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

Pea gravel does not stay in place. It will constantly move, creating low, thin spots, it'll be picked-up by your tire's tread & tracked, ultimately ending-up in your lawn. Use a gravel that will compact and lock in place like a #8 crushed limestone or a #9 crushed river rock. 2" is a little light for vehicles. At only 2" the gravel will settle & mix into the underlying soil during wet periods. Consider a 6-9" base depending on the weight of your vehicles.

Additional details: If you live where the ground freezes, the cement & sand mix will never withstand the freeze/thaw cycles of winter. Further, you create a trough to hold the water in when it rains. If you need gravel containment, simply use a layer of landscape fabric before you apply the gravel. The fabric allows moisture to move freely through to the subsoil, it will not break up under repeated freeze/thaw cycles and it will prevent the gravel from mixing with the subsoil.

Answer 2

No, you must use a larger grade of gravel. To stop the gravel from migrating to other areas, first spread a dry mix on 5 parts building sand to 1 part cement over the whole area you wish to cover with gravel then spread on the gravel, the sand/cement mix will take up the moisture from the soil and harden therefore grasping the lower lot of gravel and form a base. Trust me it does work. Hope this helps. Have a nice day!

Answer 3

that should work just fine but i would recommend after digging up the grass to put down some plastic liner as well as a border of bricks or even just wood around it, the plastic will keep grass from coming up in the gravel and the border will do the same as well as give you a nice clean border between your grass and the gravel. if the trailer is very heavy you may want to look into pavement of some sort but for a small utility or travel trailer pea gravel should work just fine.

Answer 4

Pea gravel is a good cover for driveways and parking areas. However, you may want to border it with some landscape timbers to keep the tiny rocks from escaping their intended area. Over time, the gravel tends to spread out, and if not confined, will spread into your grassy lawn. This is hell on the lawnmower blade when cutting your lawn.

Answer 5

Why not try pavers/paving stones? I would think they would add more "value" to your property and may look a lot more "solid" versus having the gravel/pebbles moving everywhere. It might be more of a cost but at least, it'll be less maintenance in the long run.

Answer 6

pea gravel will certainly do the job however it does move alot so the trailer wheels will sink a small amount.

the best option is compacted type one but its not very attractive

Answer 7

There's a new system of laying gravel and asphalt using a special heavy porous sheeting. It keeps the gravel from migrating. I got mine from a road crew laying new asphalt. RScott

Answer 8

I would say not it goes every where.. ask for 2" reject stone, it's really good