You bring up a good point. I've been told by several who work in the field that 6" will be enough. It's worth checking out further. It will go on a hard packed base.
My use of the pad for heavy equipment will not be very often at all in the summer. The combine and planter will go in and out in cooler weather. The tractor does not usually go in at all in the summer.
I've been told several different stories on how densely the asphalt will compact.
My plan had been to take out 6" of dirt, lay down matting, then put down freshly reground asphalt so the oil is still in there and it is not covered too much with dust and thus degraded. It is rolled in. One contractor told me it would pack a 1/2 inch or inch. Another guy said it would pack almost double. I need to talk with some more people to see about the packing.
