How many wheelbarrows for a yard of concrete?
alvin...@notmail.com
yards. Two and a quarter yards will make a 9 x 20 foot driveway
extension in front of my garage. The other yard will go into a nearby
shed to make a cement floor to replace the dirt floor, which is 6 X 12
ft., plus a small pad outside the door from whatever is left.
For the driveway extension the truck can drive right to it. But the
shed is not accessible by truck. That one yard needs to be taken into
the shed with wheelbarrows. I am trying to comprehend how many
(average size) wheelbarrow trips will have to be made to carry that
one yard to the shed. I am asking to get a rough idea so I know how
many friends and wheelbarrows to have on hand. The delivery company
said that their delivery guys cant spend a lot of time at one place,
so I need to be ready to get the cement moved fast.
I know someone is going to ask me what I mean by average size
wheelbarrow. I dont know how they are rated, but the two that I have
are the ones sold at most garden supply places, department and
hardware stores for the average homeowner. My guess is the "bucket"
is about 28" wide, 35" long, and 10" deep (of course the corners are
rounded and the bucket tapers in at the bottom.
My guess (and only a guess), is one wheelbarrow load can hold about
2.5 cubic feet, (without spilling all over the place), and a full yard
of concrete is 27 cubic feet. So my guess is about 11 trips. Does
this sound about right?
One other thing. Since I plan to use whatever concrete is left over
to make a pad in front of the shed door, outside, what is the best way
to make an adjustible form? My idea is to make the form the actual
width I want (which is 41"), then just leave the end board (away from
the door) without nails or stakes, so I can fasten it after the cement
is there and I know how much cement is left. If by chance the pad
seems too small, I have a few bags of redi-crete to use up, so I can
mix them.
Thanks
Alvin
DerbyDad03
Any chance of the delivery company using a boom truck to deliver the
concrete directly to where the shed will be or is that way too
expensive for this size job?
RicodJour
> I will be having a delivery this week of concrete. I am getting 3.25
> yards. Two and a quarter yards will make a 9 x 20 foot driveway
> extension in front of my garage. The other yard will go into a nearby
> shed to make a cement floor to replace the dirt floor, which is 6 X 12
> ft., plus a small pad outside the door from whatever is left.
>
> For the driveway extension the truck can drive right to it. But the
> shed is not accessible by truck. That one yard needs to be taken into
> the shed with wheelbarrows. I am trying to comprehend how many
> (average size) wheelbarrow trips will have to be made to carry that
> one yard to the shed. I am asking to get a rough idea so I know how
> many friends and wheelbarrows to have on hand. The delivery company
> said that their delivery guys cant spend a lot of time at one place,
> so I need to be ready to get the cement moved fast.
>
> I know someone is going to ask me what I mean by average size
> wheelbarrow. I dont know how they are rated, but the two that I have
> are the ones sold at most garden supply places, department and
> hardware stores for the average homeowner. My guess is the "bucket"
> is about 28" wide, 35" long, and 10" deep (of course the corners are
> rounded and the bucket tapers in at the bottom.
Fill it with five gallon buckets of water. Count the buckets. Do an
online conversion from gallons to volume, tweak to get cubic yards.
> My guess (and only a guess), is one wheelbarrow load can hold about
> 2.5 cubic feet, (without spilling all over the place), and a full yard
> of concrete is 27 cubic feet. So my guess is about 11 trips. Does
> this sound about right?
Maybe. Homeowner wheelbarrows are in that neighborhood, maybe
slightly more. Contractor wheelbarrows hold about 6 CF.
> One other thing. Since I plan to use whatever concrete is left over
> to make a pad in front of the shed door, outside, what is the best way
> to make an adjustible form? My idea is to make the form the actual
> width I want (which is 41"), then just leave the end board (away from
> the door) without nails or stakes, so I can fasten it after the cement
> is there and I know how much cement is left. If by chance the pad
> seems too small, I have a few bags of redi-crete to use up, so I can
> mix them.
Fine.
