DIY loose stone parking pad - which stone size?

[Bertiboo]

Originally Posted by OregonTrader

You've gotten good input here.

I'd only add that the surface prep you propose (landscape cloth covered by sand) is typically used for pavers (whether brick-sized or larger). If you are doing gravel (aka crushed rock) you can skip the sand.

The washed rock has the fine particles screened-out. That's decorative, but it won't pack hard and will always be crunchy and shift around. Driveways and parking areas are usually surfaced with 3/4"- or 1"-minus rock, meaning that there are fines and everything up to the maximum size in the name. The washed rock will work, it's a personal choice issue whether you prefer the look of the loose rock or want something that will lock-in and become a harder surface.


Either way, it will be nice to have a home for your rig.

My vote is 100% “road base”. Not clear crush. I have both and I hate the way the gravel in clear crush moves around and invariably ends up being kicked or moved onto adjoining areas. 3/4” road base will compress nice and flat with no sharp edges to hurt your bare feet. While it may not drain as well as pure gravel it will drain a bit, so better than concrete or asphalt in that regard.

I am building an Rv pad myself, and getting 3 yards of road base.

Regards
Gary

[Peder_y2k]

"ROAD GRADE" Is the term when shopping gravel suppliers. It is crushed rock designed to interlock and be drivable for all seasons. Once compacted by a roller or driving, it becomes hard surfaced and very stable. Best to use a large crushed material (avoid river rock as it is rounded) as underlayment like the Romans did in antiquity.

[DaveWA]

Originally Posted by eric1514

I never had that problem when I parked on stuff like that, but if it worries you, go down to some place that sells farm stuff and buy a sheet of horse mat. It's 1" thick rubber usually sold in 4x6 ft sections and you can cut it to fit under your tires.

Thanks for the tip about the horse stall mat! My 2014 LTV Free Spirit is parked on 5/8 Minus crushed rock gravel. I got new tires last year before storing on the gravel pad and noticed when I drove van off the pad after sitting for a while the tires had a bunch of gravel imbedded in the contact patches of the tires. Since I have to drive across my lawn from the pad to get to my driveway, this gravel was being deposited on the lawn! Just driving onto the gravel pad did not pick up the rocks but parking on it for a period certainly did. I learned to drive forward on the pad about 1/2 wheel turn, get out and knock off the gravel with a gloved hand, and then drive off the pad and onto the lawn.

Solved the problem today following your suggestion. I bought a 4' x 6' x 3/4" horse stall pad from a farm store, along with some 3/8" x 5" galvanized carriage bolts. I raked back the gravel from where the tires normally are on the pad and installed 2' x 2' squares of the horse stall pad at the front tire areas and 3 x 2 rectangles in the rear dually areas. I drilled holes in each corner of the horse stall pads and hammered the carriage bolts through the pads and into the ground to keep the pad from moving when coming and going. I then raked the gravel back up to the edges of horse stall pad sections. Works perfectly! Cost $44 for the stall pad.

Side note: Living in the Northwest, we get a lot of rain in the winter. I noticed that the humidity in the van was getting up to 80%. A friend suggested that part of the problem may be due to ground water evaporation coming up through perforations in the floor of the van. I raked all of the gravel back from under the van, installed clear plastic sheeting, and then covered the plastic with the gravel again. The humidity in the van did drop significantly.

So lessons learned when storing the van on gravel: Plastic under the van to reduce humidity and horse stall pad or something similar under each tire.