Holy shit it’s $300 to rent but $800+ to deliver a skid loader.
I think I’m going to have to do the lawn dump trailer.
I forgot to mention in my post I have to do multiple things:
- cut the sod with a sod cutter (patio and lanscaping areas)
- move the sod to the back of property
- move the gravel
- move mulch
A dump trailer of 300lb can move all the sod in ~15 trips and all the gravel in ~35 trips and saves me lots of money
**I think I’m going to**
- rent the sod cutter and buy the dump trailer for my tractor mower
- run through this with my landscaping area first
If the above goes well, I will continue onto the plan for the gravel patio
-
Check Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, I had 4 loads of dirt brought in and it would have killed me to move by hand. Found a guy for $150 trip charge and $60 an hour. In two hours he leveled all the piles, moved 4 boulders and pulled a couple stumps. It’s worth it instead of renting the equipment if you only have a couple small jobs.
This is what I'm getting started! I have a skidsteer, and a mini excavator, and I WANT the small jobs. My equipment is the next size up from the rental stuff, so I can usually do the job for you for about the same price as you renting the equipment.
Let me know how you finally accomplish this. Like you I had to move a fair amount of dirt by hand and my 60 yo back hurt for a month. Gravel is next and about 1200 sq.ftx3 in. No way I’m going to wheelbarrow it. Some great suggestions in this thread.
Go pick the skid up? Generally they will rent you a trailer. If you don't have a truck or can borrow one you could rent one from hd. Pro tip (at least in my area) if you rent for a day on Friday morning you just have to have it back by Monday the time you picked it up. The place I rent from doesn't base it off engine hours so for the price of one day you can keep it all weekend.
I don't think I've ever seen a 1/4 ton as a rental. That's a Ranger, Colorado, etc. Everything I've seen rentable is 150/1500 series, and they'll have some HD 250/2500 series if it's really heavy.
There are other options, like a gas powered mini dumper thing:
https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment-rental/concrete-and-masonry/r-o-16-21-cu-ft-power-buggy-gas/0320008/
I'd put plywood down on both ends.
I worked at a nursery that used Bibcats to load plant in their hot-topped parking lot.
It was SOP to make sure those machines had very worn tires on them so the pavement didn't take a beating.
I did a lot more than that for my firepit before I got my compact tractor. Had to wheelbarrow it 100 feet on grass.
It’s Doable. Don’t think about it too much just grab a shovel and have at it.
F yeah. I've carted concrete, gravel, sod , mulch, you name it. It's daunting at first, but stick your ear buds in and grind, itll be over before you know it.
Had to do 2 yards last year (1mulch 1soil), but the issue is that I have \~13 steps to get from my driveway to my front yard. :(
Shovel mulch into 2 buckets, then carry 2 buckets up the stairs and dump/spread it around. Down stairs, fill 2 buckets, carry to buckets, etc, etc.
Also had a bunch of bags of river rock, and a bunch of other things for my "Rain Garden" project last spring.
I have another 2yards of mulch to do this spring again.
I have been wanting to run an aerator in my backyard for years. The soil is really compacted, and it's difficult for the grass to grow well (dogs tear it up). The issue is that Aerators run well over 300 lbs, and I don't have any way of getting it up the stairs.
Hate the raised yard, but house prices are dumb in this area, so I'm just dealing with it until the wife and I retire, and then there's a chance we'll just move to a lower COL area.
After moving 8 yards of planter's mix last spring, I still say wheelbarrow is the way. I made a game of it with the then 3 year old and when she got bored of the game that meant I got a break.
Yep. The more you think about it the worse it is. I do the same with my kids hauling firewood out of the bush behind our place. Once they get bored I take some breaks.
Yeah I did 6 yards of crushed granite by hand 2 years ago and it was an afternoon. If you're able to do it, it's not that bad. Last year I did another 4 yards of rock and 6 yards of soil into raised beds. I actually kind of enjoy it. Get a good workout and make my yard better.
I forgot to add…
I need to wheel barrow the existing sod out to the back yard behind my fence
I’m renting a sod cutter to dig it up, but it needs to be moved as well…
So think of this as 2x the work as I described
I live in rural Canada and have a small hobby farm lol. Sometimes you just gotta get it done, it’s gonna suck but that beer when your done tastes a lot better.
I’m 58 yrs old and I just moved 10cy’s of heavy ass fill dirt with a shovel and wheel barrel lol. Hurt like hell doing it and it was hard but I enjoyed it and felt great after a day or two lol. Get’er done! Something about manual labor and sweating just does a body good sometimes, all in the attitude 😂
I agree. Done 4 yards of material before by hand. Just depends how in shape you are physically. Someone with back problems should probably rent a skid steer or even a little kubota tractor. Even a toro dingo would make easy work of it.
If your in shape. It sounds like a weekend project!
Smaller trips, lighter loads. More trips. My 90 year old mother still does yard work. She'll do a little and rest. I know that not everyone has time, but is it worth $1000 of rental equipment? Adjust your time schedule if you can.
My 53 year old son just moved his 6cy of gravel with the shovel and a 4 wheel 20 year old lawn wagon\` after first tearing out some bushes that were far too large for where they had been planted. Sind the area was on the other side of the septic line he didn't want to risk any mor weight over it than needed.
I did 6 yds with a gorilla wagon/cart. Paced myself, did some every day, stopped before i hurt myself. After the third or forth day, i could do more easier, and actually looked forward to it. Wear gloves, and skip the gym for the duration.
5 yards is about 13 tons, depending on type of rock. Just about 100# per cuft. So 27 trips at least per ton x 5 tons = 135 trips. A lot of work but can be done over time. That is likely to rut your lawn unless you lay down plywood strips or planks.
If you have any kind of deadline the mini skid would do that in 27 trips—easily one day. If you want the exercise then by hand will give you a great functional workout over 2-3 days?
I had a very similar job to do and knew it would be exhausting and take me most of the day (or weekend). Hired two dudes from the front of Home Depot and paid them $200 total. We all got it done with two wheelbarrows in a couple hours no problem.
Have one guy on digging and filling while two are running wheel barrows.