R
beecrofter
I always guessed 2 tons per yard. And 300lbs is about all I want to
hump around in a wheelbarrow. 13-14 trips
DerbyDad03
Oh, sorry, forgot to offer an answer to your question...
From: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/patiosteps
"One cubic yard of ready-mix yields nine contractor-size wheelbarrows
of concrete. "
From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070601019.html
"A construction wheelbarrow full of concrete can weigh nearly 400
pounds."
AFAIK a contractor's wheelbarrow is roughly 6 Cu ft. Since your's
appear to be much smaller, 11 trips seems too few. Of course, it also
depends on how much weight a person and or a given wheelbarrow can
handle.
Actually, what you want to use is the 2 wheeled, spout nosed
wheelbarrow shown on page 2 of this document. Look for the red NEW!
graphic.
http://www.brentwoodindustries.com/spg/pdfs/BrentwoodWB.pdf
Here's a "fun" site for estimating the cost of concrete construction,
including info moving material in wheelbarrows. This link should take
you to page 553 - ignore the references to horse drawn carts, but pay
close attention to the comparison of "active" vs. "lazy" workers. ;-)
RedRover
>Any chance of the delivery company using a boom truck to deliver the
>concrete directly to where the shed will be or is that way too
>expensive for this size job?
How much is a boom truck option?
DerbyDad03
> On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:10:07 -0700, DerbyDad03 <teamarr...@eznet.net> wrote:
> >Any chance of the delivery company using a boom truck to deliver the
> >concrete directly to where the shed will be or is that way too
> >expensive for this size job?
>
$20.00...No wait...$200....No wait...$2000... ;-)
Where do you live?
How long of a boom do you need?
What will be the travel time from the plant to the delivery point?
Are there any road restrictions/usage permits that will need to be
dealt with?
See my point? My guess is that the cost of the boom option would be
highly dependent on the specific job. I'll also hazard a guess and say
that using that option for a 3.25 yard load would be cost prohibitive.
Harry K
>
> - Show quoted text -
First; Unless you have wheeled mud before, do not fill the barrow
full. Even if you have, do not fill the barrow full. Better several
extra trips than spilling a load. Concrete is _heavy_.
Second: Be sure the path to the shed is smooth and firm. If needed,
lay down sheets of plywood overlapped so the loaded barrows don't run
into the 'lap'.
Harry K
Dan Espen
> My guess is the "bucket"
> is about 28" wide, 35" long, and 10" deep (of course the corners are
> rounded and the bucket tapers in at the bottom.
Go out and measure it.
Take the width and length at the bottom.
A cubic yard is 36x36x36
My guess is you can only fill to about 6 inches of the 10.
Roughly 10 trips without the math.
When you have the measurements divide
width times height times depth
into 36x36x36.
Don't assume to can use the whole depth.
Larry Bud
> wheelbarrow. I dont know how they are rated, but the two that I have
> are the ones sold at most garden supply places, department and
> hardware stores for the average homeowner. My guess is the "bucket"
> is about 28" wide, 35" long, and 10" deep (of course the corners are
> rounded and the bucket tapers in at the bottom.
>
> My guess (and only a guess), is one wheelbarrow load can hold about
> 2.5 cubic feet, (without spilling all over the place), and a full yard
> of concrete is 27 cubic feet. So my guess is about 11 trips. Does
> this sound about right?
No offense, but has basic math skills gone out the window so that you
have to guess?
One yard is 36x36x36"=46656 cubic inches
If your bucket is 28x35x10, that's 9800 cubic inces
46656/9800=4.76
IOW, 5 trips.
DerbyDad03
Math is our friend...I'm not doubtin' your numbers, just trying my
own. Let me know if I missed something...it's Monday.
As I posted earlier from: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/patiosteps
:
"One cubic yard of ready-mix yields nine contractor-size wheelbarrows
of concrete. "
AFAIK a contractor's wheelbarrow is ~ 6 cu ft and the OP's is
estimated (by him) to be only 2.5 cu ft.
Now, if I do a little math and divide 1 cu yd by 6 cu ft I get
27 / 6 = 4.5 (not nine) which means they are only putting 3 cu ft in
each wheelbarrow - IOW - half full.
