Removing gravel/stone driveway

[NateDN10]

Next to my driveway there's a 25'x75' area of #1 & #2 stone where the previous owners of the house parked their RV. It's 2" - 3" deep. I want to remove the stone, put down topsoil and plant grass.

I've done maybe 1/4 of the area by hand, but it's difficult work, just using a rake, shovel and wheelbarrow. The top half inch is fairly easy to remove, but it's mixed with gravel & dirt below that, and it requires a lot of effort to loosen it.

Would a Bobcat be a better way to go? I can rent one locally for $400 delivered plus tax and fuel - probably $475 all told.

Do you all have any other recommendations?

 

[Astro14]

Bobcat...or a couple of motivated teenage boys...

Your back will thank you...

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Bobcat...or a couple of motivated teenage boys...

Your back will thank you...


+1. Id see if a local HS or college club sports team or similar thing is trying to do fundraising via a "rent a ____" program, where for $10 or $12/hr you can hire kids to do work. They usually have good work ethic for manual labor, and youre really helping their cause out, because it is really a fundraiser.

 

[cpayne5]

Try to use it as a driveway. The grass will see this and start to grow very quickly.

 

[NateDN10]

Originally Posted By: cpayne5
Try to use it as a driveway. The grass will see this and start to grow very quickly.

Haha - actually it'll just be weeds.

 

[Donald]

Be aware, that you may have so much fun driving a Bobcat that you will buy one. Check my signature.

ALWAYS wear the seat belt and use the seat bar!!

 

[Bandito440]

I paid a local guy $50/hr to do my driveway with his tractor. I can't imagine it would take more than a few hours for what you've got. I put an ad on craigslist and got 4 or 5 responses. I imagine you could do the same and save a lot of money. There are plenty of farmers near Rochester who would like to make a few extra dollars.

 

[Kestas]

I had to do something similar for a smaller area. I made a wood box with 1/4-inch hardware cloth at the bottom and sieved the soil through that to get rid of pea gravel.

Anything to do with soil is heavy, heavy labor.

 

[Kuato]

We paid a guy to bring his tractor over, took about 15 minutes where we would never have finished. Enjoy the Bobcat!

 

[NateDN10]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Another thing - once the stone is piled, how can I get rid of it? Do you think the topsoil people would take it?

 

[Kestas]

Craigslist / free stuff

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: NateDN10
... Do you all have any other recommendations?

Around here the grass will grow right up through that SB2 if you let it.

The lot my car shop is on is grass covered SB2 - it's a hard all weather surface, but I still have to pay someone to cut it a couple of times a month in good weather.

I don't know if that's the best of both worlds, or the worst.