As a teenager I lived on a dirt road in the California desert. A regular job was going to the dump and finding a mattress and stripping off all the fabric down to wire spring frame. We would take it home, attach a chain to drag it and weigh it down with whatever was handy, then we would drag it up and down the road to fill the ruts and smooth it out. it was amazing how well it worked.
god bless Brian, he is some hard worker. i wish they had that GEO CELL when i had my country house. over 23 years, i can't remember how many times i had gravel put down on it
This is the best video I have seen on helping with a steep drive way. I live in north Florida and my land is all down hill from the paved road. I have worked and spent many hours on my drive way and everytime it rains it all washes down hill. Thanks for sharing this.
Buy base-rock. Florida has the best material for roads. Grade it out, if you can, compact the base-rock. Once compacted it will take a years worth of Florida rain before you see minimal erosion. That stuff is as hard as concrete , once it’s compacted. Fyi
On my driveway I also put a non woven geotextile under the geographic. The geotextile is very cheap compared to the geographic but it keeps the rock from migrating into the soil underneath. It is the best way to build a road. For roughly 10 % more you will get a road that is superior to geogrid alone.
I'm working on a project with a similar product. We are building a parking lot with grass growing through the geotech so the parking lot looks like a lawn. It's great stuff. It really supports vehicle traffic and will help you with erosion!
Hey, there is another positive note, THE PUPPY! Great job on the drive, I live in N.C. hilly property, but the same ole gravel, rains hard, more gravel, etc, etc.
For those in "limestone" country, go with 3/4 or 1 inch minus. The minus term means that it has extra dust instead of the clean which is washed. this will allow the dust to fill the voids between stones and with wetness and pressure it packs almost to concrete toughness. Long wet periods like winter is will get soggy but stick together and hold unless the ground underneath get muddy. In those areas packing in larger stone first is needed. I did a driveway with a hook curve near the road and then straight in a flood plain near a river and never had a problem until one year I had a front tire dig in at the hook curve and tore through the two to three inch layer of limestone floating on a mud/silt base that got soupy. In the spring I dug out that spot about a foot and put two inch minus in the hole and topped with 3/4 minus and never had a problem again. It is all just limestone with no cement but done right it glues itself together pretty good, like this stone in the video. In the dog days of summer it gets dusty but near the cabin I topped that with some 3/8 inch clean limestone chips in a thin layer each year for a nice dressed out smooth surface that I could walk barefoot on and that kept the dust down near the doorway. Just a thought. Also Geo Cell is great on steep sections and the only real problem is you cannot scrape/remove gravel where it is and have to be adding gravel in those areas to stay above the top of the plastic grid. As long as you do not hook it with a blade or such it works great at avoiding erosion. Just do not get stingy with gravel in those areas and you are fine. It is amazing at breaking up and stopping erosion flows of water and holding the gravel in place.
That GEOCEL looks promising. Looking forward to next springs videos. BTW, I'm a big fan of Andrew Camarata. Check out his channel on putting down gravel. He does it for a living and is an "artist" barring none. Wishing you WELL and Thanks for the video.
There will be a follow up video this week reviewing the performance of Geocell under snowstorm conditions as well as heavy deliveries when the driveway is soft. (Almost like a preview for spring conditions)> Thanks for the tips!
We use geo cell often in mountains of WV and it’s good product on steep slopes. get some more experience on that little tractor and you’ll find you won’t need many implements for it. That bucket will do more than you think with time behind the wheel. And you can compression compact with tractor it’s heavier than your vehicles guys. add full bucket of material and even more ground pressure psi, tram up and down for hour or so and rest time will do if don’t want spend the $ rent a vibratory roller. Keep up the good work!
I think the gravel mix is called crusher run. It is basically the tailings from the other gravel that they produce. It does contain a lot of dust that compacts when wet and hardens. I like the stuff far better than regular gravel. The Geocell product looks like it is going to be a real winner on the hill. A honeycomb driveway base.
I just discovered your channel! I grew up near Bailey Colorado in the Burland Ranchettes area near the top of Crow Hill along 285. My family build our own home on 25 acres back in the late 60s into the 70s. My step mom still lives in the area.
I would definitely recommend geocells as a solution for stabilizing steep driveways or slopes. Here are some tips and advice to keep in mind: Firstly, it's important to carefully evaluate the slope you're working with and determine if a geocell is the right solution for your specific situation. Factors like soil type, slope angle, and expected traffic volume can all play a role in the effectiveness of a geocell, so consulting with a professional wouldn’t be a bad idea. Assuming a geocell is a good fit for your project, some potential pitfalls to avoid include underestimating the amount of material needed, failing to properly prepare the site (such as removing vegetation or debris), or not following the manufacturer's installation instructions closely enough. These can all impact the effectiveness and longevity of your geocell installation. One important factor to keep in mind is proper drainage. Geocell panels can help distribute weight and prevent erosion, but if water is allowed to accumulate or flow through the panels in a way that wasn't intended, it can undermine the stability of the installation. So be sure to plan for proper drainage and consider installing a sub-surface drainage system if needed. Finally, I would recommend using a high-quality geocell product from a reputable manufacturer like Geoweb, Basecore, or Presto Geosystems, and possibly seeking out professional installation help if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. A good geocell can last for many years so it's important to get it right from the start.
as you seem knowledgeable about geocells, do you have any idea how often its necessary to top up the gravel in order to avoid seeing the geocell on a residential driveway that has 10-15% slope? Thanks!