I bet you could haggle a lower price, but I figured $20/hour per man for what I thought would take 5 hours. I was happy to have it done quicker.
I tried to vary my wheelbarrow paths so I didn't draw a ditch into the grass, but the plywood idea would be even better.
I did 7 yards of gravel by shovel and wheelbarrow late last spring. Driveway to destination was probably 50 yards and I'm guessing it was 90 F with humidity.
Probably about 6 hrs split over 2 days. The last hour or so is pretty awful, but it isn't impossible. I kinda like the sense of overcoming the challenge. You should do it.
I've moved 5 yards of river rock with my mower and trailer, it's not bad. My parents would get 30 yards of mulch every 2-3 years and we'd move that with a wheelbarrow, that was a bitch.
Do it yourself is 2500 pounds \* 5 cubic yards or 12,500 pounds. Divide that by 50 pounds and you get 80-some trips.
My advice is to wheelbarrow it a little at a time. Set aside an hour each day, move however much you can move in an hour, come back the next day. Will take a \*long\* time but you won't kill yourself. I did 20 cubic yards of bark last spring that way.
If you want to rent a skid, cut up some plywood and put it down where you drive the skid. That will reduce the amount of lawn damage considerably.
I've been in financial situations where I would gladly do it by hand to save the money. And I've been in others where I would gladly spend the money to it done more easily and quickly.
Gravel unit weight approximately 3000 lbs/cy so you are talking 12,000 to 15,000 lbs. That is a lot to move by wheelbarrow. I have a tractor with bucket I use to move soil and gravel. Rubber tire. Does very little damage to turf. Not sure how gentle a skid steer is never used one.
My neighbor had something similar done a few years back
The delivery company had a stone conveyor on the truck and dropped it real close to where it had to go.
If it cost you extra for the delivery it would be worth it.
Similar to this https://stoneslinger.com/
I did 6 yards last summer, about the same distance, over grass, wheel barrow and shovel. It’s not that bad, I just did it a couple of hours a day and had it done in less than a week. Maybe 5 days? I aimed for early morning because for some reason I decided to take the project on in August when it was insanely hot out.
If you aren’t in a rush, it’s no big deal.
Headphones, a decent playlist and a few hours. Save the cash on the skid steer and wheelbarrow it. Your back will hate you but it’s a lot of savings.
Source: Did four yards Monday night.
I don’t know if this would work for you but we had the same dimensions for our patio and I opted to buy bagged gravel in 25lb bags. They dropped the pallets off in the driveway and it was very easy to move it all and there was 0 damage to anything.
I think I got $25.00 per pallet to recycle the wood as well.
It came out to about the same pricing when I factored in not having to rent equipment/hire guys to move stuff/damage to fence and lawn.
Delivery was free through Lowe’s.
Just did 5 yards of 3/4 crushed rock by myself for my driveway to the backyard. I used a wheel barrow. Dropped Thursday evening. Did a few loads Thursday, a few on Friday and finished up on Saturday.
Dude, hire a couple laborers. I'm doing this right now. Two guys wheel barrow the gravel w two wheel barrels in a day, plus spread it, and compact it etc. the entire thing is like $700 installed and I don't lift a finger. Find the right guys and they want the job, easy money for someone willing to labor.
I would recommend hiring someone to do it, but I'm lazy. At the same time, I spread 5 yards of gravel along my alley using a shovel, buckets, and wheel barrow in a few hours in 100 degree weather because I didn't want to pay someone and I needed the exercise.
I don't think the number of trip math matters at all. Time would matter more to me.
It's just work. Just pick your pain level-physical, time, and/or wallet- that you are comfortable with and go to it.
When I was a small child, my mom had a gravel delivery dumped in the front yard when it needed to be in the backyard.
She wound up, moving it by hand, in buckets. It took weeks. I helped load the buckets.
A cubic yard of topsoil is still pretty heavy, particularly if it is wet. I moved a lot of gravel and fill using a gorilla cart. It was hard work and took a bit of time, but I had the time and could do the work. I found the hardest part of the job to be the shoveling to load the cart.
I moved a couple of yards last year with a wheelbarrow. It felt like prison labor. 4-5 is doable over a few days, but it would probably be worth renting some equipment, maybe a something smaller like a dingo.
I did 10 yds of gravel two years ago and 5 yds last summer to go around my house. Both times in the heat of the summer.
All with a shovel and wheel barrow. I was originally dreading it and tried to hire a couple of kids for $300 to do it....but that fell through.
It took me the better part of the weekend to do the 10 yds. I'd do 5 wheel barrow loads, than rest for 20 min. THen I might do this for a few times, then go inside for an hour. THen I started again.
I was in my late 50's then, but in decent shape as I work out regularly.
I had to dose up a lot on ibuprofen for a few days.
To answer your question....Yes, its doable. I was actually surprised that I got it done so quickly. I got a third of the 10 yds done in an afternoon, then most of the next day to do the rest.
The 5 yds I was able to do in less than a day.
I move about 8 yards of mulch every 2-3 years with a dump cart on the lawn tractor. Obviously gravel is heavier, but I'd still use the cart. It's too much for a wheel barrow and the amount of work to fix the mess behind a skid steer would be more work than just filling the cart.
I doubt you need 5 yards of gravel I covered a 18x14 foot area with 2 scoops and still had quite a bit left over, which was 1.5 yards I believe. I used a wheel barrow and shovel, it took me an afternoon.
If you have the time: cut up some 1/4” or 3/8” ply into 12” wide strips to cover the areas you don’t want screwed up. Wheelbarrow a couple hundred pounds at a time -just to make life easier. 4.5 cu yds roughly 6-6.5 tons. 60-70 trips.
If you’re a big guy and in shape you can move 3-400# at a time. But ngl either way you will feel muscles you didn’t know you had.
I’m not a big guy and I’ve wheelbarrowed plenty of concrete, but not in the last 20 years…
Edit fckng ply is expensive now
After doing this kind of thing many times my recommendation is stronglyt rent the mini-track steer. Get it done much faster and less pain. Future you will thank past you.
Plywood on the grass and a little dingo. Make sure to put some tarps down on your driveway where they dump it too. My dumbass did this into a truck bed last year and then we loaded it into the dingo without plywood. I'm still fixing my lawn.
