Asphalt or Concrete?

[hillbilly beef man]

I have gotten tired of hauling gravel every year and am going to do something to my driveway in the next year. I am trying to decide between paving it or using concrete. What I have checked they are close in price, but the concrete will be a little higher when the concrete wire is figured in, but I can pour and finish it myself. However asphalt will be a lot less work on me to put it down. But I know that I cannot use regular salt on concrete in the wintertime. What are y'alls experiences with each one? How wide would you pour or pave it? The biggest things that I drive on it are a class 6 truck and a 24 ft gooseneck.

 

[SRBeef]

I had the same question this past year. I hate plowing snow off of gravel.

After lots of input decided to pour a 4" thick concrete pad with rebar on 2ft centers 30 ft out from the garage where my heavy truck and other vehicles will usually be parked. From there out to the road had a good contractor pave with 2-1/2" of asphalt. The key to asphalt especially is to put down and compact a good base. The concrete supports the stationary wheel load in hot weather better than asphalt and the black asphalt absorbs heat from the sun and melts snow better than light colored concrete.

This has worked very well and the best of both worlds - so far. Good luck.

Jim

 

[Farmerjon]

Been reading about people that have the black color added to their concrete as the "tax man" uses satellite images to determine driveway tax and with black they assume it is blacktop (cheaper than concrete). Around here there is a source for ground up black topping/roadway. Have seen one drive put in with it, no base material laid down beforehand and the drive looks like new three years later.

 

[inbredredneck]

I have gotten tired of hauling gravel every year and am going to do something to my driveway in the next year. I am trying to decide between paving it or using concrete. What I have checked they are close in price, but the concrete will be a little higher when the concrete wire is figured in, but I can pour and finish it myself. However asphalt will be a lot less work on me to put it down. But I know that I cannot use regular salt on concrete in the wintertime. What are y'alls experiences with each one? How wide would you pour or pave it? The biggest things that I drive on it are a class 6 truck and a 24 ft gooseneck.

Both sodium and magnesium chloride are used here regularly on concrete for ice melt. The damage to the cement seems minimal, but keep in mind the frost here does more damage to roads, than salt ever will.

 

[JSCATTLE]

If you drive way isn't holding up now the asphalt won't hold up . It's only as strong as the base you put it on . If I were Gonna pour concrete I'd pour it 6 inches thick with 3/8 bar on 18 inch centers . Material wise it's only about 50 cents a square foot more but you can bring dump trucks or just about anything over it .

 

[dun]

I still prefer gravel. Incorporate it into the top and cover it well with more gravel. Driving on it will pack it in and you'll have to grade it a couple of times to get the loose stuff back into the driveway and get it pounded in. Doesn;t take long an you'll havea hard surfaced driveway that will hold up to anything. Ours is a 1/2 mile long and the wife wanted it paved. It's gravel now and I haven;t had to grade it in a year (since last snow season). I graded the snow and loose gravel to he edge and when the snow melted I bladed the gravel back.

 

[bigbull338]

If you drive way isn't holding up now the asphalt won't hold up . It's only as strong as the base you put it on . If I were Gonna pour concrete I'd pour it 6 inches thick with 3/8 bar on 18 inch centers . Material wise it's only about 50 cents a square foot more but you can bring dump trucks or just about anything over it .

i agree as i was going to say using congrete id go a min of 6in deep,an would feel better at 8in deep.because with time the concrete with break an crack.