This looks interesting. We used road fines. Black top that is ground off when they resurface roads. lay it out to uniform thickness then have it compacted with large vibrating steam roller. Nearly as good as blacktop. I haven't had to touch mine in ten years.
Put this down on slopes back in early 90's as a test area for NC state DOT on I 40 in Kernersville and it really work great gave grass seed a good bed too start
I have looked at this type of product before, let's see how it looks come spring time. When maintaining roads with a tractor having the right tools always helps. I would invest in a box scraper, long before I get a blow blower, I deal with Sierra cement, very wet up to 3' ft deep in spots. I maintain & remove snow over several miles of gravel roads and the box scraper works best for both tasks, my front mounted snow plow works best on the paved roads. Next up drainage. Without proper drainage no road will survive. This is where the box scraper will really help out, keeping the drainage open and channeled where you want it to go. A tractor is the best multi-tool investment when owning rural property & you can never have enough attachments to help you get the work done faster & easier.
We do have a box blade for the tractor. So we're excited to see how well it does to help with driveway maintenance. We've certainly got our money's worth from the machine!
Is there anything Brian can't do? Amazing guy! That is a remarkable pair of materials that you used. I don't think I've ever seen any paving solution with the combination of economy and ruggedness that you two have. If they've used what I think is mixed in with the gravel, it ought to really pack down and give you a good surface for a long time. A lot of people are going to copy this! Well done.
I would have installed steel thin square first wire mesh thru out, then Geocell expand cell more, then compacting to increase to cell size. For one man job, well done!
@@ColoradoMountainLiving thanks, just forget, add spray resin thru to grovel for moving during heavy rain, but more on edges due to grovels are on the slope. Planning to do mine as noted
You can save a ton of time by having the trucks spread the gravel or whatever material you are using for the driveway in non-Geocell areas. They limit the rear door opening using chains and use their speed to determine the amount being dumped over say a 100 ft or more length of road. You can get 3 to 4 inches evenly laid in a matter of a minute using this trick. It's a huge time saver!
Not sure if would be paying extra for that, but we wanted to be able to avoid driving on the mix at all costs, since once it's even partially packed, it makes it very difficult to spread exactly how you want it.)Perhaps if we were using just regular gravel, that would be a great idea.Also we are still actively using the driveway to go to work as well.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving - I'm not familiar with the mix you used, I know this trick works in many cases and people should at least be aware of it and ask questions themselves as to suitability for their project.
How would truck spread and not crush the retainer mesh? Filling and spreading the way he did this is the only way. Dump truck spreading in reverse in a curve is not possible with vehicle turn over and maneuvering. Too big of gamble not recognizing Murphy law.
I like the idea of the mesh on the hill. My old driveway was the same gravel and when it would rain a lot it would stick together on the top but once it broke through it would start trenching and just make a bigger trench and wants to water got down in the trenches just eroded everything out the end and a bunch of our driveway would end up in the ditch out in front by the street come of that mesh would keep that from happening, it was a push the water back up to the top so you want to have water pressure digging under your gravel.
We're hoping it will really solve our spring thaw problems with the snow runoff turning the drive into pure mud. Will keep you posted next spring how it hold up!
I think you may need to fill your "ditch" with what we call rip rap, basically 3 to 4 inch angular stone, not smooth like field stone. If you dont I think your ditch will grow deeper and wider with every gully washer. Something to keep an eye on.
From what others say on a regular gravel driveway is to pack the first snow is fall I to to the gravel to freeze it in ice , providing the first snow is only a few inches . Once that happen the gravel will stay in place better.
Looks like a good product. I am guessing that it will continue to pack over the next couple of years and you will need to put a top coat or two on. We always used granite dust on top. It is pretty fine and compresses solid pretty close to concrete, without using a roller. The guy that mention doing it with grass made me think about low(wet) spots you have to drive through in pastures.
What my Father used to use on his driveway, was 2-6 inch angle irons about 7 feet long, he welded these onto a piece of 1/4 inch sheet metal at about a 5 degree off equal. Then he attached a chain to it in 2 places, so he could angle this any way he wanted. Then he placed about 500 lb boulder at first, but in the later years used poured concrete about 4 foot by 6 foot by 4 foot high |------| looked like that from the side, only cross bar was above the angle irons
Amy & Bryan your under layment for your driveway seems to be very sturdy and I hope will stand up to your tough Colorado winter's. This winter should be a good test! Glad things are progressing for you on and around your homefront.
Invest in a box blade to use on your driveway. Makes it very easy to level your gravel and crown your road. Fix your steep areas with crushed asphalt and then oil it. Will hold up well for 3-4 years even if plowing your snow.
Oh we have one! but it has teeth, so would have to take those off so as not to pull up the geocell. our neighbor who shares the drive entrance with use used crush asphalt at the beginning of the drive into his house.
Other than the places you have that geo cell besides a land plane there is no better tool than a box blade for a gravel driveway. If you can keep it full of rock and not go to deep the box blade will work fine over the geo cell as well.