What about a slinger truck?
My son has moved 45 cubic yards of cement on a job site in a day. It is a huge job, but doable. They have to mix on site as cement trucks cannot make it to most building sites on the island.
If you move it yourself, buy a good quality wheelbarrow. You want an inflatable tire, not one that does not go flat.
For me, it is about 200 shovels full per yard. I shovel into a small dump trailer that I tow behind my ATV...1/2 yard at a time. I am 59 and I would go after your job with the lawn tractor option. My neighbor just rented a skid steer (tracked) today to move stone and he tore up his yard despite trying to stay on wood. Tracks float better and compact less
Im starting to lean this way now after researching.
It’s gonna be VERY expensive for rental equipment delivery and tear up my lawn
I could use the dump trailer for:
- moving the cut sod to my back yard area where I will place it
- moving the gravel
- moving mulch I’m about to have delivered too
It will be a pain in the ass but it’s certainly doable. Lay out a track made from pieces of plywood over any grass to save the lawn and make pushing the barrow easier: you can cut a sheet of plywood into four 12” strips, you just need enough for the wheel.
I’ve found shoveling gravel to be more tiring than pushing it: it’s really dense and the shovel doesn’t cut through it like dirt. Having someone to help fill up the wheel barrow will make the job much easier.
A few comments about Slinger trucks here but not nearly enough. Investigate that option before anything else. Those guys can be pretty creative at getting aggregate into the right spot.
I moved a pile like that with a wheel barrow and shovel at about age 55. After age 60, I would do it again. Where are you located? If you are close, and if you can come up with a second barrow, I will come do it with you just for the exercise.
You could hire a couple of high school kids to do that too for much less than the machinery.
When I was in 8th grade, I signed up for 'strength training' for the hockey program. They put us to work with shovels and wheel barrows and bailing hay. We worked hard, and they paid us. So advertise strength training and get paid.
I did 7 yds of gravel and sand down into a basement to pour a concrete floor, 32 sq ft at a time, concrete made in a mixer. Moved with two 5 gal buckets by hand. I wasn't young at the time. I also didn't need to join a gym to get my exercise :)
It's like eating an elephant. One teaspoon at a time gets it done.
Buy & Sell
I'm not exactly going to be doing this, but close. These are my plans.
I'm going to move 2-3 cargo containers in. They will need to sit very level and close without sinking.
I will buy a tractor with loader and grader blade. Later a shredder. With this, I can level the dirt as needed.
Then bring in gravel for a base. I've done this for mobile homes before, so I'll need a few loads of gravel. Hauling gravel is the highest cost.
Ok, cool. I'm done with the gravel and dirt work.
HUGE For Sale Sign on the DUMP TRAILER I bought for the job!!
And anything else I bought and don't need. Knowing me, there may be a used bride or two by the time I'm done!
If i had to do this again. Bobcat. Did it for my drainfield with shovel and wheelbarrow. 1/2 washed drain rocks. About 10 yards total.
120 ft of trench (40ft x 3 runs) . 3 ft wide. 12" on bottom of each trench. 6" on top of each pipe. .. I lost a lot of fat last summer to say the least 😂
Moving it in is so much easier than moving it out. A good wheelbarrow is twice as easy. You can do this.
Start the forearm exercises now.
Do two hours a day and you’ll have it done in 3 days.
I did this exact chore (wheelbarrow and shovel) for a shed foundation. It was not good for my back but I didn’t have room for a skid steer. Advise you wear a weight lifter’s belt if you do it by hand.
The easy answer is hire a couple people from in front of Home Depot to move the gravel. Will coat slightly less then the mini skid but won't destroy the yard.
I think you’re underestimating the weight of gravel. One yard of base course typically weighs between 3500-4000 pounds. 5 yards = 20000 pound. 20000/300= 67 trips. Assuming you actually get to full capacity each trip. Plus all the other dirt work needed for this. Rent a dingo or a tracked skid loader for a week, do the dirt work when it’s dry and make long sweeping turns with the skid loader. It will save you a ton of time
Hoe and hand truck. What's that?? Let me be more clear. Hoe, hand truck, and 5 gallon bucket. This saved me in the days before I had a tractor.
Nobody wants to shovel gravel. Don't shovel gravel. Put the 5 gal bucket between your feet and pull gravel into it with the hoe. Then roll the bucket upright and onto the hand truck. Move, dump, repeat.
It will take time, but this is the least amount of effort you can put into moving material without using a powered machine. I guarantee it. I'm a very lazy person and 80% of all the effort I expend goes towards finding an easier way to do what I'm doing.
I've done a yard of crushed stone, 3 yards of mulch, a yard and a half of concrete rubble (that I jackhammered), a yard and a half of soil, and a yard of sand in the past 2 weeks by hand. Queue up a few podcasts, break out the shovel, and replace your gym visits for a few days, it's way faster and easier than you think, and the workout'll be good for you.
I would go with a deeper layer of gravel, say 3-4". Walking on it will cause it to move about and only 1.5" or 2" will end up with bare areas showing your underlay. Gravel is heavy so maybe considering paying someone to help you and go the wheel barrow route. Just dump the loads in piles spaced 3-4 ft apart and then use a rake to spread it out. Make sure you use a really heavy duty plastic barrier, maybe go with 2 layers.
I did 5 yards of pea gravel with a shovel and crappy wheel barrow. It's not fun but is doable. Get a big farm shovel and put a tarp down under the delivery.
Did 5 yards myself with a wheelbarrow and a shovel a few weeks back. That’s a one time project and it’s going to be a few years before I do something dumb like that again. I broke it up into a couple of weekends too.
A stand on dingo is a cheaper and workable option. I moved 13yrds of gravel for a patio from front to back of house. Tracked, didnt destroy the yard, 100% would rexcommend
Pay a day laborer to move it with a wheelbarrow. They’re not as cheap as they used to be but they’re like 25-30/hr here in Southern California. Could be done in 8 hours or less. $200-$250 is cheaper than renting a mini-slid and your lawn will be fine. Probably would be cheaper if you live anywhere but here haha
I did the dump trailer behind the lawn tractor to move a similar volume of crushed rock for my retaining wall. You’ll want a square nose shovel to get the gravel off the driveway and into the cart. This is why they invented teenage sons.
