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Compaction question - how fine is too fine?

XtremeJ

XtremeJ

Wanker
Joined
May 21, 2020
Member Number
893
Messages
257
Loc
Redstone Canyon, Masonville, Colorado, USA
Definitely not my lane

Hardscape and Landscape project been ongoing for 5 years, nearing conclusion

One of the levels (picture in next post) was compacted construction soil, covered in landscape fabric (grey anti-weed barrier, water permeable) and then covered in 3/8" wyoming red chip. After getting it all done and laid out nicely, the next morning it was obvious the deer were having a laugh, and put potholes everywhere they walked.

So I figured running a compactor over all the 3/8" chip would compact it somewhat.

Well, 4 hours of compacting (and two hours cleaning the carb multiple times to get rid of dirty gas) with a plate compactor had not yielded any results. A little more compact maybe, water makes no difference apart from dust abatement, and even nice flat and compact the deer still post hole everywhere they walk.

Shooting deer not an option, shooting wife who feeds the deer also not an option (yet)

For the dirt guys who know compaction,

Is trying to compact 3/8" a fools errand. I have much success compacting anything over 1" in rock, and compacting the construction sand behind the wall and the drainage rock has worked well. Is the 3/8" too small, or should I keep going?

I realize I am never going to solve the deer jumping and post holing the surface.

No idea how well these stone glue's work. The ones to hold down land scape stone, soil and mulch, but that would be spendy as there is around 1000 sq ft. And still does not solve deer issue

The same level is trimmed with black volcanic rock, another mistake with nature, as the fucking jays have a fascination with throwing pieces of black rock onto the red chip. Again, would require divorce to shoot birds, as the main reason they show up is the wife feeds them.

So put up with this until
  • rip it out
  • replace with colored stamped concrete
  • laugh when deer launches onto hard icy surface
  • don't laugh when wife kicks my ass for laughing at deer

Or,

Be zen like, accept nature, and spend the mornings raking the Zen Garden, achieve inner peace, win?
 
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It'll never compact/consolidate without fines. Even then, pointy feet will disturb it. The glue stuff you can put down won't hold up to pointy feet either.

Find a rake you really like, or replace it with a solid surface.

Oh, and pavers>stamped concrete.
 
need a good mix of bigs and smalls to lock it in.
Here a common on is called D1, it's roughly 7/8" minus. Used for highway base, driveways, etc.

Not sure why it's called that, seems to be an Alaska thing as I'm not finding outside of state info on it. I'd imagine same shit, different name elsewhere.

Can compact it to the point that it'll handle rolling a floor jack around and jackstands without sinking much.

Pack down some D1 and roll on cheap red paint 😁

Im surprised deers hang out in non woods. Could watch your dog run away for 2 business days on that land. Reminds me of the desert wastelands around Boise, Idaho.
 
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Appreciate the advice

An initial thought was remove and replace the 3/8”with the 1 1/4” (I think it is) rock in the same red, and throw this stuff in as the “fines”
Then compact

Or
Create a slurry using cement, sand, color, and add / pour over existing rock.
 
landscraper said:
Oh, and pavers>stamped concrete.
Click to expand...
Can you elaborate?

Seems stamped is all the rage?

I honestly think I can handle the paving (built those walls myself, well the whole damn house) but was thinking of trying my hand at stamping.

The area in question is about a thousand square feet. I can handle that solo if I do pavers
I cannot do that solo in a single pour
 
Cat's should scare me but they don't. Just Bears. :shaking:

Not sure what I'd do over the rock area. I did 3/4- base on a drive area and it's compacted real well but the top layer always loose and moving around as the fines move down. Probably pavers. Drain water and maybe less slick then stamped concrete. But you can get neat designs in stamped concrete as well.
 
Crazy how such a different location/environment has the same wild life as we do up here. Mind you, areas of BC, look exactly the same as your area.
 
Add fines and binder. Pack with a real compactor and not a silly plate. Plate compactors are hot garbage.
 
SLOWPOKE693 said:
I saw those. :smokin:

While still very awesome, I'm not sure I'd want that cat creeping around my house. I'd be the dumbass that manages to go outside right at the wrong time for some fresh air and get eaten by that thing. :laughing:
Click to expand...
Yup. He looks scrawny, and they are dangerous then.

Go out for a piss at the wrong time and end up as Kitty snack?

:lmao:

The Bears are more scary, they don’t scare as easily as the cats do. I am not fond of the stinky mini pandas but wife now feeds one of the babies by hand. Open bets - does she get sprayed? Or rabies first? Best we can figure this is generation 3 of the skunk family
 
Dethmachinefab said:
Bigger stone won't show the deer pokes. Nothing short of blending in concrete will stop that. A deer hoof must generate a pretty substantial psi.
Click to expand...
Figure the males are easily 250 lbs. jumping down 3 or 4 feet onto a single or two hoof prints. Would not be surprised if they can put 1000lbs per sq inch at times
 
XtremeJ said:
Can you elaborate?

Seems stamped is all the rage?

I honestly think I can handle the paving (built those walls myself, well the whole damn house) but was thinking of trying my hand at stamping.

The area in question is about a thousand square feet. I can handle that solo if I do pavers
I cannot do that solo in a single pour
Click to expand...
Stamped concrete was invented to mimic the look of paver stones. It's popular because it's cheaper (marginally) than pavers. Personally, I think it looks like a cheap knockoff, and it inevitably seems to crack in the middle of the "stones" and not on the joints.

1,000 sq ft is 8-10 pallets of 60 mm pavers, and doable by yourself if you're not in a hurry. What you've got down now should work as a base.
 
Chevy_man said:
Add fines and binder. Pack with a real compactor and not a silly plate. Plate compactors are hot garbage.
Click to expand...
I install permeable pavers in fire lanes with a plate compactor. They're just fine for their intended usage.
 
Pavers directly over what you have would be easiest. Looks like you can see the very top of Horsetooth rock from your place? Fun area back in there.
 
landscraper said:
Stamped concrete was invented to mimic the look of paver stones. It's popular because it's cheaper (marginally) than pavers. Personally, I think it looks like a cheap knockoff, and it inevitably seems to crack in the middle of the "stones" and not on the joints.

1,000 sq ft is 8-10 pallets of 60 mm pavers, and doable by yourself if you're not in a hurry. What you've got down now should work as a base.
Click to expand...
Copy. All good info.

Need to investigate paver supply locally and see what pricing is.
 
fireman0977 said:
Pavers directly over what you have would be easiest. Looks like you can see the very top of Horsetooth rock from your place? Fun area back in there.
Click to expand...
Got married on top of Horsetooth. Carried a keg up there. Huge party that continued at the reservoir

Then broke ground on this place on Monday. That was almost 30 years ago.

Best thing I did was buying this property
Worst mistake was not buying more when I could
 
Yeah sorry didn't mean to out your place like that. You and me both wish I woulda bought up more in the area when it was affordable. Grew up here and its changed way to dam much. Least I got a place I can hunt, fish and shoot on. So can't complain. I spent many midnight hikes going up to Horsetooth in HS.
 
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