too heavy? - Page 2

Charles Lent · 08-25-2008, 01:36 PM

Not even considering the weight of the dirt and the weight limit of the F-150, I don't see any way that you could possibly pile 3 cubic yards in the of dirt bed of that truck. You would need to build front, side, and rear extension walls about 10 feet high to keep it from running off the sides. About 1/2 yard or a bit less is all that's going to fit in that 1/2 ton pickup bed.

Charley

DavidF · 08-25-2008, 01:37 PM

It's sounding more like delivery is the least offensive option, now if only I can get it done for less than $80, I'll press the button.

Larry Rose · 08-25-2008, 03:50 PM

David, I'm in the construction business and for a one load job $80 is not too bad a price. If it's delivered in a tandem axel dump truck the going rate is $80 or more per hour and the truck will kill up an hour or more loading, delivering and dumping that small amount.

DavidF · 08-25-2008, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by Larry Rose

David, I'm in the construction business and for a one load job $80 is not too bad a price. If it's delivered in a tandem axel dump truck the going rate is $80 or more per hour and the truck will kill up an hour or more loading, delivering and dumping that small amount.

Yea, I know, the annoying thing is it was my stupid fault! I had a qty delivered last weekend and gladly paid the $80. Yesterday after clearing the first lot, realised that the really odd shape and lay of the land and being stupid, had caused me to miscalculate the amout. I could have had the whole lot delivered for the original $80, now delivery alone is going to total $160 for $175 worth of top soil, really I'm just ****ed that I made the mistake, but I guess you have to pay for it somehow

DavidF · 08-25-2008, 04:08 PM

It's done, I just ordered the extra and paid the delivery

DaveD · 08-25-2008, 06:32 PM

If its a 8' long bed and fleetside vs step side it will hold right at 2 yards filled all the way to the top of the bed.

I have a HD 3/4 ton (Cheby) and its 'comfortable' with 2 yards of dirt on it. It does increase the stopping distance though. No aggressive driving either.

For me the three big limiting factors are trying to stop, tire load capability (read the side of the tires), and rear axle load capacity. You don't want to see that axle flange that the wheel is bolted to shear off the axle shaft. Bigger capacity trucks with full floating rear axles are the way to go to haul weight. No weight on the axle shaft itself.

I wouldn't be comfortable with a ton (much less more) of gravel/dirt/etc. in the back of a plain 1/2 ton pickup.

DaveO · 08-25-2008, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by DavidF

Not being a truck owner, It was just an idea, not really knowing what these things can haul and it turns out it's not as much as I thought! coupled with the fact that having just shovelled 4 cu yrds of top soil into a wheel barrow and pushed it up hill about 20 yrds - I had know idea dirt was that heavy!! I must be dumber than I thought and now much fitter! luckily it was only 90 Deg yesterday, if it had been hot I would have been in trouble

Originally Posted by DavidF

Yea, I know, the annoying thing is it was my stupid fault! I had a qty delivered last weekend and gladly paid the $80. Yesterday after clearing the first lot, realised that the really odd shape and lay of the land and being stupid, had caused me to miscalculate the amout. I could have had the whole lot delivered for the original $80, now delivery alone is going to total $160 for $175 worth of top soil, really I'm just ****ed that I made the mistake, but I guess you have to pay for it somehow

Now you might understand why landscaping work costs as much as it does. Next time you plan to do something like this get in touch with me ahead of time. I have a lot of contacts...that aren't retail priced.

Dave

SteveHall · 08-25-2008, 10:06 PM

Just for some sense of scale, a typical dump truck carries 10-13 yds of soil. That's 270-351 cubic feet.

Soil is just small pieces of rock and water, which weigh:

Water: 62.4 pcf
Granite: 170 pcf

The smaller a soil's rock particle, the more water it can hold (and inversely, the less rock). So the largest particle size soil (sand) is potentially the heaviest with the smallest (clay) being the lightest. Silt is somewhere in between, but the range will usually be within that of the two ingredients:

Clay: 60 pcf (dry, un-compacted)
Sand: 120+ pcf (optimal moisture, compacted)

Maybe a bit over-simplified, but a reliable way to do seat-of-the-pants calculations such as that for our 3 yards of soil:

100 pcf * 27 (cf in a cy) * 3 = 2700 * 3 = 8,100 lbs

What's that, maybe 40 NCWWs?

DavidF · 08-26-2008, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by DaveO

Now you might understand why landscaping work costs as much as it does. Next time you plan to do something like this get in touch with me ahead of time. I have a lot of contacts...that aren't retail priced.

Dave

Thanks Dave, I would have given you a shout had I concidered it "landscaping" I'll know next time! Thanks again. Maybe I could have borrowed your crew to move it all as well! Moved another 2 yrds last night in the rain....must be mad, but I really want to get it all done before Carol comes home from her 3 weeks in the UK on Thursday.

DavidF · 08-26-2008, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by digitect

Just for some sense of scale, a typical dump truck carries 10-13 yds of soil. That's 270-351 cubic feet.

Soil is just small pieces of rock and water, which weigh:
Water: 62.4 pcf
Granite: 170 pcf

The smaller a soil's rock particle, the more water it can hold (and inversely, the less rock). So the largest particle size soil (sand) is potentially the heaviest with the smallest (clay) being the lightest. Silt is somewhere in between, but the range will usually be within that of the two ingredients:
Clay: 60 pcf (dry, un-compacted)
Sand: 120+ pcf (optimal moisture, compacted)

Maybe a bit over-simplified, but a reliable way to do seat-of-the-pants calculations such as that for our 3 yards of soil:
100 pcf * 27 (cf in a cy) * 3 = 2700 * 3 = 8,100 lbs

What's that, maybe 40 NCWWs?

Good info there Steve, thanks.

Toddler · 08-26-2008, 10:44 AM

Hey David,

With a wheel barrow?! That's a lot of work! Jobs like that are why I miss my tractor. Heck, I don't even like to spread a few yards of mulch, much less topsoil without power tools.

Do you have any neighbors with a compact tractor you can borrow for half an hour?

Todd

DavidF · 08-26-2008, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by Toddler

Hey David,

With a wheel barrow?! That's a lot of work! Jobs like that are why I miss my tractor. Heck, I don't even like to spread a few yards of mulch, much less topsoil without power tools.

Do you have any neighbors with a compact tractor you can borrow for half an hour?

Todd

Yep! I seem to have arrived at the equation: At 90 Degs it takes one man, with a small wheel barrow, 1 hr to move one yrd of top soil 30 ft up hill! Or, at 80 Deg, in the rain, one man, small wheel barrow, 1.5 yrds, in one hr

Each must be followed by a long sit down with a cold one!

At the moment I am NOT putting a price on the veggies that will eventually grow there!!!!, but they better be good....

DaveD · 08-26-2008, 02:16 PM

I'm sure the rabbits or deer will be glad to give you a report on how the veggies taste.

Been there, done that.

DavidF · 08-26-2008, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by DaveD

I'm sure the rabbits or deer will be glad to give you a report on how the veggies taste.

Been there, done that.

Yep, been there too... A product called "liquid fence" is what we use and it works remarkably well. That combined with a token 4' fence around the beds has for the last two years been very effective - no breakins! Works on the open shrub beds even - highly recommended.

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