[queen of spades]

The GC suggested I use 1" asphalt over 6" crusher run instead of 2" asphalt/4" crusher run. He's building the house and tried to take a few short cuts to add a little profit on his bottom line (I found and prevented).

Sounds like 1" asphalt is way too thin to me, but he says the real strength is in the base.

What gives?

 

[SpecOne]

What type of traffic will the driveway see?

Your GC is partly right - the strength of any roadway is the base. BUT, 1" asphalt is too thin IMO, even for the lightest traffic.

I typically use 4" base with 2" asphalt for residential drives. For commercial, where the traffic will be more and heavier, I use 6" base with a min. of 2.5" asphalt.

 

[queen of spades]

At the most 10 tons.. usually 5-6 tons on my trailer.

 

[Gravel Rat]

Nobody spreads asphalt 1 inch even the companies that come door to door asking if you want your driveway paved spread it 2 inches thick.

A driveway a inch thick in the hot sun and heavy vehical the driveway is distroyed. There are driveways around here that are asphalt sitting on ground that requires dynamite. The asphalt has been spread thin and you still can't drive on it when it is hot from the sun beating on it. A car or pickup is fine but anything heavier than that forget it.

 

[TandM]

You need to run 2 inches thick because when the asphalt is compacted its gonna be about an inch and a half thick. I would never put 1 inches of asphalt anywhere. your just gonna have weeds and grass growing through it in a month. Like spec One said your gc was partialy right on that if you dont have a good base thne your asphalt will crack but even with a solid base 1 inch isnt enough. 2/4 will be perfect for your application

 

[Asphalt/Dirt Man]

Heres a mute point.

The stone can and will suck A/C out of the asphalt up to in extreme cases an inch of the asphalt. Thats why technically you are suppose to prime coat the stone.

You are better off NOT putting down any asphalt than trying to do 1 inch or 1.5 inchs. There are a million reasons why this is a bad idea. The biggest one being Asphalt is designed to be flexable, and needs a certain amount of thickness to allow for the subgrade absorption and oxidation on the surface. If it gets brittle, it cracks, potholes, etc.

I am not trying to lecture or say this is how you should do it.

But Id be pissed if my driveway was toast in 5 years.

 

[Blue Goose]

Have you considered getting a price on "roller compacted concrete"? With the ever increasing costs of oil it's becoming increasingly cost effective.

Roller-Compacted Concrete

RCC has the strength and performance of conventional concrete with the economy and simplicity of asphalt. Coupled with long service life and minimal maintenance, RCC's low initial cost adds up to economy and value.

The high strength of RCC pavements eliminates common and costly problems traditionally associated with asphalt pavements.
RCC pavements:

* Resist rutting
* Span soft localized subgrades
* Will not deform under heavy, concentrated loads
* Do not deteriorate from spills of fuels and hydraulic fluids
* Will not soften under high temperatures

Here's a video by Gomaco that hypes their paver putting down RCC. It will give you some idea as to the process...

A New Paver For A New Kind Of Concrete

 

[frotis]

The vast majority of inexpensive driveways use about 1 to 1 ½ inch compacted thickness of HL-3A asphalt. This produces about a 10 year lifespan at best, but often starts to deteriorate much sooner.

Recommended a minimum driveway thickness at one layer of 2 to 2 ½ inch compacted thickness HL-3A asphalt. This will last 12-20 years under normal use.

A common step up from there is to install a base layer of 1 ½ -2 inches of HL-3 asphalt topped with 1 - 1 ½ inches of HL-3A asphalt. Such a driveway should last 25+ years.

The ultimate driveway would be to use a commercial standard of 2 to 2 ½ inches of HL-8 base asphalt topped with 2 inches of HL-3 or 3A asphalt. Such a driveway would not only last 35+ years but also be resistant to compression damage from heavy traffic use, large trucks etc.

 

[tbi]

I'd run away from this one IMHO neither is worht a crap.
We put down a min. of 9" of sub base ( crusher run or screened gravel) and 2" of compacted type 3 asphalt and that's just short term. The top of 1 or 1.5" should be placed within two years. This is for residental use.

The asphalt is only as good as the base and 1" will blow out very quick with almost no load and a thin sub base.