Therefore, if the OP puts only 2 cu ft into his 2.25 cu ft
wheelbarrow, it's going to take at least 13.5 loads. If he follows the
lead of the DIY site and only fills his wheelbarrow half way, it's
going to take 18 loads.
Does that sound right?
Joe
> I will be having a delivery this week of concrete. I am getting 3.25
> yards. Two and a quarter yards will make a 9 x 20 foot driveway
> extension in front of my garage. The other yard will go into a nearby
> shed to make a cement floor to replace the dirt floor, which is 6 X 12
> ft., plus a small pad outside the door from whatever is left.
>
> For the driveway extension the truck can drive right to it.
>snip<
But keep the truck off your driveway unless you like cracked concrete.
He might make ruts in the lawn, but in a few months they will
disappear. Have lots of helpers available, don't forget to compact the
soil and use pea gravel and wire mesh/rebar. Good luck.
Joe
Pat
Just for the record, I've never heard of anyone ordering 3.25 yards.
I don't think they make/transport concrete in that level of precision
-- esp. to the second decimal place. So don't plan your needs too
closely.
HeyBub
Whatever results you come up with, double them. It's far, far better to have
too many helpers than too few. For example, what happens when one (or more)
of the volunteer wheelbarrows breaks? Or for that matter, when one of your
helpers keels over with a heart attack? What happens if it rains? Helpers
are cheap (pizza and beer).
Lay a plywood track to the dumping area.
You'll need barrow drivers and concrete spreaders. Have plenty of tools on
hand (shovels, hoes, etc.).
Your plan for an adjustable form sounds fine. Be sure to put in reinforcing
(rebar, wire mesh...)
DerbyDad03
>
> - Show quoted text -
re: what happens...when one of your helpers keels over with a heart
attack?
Wouldn't you need less concrete?
Don Klipstein
> I will be having a delivery this week of concrete. I am getting 3.25
> yards. Two and a quarter yards will make a 9 x 20 foot driveway
> extension in front of my garage. The other yard will go into a nearby
> shed to make a cement floor to replace the dirt floor, which is 6 X 12
> ft., plus a small pad outside the door from whatever is left.
> For the driveway extension the truck can drive right to it. But the
> shed is not accessible by truck. That one yard needs to be taken into
> the shed with wheelbarrows. I am trying to comprehend how many
> (average size) wheelbarrow trips will have to be made to carry that
> one yard to the shed. I am asking to get a rough idea so I know how
> many friends and wheelbarrows to have on hand. The delivery company
> said that their delivery guys cant spend a lot of time at one place,
> so I need to be ready to get the cement moved fast.
> I know someone is going to ask me what I mean by average size
> wheelbarrow. I dont know how they are rated, but the two that I have
> are the ones sold at most garden supply places, department and
> hardware stores for the average homeowner. My guess is the "bucket"
> is about 28" wide, 35" long, and 10" deep (of course the corners are
> rounded and the bucket tapers in at the bottom.
> My guess (and only a guess), is one wheelbarrow load can hold about
> 2.5 cubic feet, (without spilling all over the place), and a full yard
> of concrete is 27 cubic feet. So my guess is about 11 trips. Does
> this sound about right?
A 35 by 28 by 10 half-ellipsoid is 2.97 cubic feet, and in my experience
wheelbarrows are a little closer to conical than to that. A cone
(elliptical version as opposed to circular) of the same dimensions is 1.9
cubic feet. I would guess about 2.2-2.3 cubic feet.
Meanwhile, suppose the actual inside dimensions are 33 by 26.5 by 9.5?
That's 15% less volume! Sounds to me like 1.9 to 2 cubic feet now.
Another point - that wheelbarrow will not be level during the filling
and the transportation. I think it would be optimistic to fill it 1 inch
short of the top, and I think 33 by 26.5 by 9.5 then becomes at best 31 by
24.5 by 8.5, and that's with optimistic aggressive filling of the
wheelbarrow. That makes the volume 66% of the original figure (of 2.2-2.3
cubic feet), meaning about 1.5 cubic feet. Make that 1.6, because that
portion of the wheelbarrow gets a little closer to a half-ellipsoid and a
little less like a cone.