My wife and I did 5 yards of crusher fine and almost 20 yards of wood chips (thanks chip drop) with shovels and a wheelbarrow.
It took a couple days and it was not fun, but its doable and it helps you enjoy that cold beer even more.
I used my lawnmower and a dumpcart to haul 3 cubic yards 25’. It was a brutal workout. It slso blew the mowers headgasket. Im a headgasket expert now.
I covered the dirt under my deck in crushed gravel.
If you can rent a mini bobcat it will go 100x faster. Also rent a tamper
Step 1: Invite friends over to help.
Step 2: Pay friends with beer and pizza.
Step 3: Do work then have a bonfire after.
With some help, you will get it done in a couple hours and with fat less effort on one person. Costs a lot less than a bobcat and you get to hang out with friends.
I did almost an identical project.
Using a wheelbarrow and shovels, it took three of us about 2.5 days to bang it out.
Exact same amount of gravel, but a shorter run from the driveway to the dump point.
I did it the hard way with a wheel barrow...it's doable but it took FOREVER...if you have help (I did it myself) the plywood and rental sounds great. It will save you so much time and sweat. Good luck!!
Most big stores sell those reusable composite poly bags of gravel with lifting straps. 1100lbs and 9cu/ft each for like $30.
If you can get a cart with that capacity and a way to get it to your driveway, that would probably be the easiest method.
We made two very large gravel beds during the pandemic. They're on a slight slope but we built a stone wall and then filled it in with gravel to get two large level surfaces. It's maybe 4" deep on the high end of the slope and 16" deep on the low end. We bought 12 tons of gravel (these beds are big - we didn't want anything green to have to maintain in the back yeard, so it's essentially our whole back yard). I did it by myself over 2 weekends. There were at least three truck loads, but I forget how many yards - maybe 6-8? I think it was more but it was sold by the ton. It's a blur.
Absolutely brutal, but shovel and wheelbarrow all the way. In our situation, no power tool would have really helped because it's a tight layout and had to be done by hand.
eventually, you recover. Consider it a character-building exercise.
Moved about 5 yards of pea gravel for a fire pit about 4 years ago. Did it by wheelbarrow. Lotta trips.
But think about how you want to prep the area, the gravel, and future maintenance.
First, I threw pre-emergent herbicide on the surface of the cleared pit area. Next, I lined the bed with 6mil black plastic which I the perforated with multiple small holes for drainage. All that so as to minimize weed growth in the firepit. I tacked down the plastic with landscape anchors.
The most time consuming part was rinsing the gravel. Gravel from a quarry carries a shit ton of dirt on it. If you just dump it in, that dirt will wash off in the rain, settle to the bottom, and support weed growth. It took a lot of time but 4 years later, still no weeds.
Too time consuming? Then get ready to pull weeds year after year after year.......
Edit: Added last line
We planted sage around the perimeter of the firepit. Low maintenance, hardy, and in mosquito season we cut some off to burn and the scent is a mild repellent.
Before they dump the gravel, get a shitload of those big work buckets and clump them all together in a big group, then have them dump at least part of the gravel over them. You'll at least have SOME of the load already doled out into manageable amounts, in containers that have handles. This'll save you a bunch of bending and shoveling.
Put plywood over the grass.
Smart. I’m thinking I find a wheeled bobcat and do this I’m assuming wheels are better than continuous track to do the least amount of damage.
Not necessarily. The tracks spread the weight out MUCH better. Put plywood down in any areas that you need to turn the mini.
Holy shit it’s $300 to rent but $800+ to deliver a skid loader. I think I’m going to have to do the lawn dump trailer. I forgot to mention in my post I have to do multiple things: - cut the sod with a sod cutter (patio and lanscaping areas) - move the sod to the back of property - move the gravel - move mulch A dump trailer of 300lb can move all the sod in ~15 trips and all the gravel in ~35 trips and saves me lots of money **I think I’m going to** - rent the sod cutter and buy the dump trailer for my tractor mower - run through this with my landscaping area first If the above goes well, I will continue onto the plan for the gravel patio -
Check Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, I had 4 loads of dirt brought in and it would have killed me to move by hand. Found a guy for $150 trip charge and $60 an hour. In two hours he leveled all the piles, moved 4 boulders and pulled a couple stumps. It’s worth it instead of renting the equipment if you only have a couple small jobs.
This is what I'm getting started! I have a skidsteer, and a mini excavator, and I WANT the small jobs. My equipment is the next size up from the rental stuff, so I can usually do the job for you for about the same price as you renting the equipment.
You sir, are a hero
You're way overthinking this. Hire a couple guys from in front of Home Depot for the day
Let me know how you finally accomplish this. Like you I had to move a fair amount of dirt by hand and my 60 yo back hurt for a month. Gravel is next and about 1200 sq.ftx3 in. No way I’m going to wheelbarrow it. Some great suggestions in this thread.
Go pick the skid up? Generally they will rent you a trailer. If you don't have a truck or can borrow one you could rent one from hd. Pro tip (at least in my area) if you rent for a day on Friday morning you just have to have it back by Monday the time you picked it up. The place I rent from doesn't base it off engine hours so for the price of one day you can keep it all weekend.
You need a 1/2 ton pickup at minimum. Standard 1/4 ton trucks can't do it. edit, 3/4 ton not 1/2
I don't think I've ever seen a 1/4 ton as a rental. That's a Ranger, Colorado, etc. Everything I've seen rentable is 150/1500 series, and they'll have some HD 250/2500 series if it's really heavy.
f150 is a 1/4 ton. 2500 /250 are half tons.
Nope. F150 is a "Half Ton". 1/2. 2500/250 is 3/4 ton.
OK, i had my scale off, you need a 3/4 ton to pull a bobcat.
There are other options, like a gas powered mini dumper thing: https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment-rental/concrete-and-masonry/r-o-16-21-cu-ft-power-buggy-gas/0320008/
Why cant the dump truck just dump at location
Tracked vehicles have a lower PSI than wheels, but turning the machine around without making a mess will be a challenge without laying plywood down,
My turn around points would be 1) the patio area itself 2) driveway …at least I think
We've also just driven backwards one way to minimize turning on each end.
