Twice that, $3000 +/-)

D- Just do a tailgate spread of 3/4" or 1.5" crusher run? (Half that, $500 +/-)

E- Yard savers? (Pics below)

Other ideas?

I'll be getting some estimates tomorrow. Ideas about what to ask for, other than just saying 'I need a 12'x60' driveway'?

THANKS in advance!

[midnightsadie]

IF its not concrete? it will still sink get gooy and you,ll get a headache from not doing it right.

[jjrbus]

One place where I stayed far off the road where no tow truck would go I had to walk it out twice with 1/2 sheets of plywood. Best option was wait for dry weather.

If you opt for gravel of some type use landscape fabric under it or will disappear in a few years.

https://www.profabricsupply.com/pages/installing-driveway-fabric-a-helpful-illustrated-guide

[enblethen]

I would be careful about what they are calling "crushed run". It could be larger then what you really want. Crushed run is normally pit run which here is 3-4 inch and smaller.

[SCADAMAN29325]

Good info to think about!

Update, just now had one of the local folks stop by, measured it (12x50) and said 12 tons of crusher run, spread and compacted for $650. I was thinking a lot more than that. And have 2 others coming by Monday and Tuesday.

Thanks.

[ScottG]

I splurged on concrete in 2018 and I have to tell you, it's the ultimate luxury!

[RLS7201]

If you ever feel the need to slide under your RV, you'll be glad you poured concrete.

Richard

[theoldwizard1]

Almost anything you do will sink in, especially in damp/wet conditions unless you dig down (optimally to the frost level) and back fill with gravel. You could try digging down about 6"-8" and making a two layer 4'x4' "pad" out of PT 2x4 for the pavers to sit on. The large pad should "float".

[Boomerweps]

I was lucky. I had many 2x2’ cement pavers about 2” from a local source. I lined them up, leveled them (mostly) as two tracks for my TT. Yes, they still sink in some under TT’s tires in storage but they helped a lot. My yard soft spot was the ideal TT parking spot and not much larger.

I agree with the bite the bullet crowd. Paving is the best way to go, long term. Depends on your future housing plan for cost effectiveness but a level paved surface is a selling point for future garage additions, patio, entertainment, lots of possibilities.

[JBarca]

What is your soil like? That does play a big part in what you can and should do. Here in central OH, we have a good amount of clay mixed into the soil. The day after a hefty rain, anything significant in weight, a camper, a truck etc, running over the lawn or worse bare dirt, will sink out of sight in the muck. Three days later, with the sun shining, that same dirt will be hard as concrete with 1/2" wide cracks in bare dirt.

At our prior Ohio place 30 minute south of our current place, I buried the K2500 Suburban and the camper in the front lawn in the spring, trying to back in and turn around on the lawn. Bad mistake... And it had not even rained the day before. It was just a soft spring Ohio clay lawn.

When we moved to the new place 30 miles north, I ensured the entire barnyard was big enough to turn the camper around in the yard any time of year.

I'm sharing a suggestion not knowing your soil. It will work in the muck we have. Take up the sod on top. Dig out at least 6 to 8" of soil. Fill with #304 or #411 limestone. Both of these grades have fines in them and will pack hard. The top will be slimy until a few rains wash the fines off the top. But after that, it will be solid any time of year. If you want later to make it look pretty, you and put a fine layer of crushed stone on top of your choice. I do not suggest using just #57 crushed stone deep, it moves around a lot. The 304/411's stay put with the fines in between.

For our current place, we dug out 6 to 8" and, in some places 10" to level it out and backfilled it with recycled asphalt. They grind it up off the highways. In my case, I rented a vibratory roller and packed it about every 3" of fill, and built it up. This was the cheapest fill. Come the hot summer months; it will start to reactivate and stick together. The bottom will become hard. I had 500 10-ton truckloads brought in. Yes, it is a big yard. Mine was as they ground it up off the highway, so it had some larger chunks in it. It is not an issue on the bottom layers, but I had to pick up the chucks on the top surfaces. Not a problem, just more work, but for the price, it was worth it. Some sellers of recycled asphalt have a grinder, and they process it before you get it. It costs more, but you do not have to deal with the chucks. You have to pack this and roll it. If not the first year, come summer, it will sink, compact itself, and you end up in ruts to deal with. Pack as they are installing it or right after but you need a really big roller (think road size needing a semi to transport) if you are trying to pack the entire drive on top only.

My driveway was put up in 2012, and it is still in great shape. In this area, recycled asphalt is becoming more popular.

Both of these suggestions are considered a permanent choice. Concrete is great, but it needs the proper base, or it will crack. Nowadays, they can add carbon fiber to the mix and or older wire. Pending the weight of your camper, you may want 6" in place of 4" to help the cracking.

If you are looking for temporary and cheap, and direct, get the 2 x 12"'s out and line them up. It will get old in time dealing with them; they warp, split and move around, but it is quick and cheaper. Been there, and learned that.

There is no real "cheap" solution to a permanent setup. Just options that cost less. As was stated by the other poster, if your area is wet as a normal thing, get underground drainage in first.

Hope this helps

John

[midnightsadie]

cement do it one time and its over. hire a firm that know,s what there doing. ours is 16years old looks good and come,s in handy. gravel settles, ground still gets soft there. pain in the butt.do know will you can still enjoy it.

[StirCrazy]

I would do at minimum a gravel driveway.

the yard savers are an expensive option as you basicly have to build a grave driveway , put them on top and fill with dirt and sead, unless I am thinking of a different type. the ones I am talking about gives you a driveway that disapears into the grass but still stays strong and you mow it. nice for haveing a hard area with out seeing a driveway going to it.

you could put gravel down and just go but it will just get pounded into the dirt and go to mud if you don't keep doing it every year as it gets packed down.. eventualy it will hold up as a driveway.

[wapiticountry]

If you have someone who will excavate, form up and pour a 12x60 concrete drive for $3000 you found a good deal. Just be sure you have any necessary permits and that the slab is a minimum of 6 inches thick. Often residential drives are only 4 inches, but that is insufficient for heavier RVs and the like.

[enblethen]

Drainage would be first to get rid of the water. two-four 4 inch perforated pipes under drive area. cover with filter cloth and the some 1.25 minus gravel covered by 24 minus.

[Bobbo]

When we bought our current house, one of my few requirements was being able to park the RV in our yard. Well, we bought the house. I didn't bring the RV over right away, busy moving in. Just before our first RV trip of the year, I brought the RV over the night before leaving and parked it. It rained. I was stuck, just like you. CoachNet paid for a tow truck who pulled us out. When we got home, I went to the big box hardware store and bought enough pressure treated 2x12 boards to make driveway runners to keep the RV out of the mud. Did that for a year or two, successfully. Didn't get stuck again. Finally, after a year or two, we poured a concrete parking pad butted up against the driveway. The concrete pad solved my problem, permanently and easily. Notice that I did not say cheaply.