Crusher Run in Maryland: Questions Buyers Ask Before the Pad Goes In

Late March is when the phone starts ringing about pads, and for good reason. Ground that has spent the winter freezing and thawing is still too wet to compact in most of the state, and the window that opens after it drains is the one that decides whether a hot tub pad sits level three winters from now or starts tilting by the second summer. The questions below run in the order they usually get asked.

When does Maryland ground actually let you compact?

Base work runs spring through late fall here. Frozen ground will not take compaction at all, and saturated ground takes it and then gives it back as the water leaves.

• In Central Maryland the mid-winter stoppages are short, a freeze or a wet spell at a time, and the silt loam subgrade is the limiting factor rather than the air temperature. Wait until it has drained.
• Western Maryland holds the longest closure. Frozen and saturated ground in Garrett and Allegany counties pushes the start of the season later than anywhere else in the state and can close it earlier in the fall.
• On the Eastern Shore and the lower Western Shore, freezes interrupt less, but flat, low ground near tidal water stays too wet to compact for days after a nor'easter or a tropical storm.
• Summer suits the work, with one caveat. A blend this fine needs to be damp when it is rolled, so a load that sits in August sun wants wetting down before the compactor goes over it.

How is Crusher Run different from the CR-6 next to it in the list?

They are two products, not two names for one.

Both compact. Crusher Run runs slightly finer and angular, which suits a pad or a patio base where the top of the layer wants to screed out tidily. Where a drive carries regular vehicle weight, CR-6 is the usual Maryland call. Neither is a drainage stone, and neither behaves like the washed sizes.

What does a hot tub pad on Piedmont clay need underneath?

A tub full of water and people is a concentrated load sitting on ground that heaves. The sequence matters more than the material.

• Strip the topsoil off the footprint. Organic material under a pad will keep settling whatever you put on top of it.
• Take the pad out past the tub footprint by a foot on every side, so the edge of the base is not carrying the edge of the load.
• Build in lifts and compact each one. Two 3 inch passes hold better than one 6 inch dump that is only dense on top.
• On silty Piedmont ground that turns soft when wet, a separation fabric under the base keeps the fines from working down into the subgrade over a few wet winters.
• Check the pad is level with a straightedge, not by eye, before anything gets set on it.

How much does a 16 by 20 turnaround pad take?

Length times width gives square feet, depth in inches divides by 12, and cubic feet divide by 27 for cubic yards.

• Example, a turnaround or parking pad 16 feet by 20 feet at 8 inches compacted: 16 x 20 = 320 square feet. 8 inches is 0.667 feet, so 320 x 0.667 = 213 cubic feet. 213 divided by 27 = 7.9 cubic yards.
• Example, a hot tub pad for an 8 foot tub with a 1 foot margin all round, so 10 feet by 10 feet at 6 inches: 100 square feet x 0.5 = 50 cubic feet, divided by 27 = 1.9 cubic yards.
• Example, a side-yard dog run 6 feet by 30 feet at 4 inches: 180 square feet x 0.333 = 60 cubic feet, divided by 27 = 2.2 cubic yards.

At this site's published weight for crusher run, about 1.50 tons per cubic yard and approximate, that is roughly 11.9 tons for the turnaround pad, about 2.9 tons for the hot tub pad and about 3.3 tons for the dog run.

Those are finished, compacted volumes. Order against the depth you want after rolling, and round up rather than down. Run the figures through the Crusher Run calculator to convert cubic yards into tons using this material's density.

Will a side-yard dog run drain after a summer thunderstorm?

A compacting blend is not a draining one, so the drainage has to come from the shape rather than the stone.

• Give the run a fall of roughly a quarter inch per foot toward a lower edge, so water leaves the surface instead of ponding in it.
• The side yard between two houses is often the flattest, most compacted strip on a suburban lot. Check where the downspouts discharge before you commit to the route.
• If the run sits on low Coastal Plain ground with a high water table, build the base up above the surrounding grade rather than digging a trench that fills.
• A finer topping over the compacted base gives a cleaner surface for paws and is easier to rinse down. Screenings or 3/8" Crushed Stone both do that job.

What has to be ready before the truck reaches the pad?

Delivery is arranged at checkout from your ZIP code, and the truck needs clear access to a spot where it can put the load down and get back out. Mark that spot in advance, check the overhead clearance, and think about what a loaded truck does to a soft lawn in April. Stripping and shaping the area beforehand means the material goes straight from the pile to the pad rather than being moved twice.

Measure the footprint, settle on a depth, then pick a tonnage and a delivery date on this page. If the area is an awkward shape or the access is narrow, send the dimensions through contact and Maryland Rock Supply can go over the quantity with you first.