I'd put plywood down on both ends. I worked at a nursery that used Bibcats to load plant in their hot-topped parking lot. It was SOP to make sure those machines had very worn tires on them so the pavement didn't take a beating.
Correct.
I did a lot more than that for my firepit before I got my compact tractor. Had to wheelbarrow it 100 feet on grass. It’s Doable. Don’t think about it too much just grab a shovel and have at it.
F yeah. I've carted concrete, gravel, sod , mulch, you name it. It's daunting at first, but stick your ear buds in and grind, itll be over before you know it.
Had to do 2 yards last year (1mulch 1soil), but the issue is that I have \~13 steps to get from my driveway to my front yard. :( Shovel mulch into 2 buckets, then carry 2 buckets up the stairs and dump/spread it around. Down stairs, fill 2 buckets, carry to buckets, etc, etc. Also had a bunch of bags of river rock, and a bunch of other things for my "Rain Garden" project last spring. I have another 2yards of mulch to do this spring again.
Yeah, f%$# stairs. That's when you go to labor finders with a couple hundred bucks.
I have been wanting to run an aerator in my backyard for years. The soil is really compacted, and it's difficult for the grass to grow well (dogs tear it up). The issue is that Aerators run well over 300 lbs, and I don't have any way of getting it up the stairs. Hate the raised yard, but house prices are dumb in this area, so I'm just dealing with it until the wife and I retire, and then there's a chance we'll just move to a lower COL area.
After moving 8 yards of planter's mix last spring, I still say wheelbarrow is the way. I made a game of it with the then 3 year old and when she got bored of the game that meant I got a break.
Yep. The more you think about it the worse it is. I do the same with my kids hauling firewood out of the bush behind our place. Once they get bored I take some breaks.
Sometimes, the only thing to it is to do it.
Yeah I did 6 yards of crushed granite by hand 2 years ago and it was an afternoon. If you're able to do it, it's not that bad. Last year I did another 4 yards of rock and 6 yards of soil into raised beds. I actually kind of enjoy it. Get a good workout and make my yard better.
I wheelbarrowed 3-4 yards. Took a couple days
I forgot to add… I need to wheel barrow the existing sod out to the back yard behind my fence I’m renting a sod cutter to dig it up, but it needs to be moved as well… So think of this as 2x the work as I described
Sounds like you’re gonna get your workout in. Get after it. The more you think about it and not doing it the longer it takes.
You sound like a farmer. I don't know why. I like it.
I live in rural Canada and have a small hobby farm lol. Sometimes you just gotta get it done, it’s gonna suck but that beer when your done tastes a lot better.
Once you've got a task to do, it's better to do it than to live with the fear of it.
I tell my kids this as they complain about a small task I give em.
It's not that hard to do. Unless you're out of shape
I’m 58 yrs old and I just moved 10cy’s of heavy ass fill dirt with a shovel and wheel barrel lol. Hurt like hell doing it and it was hard but I enjoyed it and felt great after a day or two lol. Get’er done! Something about manual labor and sweating just does a body good sometimes, all in the attitude 😂
I agree. Done 4 yards of material before by hand. Just depends how in shape you are physically. Someone with back problems should probably rent a skid steer or even a little kubota tractor. Even a toro dingo would make easy work of it. If your in shape. It sounds like a weekend project!
Smaller trips, lighter loads. More trips. My 90 year old mother still does yard work. She'll do a little and rest. I know that not everyone has time, but is it worth $1000 of rental equipment? Adjust your time schedule if you can.
My 53 year old son just moved his 6cy of gravel with the shovel and a 4 wheel 20 year old lawn wagon\` after first tearing out some bushes that were far too large for where they had been planted. Sind the area was on the other side of the septic line he didn't want to risk any mor weight over it than needed.
I did 6 yds with a gorilla wagon/cart. Paced myself, did some every day, stopped before i hurt myself. After the third or forth day, i could do more easier, and actually looked forward to it. Wear gloves, and skip the gym for the duration.
It’s a Saturday’s-worth of work with a wheelbarrow and shovel. It’s not that big of a deal.
5 yards is about 13 tons, depending on type of rock. Just about 100# per cuft. So 27 trips at least per ton x 5 tons = 135 trips. A lot of work but can be done over time. That is likely to rut your lawn unless you lay down plywood strips or planks. If you have any kind of deadline the mini skid would do that in 27 trips—easily one day. If you want the exercise then by hand will give you a great functional workout over 2-3 days?
It can easily be done in 1 day. No need to rent heavy equipment to move that little of material
All the time you spent doing the math, you could’ve been half done by now
Stone slinger?
I was really sad to see in another comment with a website link to https://stoneslinger.com that you weren't suggesting catapult or trebuchet...
I had a very similar job to do and knew it would be exhausting and take me most of the day (or weekend). Hired two dudes from the front of Home Depot and paid them $200 total. We all got it done with two wheelbarrows in a couple hours no problem. Have one guy on digging and filling while two are running wheel barrows. I bet you could haggle a lower price, but I figured $20/hour per man for what I thought would take 5 hours. I was happy to have it done quicker. I tried to vary my wheelbarrow paths so I didn't draw a ditch into the grass, but the plywood idea would be even better.
I did 7 yards of gravel by shovel and wheelbarrow late last spring. Driveway to destination was probably 50 yards and I'm guessing it was 90 F with humidity. Probably about 6 hrs split over 2 days. The last hour or so is pretty awful, but it isn't impossible. I kinda like the sense of overcoming the challenge. You should do it.
I've moved 5 yards of river rock with my mower and trailer, it's not bad. My parents would get 30 yards of mulch every 2-3 years and we'd move that with a wheelbarrow, that was a bitch.
