How much dirt have you seen moved by hand?

bdog · Mar 31, 2017

We have some friends that bought a new house in town. They need about 20 yards of topsoil for their backyard.

There is no way to dump the dirt in the back yard due to fences and a narrow alley.

I have a dump truck and a mountain of topsoil. They want me to dump it in their front yard and say they wheel barrow it back there. I think they are nuts as this will be around 250 wheelbarrow loads.

I want to help them but I don't want to put an insurmountable pile of dirt in front of their brand new house and then have them be upset about it. I tried explaining the volume and amount of work to them but I don't think it is registering.

Oldoak · Mar 31, 2017

It can be done, but today not too many people have the ambition to take on such a task.

When I was a kid, my brother and I helped our neighbor dig out a whole house cellar with picks and shovels and wheel barrels being pushed up a plank ramp. That's how we earned our spending money.

Not knowing the lay out, a problem they may run into is possibly heavy rains eroding the dirt pile onto the road or the neighboring property.

bdog · Mar 31, 2017

I think the husband and wife think they are going to this on a Saturday afternoon.

Mike_Kanzer · Mar 31, 2017

Why don't you bring them 5-7 yards and let them work with that. If they still find it a doable task you could bring them the rest on another weekend.

RNeumann · Mar 31, 2017

Tell them you will dump 10 and can dump the next 10 a week or two later. All elephants are eaten one bite at a time. They can do it!

Edit- or 5-7. Sorry for the repeat post

oldballs · Mar 31, 2017

That's the way (shovel, pick axe & wheelbarrow) a lot of people did things in days gone bye. Yet I doubt that most of todays' folks have the grit to do it. A CUT or SCUT would sure be helpful and make short work of it.

bcp · Mar 31, 2017

Rent a conveyor.

Example:
CONVEYOR DIRT 21 FOOT Rentals Portland OR, Where to Rent CONVEYOR DIRT 21 FOOT in Portland Oregon, Gresham, Beaverton, West Linn, Happy Valley OR, Vancouver WA

Bruce

3930dave · Mar 31, 2017

Unless your friends have worked on a landscape or concrete finishing crew, they probably have no idea what they are taking on.

New house - if things are leveled and settled enough to move wheelbarrows on, then maybe start them with 5 yards - if they blow through that then just "charge" them a steak dinner for the extra fuel delivering the balance.

At least it's dirt - went to a party at a friend's place one night years ago, walked around back to the normal door, and found a huge mountain there - of manure. His Mom thought she'd found a great deal, but didn't understand what a truck held !

Rgds, D.

Oldoak · Mar 31, 2017

Mike_Kanzer said:
Why don't you bring them 5-7 yards and let them work with that. If they still find it a doable task you could bring them the rest on another weekend.

That is all they would want to tackle in a whole weekend. Spreading the top soil as they dump the wheelbarrows will also time as they move all that dirt.