Colorado native here, lived in mountains 16 of those. Plowed snow for a living many of those winters, I’m guessing after a year of blowing snow (especially with a rear mounted blower) your gonna wish you had got on Craiglist and found a used plow truck.
Nice video and demo of using the geogrid but I think they recommend using a non-woven geofabric underneath the grids, also j hook rebars instead of nails for anchoring when there's a slope... Maybe those are new recommendations? It would be great to see an updated video or picture of how it's the driveway today...
@@ColoradoMountainLiving how it is working? We need to redo our driveway and ofc was thinking gravel as a cheaper option. Our house is also on a hill and the driveway is a bit steep.
I know it would take a LOT more fill but some municipalities are using old tires bolted together in a grid. It makes a super-tough grid at a very low cost.
New to the channel and 1st time Commenting, No disrespect. but I was raised in the Grading business and been around all of my life (began operating at age 8) 😁....if you will use larger stone first and then the stone like is in the video you will end up with a driveway that will last the rest of your lives and several others....yea i know it can get pricey but its the proper way to build a road even The ancient romans mill roads...all the best! 🇺🇸
Welcome aboard! And thanks for the tips. Our original driveway construction was done before we made videos; but we had a professional come in with rock/road base to build it up out of the topsoil, then put done the geo fabric and then we put gravel over that; but the plowing and snowmelt took our gravel, so that's why we did the geocell step.
This is exactly what I've been saying someone needed to invent for years. If you look at any retail parking lot, probably 80% of it is only used in the Christmas season. The rest of the year it is a heat sink that makes the AC run like crazy, and needs to be maintained, painted and plowed. If you made the parking spaces nearest the door paved and the rest gravel with this stuff, so cars couldn't get stuck in it, you could seed grass on it and have a lovely, cooling meadow nine months of the year, and simply "paint" parking spaces on the grass at Christmas time.
we tried a grid system, the chains on the snowplow tore it up so we used the dozer and backed the road with limestone and fines, packed like asphalt and the chains didn't affect it.l
Thanks for the reminder on the tire chains because we do use those for the tractor. Should probably take them off once the ground starts to thaw. We will be careful!
He did a great job, I will be curious how the runoff will effect the edges. I hope it works truly. My concern is that if the edges erode dramatically the sides will become damaged without being able to effect the cells. I maybe would have dug some deep trenches on the edges before putting this in, but the theme of my comment is that it looks great and I hope it is easy to work with later assuming any major work needs to be done. Great and informative video!
I use CMB recycled concrete and asphalt as abase which that looks like that . then 2 1/4” minus grave which larger gravel on top last longer doesn’t plow like 3/4” gravel and doesn’t stick in tires .
Road building??.. Try 1 1/2" - 2" for your base.. Then 3/4 -...for top coat. Compactor....that's it. NW mountain country, road building/logging. Best of luck to you.
I've considered Geoweb matting for a hill on my farm road that washes out frequently. Where you are and the level of snow runoff you deal with, consider shaping the road center into a crown to direct water out of the road and a ditch on at least one of the shoulders, to allow water to run somewhere in a controlled fashion or it will still cause major destruction. Worse case scenario would be if your shoulders wash out. That would be hard to correct with the Geoweb in place. I use a box-scraper to fix major problems and a 12' York Modern rake for touch ups and/or to smooth out the roughness a box-scraper leaves behind. I think you probably could get away with a land planer/road leveler, Everything Attachments did a video on theirs. They make nice attachments, I have their 108" high horsepower grader-clearing box blade and its a beast! Please upload a review video of your Geoweb thoughts maybe in spring...I would love to know what you think.
Yes, the crown center would be the final piece that would really help with water shed. will keep working at it. Thanks for all the tips . there's still more work to do!
@@lindamashhadi2279 I ordered it online can’t remember the name of the company, if you google it you should see sources for it half the price of light hoof
You can get an emulsion applied to the gravel that will seal it. It is applied similarly to prime oil that is sprayed on the sub grade (native soil)prior to pavement.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving I did see the update after I made my comment. Still am wondering after the full thaw. Question: How deep does your frost get for a typical winter? I live in Maine and we put pipes down four feet because of frost.
Well done, looking great! What kind of weather do you have during winter? How would this kind of driveway behave during rainy, snowy, icy winter that goes in a circle with +3°C during the day with rain and -3°C during the night, probably it could be difficult, close to impossible to manage a snow cleaning on that kind of surface? Thank you!
ON THE EAST COAST WE USE 2 INCH STONE FOR BASE COAT ROLL IT TIGHT THEN A 3/4 BLUE STONE TOP IT LOCKS INTO THE TWO INCH The bigger the base the tigher the top to dig in
How has this worked out? The instructions I've seen ask you to put down a base layer before the geo cell, but it looks like you laid it right on the dirt.
