Does this look like 5 yards?

N1ST · Nov 10, 2007

I took delivery today of 5 yards of 3/4" process and the pile is smaller than I expected. Does this look like 5 yards?

tinkertoys · Nov 10, 2007

Looks to me like it. I've hauled a lot of material. Should have been a single axle truck and one load.

6sunset6 · Nov 10, 2007

I cannot answer directly but there is a way to estimate the pile. There is a number called the angle of repose (I think) which is the included angle between ground and the slope of the pile. It is different for different materials. You can probably find it on the net someplace. Then get the vertical height. It will be the volume of the cone but I thinks there are tables around also. I will look around myself and post if I find it.

N1ST · Nov 10, 2007

If it helps, the pile is 10' x 15' x 3' at peak height.

EddieWalker · Nov 10, 2007

I have a full sized loader backhoe with a 1 yard bucket and a single axle dump truck that is rated for 5 yards. From your picture, it looks like five yards to me. Might even be a little more when compared to what I move around on my land. Just looks a little "fuller" then my piles, but then the clay has a tendancy to stick to the bottom of my bed after a awhile and my piles tend to get smaller until I clean off the bed.

Eddie

6sunset6 · Nov 10, 2007

ahhh not going to work straight away. The angle of repose thing comes from gravel plant operations where a pile is created from a point source at the end of a conveyor .
For crushed gravel an average angle is 37 d
Vol of a cone is 1/3 ( base area) (height) Tangent of 37d is h/r
r would then allow calc of the base area.

However a cone is not a rectangular pyramid which is what you have.
But I still think it could be calculated
If 15 ' is the long dimension then 3 x 1/2(10) = 15 sq ft x 15 = 225 cf
divided by 27 cf per yard = 8.3 cy

If 10 ft is the width then 3 x 7.5 x 10 = 225 same.
Wow you got more than you paid for. course the pile is probably not even all a round but I would say you got 5 cy.
I buy by the ton and they weigh the truck I guess full fuel tank or empty would make a difference but then I usually get 22tons at a time and it really does not matter.
Hope I did this right .I am always worried I made some mistake and will look like a dummy.

Whoops looked at the pictures again the ends are tapered in. I would say you got 5 cy + a little
like Eddie said.

motepoc · Nov 10, 2007

Kinda rough figuring. Take four piles like yours and put them together and they'll make a box type pile that would be 10'X15'X6' That would be 900 cubic feet. A fourth of that would be 225 cubic feet. Divide that by 27 (27 cubic feet = 1 cubic yard). That comes out to 8.333cubic yards. Allowing for some irregular slopes in your pile, I'd say that you have at least 5 yards.

Again, just rough figuring.

randy41 · Nov 10, 2007

if your pile is 10' x 15' x average height of 1.5' then you've got 8 1/3 yds.
225/27

oops...i think tom and i posted at the same time

N1ST · Nov 10, 2007

Well you guys have given me the good and bad news... Good is I got what I paid for. Bad is I may need to buy more and I'm not as good at math as the rest of you.

Thanks.

bigballer · Nov 10, 2007

the piles looks big but the sizing looks more like 1-1/4" minus... anyway i always get a truckload (14 ton) at a time which i think is equivalent to around 12yards. costs $220/load. a bit more for clean but not much. i wish i could find a cheaper source for rock and dirt, just seems silly to have to pay so much for it.. i dunno maybe it's just me..