But this is still with filling the wheelbarrows so full that you have a
good chance of spilling concrete. I think more realistic is fill it 1.5-2
inches short of the top, roughly 1.3 cubic feet of concrete. A cubic yard
is 20-21 wheelbarrow loads at that rate. I may be erring a bit on the
conservative side - please post your actual results!
Now, another matter: How much weight to pour into a wheelbarrow?
Although the wheelbarrow operator only has to lift about 40% maybe 35% of
the weight of the wheelbarrow and the load, keep in mind how much a cubic
foot of concrete weighs. I asked a concrete mixer driver how much
concrete by cubic yards and tons his truck carries, and IIRC the answer
was 10 cubic yards and 20 tons - meaning a density of 2 tons per cubic
yard. I have read a few slightly lesser figures however. A ton per cubic
yard is 148 pounds per cubic foot.
The Wikipedia article on concrete says that the density is usually
around 150 pounds per cubic foot.
My experience suggests that if someone has to carry much over about 100
pounds, there is a good chance that things get wobbly. Beer goes only so
far to buy careful driving at best! I am guessing that it takes 10 pounds
of force to lift the handles of an empty wheelbarrow of above size,
leaving 90 pounds divided by the 35-40% above that I am guesstimating for
percentage of weight showing up at the handles. That means 225-257 pounds
of concrete. Divide by the Wiki figure of 150 pounds per cubic foot, and
that is 1.5-1.7 cubic feet.
At this moment, I would say probably 1.3 to 1.5 cubic feet per
wheelbarrow load, 18 to 21 wheelbarrow loads. Though I would not be too
surprised if everyone manages a "good mood chemistry" and gets it done in
15 trips - but be prepared for things to not work quite that well and
require closer to 20 trips.
Be prepared to accept the concrete delivery in a timely manner,
especially if you are not the last stop for the concrete truck. The
driver does need to empty the truck before the concrete hardens, and
concrete does not need air to harden. Concrete cures from the cement
ingredient (typically "Portland Cement") combining with water to form a
rock-like hydrated material.
Maybe even if you are the last stop the truck still needs to keep
rolling on a schedule - I suspect the truck may need to be rinsed out
before the residue hardens! (They say "cures" in that industry.)
Another thing that may help a little, at least gain a "brownie point",
when dealing with concrete people: Don't refer to concrete as cement.
Cement is the adhesive component of concrete. Cement roughly means glue!
Concrete is a mixture of cement, "fine aggregate" (traditionally sand),
and "coarse agregate" (this is often pebbles).
The basis for this is that most of the volume is pebbles with sand
grains filling much of the space between the pebbles, and pebbles and sand
cost a lot less than cement does.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
Dan Espen
Maybe, but I didn't do any math.
I looked at the OPs numbers, saw he was just under 36 on the length
1/4 under on the width and 1/6th on the height and that sounded
like about 10. Give or take a few.
Why do math when the OP doesn't have accurate measurements to
start with?
DerbyDad03
>
> - Show quoted text -
re: Maybe, but I didn't do any math.
I guess there are varying degrees of "doing the math". :-)
Seems to me that you can't "see" that he was fractions under a number
without do some sort of math. If I "see" you get served a steak that
is twice as big as mine, then I did some math just before I called
server over to our table.
You gonna eat that potato?
Rudy
> Any chance of the delivery company using a boom truck to deliver the
> concrete directly to where the shed will be or is that way too
> expensive for this size job?
>
USE the 3 or 4 wheelbarrow method
aemeijers
> On 15 Oct, 20:58, Dan Espen <dan...@MORE.mk.SPAMtelcordia.com> wrote:
>> DerbyDad03 <teamarr...@eznet.net> writes:
>>> On 15 Oct, 11:20, Dan Espen <dan...@MORE.mk.SPAMtelcordia.com> wrote:
>>>> alvinamo...@notmail.com writes:
>>>>> My guess is the "bucket"
>>>>> is about 28" wide, 35" long, and 10" deep (of course the corners are
>>>>> rounded and the bucket tapers in at the bottom.