Hi 👋👋 Do you guys have any advise on ground stakes to hold down the cells? IE - type and how many to buy? and place them every cell or every other cell on the parameter? Also did you leave your stakes in after the cells were filled or did you pull them? Many thanks 🙏🏼
Good God man, use the tractor and put down the hand tools! You need a box blade to maintain that road. I think you would be better off grading in a nice crown to your road, then gravel, skip the gimmicks. If you do buy a snow blower, do what we did; ditch the standard skids and build your own that are taller and longer, and curve up in the front like a ski vs. Sharp angle that digs in. Skids will need to be just tall enough so you do not plow up your crown, but don't leave too much snow. That way you can float it. Test it before snow, push it down your road & back without the pto on, and you will find any spots in your road to fix, or if your skids are tall enough.
they actually tax you here in Maryland for every square inch of driveway you have. something to do with rain run off. I'm gonna do something like this thanks for the ideas on how to go about getting started.
As a teenager I lived on a dirt road in the California desert. A regular job was going to the dump and finding a mattress and stripping off all the fabric down to wire spring frame. We would take it home, attach a chain to drag it and weigh it down with whatever was handy, then we would drag it up and down the road to fill the ruts and smooth it out. it was amazing how well it worked.
A few people have mentioned using an old boxspring to grade.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving It works fantastic, and it's free. You wear it out and take it back to the dump for a replacement.
I really like and appreciate that useful, and affordable on a fixed income tip.. thanks!!
Most useful comment here, thank you!
god bless Brian, he is some hard worker. i wish they had that GEO CELL when i had my country house. over 23 years, i can't remember how many times i had gravel put down on it
He sure is! Hopefully having the geocell on the hill slope will be enough.
Army used this for working in the sand to help build roads for the heavy trucks !!!
Interesting!
So cool to see you wearing a GCN cap!
I needed this! We just bought a house on a hill and the driveway needs A TON of work! So now I'm watching to see what we will have to do
Good luck!! You can do it.
This is the best video I have seen on helping with a steep drive way. I live in north Florida and my land is all down hill from the paved road. I have worked and spent many hours on my drive way and everytime it rains it all washes down hill. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks that's great! Good luck with the drive!
Buy base-rock. Florida has the best material for roads. Grade it out, if you can, compact the base-rock. Once compacted it will take a years worth of Florida rain before you see minimal erosion. That stuff is as hard as concrete , once it’s compacted. Fyi
@@michaelholcomb6921 Thanks for the info. Would driving my tractor back and forth over it pack it enough?
On my driveway I also put a non woven geotextile under the geographic. The geotextile is very cheap compared to the geographic but it keeps the rock from migrating into the soil underneath. It is the best way to build a road. For roughly 10 % more you will get a road that is superior to geogrid alone.
Geogrid not geographic. Dang auto fill.
I admire Bryan’s work attitude.
Thank you!
Everyone has an opinion it seems... ignore them. Nice work. You did your homework and you came to the correct answer.
Thanks for the vote of confidence!
I'm working on a project with a similar product. We are building a parking lot with grass growing through the geotech so the parking lot looks like a lawn. It's great stuff. It really supports vehicle traffic and will help you with erosion!
Very cool! Seems like a great product and excited to see how it hold up over time.
Hey, there is another positive note, THE PUPPY! Great job on the drive, I live in N.C. hilly property, but the same ole gravel, rains hard, more gravel, etc, etc.
Very cool! thank you. We used to live in N. C.
For those in "limestone" country, go with 3/4 or 1 inch minus. The minus term means that it has extra dust instead of the clean which is washed. this will allow the dust to fill the voids between stones and with wetness and pressure it packs almost to concrete toughness. Long wet periods like winter is will get soggy but stick together and hold unless the ground underneath get muddy. In those areas packing in larger stone first is needed. I did a driveway with a hook curve near the road and then straight in a flood plain near a river and never had a problem until one year I had a front tire dig in at the hook curve and tore through the two to three inch layer of limestone floating on a mud/silt base that got soupy. In the spring I dug out that spot about a foot and put two inch minus in the hole and topped with 3/4 minus and never had a problem again. It is all just limestone with no cement but done right it glues itself together pretty good, like this stone in the video. In the dog days of summer it gets dusty but near the cabin I topped that with some 3/8 inch clean limestone chips in a thin layer each year for a nice dressed out smooth surface that I could walk barefoot on and that kept the dust down near the doorway. Just a thought. Also Geo Cell is great on steep sections and the only real problem is you cannot scrape/remove gravel where it is and have to be adding gravel in those areas to stay above the top of the plastic grid. As long as you do not hook it with a blade or such it works great at avoiding erosion. Just do not get stingy with gravel in those areas and you are fine. It is amazing at breaking up and stopping erosion flows of water and holding the gravel in place.
Great to hear! So far it's not too dusty, since the rain packed in most of the dust.
You had the right idea was a three-quarter inch Vines but you should put 2 inch Limestone for a base underneath
Those trucks are designed to open the rear gate just a little and spread the gravel as they drive. works really well.Bottom dumps work even better.
since we do our work on the weekends; we asked for it to be put aside so we didn't end up having to drive over it prematurely.
CML is one of the most under rated Homestead channels on YT!!!
woo hoo! Appreciate that enthusiasm!! Feel free to share vids!!
That GEOCEL looks promising. Looking forward to next springs videos. BTW, I'm a big fan of Andrew Camarata. Check out his channel on putting down gravel. He does it for a living and is an "artist" barring none. Wishing you WELL and Thanks for the video.
