
Gravel Driveway Build. Trying to use my compact tractor. Mistakes made & lessons learned.
July 13, 2024 by Cruising Off Duty | Language: EN Play Time: 00:30:44 | SAILING YOUTUBERS

Gravel Driveway Build
Trying to build a gravel driveway with your compact tractor can be a challenging task, especially when attempting it without the right knowledge and tools. In this article, we’ll discuss the mistakes made during our recent driveway construction and share some valuable lessons learned.
Initial Planning
When planning our gravel driveway build, we didn’t realize how much time and effort it would require. Due to the delay in property acquisition, we had limited time for planning and preparation. Our property also came with its share of issues such as soil conditions and township restrictions. Despite these challenges, we went ahead with the project, hoping to save money by doing it ourselves.
Building The Driveway
Using a compact tractor equipped with a front-end loader seemed like an ideal solution at the time. We thought we could easily dig up the existing soil and lay down our gravel foundation. Little did we know that the tractor was not designed for heavy-duty tasks like breaking through hard-packed soil, roots, and rocks.
The Hard Way
Initially, using the compact tractor proved difficult as we encountered numerous obstacles in the form of tree roots and dense rock layers. Our front-end loader struggled to dig through the thick mud and clay, often getting stuck or causing strain on its hydraulic system. After several days of painstaking work, we were left with a very uneven and unsightly driveway.
Lessons Learned
Looking back, there are valuable lessons to be learned from our experience:
Cruising Off Duty
Welcome to Cruising Off Duty. We are Craig and Janice. We love travelling and we love sailing, so we figure the best way to see the world is by sailboat. We presently have a 35' Beneteau Oceanis sloop that we sail out of Kingston, Ontario Canada, which is on Lake Ontario. We have a longer term plan, when we retire in a few years, to sell everything and buy a 40-50' Catamaran and circumnavigate the globe. Craig loves photography along with land based and drone videography and plans to document everything along our travels to share with the world through Youtube and other social media. For now, follow our channel as we show you the beauty of the Great Lakes and the 1000 Islands area of the St Lawrence River. You will also see the steps we take as start narrowing down the Catamaran we think will suit us best as we move closer to our goal of living full time on a sailboat and exploring the world. It should be a journey worth watching.
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