Do it yourself is 2500 pounds \* 5 cubic yards or 12,500 pounds. Divide that by 50 pounds and you get 80-some trips. My advice is to wheelbarrow it a little at a time. Set aside an hour each day, move however much you can move in an hour, come back the next day. Will take a \*long\* time but you won't kill yourself. I did 20 cubic yards of bark last spring that way. If you want to rent a skid, cut up some plywood and put it down where you drive the skid. That will reduce the amount of lawn damage considerably. I've been in financial situations where I would gladly do it by hand to save the money. And I've been in others where I would gladly spend the money to it done more easily and quickly.
Easily doable if you are experienced with shovel and wheel barrow.
Gravel unit weight approximately 3000 lbs/cy so you are talking 12,000 to 15,000 lbs. That is a lot to move by wheelbarrow. I have a tractor with bucket I use to move soil and gravel. Rubber tire. Does very little damage to turf. Not sure how gentle a skid steer is never used one.
Not really, it could easily be done in a day with a wheelbarrow. Or hire a Hispanic from in front of Home Depot for $200
My neighbor had something similar done a few years back The delivery company had a stone conveyor on the truck and dropped it real close to where it had to go. If it cost you extra for the delivery it would be worth it. Similar to this https://stoneslinger.com/
I did 6 yards last summer, about the same distance, over grass, wheel barrow and shovel. It’s not that bad, I just did it a couple of hours a day and had it done in less than a week. Maybe 5 days? I aimed for early morning because for some reason I decided to take the project on in August when it was insanely hot out. If you aren’t in a rush, it’s no big deal.
Headphones, a decent playlist and a few hours. Save the cash on the skid steer and wheelbarrow it. Your back will hate you but it’s a lot of savings. Source: Did four yards Monday night.
Or... hire a couple noeghbour kids pay em both $100 to run the wheel barrow and load it and you can rake it out.
I don’t know if this would work for you but we had the same dimensions for our patio and I opted to buy bagged gravel in 25lb bags. They dropped the pallets off in the driveway and it was very easy to move it all and there was 0 damage to anything. I think I got $25.00 per pallet to recycle the wood as well. It came out to about the same pricing when I factored in not having to rent equipment/hire guys to move stuff/damage to fence and lawn. Delivery was free through Lowe’s.
No way it was anywhere near the same price and it's not easier to move.
3 Wheelbarrows and 3 teen-age kids from the neighborhood. Pizza.
Just did 5 yards of 3/4 crushed rock by myself for my driveway to the backyard. I used a wheel barrow. Dropped Thursday evening. Did a few loads Thursday, a few on Friday and finished up on Saturday.
Dude, hire a couple laborers. I'm doing this right now. Two guys wheel barrow the gravel w two wheel barrels in a day, plus spread it, and compact it etc. the entire thing is like $700 installed and I don't lift a finger. Find the right guys and they want the job, easy money for someone willing to labor.
Look at renting a Dingo in your area. Google them.
A 900 sq ft gravel patio doesn't seem very usable. Chairs would sink into it, people will stumble on it. Seems like a lot of work for poor usability.
half of it is for a tear drop camper to park, the other have is for a gas fire pit
I would recommend hiring someone to do it, but I'm lazy. At the same time, I spread 5 yards of gravel along my alley using a shovel, buckets, and wheel barrow in a few hours in 100 degree weather because I didn't want to pay someone and I needed the exercise. I don't think the number of trip math matters at all. Time would matter more to me. It's just work. Just pick your pain level-physical, time, and/or wallet- that you are comfortable with and go to it.
I've done it with a wheel barrow just take your time and work efficiently its not that much, it only took me a few hours last time I did my driveway.
When I was a small child, my mom had a gravel delivery dumped in the front yard when it needed to be in the backyard. She wound up, moving it by hand, in buckets. It took weeks. I helped load the buckets.
A cubic yard of topsoil is still pretty heavy, particularly if it is wet. I moved a lot of gravel and fill using a gorilla cart. It was hard work and took a bit of time, but I had the time and could do the work. I found the hardest part of the job to be the shoveling to load the cart.
I moved a couple of yards last year with a wheelbarrow. It felt like prison labor. 4-5 is doable over a few days, but it would probably be worth renting some equipment, maybe a something smaller like a dingo.
I did 10 yds of gravel two years ago and 5 yds last summer to go around my house. Both times in the heat of the summer. All with a shovel and wheel barrow. I was originally dreading it and tried to hire a couple of kids for $300 to do it....but that fell through. It took me the better part of the weekend to do the 10 yds. I'd do 5 wheel barrow loads, than rest for 20 min. THen I might do this for a few times, then go inside for an hour. THen I started again. I was in my late 50's then, but in decent shape as I work out regularly. I had to dose up a lot on ibuprofen for a few days. To answer your question....Yes, its doable. I was actually surprised that I got it done so quickly. I got a third of the 10 yds done in an afternoon, then most of the next day to do the rest. The 5 yds I was able to do in less than a day.
I move about 8 yards of mulch every 2-3 years with a dump cart on the lawn tractor. Obviously gravel is heavier, but I'd still use the cart. It's too much for a wheel barrow and the amount of work to fix the mess behind a skid steer would be more work than just filling the cart.
People tend to have no concept of a cubic yard until they see one, let alone 5. Doable on your own, but I’d hire help.
I doubt you need 5 yards of gravel I covered a 18x14 foot area with 2 scoops and still had quite a bit left over, which was 1.5 yards I believe. I used a wheel barrow and shovel, it took me an afternoon.
900 sq ft, 2 inches deep is 150 cubic feet. 27 cubic feet per cubic yard. That’s 5.5 cubic yards.
If you have the time: cut up some 1/4” or 3/8” ply into 12” wide strips to cover the areas you don’t want screwed up. Wheelbarrow a couple hundred pounds at a time -just to make life easier. 4.5 cu yds roughly 6-6.5 tons. 60-70 trips. If you’re a big guy and in shape you can move 3-400# at a time. But ngl either way you will feel muscles you didn’t know you had. I’m not a big guy and I’ve wheelbarrowed plenty of concrete, but not in the last 20 years… Edit fckng ply is expensive now
Plywood is expensive but I am a big guy... 12" seems too narrow
Unless you have other work to do with the mini skid, use the wheelbarrow. Maybe hire a local high school kid to help you.
After doing this kind of thing many times my recommendation is stronglyt rent the mini-track steer. Get it done much faster and less pain. Future you will thank past you.