There will be a follow up video this week reviewing the performance of Geocell under snowstorm conditions as well as heavy deliveries when the driveway is soft. (Almost like a preview for spring conditions)> Thanks for the tips!
@Deplorable Centrist Saw shed moving. Will check out the other. Thanks.
Neat product. Keeps the gravel in place. Gravel helps minimize the mud.
Thanks. We hope it hold up well!
Great video...I have a steep incline on my driveway and just found the solution. Thanks for sharing!
Glad it helped!
We use geo cell often in mountains of WV and it’s good product on steep slopes. get some more experience on that little tractor and you’ll find you won’t need many implements for it. That bucket will do more than you think with time behind the wheel. And you can compression compact with tractor it’s heavier than your vehicles guys. add full bucket of material and even more ground pressure psi, tram up and down for hour or so and rest time will do if don’t want spend the $ rent a vibratory roller. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for all the tips! We sure will get our money's worth out of that machine!!
Glad to see that geo grid up close and the install. Thanks.
No problem 👍
I think the gravel mix is called crusher run. It is basically the tailings from the other gravel that they produce. It does contain a lot of dust that compacts when wet and hardens. I like the stuff far better than regular gravel. The Geocell product looks like it is going to be a real winner on the hill. A honeycomb driveway base.
Good call. It seems to be hard as concrete once it gets wet and packed. Super rugged so far. plus the geocell, hope it's a winning combo!
I just discovered your channel! I grew up near Bailey Colorado in the Burland Ranchettes area near the top of Crow Hill along 285. My family build our own home on 25 acres back in the late 60s into the 70s. My step mom still lives in the area.
Wow that is so awesome! Small world. that's great- share our channel with your family and they can have a taste of home!
@@ColoradoMountainLiving What area of Colorado are you at? My sister lives in Durango and her daughter lives in Salida.
The projects continue! The driveway is greatly improved! Brian's energy never ends! Thanks for sharing!!
You bet! He tends to have lowest energy mid-week. But we did go out for a 30 mile bike ride today in the mountains!
I would definitely recommend geocells as a solution for stabilizing steep driveways or slopes. Here are some tips and advice to keep in mind:
Firstly, it's important to carefully evaluate the slope you're working with and determine if a geocell is the right solution for your specific situation. Factors like soil type, slope angle, and expected traffic volume can all play a role in the effectiveness of a geocell, so consulting with a professional wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Assuming a geocell is a good fit for your project, some potential pitfalls to avoid include underestimating the amount of material needed, failing to properly prepare the site (such as removing vegetation or debris), or not following the manufacturer's installation instructions closely enough. These can all impact the effectiveness and longevity of your geocell installation.
One important factor to keep in mind is proper drainage. Geocell panels can help distribute weight and prevent erosion, but if water is allowed to accumulate or flow through the panels in a way that wasn't intended, it can undermine the stability of the installation. So be sure to plan for proper drainage and consider installing a sub-surface drainage system if needed.
Finally, I would recommend using a high-quality geocell product from a reputable manufacturer like Geoweb, Basecore, or Presto Geosystems, and possibly seeking out professional installation help if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. A good geocell can last for many years so it's important to get it right from the start.
Thanks!!
as you seem knowledgeable about geocells, do you have any idea how often its necessary to top up the gravel in order to avoid seeing the geocell on a residential driveway that has 10-15% slope? Thanks!
This looks interesting. We used road fines. Black top that is ground off when they resurface roads. lay it out to uniform thickness then have it compacted with large vibrating steam roller. Nearly as good as blacktop. I haven't had to touch mine in ten years.
Excellent!
Put this down on slopes back in early 90's as a test area for NC state DOT on I 40 in Kernersville and it really work great gave grass seed a good bed too start
That's great to hear!
I have looked at this type of product before, let's see how it looks come spring time.
When maintaining roads with a tractor having the right tools always helps. I would invest in a box scraper, long before I get a blow blower, I deal with Sierra cement, very wet up to 3' ft deep in spots.
I maintain & remove snow over several miles of gravel roads and the box scraper works best for both tasks, my front mounted snow plow works best on the paved roads.
Next up drainage. Without proper drainage no road will survive. This is where the box scraper will really help out, keeping the drainage open and channeled where you want it to go.
A tractor is the best multi-tool investment when owning rural property & you can never have enough attachments to help you get the work done faster & easier.
We do have a box blade for the tractor. So we're excited to see how well it does to help with driveway maintenance. We've certainly got our money's worth from the machine!
Omg this is fantastic. Solved a big issue on a lot I’m purchasing !!!
Awesome! It's working great so far. We've had snow and ice and melt and it's holding up great.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving Have you tried plowing over it?
Nice job on the driveway, and very beautiful piece of land!
Thank you very much! We will see how it holds up under the new snow we just got. STay tuned!
Is there anything Brian can't do? Amazing guy! That is a remarkable pair of materials that you used. I don't think I've ever seen any paving solution with the combination of economy and ruggedness that you two have. If they've used what I think is mixed in with the gravel, it ought to really pack down and give you a good surface for a long time. A lot of people are going to copy this! Well done.
