# prevent skidloader damage



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

richlin said:


> I am in the process of adding an addition to my house. The workers have to drive over my driveway, and 24 In. sidewalk, with a skid loader and the bucket is full of cement. The driveway had cracks in it before, now they are getting worse. the wide walk had no flaws, now it is starting to crack, and sink in spots. This is the only way for them to get to where they must go.
> 
> What can be done to prevent further damage from the skid loader?
> The only thing I can think of is putting plywood down for them to drive on.


Plywood may be an option in some cases, just depends. You guys never heard of a concrete pump?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Have them drive in the yard. You will never stop the drive from cracking. Otherwise, just plan for it to be replaced after the addition is done.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Bud Cline said:


> Plywood may be an option in some cases, just depends. You guys never heard of a concrete pump?


A Pump would have probably had the job done in an hour or two, vs. all day. I wonder what it cost for them to pay to have the trucks sit there longer then they should have.


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## PaulBob (Dec 5, 2008)

A couple pieces of plywood is not going to dissipate the weight of a 5000 lb machine carrying a bucket load of cement.

A 1 inch thick steel plate could do it fairly well.. 

One idea would be to designate a crossing area and use a cement saw to score the concrete on both sides of the crossing area so that all cracks will stop at the scoring mark.. Then, when the job is done, bust out the cracked up area and pour in new cement.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

PaulBob said:


> A couple pieces of plywood is not going to dissipate the weight of a 5000 lb machine carrying a bucket load of cement.


You'd be surprised. It tends to distribute the load, obviously a bit less than steel, but it's a lot cheaper and easier. I had the same thought as you when contractors would put a piece of plywood over a muddy area they wanted me to get my concrete mixer into, but it saved me from getting stuck. At 80,000 lbs it was a lot heavier than that skid steer.


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

3/4" plywood works well, and has been used for decades to minimize damage.

As for the pump, I'm sure there's still soil and gravel that needs ot go in and out a part of the process, probably alot of it. I've yet to see a concrete pump that can excavate soil and place gravel...........


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

gregzoll said:


> A Pump would have probably had the job done in an hour or two, vs. all day. I wonder what it cost for them to pay to have the trucks sit there longer then they should have.


Where did you read that it took them all day to pour concrete? Do you have some special kind of glasses that allow you to read into all of these things???


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

PaulBob said:


> A couple pieces of plywood is not going to dissipate the weight of a 5000 lb machine carrying a bucket load of cement.


 
Not according to ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Those guys know everything and frequently lay down a road-bed of plywood for machines to traverse. Those guys are experts in every field, they would know.:yes:


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

They were showing on Flip this yard earlier today. They laid down 4x8 sheets of heavy duty Diamond Plate Rubber panels, to protect the yard from damage.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Bud Cline said:


> Not according to ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Those guys know everything and frequently lay down a road-bed of plywood for machines to traverse. Those guys are experts in every field, they would know.:yes:


I would not trust ATOH as much as most of the shows on DIY.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

It's common to use old tires for heavy tracked machines crossing highways.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

jomama45 said:


> *3/4" plywood works well, and has been used for decades to minimize damage.*
> 
> As for the pump, I'm sure there's still soil and gravel that needs ot go in and out a part of the process, probably alot of it. I've yet to see a concrete pump that can excavate soil and place gravel...........


Ayuh,.... 3/4" ply, 'n loaded Trucks to boot,....


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## PaulBob (Dec 5, 2008)

Mort said:


> You'd be surprised. It tends to distribute the load, obviously a bit less than steel, but it's a lot cheaper and easier. I had the same thought as you when contractors would put a piece of plywood over a muddy area they wanted me to get my concrete mixer into, but it saved me from getting stuck. At 80,000 lbs it was a lot heavier than that skid steer.


I think you're comparing apples to oranges with your example.

There is a big difference between "floating" a heavy object on a mushy surface (allowed to move inches) and preventing localized downward pressure on a structural surface with allowances measured in millimeters.

But I'll admit my experience in this is somewhat limited and sometimes things are counter intuitive in this respect. Its not worth my time to research the deflection rate of plywood under specific loads and how it would act on a concrete surface.


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