Hauling Bulk Materials

RobS · Mar 13, 2004

OK gang, what are your secrets for having bulk materials delivered. Things like topsoil, stone, gravel, sand etc. I'm going to need six yards of crushed stone for a retaining wall project. Too much for my pickup truck, not enough to justify my purchasing a dump truck (or even a dump trailer). I'll have this need off and on for the next several years.

Last year I had a couple yards of top soil delivered and it was a pain! First I tried a septic guy who was a friend of a friend. After two weeks of phone tag and missed committments I gave up and called the local landscape nursery. Got my dirt but paid through the nose for it.

So how do you get reliable, reasonable delivery of dirt? Is it possible?

TIA /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

JJT · Mar 13, 2004

I guess I'm lucky, we have a parttime trucking outfit in town, (2 brothers, with an 18 yard dump). These guys are great, they charge by the hour. I'll call or stop buy, place an order and 2 - 3 days later the material is delivered, (top soil, sand, fill, peat moss, washed stone, crushed stone, etc). I always pay cash, this may or may not help.

Ask around, find someone local that's good and stick with them.

gotrocks · Mar 13, 2004

Well, I wanted to have a trailer to haul my 2910 so I purchased a 16' tandem wheel with brakes.
To date I have hauled dirt, rocks, trash..... last load was 2 yds. top soil purchased and loaded by seller with bobcat loader.
I placed my ramps and eased up with 2910 FEL and made several scoops then finished with sq.shovel (trench wrench).
Good luck with future needs.

Makers_Mark · Mar 13, 2004

Do you have a pick-up? Check this out...
dump truck
I also added $40 bumpers under the springs. I can haul and dump aprox 3000 lbs

wroughtn_harv · Mar 13, 2004

There's someone in your area that has a six--eight yard dump that you can develop a relationship with. He--she can buy at a better price than you but you also need to accept that the truck has expenses they have to cover plus their wages etc.

I would check out some of the small contractors that occasionally need to have hauling done and aren't at the point of making the plunge of buying another piece of equipment. They have someone who does that for them. Another source is your local fire department. Firemen all have side jobs. You might find one who is a part time material hauler.

Cash is a good thing to use for projects like this. This is especially true for the small operator, fireman or not. It isn't unusual for the price to come down over time, price of delivery anyway. As it becomes obvious you're going to be a regular you will start getting benefits extended to regulars.

Larry_Van_Horn · Mar 13, 2004

Rob,
I have been through the same thing. I have my own truck Ford F700 dump which I hauled 82 tons of stone with in the fall. I find however that it is easier and cheaper to have it delivered. I just had 20 tons of Item #4, 20 tons of of #2 and 20 tons of masons sand delivered. The cost is about $45 per truckload. My 3 round trips per one of theirs and the value of my time make it worthwhile to have the quarry deliver.
Larry

MossRoad · Mar 14, 2004

Rob,
I sent you a PM with some ideas for our local situation.

For the rest of TBN, for rock and gravel, I've picked up at our local concrete pit in my pickup or car trailer, used a local guy with a small dump truck recommeded by the concrete pit for larger loads, and used a local trucking company recommended by a local gravel pit for 20 yard loads. All 3 methods worked well for the size loads I've needed at the time.

We also have a local government organic recycling center that makes pretty good compost and mulch and it is free to take or you can pay them a few bucks to load it for you. That price makes several trips in a pickup worth it VS paying a larger dump truck to do it in one trip.

Sometimes the gravel pits will have numbers for these smaller haulers that will do homeowner sized loads. It's worth a call to find out.