Wow thanks! with the small amount of rain we've had in the past 2 days, it seems to be really holding shape well! We've very excited!!
Oh drive way looks so good and nice to see you got rain. Mountains look beautiful. You guys wearing long sleeves.
Yes we are- finally had a cool weather day for the first time in several weeks. I'm afraid the summer season is already on it' way out.
I would have installed steel thin square first wire mesh thru out, then Geocell expand cell more, then compacting to increase to cell size. For one man job, well done!
Great idea
@@ColoradoMountainLiving thanks, just forget, add spray resin thru to grovel for moving during heavy rain, but more on edges due to grovels are on the slope. Planning to do mine as noted
You can save a ton of time by having the trucks spread the gravel or whatever material you are using for the driveway in non-Geocell areas. They limit the rear door opening using chains and use their speed to determine the amount being dumped over say a 100 ft or more length of road. You can get 3 to 4 inches evenly laid in a matter of a minute using this trick. It's a huge time saver!
Not sure if would be paying extra for that, but we wanted to be able to avoid driving on the mix at all costs, since once it's even partially packed, it makes it very difficult to spread exactly how you want it.)Perhaps if we were using just regular gravel, that would be a great idea.Also we are still actively using the driveway to go to work as well.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving - I'm not familiar with the mix you used, I know this trick works in many cases and people should at least be aware of it and ask questions themselves as to suitability for their project.
How would truck spread and not crush the retainer mesh? Filling and spreading the way he did this is the only way. Dump truck spreading in reverse in a curve is not possible with vehicle turn over and maneuvering. Too big of gamble not recognizing Murphy law.
I like the idea of the mesh on the hill. My old driveway was the same gravel and when it would rain a lot it would stick together on the top but once it broke through it would start trenching and just make a bigger trench and wants to water got down in the trenches just eroded everything out the end and a bunch of our driveway would end up in the ditch out in front by the street come of that mesh would keep that from happening, it was a push the water back up to the top so you want to have water pressure digging under your gravel.
We're hoping it will really solve our spring thaw problems with the snow runoff turning the drive into pure mud. Will keep you posted next spring how it hold up!
huge improvement , good material that should last
That's great. Really hope so!
I think you may need to fill your "ditch" with what we call rip rap, basically 3 to 4 inch angular stone, not smooth like field stone. If you dont I think your ditch will grow deeper and wider with every gully washer. Something to keep an eye on.
Ok. We do have a lot of stone on the property, will probably keep adding to it.
I’m very interested to see how that goecell holds upto a winter of plowing..
Looks great btw!
Fingers crossed!
From what others say on a regular gravel driveway is to pack the first snow is fall I to to the gravel to freeze it in ice , providing the first snow is only a few inches . Once that happen the gravel will stay in place better.
Looks like a good product. I am guessing that it will continue to pack over the next couple of years and you will need to put a top coat or two on. We always used granite dust on top. It is pretty fine and compresses solid pretty close to concrete, without using a roller. The guy that mention doing it with grass made me think about low(wet) spots you have to drive through in pastures.
Yes, we are excited to see how it works out for us; especially during the spring snow melt!
That turned out pretty nice.
Thanks!
Nice job!!! Beautiful property thanks for sharing
Thanks!
What my Father used to use on his driveway, was 2-6 inch angle irons about 7 feet long, he welded these onto a piece of 1/4 inch sheet metal at about a 5 degree off equal. Then he attached a chain to it in 2 places, so he could angle this any way he wanted. Then he placed about 500 lb boulder at first, but in the later years used poured concrete about 4 foot by 6 foot by 4 foot high |------| looked like that from the side, only cross bar was above the angle irons
Wow- now that's ingenuity!
Looks beautiful up there
It is!
I'm very happy I watched your video. Good job.
I'm glad you like it. Thank you
Amy & Bryan your under layment for your driveway seems to be very sturdy and I hope will stand up to your tough Colorado winter's. This winter should be a good test! Glad things are progressing for you on and around your homefront.
I hope so too!
I’m weird but I like videos about gravel. ☺️
great!
Invest in a box blade to use on your driveway. Makes it very easy to level your gravel and crown your road. Fix your steep areas with crushed asphalt and then oil it. Will hold up well for 3-4 years even if plowing your snow.
Oh we have one! but it has teeth, so would have to take those off so as not to pull up the geocell. our neighbor who shares the drive entrance with use used crush asphalt at the beginning of the drive into his house.
You should be able to adjust the diggers
Box blade would work just fine. Just set your outside blade to touch before your inside (cutting edge blade). Makes for a beautiful job. Best to you.
Ok good to know. thanks so much!
A landscape rake in reverse or spun around going forward might help smooth the gravel over the geo cell in the future. Have a productive day.
Thank you!
Other than the places you have that geo cell besides a land plane there is no better tool than a box blade for a gravel driveway. If you can keep it full of rock and not go to deep the box blade will work fine over the geo cell as well.
That’s some interesting stuff you’re putting on the driveway. Looking good!
More to come! thanks!
You can tell you got more proficient with how the tractor spread that individual substrate as you went on.
Yep, practice makes perfect.
