Is pea gravel a good material to use as a small park area for a trailer?

Question

I am wanting to create an area to park my trailer on my lawn.
I am planning on possibly digging up the grass in that area and digging the entire area around 2 inches deep. Then, spreading brown pea gravel in that area to make a small parking area.

Is this material recommended or should I use something better?

Thanks for your answers!

Answer 1

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A couple of considerations come to mind. The first is the type and weight of the trailer you intend to park on the gravel pad. A heavy travel trailer or boat and trailer will require a thicker parking pad due to the weight the pad must support. If it is a lightweight utility trailer (the type used to transport a riding lawnmower or ATV), the thickness of gravel need not be so thick.

The second thing that comes to mind is the type of climate in which you live and the type of soil/subsoil in your yard. If you live in a northern climate, you will have to deal with annual wintertime frost heave followed by settlement in the summertime. This movement can wreck havoc with a gravel pad as well as a poorly constructed concrete or asphalt pad. Drainage under the pad is another consideration. Sandy soil tends to drain well, while clay drains very poorly.

In the end, I do not recommend pea gravel. Since the aggregate is round, the tires of whatever you park on it will sink. If you park a heavy trailer on a pea gravel pad, it will sink a lot because the ground under the pea gravel will be constantly moist, if not wet.

No matter what type of trailer you intend to park on your pad, best advice is to excavate the area to a depth of 6" or more. Unless the area is in an unusually wet location, I wouldn't worry too much about drainage under the pad. When you order your pad material, you should order "dense grade" instead of pea gravel. Dense grade is made of crushed rock and stone dust. The crushed rock is angular instead of round and the stone dust fills all of the voids. The key is to compact the material as you fill your excavation. This can be done with a manual tamper or with a vibrating tamper that you can rent from almost any tool rental center. If you make the pad 6" thick, fill the first 3" and tamp, and then fill the top 3" and tamp again. When you are done, the pad will be almost as hard as concrete. In fact, if you ever want to dig it up, you will need a pick to break it up. Dense grade is the same material highway contractors use as a sub-base for concrete or asphalt. They compact it with rollers or special vibrating machines.

Chances are good that your local gravel/stone yard will be able to send you a small dump truck load of dense grade for a very reasonable price. The price will probably be cheaper than pea gravel. If you have to move the material, it can be shoveled into a wheelbarrow. Do not let the pile sit for long, especially if it rains. The longer it sits, the tougher it will be to shovel due to natural settlement. The stone yard can help you calculate the amount of material you need based on the size and depth of your pad.

This is a perfect do-it-yourself job. If you do it right, the pad you build will last many years with a minimum of upkeep. Simply topping it off and filling in any low spots every five years or so should be all you need to do.

Good luck with your project.

Answer 2

it will sink into the ground so good ammount to use put a layer of sharp sand down as well

Answer 3

Use some paving slabs. Cats don't crap on those. They do love gravel though!

Answer 4

No its too small you need a larger grade. Try spreading a sand and concrete dry mix first Then spread the gravel on top, as the mix takes up the water in the soil it hardens and grabs the gravel underneath therefore there is less movement of the gravel.
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

It would be better to use 20mm shingle, which is a coarser product. There is less chance of cats using it as a litter tray. Remove the soil to a depth of 80mm then place a textile membrane such as myplex down then put the gravel on top. This will stop weeds etc from coming up in the gravel.

Source(s):

Landscape contractor.

Answer 6

put down 3 inches and roll this will bed down and then 1 more inch and roll to give you a firm base.