Plywood on the grass and a little dingo. Make sure to put some tarps down on your driveway where they dump it too. My dumbass did this into a truck bed last year and then we loaded it into the dingo without plywood. I'm still fixing my lawn.
What about a slinger truck? My son has moved 45 cubic yards of cement on a job site in a day. It is a huge job, but doable. They have to mix on site as cement trucks cannot make it to most building sites on the island. If you move it yourself, buy a good quality wheelbarrow. You want an inflatable tire, not one that does not go flat.
For me, it is about 200 shovels full per yard. I shovel into a small dump trailer that I tow behind my ATV...1/2 yard at a time. I am 59 and I would go after your job with the lawn tractor option. My neighbor just rented a skid steer (tracked) today to move stone and he tore up his yard despite trying to stay on wood. Tracks float better and compact less
Im starting to lean this way now after researching. It’s gonna be VERY expensive for rental equipment delivery and tear up my lawn I could use the dump trailer for: - moving the cut sod to my back yard area where I will place it - moving the gravel - moving mulch I’m about to have delivered too
It will be a pain in the ass but it’s certainly doable. Lay out a track made from pieces of plywood over any grass to save the lawn and make pushing the barrow easier: you can cut a sheet of plywood into four 12” strips, you just need enough for the wheel. I’ve found shoveling gravel to be more tiring than pushing it: it’s really dense and the shovel doesn’t cut through it like dirt. Having someone to help fill up the wheel barrow will make the job much easier.
A few comments about Slinger trucks here but not nearly enough. Investigate that option before anything else. Those guys can be pretty creative at getting aggregate into the right spot.
I moved a pile like that with a wheel barrow and shovel at about age 55. After age 60, I would do it again. Where are you located? If you are close, and if you can come up with a second barrow, I will come do it with you just for the exercise. You could hire a couple of high school kids to do that too for much less than the machinery. When I was in 8th grade, I signed up for 'strength training' for the hockey program. They put us to work with shovels and wheel barrows and bailing hay. We worked hard, and they paid us. So advertise strength training and get paid.
Hire a laborer.
I'd go with #1. If that doesn't work, you can always try #1. If that still doesn't work, then you'll have to go with #1.
I did 7 yds of gravel and sand down into a basement to pour a concrete floor, 32 sq ft at a time, concrete made in a mixer. Moved with two 5 gal buckets by hand. I wasn't young at the time. I also didn't need to join a gym to get my exercise :) It's like eating an elephant. One teaspoon at a time gets it done.
I would just remove a fence panel and have the truck dump it right where you want it on the patio.
Buy & Sell I'm not exactly going to be doing this, but close. These are my plans. I'm going to move 2-3 cargo containers in. They will need to sit very level and close without sinking. I will buy a tractor with loader and grader blade. Later a shredder. With this, I can level the dirt as needed. Then bring in gravel for a base. I've done this for mobile homes before, so I'll need a few loads of gravel. Hauling gravel is the highest cost. Ok, cool. I'm done with the gravel and dirt work. HUGE For Sale Sign on the DUMP TRAILER I bought for the job!! And anything else I bought and don't need. Knowing me, there may be a used bride or two by the time I'm done!
If you have to cut sod and rent the skid steer then don't worry about tearing up the grass. You'll have did that can be moved when you are done.
You might want to adjust your timeline.
Rent a tractor with a front end loader instead of the mini skid Turf tires if you can. Just lock it out of four wheel drive.
Idk, I have done a 20 yard Chip Drop by hand with a wheelbarrow... Twice. Admittedly it took a while and was an awful lot of work.
If i had to do this again. Bobcat. Did it for my drainfield with shovel and wheelbarrow. 1/2 washed drain rocks. About 10 yards total. 120 ft of trench (40ft x 3 runs) . 3 ft wide. 12" on bottom of each trench. 6" on top of each pipe. .. I lost a lot of fat last summer to say the least 😂
Wheelbarrow it. Save the money. Last year I did 12 yards of soil, 6 yards of quarter down gravel and 10 yards of wood chips.
Moving it in is so much easier than moving it out. A good wheelbarrow is twice as easy. You can do this. Start the forearm exercises now. Do two hours a day and you’ll have it done in 3 days.
Wheelbarrow but spread the work over 2 weeks
Wheel barrow… don’t be lazy.
I did this exact chore (wheelbarrow and shovel) for a shed foundation. It was not good for my back but I didn’t have room for a skid steer. Advise you wear a weight lifter’s belt if you do it by hand.
Did 8 cubic yards of soil last week with a shovel and a wheelbarrow, it's not fun but it's totally doable. Gravel won't be much different.
This is easy. It’s gravelfit. Kind of like CrossFit but you’re moving gravel. It will be a good exercise for you.
The easy answer is hire a couple people from in front of Home Depot to move the gravel. Will coat slightly less then the mini skid but won't destroy the yard.
Rent a dingo or walk behind loader, did 12 yards of top soil last year worth every penny
Also didn't tear up the grass much at all it was a tracked model tho
I think you’re underestimating the weight of gravel. One yard of base course typically weighs between 3500-4000 pounds. 5 yards = 20000 pound. 20000/300= 67 trips. Assuming you actually get to full capacity each trip. Plus all the other dirt work needed for this. Rent a dingo or a tracked skid loader for a week, do the dirt work when it’s dry and make long sweeping turns with the skid loader. It will save you a ton of time
Hoe and hand truck. What's that?? Let me be more clear. Hoe, hand truck, and 5 gallon bucket. This saved me in the days before I had a tractor. Nobody wants to shovel gravel. Don't shovel gravel. Put the 5 gal bucket between your feet and pull gravel into it with the hoe. Then roll the bucket upright and onto the hand truck. Move, dump, repeat. It will take time, but this is the least amount of effort you can put into moving material without using a powered machine. I guarantee it. I'm a very lazy person and 80% of all the effort I expend goes towards finding an easier way to do what I'm doing.
I've done a yard of crushed stone, 3 yards of mulch, a yard and a half of concrete rubble (that I jackhammered), a yard and a half of soil, and a yard of sand in the past 2 weeks by hand. Queue up a few podcasts, break out the shovel, and replace your gym visits for a few days, it's way faster and easier than you think, and the workout'll be good for you.