Colorado native here, lived in mountains 16 of those. Plowed snow for a living many of those winters, I’m guessing after a year of blowing snow (especially with a rear mounted blower) your gonna wish you had got on Craiglist and found a used plow truck.
Sounds great! I guess we'll see how it compares to plowing with the tractor for 3 years.
Outstanding idea guys! That is what I needed for my very hilly mud-ravaged driveway.
We will keep you posted how it holds up over the year. Just need some torrential storms to give it the real test!
Nice video and demo of using the geogrid but I think they recommend using a non-woven geofabric underneath the grids, also j hook rebars instead of nails for anchoring when there's a slope... Maybe those are new recommendations?
It would be great to see an updated video or picture of how it's the driveway today...
Feel free to browse the playlist , there are several updates since it was installed.
That’s a beautiful German Shepherd! Vigo!
Thank you!
Really that gravel holder thing is preety damm good you hve a very neat and clean drive way after aa heavy rain 🌧 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Thanks 👍 Worked out pretty well.
Everything is looking really nice!! Love the work you are doing on your property 😁❤️😁 Thank you for sharing
Thanks so much! 😊
Geo Cell looks like a smart product! Hope it works well for you!
I hope so too! seems very rugged!
@@ColoradoMountainLiving how it is working? We need to redo our driveway and ofc was thinking gravel as a cheaper option. Our house is also on a hill and the driveway is a bit steep.
It turned out really good.. Great job you guys..
Thanks so much!
Best way to spread that is with a good piece of chain link fence dragging behind the tractor. Put some weights on the top.
Good tip!
Enjoy watching your video
I'm glad
I know it would take a LOT more fill but some municipalities are using old tires bolted together in a grid. It makes a super-tough grid at a very low cost.
Wow. Perfect if you have a lot of tires!
New to the channel and 1st time Commenting, No disrespect. but I was raised in the Grading business and been around all of my life (began operating at age 8) 😁....if you will use larger stone first and then the stone like is in the video you will end up with a driveway that will last the rest of your lives and several others....yea i know it can get pricey but its the proper way to build a road even The ancient romans mill roads...all the best! 🇺🇸
Welcome aboard! And thanks for the tips. Our original driveway construction was done before we made videos; but we had a professional come in with rock/road base to build it up out of the topsoil, then put done the geo fabric and then we put gravel over that; but the plowing and snowmelt took our gravel, so that's why we did the geocell step.
I don't know how i got here but I have enjoyed it
Well you are welcome!
Three concrete blocks and a 5x7 piece of chain link fence works great for this type of material
cool!
Looks great guys!
Thanks so much!
This is exactly what I've been saying someone needed to invent for years. If you look at any retail parking lot, probably 80% of it is only used in the Christmas season. The rest of the year it is a heat sink that makes the AC run like crazy, and needs to be maintained, painted and plowed. If you made the parking spaces nearest the door paved and the rest gravel with this stuff, so cars couldn't get stuck in it, you could seed grass on it and have a lovely, cooling meadow nine months of the year, and simply "paint" parking spaces on the grass at Christmas time.
Creative ideas! I've seen it in playgrounds, but it seems to have a lot of applications. WE're excited to see how it holds up.
Nice job guys, keep up the good work!
Thanks! Will do!
we tried a grid system, the chains on the snowplow tore it up so we used the dozer and backed the road with limestone and fines, packed like asphalt and the chains didn't affect it.l
Thanks for the reminder on the tire chains because we do use those for the tractor. Should probably take them off once the ground starts to thaw. We will be careful!
Nice very informative thanx
Most welcome
He did a great job, I will be curious how the runoff will effect the edges. I hope it works truly. My concern is that if the edges erode dramatically the sides will become damaged without being able to effect the cells. I maybe would have dug some deep trenches on the edges before putting this in, but the theme of my comment is that it looks great and I hope it is easy to work with later assuming any major work needs to be done. Great and informative video!
Hope you got a chance to review the most recent videos on the driveway playlist.
Used the 3" deep construction grid and grey breeze on a driveway extension. Stuff works GREAT!
Awesome!! Great to hear.
I use CMB recycled concrete and asphalt as abase which that looks like that . then 2 1/4” minus grave which larger gravel on top last longer doesn’t plow like 3/4” gravel and doesn’t stick in tires .
Interesting. Thanks for sharing
I would use a larger landscape rock on the outside of the road with even larger rock to hold the whole shabang in place and allow for drainage
I think we can incorporate that in over time.
Road building??..
Try 1 1/2" - 2" for your base..
Then 3/4 -...for top coat.
Compactor....that's it.
NW mountain country, road building/logging.
Best of luck to you.
Thanks for your expertise! Maybe we can fashion a roller compactor of some sort.
lol my dad has one made out of a cylinder of concrete and some metal pipe, no idea where or how he got it though
... and drive slow and careful to make road last longer
My biggest concern are the edges where rain runs down, forcefully pools to change direction and then carries on.