>>>> Go out and measure it.
>>>> Take the width and length at the bottom.
>>>> A cubic yard is 36x36x36
>>>> My guess is you can only fill to about 6 inches of the 10.
>>>> Roughly 10 trips without the math.
>>>> When you have the measurements divide
>>>> width times height times depth
>>>> into 36x36x36.
>>>> Don't assume to can use the whole depth.
>>> Math is our friend...I'm not doubtin' your numbers, just trying my
>>> own. Let me know if I missed something...it's Monday.
>>> As I posted earlier from:http://www.doityourself.com/stry/patiosteps
>>> :
>>> "One cubic yard of ready-mix yields nine contractor-size wheelbarrows
>>> of concrete. "
Having pushed a wheelbarrow or three hundred as a kid- volume isn't as
important as weight. Wet concrete weighs like a bitch- it would take
superman to push a full-size wheelbarrow of it, especially since we are
usually talking pushing it on dirt or bouncy walkboards. A full one
would usually lose the top 3-4 inches of fill to splashing. If you are
filling the wheelbarrows out of a truck or portable mixer, more
important to have many strong backs and several wheelbarrows staged. You
only have so many minutes of 'open' time before you have to dump the
load Right There, rather than in the forms. Once the concrete shows up,
IT is in charge- no smoke breaks, no lunch, no potty breaks. You move
and shovel and screed till the forms are filled.
Back before concrete pumpers came along, they used to have cute little
self-dumping gas-powered walk-behind 'mules' for use on sites where you
couldn't get the truck close enough.
aem sends...
alvin...@notmail.com
wrote:
This is a rural area. They probably dont even have one. If they did,
I am sure the cost would not be worth it. It's only one yard that has
to be hauled. Actually, if they had an extra long chute, I could
probably unscrew a few sheets of the barn steel siding and they could
dump it thru the wall, but their chute is probably too short to get
between the nearby garage and trees, and by the time I open the wall,
using the wheelbarrow and having a few friends over seems easier.
alvin...@notmail.com
I just read all the replies on here. I know better than to fill the
WB (wheelbarrow) to the top. I mixed some concrete for another shed
by hand (with an electric mixer). I once overfilled the WB and it
tipped over. What a mess !!!!
I was originally going to mix this shed by hand, but since I am doing
the driveway, it only ends up costing $40 more, because they charge
$30 more per yard for loads smaller than 3 yards. So, by ordering 3
yards, I am saving $60 on the first two. Or, in other words, 3 yards
will cost $300, two yards would cost $260. So, I will be paying about
$65 for that shed floor. (With that extra quarter yard). I can barely
mix it for that, and it takes a lot of work to shovel all that sand
and stone and make the mix right.
Here's another idea that I got today. The shed is attached to the
rear of my barn (it's a feed room). The truck can not get in the rear
by the shed because the garage and some trees are in the way.
However, if I close the gate to fence out my horses, the truck could
drive to the front of the barn where there is a 9foot wide sliding
door. I know the door is too low for the truck to enter, but their
chute could come right thru the barn. They'd need a chute about
25feet long. The barn itself is 20ft wide so if they parked 2 feet
from the door, ran the chute thru the barn, (at a slight angle), they
could pour it right into that shed. The door comes off easily enough.
Does anyone know how long the average chutes are on cement trucks?
Thanks
Alvin
marson
Call your readimix company. They'll tell you--it probably varies by
model. A front discharge can reach 21 feet. A rear less. I'd look
into a conveyor truck. They aren't as versatile as a pump, but they
are cheaper, at least where I live. I just poured a three yard porch
patio with one--cost me about 125 bucks above the cost of the
concrete. They are good for small pours because the concrete and the
conveyor show up on the same truck.
HeyBub
Good plan.
Call and find out. However long the chute is, that's some distance you don't
have to manually hump the stuff.
DerbyDad03
>
> - Show quoted text -
I assume you've already determined that the ground where the truck
will be driven/parked can handle the weight?