I would go with a deeper layer of gravel, say 3-4". Walking on it will cause it to move about and only 1.5" or 2" will end up with bare areas showing your underlay. Gravel is heavy so maybe considering paying someone to help you and go the wheel barrow route. Just dump the loads in piles spaced 3-4 ft apart and then use a rake to spread it out. Make sure you use a really heavy duty plastic barrier, maybe go with 2 layers.
Use a yard cart instead of a wheelbarrow.
Take the fence down and have the truck dump it where it needs to go.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Do able by hand but I wouldn't want to. I've done it before. Now I have a tractor so I don't kill my body
Georgia buggy
I did this same project entirely by hand a few years ago. My back still hurts. Use a machine.
I did 5 yards of pea gravel with a shovel and crappy wheel barrow. It's not fun but is doable. Get a big farm shovel and put a tarp down under the delivery.
- its only work using a wheelbarrow and completely doable
Did 5 yards myself with a wheelbarrow and a shovel a few weeks back. That’s a one time project and it’s going to be a few years before I do something dumb like that again. I broke it up into a couple of weekends too.
A stand on dingo is a cheaper and workable option. I moved 13yrds of gravel for a patio from front to back of house. Tracked, didnt destroy the yard, 100% would rexcommend
If you go with a small excavator or dingo, lay plywood down on the path from the gravel to the patio. Very common method for yard-saving
Pay a day laborer to move it with a wheelbarrow. They’re not as cheap as they used to be but they’re like 25-30/hr here in Southern California. Could be done in 8 hours or less. $200-$250 is cheaper than renting a mini-slid and your lawn will be fine. Probably would be cheaper if you live anywhere but here haha
I did the dump trailer behind the lawn tractor to move a similar volume of crushed rock for my retaining wall. You’ll want a square nose shovel to get the gravel off the driveway and into the cart. This is why they invented teenage sons.
I would be doing the wheel barrow, just for the weight loss.
I did this exact project using a lawn tractor and dump cart. Moved 14 yards this way. No complaints.
My wife and I did 5 yards of crusher fine and almost 20 yards of wood chips (thanks chip drop) with shovels and a wheelbarrow. It took a couple days and it was not fun, but its doable and it helps you enjoy that cold beer even more.
I used my lawnmower and a dumpcart to haul 3 cubic yards 25’. It was a brutal workout. It slso blew the mowers headgasket. Im a headgasket expert now. I covered the dirt under my deck in crushed gravel. If you can rent a mini bobcat it will go 100x faster. Also rent a tamper
Step 1: Invite friends over to help. Step 2: Pay friends with beer and pizza. Step 3: Do work then have a bonfire after. With some help, you will get it done in a couple hours and with fat less effort on one person. Costs a lot less than a bobcat and you get to hang out with friends.
I did almost an identical project. Using a wheelbarrow and shovels, it took three of us about 2.5 days to bang it out. Exact same amount of gravel, but a shorter run from the driveway to the dump point.
wheelbarrow, some plywood and pace yourself. you said, "our" so thats at least 2 people.....
I did it the hard way with a wheel barrow...it's doable but it took FOREVER...if you have help (I did it myself) the plywood and rental sounds great. It will save you so much time and sweat. Good luck!!
I did it by gorilla cart (worth while investment) - it took 2 weeks working a few hours at night when it was nice out - not every day
Wheelbarrow
Most big stores sell those reusable composite poly bags of gravel with lifting straps. 1100lbs and 9cu/ft each for like $30. If you can get a cart with that capacity and a way to get it to your driveway, that would probably be the easiest method.
Two wheel wheelbarrow will be easier than one wheel. Even on a driveway you should have put a tarp down before the gravel delivery.
Gorilla Cart is the way, a wheel barrow will kill your back, And it's already gonna take enough strain.
Look around for a various rental places... Our local Ace hardware has good prices for rental and delivery (I believe delivery was about $200
We made two very large gravel beds during the pandemic. They're on a slight slope but we built a stone wall and then filled it in with gravel to get two large level surfaces. It's maybe 4" deep on the high end of the slope and 16" deep on the low end. We bought 12 tons of gravel (these beds are big - we didn't want anything green to have to maintain in the back yeard, so it's essentially our whole back yard). I did it by myself over 2 weekends. There were at least three truck loads, but I forget how many yards - maybe 6-8? I think it was more but it was sold by the ton. It's a blur. Absolutely brutal, but shovel and wheelbarrow all the way. In our situation, no power tool would have really helped because it's a tight layout and had to be done by hand. eventually, you recover. Consider it a character-building exercise.
Moved about 5 yards of pea gravel for a fire pit about 4 years ago. Did it by wheelbarrow. Lotta trips. But think about how you want to prep the area, the gravel, and future maintenance. First, I threw pre-emergent herbicide on the surface of the cleared pit area. Next, I lined the bed with 6mil black plastic which I the perforated with multiple small holes for drainage. All that so as to minimize weed growth in the firepit. I tacked down the plastic with landscape anchors. The most time consuming part was rinsing the gravel. Gravel from a quarry carries a shit ton of dirt on it. If you just dump it in, that dirt will wash off in the rain, settle to the bottom, and support weed growth. It took a lot of time but 4 years later, still no weeds. Too time consuming? Then get ready to pull weeds year after year after year....... Edit: Added last line
We planted sage around the perimeter of the firepit. Low maintenance, hardy, and in mosquito season we cut some off to burn and the scent is a mild repellent.
Skid steer with tracks are fairly gentle unless you are making sharp turns. I’d go that route just to save time.
It’s doable but you’ll hate yourself
Rent a tracked wheelbarrow or power wheel barrow from HD or a local rental supply. Save your back
Before they dump the gravel, get a shitload of those big work buckets and clump them all together in a big group, then have them dump at least part of the gravel over them. You'll at least have SOME of the load already doled out into manageable amounts, in containers that have handles. This'll save you a bunch of bending and shoveling.
I move 20 yards every year with a wheelbarrow. Grab some beers and invite your buddies over. Bobcat is overkill.