Washed 3/4? you sir are an idiot! No fines to hold it in place and besides you can't compact it.....90 percent compacted in the pile
I've considered Geoweb matting for a hill on my farm road that washes out frequently. Where you are and the level of snow runoff you deal with, consider shaping the road center into a crown to direct water out of the road and a ditch on at least one of the shoulders, to allow water to run somewhere in a controlled fashion or it will still cause major destruction. Worse case scenario would be if your shoulders wash out. That would be hard to correct with the Geoweb in place. I use a box-scraper to fix major problems and a 12' York Modern rake for touch ups and/or to smooth out the roughness a box-scraper leaves behind. I think you probably could get away with a land planer/road leveler, Everything Attachments did a video on theirs. They make nice attachments, I have their 108" high horsepower grader-clearing box blade and its a beast! Please upload a review video of your Geoweb thoughts maybe in spring...I would love to know what you think.
Yes, the crown center would be the final piece that would really help with water shed. will keep working at it. Thanks for all the tips . there's still more work to do!
That geocell grid works great for mud control in horse paddocks too, except I use the 4” thick product
cool- thanks for sharing!
Where did you buy the geo cell
@@lindamashhadi2279 I ordered it online can’t remember the name of the company, if you google it you should see sources for it half the price of light hoof
Great job 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Smart Gravel System 👍
Great! Hope it really helps with mud in the spring.
Use an old bed springs with blocks on it.
huh, someone else said that
Good job in the nick of time
Thank you!
You can get an emulsion applied to the gravel that will seal it. It is applied similarly to prime oil that is sprayed on the sub grade (native soil)prior to pavement.
That's good to know. Thanks for the tip!
Do you know the name of it or company that makes it?
Hope you give an update after your winter and spring.
We certainly plan to. Have you seen the 6 month update? We just got 2 ft of snow, so it will be interesting to see after it melts.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving I did see the update after I made my comment. Still am wondering after the full thaw. Question: How deep does your frost get for a typical winter? I live in Maine and we put pipes down four feet because of frost.
Well done, looking great!
What kind of weather do you have during winter?
How would this kind of driveway behave during rainy, snowy, icy winter that goes in a circle with +3°C during the day with rain and -3°C during the night, probably it could be difficult, close to impossible to manage a snow cleaning on that kind of surface?
Thank you!
All good questions, check out our playlist on this driveway where we show how it holds up over the seasons of snow and thaw.
Practice makes perfect.
You can spread gravel driving forward.
Thank you!
ON THE EAST COAST WE USE 2 INCH STONE FOR BASE COAT ROLL IT TIGHT THEN A 3/4 BLUE STONE TOP IT LOCKS INTO THE TWO INCH The bigger the base the tigher the top to dig in
NIce!
Good job folks
Thank you!
Great job
thanks
driveway looks great! the only bad thing is we wont have those adventurous winter trips up to the house on snow or mud. :)
Very true! too funny!!! I slid down good after a slick icy snow last spring. Hope some of this "grit" helps out!
great vid, Mahalo
Thanks!
Awesome video
Thanks for the visit
How has this worked out? The instructions I've seen ask you to put down a base layer before the geo cell, but it looks like you laid it right on the dirt.
We already had a base layer. Look at the driveway playlist videos, there's tons of updates on the driveway, years later
So many clips of Bryan working in fast action mode ... Sure hope he gets a chance to slow down for Labor Day! LOL
hahaha! yes he did!
Hello! Thank you for the video. Did yall use 2 inch? Is it still holding up?
Yes and yes- since we added extra effort on the ditch/trenching, it's held up just fine!
young man ,
U are doing great job with the rake , B U T be alot easy use full load of stone
thank you
love his hats he wares
haha- you like the GCN one?
@@ColoradoMountainLiving yea that cool
Hi 👋👋 Do you guys have any advise on ground stakes to hold down the cells? IE - type and how many to buy? and place them every cell or every other cell on the parameter? Also did you leave your stakes in after the cells were filled or did you pull them? Many thanks 🙏🏼
I think he used 9 inch nails, something like that, and placed them about every 3 feet along the gridding - be sure to REMOVE them after!
I won't lie, 100% clicked on this video b/c I saw the GCN cap. Hack or Bodge: i vote hack. may try this product on my drive way.
LOL Love it!!! that's great. If you like racing, you might like this recent video of ours: ruclips.net/video/I5Ame2JbgSI/видео.html
Colorado Mountain Living I’ll check it out.
Good God man, use the tractor and put down the hand tools! You need a box blade to maintain that road. I think you would be better off grading in a nice crown to your road, then gravel, skip the gimmicks. If you do buy a snow blower, do what we did; ditch the standard skids and build your own that are taller and longer, and curve up in the front like a ski vs. Sharp angle that digs in. Skids will need to be just tall enough so you do not plow up your crown, but don't leave too much snow. That way you can float it. Test it before snow, push it down your road & back without the pto on, and you will find any spots in your road to fix, or if your skids are tall enough.
We've got the box blade! And so far so good with a snowblower 👍
What type of gravel you were using? Did you say it had grease in it or debris? Have you added anything in your gravel to make it more solid?
It probably says in the video, aggregate mix...? We didn't add anything to it
Looks good
It does!
they actually tax you here in Maryland for every square inch of driveway you have. something to do with rain run off. I'm gonna do something like this thanks for the ideas on how to go about getting started.
Oh wow! You're welcome.
Good job.Put bricks on the edge or something for longer life.
Thanks . yes, we've talked about putting down rock; we have a ton of it on our property.