Harry K
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yep. I can't believe how everybody got all wrapped up around 'how
much does it hold' ignoring the fact that _noone_ with sense would
ever fill a barrow full. At least noone who has ever moved even one
barrow with mud in it.
Harry K
Don Klipstein
I have seen plenty of these chutes, and *DOGGONE IT NOW* I have trouble
remembering if they are about 6 feet long, 8 feet long, 10 feet long or 12
feet long. I would say almost certainly under 15 feet. I am starting to
think around 7 to 10 feet.
But if the chute stops 10 or 20 feet short of where the concrete has to
go, you only need 2 or 3 wheelbarrows and wheelbarrow operators, maybe
just 1 case of beer, maybe a boombox playing some good energizing "classic
rock" or good energizing dance music from back when they knew how to make
it!
Also, if you need the driver to do you favors and take some extra time
or do tricky truck maneuvering, I think you have a good chance of gaining
at least half a brownie point calling the stuff concrete rather than
cement.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
Don Klipstein
DerbyDad03 wrote:
>I assume you've already determined that the ground where the truck
>will be driven/parked can handle the weight?
Holy cow! Now comes to my mind... When I asked a concrete truck driver
about weights and yards, best as I remember besides a full load being 10
cubic yards and 20 tons, is what the truck weighed empty... That gets a
little foggy now, but I'm pretty sure in or near the range of 12-15 tons.
You might want to find out if you are not the truck's last stop.
However, my experience has been that driveways don't get destroyed by
having a small number of incidences of heavy trucks using them. You may
get some cracks, etc.
Then again, ask the driver when the truck is approaching your property.
The driver will probably have enough experience to be the expert to ask in
that area.
And I also advise to have enough wheelbarrows and well-fed well-fueled
well-hydrated friends (soda and bottled water, make sure you have caffeine
available, as well as beer and food) to be prepared for a bad answer from
the truck driver.
Also, I give some chance that offering the truck driver a soda or two to
drink and a beer to take home can help - and also have bottled water in
the cooler (a case of bottled water is usually $5-something at Target in
my experience). Some people who you need to work with you may want at
least at some moment water more than sugar, caffeine, food or alcohol.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
Tim
You would not want to pay for a cement pump for one yard of crete will will
prob laugh at you two buggie two guys max i could do it by myself without
issues
--
posted from
http://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/how-many-wheelbarrows-for-a-yard-of-concrete-258230-.htm
Mike Duffy
> You would not want to pay for a cement pump for one yard of crete
have taken me 10 trips with the car just to get the materials. Plus I
avoided cleaning the wheelbarrow afterwards.
(It was not a pump, just a regular 'beehive' truck.)
--
http://mduffy.x10host.com/index.htm
HerHusband
> I did this once. $200 for the cement, $100 to bring the truck. It would
> have taken me 10 trips with the car just to get the materials. Plus I
> avoided cleaning the wheelbarrow afterwards.
> (It was not a pump, just a regular 'beehive' truck.)
come to your site and can provide anywhere from 1/4 yard up to about 10
yards or so. They only mix up what you need so there is no waste to dispose
of. The trip out is most of the expense, so the more you order the cheaper
it ends up being per yard.
The mix on site trucks cost a bit more, but they're a great option if you
need small amounts.
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com
cl...@snyder.on.ca
mix your own
Colonel Edmund J. Burke
you gots to push them barrows.
hrho...@att.net
Rodney D Mengel
Exactly right,on the form. From the side's and leave the tail form, when you
run out of cement take back a pile and secure the bulkhead. Most contractor
grade wheelbarrows are 6cu,ft.
--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/how-many-wheelbarrows-for-a-yard-of-concrete-258230-.htm
Joshua
It would take longer to get the truck out there, get set up, load the truck
back up, and super expensive. Especially for 4 wheel barrels, 6 if not filled
to top.
Joshua
Depends on the quality of concrete you want.
hilligos...@gmail.com
Home Guy
Because the person you're replying to made their post on Octber 15, 2007.
Tekkie®
And do not get cement burn.
--
Tekkie