Can a skid steer be used to level a gravel road

[dpb]

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First you have to establish as Dan says the needed grade level then where does the water have to go to get away from the building. It looks quite flat in general; it may well be there never was any real consideration for drainage w/ every lot being built sequentially up to put their runoff onto the boundary and the heck w/ the end result to elsewhere. Is that alleyway a city easement or purely private property might have a bearing on whose job it is to reestablish grade on it if it isn't just access to the rear of your building for your use alone but is trash pickup, etc., etc., etc., ...

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[John Simpson]

I have a gravel road that deteriorated, has huge puddles when it rains, and the water enters the building from the side.

The problem, I think, is that the slight grade that is there, is kind of ruined and so the water does not go down along the road towards the rain sewer. Instead, it puddles and some goes into my building.

Can this skid steer pictured here:

be used to rearrange that gravel a little bit to restore the grade?

Or is it too light duty?

thanks

I used a York Rake on the back of a four-wheeler to smooth out a bluestone driveway. A few passes and it was like new.

JAS

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

Iggy asked:

Ig... so far (unless I missed it) nobody has hit on the basic reason for your problem.

Unless the gravel is bound by some cementaceous substance, re-grading the gravel won't do a thing for your water drainage. Gravel is highly pourous to water -- it's used in things like percolation fields and French drains to allow water to enter without allowing larger debris to penetrate.

Re-grading the gravel won't cure the underlying problem: And the problem TRULY "underlies" the gravel.

Scrape ALL the gravel aside, and re-grade the earth below it. THEN replace and smooth the gravel, and you'll be fine.

LLoyd

[Ignoramus19744]

10 hp

[Steve B]

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Dan, I have reviewed your lucid response, and will now make it my own with your permission.

It is very difficult to tell a lot from just a picture, not seeing the thing, and not knowing your weather conditions, etc.

I think the PROPER way to fix it would be possibly to either make a lengthy French drain with natural drainage if available, and if not, a sump pipe with pump that will pump out water that seeps in.

If you are going to get serious about this at all, you might even consider at some time concreting it so a hard wheeled forklift (3500# cap. variety) could be used for loading/unloading.

Maybe after the first million. And don't count on PowerBall, I got the winning numbers.

Steve

[Steve B]

My experiences operating them and watching operators is about the same. They dig too much, and the wheelbase is too short. What I did see that impressed me was a track bobcat with a thumb/bucket boom and a blade who made short work of an uneven area I had. I was not optimistic when he started, but man, he kicked the job out of the park in no time. Similarly the same machine, but using a blade to bulldoze instead of a bucket that goes up and down with whatever the tracks run over.

Steve

Steve

[micky]

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Thanks. My house is pretty dusty. I should get one of those.

[Hank]

I haven't read all the replies, but here is my take..............

First you need to clean up the side of the building and bring in dirt to raise that part next to the building so water will be shunned away from the building and onto the drive, then out to where it is suppose to run to (ditch or sewer). After building up the area next to the building, then the drive can be sloped away from the building. This will help in future potholes. Nothing will stop potholes entirely other than paving.

Building up the drive and not the area next to the building will only mean more water into the building. You have to give the water a path, that is lower than the building.

The skidster in th epic is plenty big enough to do the job you want done.

Hank

[Ignoramus19716]

I went to the auction site to pick up the skid steer.

Turns out that the skid steer that I won, was "accidentally" sold to someone else, and the auctioneer tried to give me another one, hoping that I would not notice.

That another one had 4500 hours on it, whereas the one that I was bidding on, had 2,600 hours on it.

I explained to the auctioneer that it is like marrying a 26 year old girl, who, upon closer inspection, turns out to be 45 year old.

Not quite a minor difference!

In the end, they refunded me.

i

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[bob haller]

you dont want to raise ground level higher than the bottom of the buildings sill or risk rotting out the buildings sill

[Hank]

If you look at the pic, it appears to be all masonry. There is no sill plate.

Hank

[Ignoramus8791]

$13,500

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[DanG]

Brick and block building, Bob, which may have some wood framing in the office area. There should be weep holes in the exterior brick, one course lower than finish floor to allow moisture out of the wall. Exterior grade should begin at or below the bottom of the weeps and drop

1/2" per foot for the first 10' according to code. This is often not done - I don't know why as it should be. Ig needs to get the water away from the building whether it goes to a drywell, an evaporation detention pond, or pipes to daylight or storm. The cheap things to do are to arrange surface drainage away from the building.

[Bruce L. Bergman (munged human]

Okay, he refunded the bid - And he paid you how much for your lost time and effort, and the gas and vehicle expenses to get your little trailer hitched up and come pick it up, only to find out it was "accidentally" (BullF***ingS***) sold to someone else?

Not to mention the opportunity cost of the other bids and buys you didn't make elsewhere because you thought you had that one locked up.

That's not a little Oopsie you can easily dismiss. You'd be well within your rights to shout to the heavens and literally go after the guy's balls - he's got state licenses, professional association memberships, and Auctioneer's Surety Bonds you can go after...

In that business you don't "have accidents". You bid $13,500, and someone probably walked up to him after the auction and made a better offer to drive it away today, and he (or an employee) did it. I want to know names, so I never go anywhere within three states of this outfit.

You would be well within your rights to make him cough up the goods as represented, Period. Or a significant amount in damages to cover your losses in this transaction.

And please don't tell me you signed a full release to get the refund.

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[Ignoramus8791]

He paid me nothing for that, but I aM ok WITH IT.

I think that it was an honest f*ck up, at least up to the point when I showed up. And when I did show up, possibly, he tried to cover up his mistake.

I am not, yet, ready to decide that it was a deliberate deception from the beginning.

It is very hard to get damages for a failed transaction of this sort. Possible, but under special circumstances such as when "time is of the essence".

I just got a refund.

i

[Steve B]

I used to sell new cars. Two guys, call them Bob and Ray. Ray gets a "new" used pickup from the used car lot portion of our dealership. Trades in his used pickup. Bob buys Ray's old pickup from the lot. A couple of weeks later, Bob and Ray meet. Doesn't matter how. Bob comments on how he likes his truck, and how he got a good deal, and how it was low mileage. Ray tells Bob that he was the guy who traded it in, and it wasn't the mileage on the odometer when he traded it in. They contact the State. Bob and Ray get all their money back. Debt cancelled. They get to keep the trucks. State fines used car lot a hefty amount, and puts them on the watch closely list for many years.

What happened to you was probably illegal, Ig. How much of a deal you want to make is up to you, and how much of a deal you can ACTUALLY make depends on the laws of your state. And who you want to piss off comes into play, too, as some car lots have reposessors and collectors on retainer, known for their "negotiating" skills.

I'd investigate it further. The $13,500 could have possibly bought you something else that day that could have turned out profitable.

Steve

[Steve B]

"Ignoramus8791" wrote

How convenient for the auction house. No paper trail. Ends with your refund, which has to be explained to no one. No complaint filed. Case closed, and money deposited from actual buyer.

Steve

[Bruce L. Bergman (munged human]

And they potentially made a lot more selling the same item to someone else, and Iggy lets them off for free. Great day for the auctioneer if they can pull stuff like that off every day with no consequences.

Iggy potentially lost thousands on the deal. He could have used it for his paving project, put in a little effort into cleaning it up, then resold it for a serious profit - that will never happen.

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[Hank]

I would at the very least file a complaint with the BBB. Also check BBB to see if any other complaints were filed.

Hank

[aemeijers]

BBB is right up there with chamber of commerce as a useless historical artifact.