What does the best possible fill dirt look like?

[HawkinsHollow]

I have gotten a good bit of fill dirt of all varieties. I am presently getting some nice clay that compacts like no ones business, like shiny smooth surface type of compaction. I was just wondering what kind of fill dirt you prefer. Clay, chunky stuff, a mixture.

You can't say free fill dirt, DUH! Is there any other kind?

 

[dodge man]

From an engineering point of view, such as for roads, parking lots etc, that clay is the best. When it gets shiny that is a good indicator of good compaction.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in East Texas, red clay is the most stable. If you go a little West of here towards the DFW area, the clay is brown to black in color, and it's horrible because of how much it expands when wet, and shrinks when it's dry. Good clay compacts easily and doesn't expand or contract.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Organics are bad. They will rot and create void, so definitely avoid any wood or tree scraps, grass clippings etc. If building on top of it, top soil is not good fill. Filling in a low spot of hole in a field would not probably be that big of a problem for top soil. I wouldn't think rocks and concrete, steel etc. would be a problem especially if you aren't going to be digging into it. Here shale is good fill. It compacts down and still has a high percentage of clay.

 

[dodge man]

Another point, when I was working I did some soil testing. In most cases we weren’t worried about the strength (bearing strength) of the soil but making sure it was compacted so it didn’t settle.

 

[JasperFrank]

Wow, "I am presently getting some nice clay. " I almost spit out my wine sip. I hate clay, really hate clay, and some of my last words might be, "never buy or bring here, anymore clay base fill."
Yet, any free fill dirt is a good thing.
There was an episode on TV of "Little People, Big World," whereby Matt, found a free source of a great deal of fill dirt. And just took it for all it was worth. I laughed through the entire episode just cause I knew what he was doing.

Free fill can be a fun thing,but where the soil comes from is a major consideration. You have to see the site its coming from. And on the first few loads, follow a truck.

 

[MF243RedTop]

In south Georgia you can get a variety of "fill"

Yellow sand with a little yellow clay in it

Good ole GA red clay, with marks of deep red and purple in it .

Sandy clay mixture .

My favorite is what we call white hard pan sand... it's almost all white and has white clay and fine sand in it.. it's dug from swamp flat areas that had water run over it at one time .. extremely hard to dig with excavator until you "break through it"

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Wow, "I am presently getting some nice clay. " I almost spit out my wine sip. I hate clay, really hate clay, and some of my last words might be, "never buy or bring here, anymore clay base fill."
Yet, any free fill dirt is a good thing.
There was an episode on TV of "Little People, Big World," whereby Matt, found a free source of a great deal of fill dirt. And just took it for all it was worth. I laughed through the entire episode just cause I knew what he was doing.

Free fill can be a fun thing,but where the soil comes from is a major consideration. You have to see the site its coming from. And on the first few loads, follow a truck.

I know exactly where the dirt is coming from, an old baseball field they are turning into turf. Big job, a couple hundred loads of dirt coming out of there, more when they do the drainage around the perimeter.

What do you hate about clay?

They have something called chert around these parts that is a pretty good fill. Kind of a clay/chert gravel mix.

 

[JasperFrank]

My experience is that I do want organics in the soil I buy. Very much depends on the use. I have two soils that I can buy at any reasonable rate in my area. One is called LOAM. This is clay with some dirt worked in to it. I have found this to be unworkable. It is is either rock hard and clumpy in the summer, or to sticky in the winter. So I went to the slightly more expensive dirt the local vendor called "frugal earth." This stuff, can work all year, its a mix of AAA soil, river valley, and organic matter. I can't tell YOU anything meaningful, because of how people in different areas talk about soil. In my area though, clay is not something you want.

 

[/pine]

It looks like gold colored golf ball size nuggets...it's really heavy...!