What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel?

   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #21  
I must be missing something here. When they deliver gravel for my driveway the truck operator raises the box and drives ahead spreading it as he goes. Lays down a nice even layer of gravel with very little rework on my part.

Doug in SW IA
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #22  
That works for a nice open drive that is 8-10' wide.

Trees and overhead limbs cause issues.
Hills pose issues as a dumping truck has annever increasing cog and narrow width.
Wide areas and parking spaces?
Roads not established well enough to handle the weight.
Curves and tight areas.
Up next to buildings.

Many reasons why a truck cannot tailgate a load out
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #23  
No way to fit a truck in where these roads are. And if you could it would sink like a stone in some spots. Some of them I made nice and wide, but it is really just atv trail to get my firewood.
And yes I can spread. Do it with the truck and pony all summer with the spreading chains on the tail gates.

Like I said, I just enjoy playing with my tractor and showing what a small tractor can do. If I was worried about the extra work, we have a Deere 650 dozer, 580 Case Super N, a Komatsu WA250 loader and a Champion grader I could have floated home.
Some people like to hunt, some fish, some like to drink. Me, I like to play in the bush with my little tractor on drops of fuel.
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #24  
No, I wish I was retired. Just play on the weekends. Used this to haul it all home. Legal for 42 tonnes.

You found my pics eh Will? Thanks for posting. I like to show that you don't need a big tractor to get stuff done.
Wow, what a rig! Never saw anything like that on any Pennsylvania roads. And the tongue on that wagon would make Gene Simmons jealous:)
Can do a lot with little tractors.

Scooping and spreading out gravel is a cake walk compared to digging, clearing, and scraping hard dirt.

I have found that it takes about an hour to spread a dumped pile of gravel, provided you dont have to travel too far. IE: if speading it 2-3" thick one load, working out from the pile, you dont have to go too far. And get a good idea of, say, covering 100' each side of the pile. By the time the next load shows up, you have him dump 100' beyone where you left off if possible.

I get 25 tons dumped at a time. Or about 34-35 yards.

With a smaller tractor, the #1's and #2's I use for base, (softball sized chunks of limestone), are slightly more difficult to scoop and spread. But the small stuff is like scooping sand:thumbsup:

Years back I scooped and spread some stone for stabilizing a bank and dressing up parking areas. The tractor I had at the time had a toothbar and the only way it worked was to remove the toothbar. That was especially true on the larger stone. Last year I helped on a project at our shooting club and moved a lot of what we call 2A Modified (3/4" & smaller mixed together). No toothbar on the current tractor and it worked fine by sliding under the edge of the pile and raising/curling the bucket as it entered.
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #25  
Can do a lot with little tractors.

Scooping and spreading out gravel is a cake walk compared to digging, clearing, and scraping hard dirt.

I have found that it takes about an hour to spread a dumped pile of gravel, provided you dont have to travel too far. IE: if speading it 2-3" thick one load, working out from the pile, you dont have to go too far. And get a good idea of, say, covering 100' each side of the pile. By the time the next load shows up, you have him dump 100' beyone where you left off if possible.

I get 25 tons dumped at a time. Or about 34-35 yards.

With a smaller tractor, the #1's and #2's I use for base, (softball sized chunks of limestone), are slightly more difficult to scoop and spread. But the small stuff is like scooping sand:thumbsup:

No way. My LA724 loader might move 1/2 yard at a time. It might do a little better with a big heaping load. The L3800 which has a LA524 loader can't make a full height lift using the LA724 bucket full of dirt. Edit Kubota says my bucket holds 13 cubic feet and the BX25 holds 4.9 cubic feet.
Gravel weighs about 1.5 tons -- 3000lbs -- per cubic yard.
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #26  
My brother paid $80 a yard for 60 yards delivered... the driver had no idea how to tailgate spread and consequently left huge piles of crushed rock.

The L3800 had it all spread and looking pretty in an afternoon... at least all the piles were spread out along the road... it did make it impassable... good they started in the back.

In Washington State I was paying $110 for 5 yard load and nicely spread..

Amazing what things cost in the SF Bay Area...
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #27  
My brother paid $80 a yard for 60 yards delivered... the driver had no idea how to tailgate spread and consequently left huge piles of crushed rock.

The L3800 had it all spread and looking pretty in an afternoon... at least all the piles were spread out along the road... it did make it impassable... good they started in the back.

In Washington State I was paying $110 for 5 yard load and nicely spread..

Amazing what things cost in the SF Bay Area...

Holy crap that's expensive! The load I got here this summer cost me $13.50 a ton for GA (3/4" minus) One of my buddies on the next road had 10 or 12 tri-axle loads of Granular B (2" minus) delivered this summer and was under $10 a ton. There's 2 quarries within 5 min so haul time is short but still, YIKES!
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #28  
Ungodly expensive...

Even when I self haul it's $54 a yard...

Concrete is around $145 a yard for 9 yard transit mix last time I priced it.

All of the local quarries and there were several have all shut down permanently due to regulations...

So rock has to be hauled in...

The only way to beat it is to buy at the source and have self haul which isn't too practical for most...
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #29  
$80 a yard is about 4 times what I pay. The concrete is not terribly high. It's about $100/ yd here
 
   / What is the Easiest way to move 330 yards of pit run gravel? #30  
My brother paid $80 a yard for 60 yards delivered... the driver had no idea how to tailgate spread and consequently left huge piles of crushed rock. The L3800 had it all spread and looking pretty in an afternoon... at least all the piles were spread out along the road... it did make it impassable... good they started in the back. In Washington State I was paying $110 for 5 yard load and nicely spread.. Amazing what things cost in the SF Bay Area...
That is rough. I have bought plenty of gravel for $15 s ton. Concrete is about $100 a yard.
 

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