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Moving 9 tons of dirt...by shovel?

30K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  Shpigford 
#1 ·
So I'm putting in a paver patio that is ~500 sq/ft. I'm planning on doing 4 inches of roadbase and so 4 inches of roadbase for ~500 sq/ft adds up to ~9 tons of needed roadbase.

The way my yard is situated, there's really no way for the truck to bring all of that dirt and dump it right beside the patio. The best I could do is have it dumped 40-50 feet away.

So, am I completely out of my mind (and body) to think that I might could move and lay 9 tons of dirt with just a wheelbarrow and shovel? I honestly am having a hard time imagining how much dirt that really is so I'm wondering if it's an impossible feat.

Obviously the other option is to rent a skid steer for a few days but I risk seriously tearing up my yard (though that might be worth it for the saved energy/muscle/time).

Thoughts? What would you do?
 
#3 · (Edited)
I moved 5 tons of sand with a wheelbarrow to do a paver patio. Skid steer was not an option. The wheelbarrow was barely able to fit where we needed to go.

That being said, my advice would be:

1. rent skid steer.
2. move materials
3. repair yard

Trust me...repairing the yard will be a walk in the park compared to shoveling all that dirt.
 
#4 ·
It's doable by hand...

I had a dump truck full of red clay moved from a house I'm building to my house. They tell me it was a 16 Ton dump truck. It was filled to the top with dirt.

I couldn't use a skid steer since the ground I was moving it to was very soft gray clay so I did it by hand and a wheelbarrow.

It was dumped in a drainage area and I was going out of town the next day so I had to get it all moved before I left.

I worked all day moving it. I took a few beer breaks, ate dinner then went back to work. The sun went down and I worked until 2:30 AM under a full moon and oil lanterns. Had to grease the wheel on the wheel barrow at one point because it started to squeak really loud and I didn't want to have the neighbors calling the sheriff.

It wasn't fun but I got it all moved. Then remnants of a hurricane came through a month later and washed 2-3 cy's away!
 
#6 ·
Been there done that, funny thing is the 9 ton pile won't look very big till the last shovel full. got a rental center around , maybe a skidsteer or at least a buggy like they use to move concrete, could get a couple friends to help shovel into buggy, at least the wheel barrow won't be needed. have fun! :eek:)
 
#9 ·
For 50 feet, I'd get help and move it by hand, with wheelbarrows and shovels.
If you have a 6 ft³ wheelbarrow, it would take only 30 trips, but you load them to 300 lbs, you'll need 60 trips.
Put down some planks to keep the lawn damage to a minimum.

I figure 9¼ tons, get 10. Trucking is more than the stone.
 
#13 ·
I would go with the tractor/skid + lawn repair, myself. But, second to that, I would pay for some cheap labor before I undertook this project myself. Mostly, because back strain or injury is FAR more expensive that a couple of strong guys for a few hours. Seriously, how many times have you thought... I would pay $1000 not to have to: BLANK (move one more shovel of mulch, pick up one more sheet of drywall, lift one more bag of quickcrete, stack one more brick).

Last summer I saved up all my 'heavy lifting projects' for one day. I hired three movers for four hours and paid $200+ tip. And, at the end of the day, my back didn't hurt. :thumbsup:

PS - now I let Kubota do it..
 
#16 ·
I've done it a lot,with soil and stone. I would much rather haul the dirt than fix the mess that a loader would make in my yard. I think you'd be surprised how fast it goes. If you don't have one,get a contractors wheelbarrow and a scoop shovel.Lots less than a skid loader. Crank up some Allman Brothers,drink lotsa water(beer later,not during) and get to it. Think of the satisfaction you'll have when done,and the sore back too!
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the suggestions everybody!

I ultimately opted to do it by shovel/wheelbarrow. I moved ~4 tons yesterday in a few hours by myself and then the remaining gravel this afternoon with the help of a couple of friends.

Overall it went WAY faster than I thought it would. :)
 
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