hello all we have a landscape contracting company that does mostly heavy/highway work. all of the gcs i work for keep asking me to spread topsoil for them. we do all the seeding and planting already. what kinda equipment do you guys would think be a perfect setup... not talking huge areas. mostly roadside stuff when the widen or install new roads... most jobs aren't more than 10,000 sy yds but the average is probably around 5,000. i wanna start demoing some stuff and just curious whats the best direction... thanks
Maybe a Terex TS-14 Scraper? Like one of these here
There's a lot of variables....how far do you have to move the topsoil, is it in a pile, or does it need to be brought in. How thick does it need spread, so on..... I'm thinking that if it is all within close reach of the road, a slinger truck would be ideal though. Some more details would help us help you!!
A D5 size dozer would be ideal IMO. Big enough to push, yet small enough to fine grade. Also, you will need some kind of power rake or york rake to fluff up the soil prior to seeding.
One company i used to work for had a division that did small sites, parking lot maintenance, and topsoil re spread. The typical setup was a single axle dump truck with trailer. They usually went on a job with a small dozer, a couple tracked skid steers. From there it depended if the topsoil was on site, or off site. If on site we would send a small excavator, cat 312, and quad axle dump or two. If the job was small enough we would send a backhoe out. If off site, it depended on distance for the amount of trucks. This gives you an idea of one way. The plus side is you probably have a skid steer around already. Renting for single jobs is a good option to start. As i mentioned you have options for other work with the same machines when you get rolling. Josh
around here they use dozers probably a small one like rino1494 said or if it's small work or in bad spots they use a gradall. ,but if your spreading 5K - 10K yards up hills and sown in ditches for water run off I would go with a dozer for sure.
Man I loved doing this kind of work.I did alot in the Seattle area in the '90s.We used 3 guys,930 loader,ex-120 with beam and rake,D-4c xl.Compost and topsoil both.Bid it for in-place yards.Many inspectors will have you change the grades-with topsoil! The more soil it takes,the more money for you.Good luck--Keep us posted
Hi, Hydro101. As others have said, there are a LOT of variables in there and it's pretty much a case-by-case thing as to how best to approach each job. For mine, this is one sort of work where I can really see a PAT dozer paying its way and an LGP model would be best to reduce packing as it does its thing. 10,000 sq. yds is not a large area in the grand scheme of things and a decent skid-steer with a good spreader bar would handle a lot of it, especially a tracked one, for similar reasons to those for preferring an LGP dozer. Scrapers, especially elevating scrapers, are great for getting the soil from a nearby stockpile onto the area but they have their limitations when it comes to longer hauls. Trucks loaded by an excavator or a F/E loader can handle both short and long hauls but they don't spread their load like a scraper. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I think this might be a case where I'd be looking for a 4wd articulated loader with a 4-in-1 bucket for loading trucks as it could also spread quite well and, with a spreader bar as mentioned in the 'Fine/Rough dozer grading' thread, it could also trim pretty effectively. Water or other ballast in the tyres makes quite a difference to a 4wd loader's ability to push and dig and to its stability. Just my 0.02.
When you are talking 5000-10000 yrds are you talking area or amount of topsoil?
thanks for all the answers. i think the scrapers are a bit overkill are you guys thinking about talking about cubic yards, im talking about the areas in square yards. the area to be spread most specs are either 4 or 6" of topsoil in those areas. all topsoil would have to be brought in, i have a cousin that has a huge trucking company and also screens his own soil. gotta be spread 4 to 6 inches on most sites. we already have a harley rake so thats no problem. thats what im going to look at first a d4 or d5... thanks for all the responses so far!
In terms of the actual spreading I like a 4in1 bucket for metering out topsoil on the run. When you get the hang of the material it is very accurate, doesn't waste material, and, on the skid, gets into all the smaller areas if plantings have already been done. It sure saves a lot of labour and machine time. My favourite, but unperfected technique is to have the bucket low (4-6" off ground) and crowded forward so when you crack open the clam it grades it as it spreads. I sometimes hire a 924G with a 4in1 for bigger sites. The machine has some hours but the 4in1 is brand new and it works brilliantly. To finish off I grab a 12-14" piece of 4x4" timber or a piece of 5" x 3" odd leg angle I sometimes carry. I use this to tidy up the levels. This again saves on labour before final trim/rolling turf.
Takl my advice 90's Cat D5H LGP with a 6 way blade. This is the ultimate grading machine. If you only have to spread it i would recomend one of these and either a bobcat T190 or T300.
do you think i should get a backhoe as well, what that be more efficient that a skid? im sure all dozers are the same but is there one that is easier to operate than the next? i was looking on ebay do some dozer have pilot controls it looks like? i've only spent a few hours on a dozer, im sure everyone else says this but i know im a quick learner... thanks
yes, the newer style controls will be alot easier then the older. but after a couple hours you should have the hang of it. And I personally would not get a backhoe for grading. Why not rent a blade, and compact track loader and try a job or two , and using diff equipment before you buy?
no im def going to rent/demo before we buy but just talking to some of you seasoned guys for a direction. i wasn't thinkin the backhoe for grading but i know on some jobs there most likely wont be enough room for a dozer, maybe 3 or 4' wide. so do the newer ones have pilot controls?
at 3 to 4 feet wide mabee a bobcat t140 would be the tool. and control style is typically one for steering functions and one for blade functions . So yes i guess thatd be pilot controls lol.
This is how I spread topsoil - up to 2yds. per pass leaving a finish grade behind.
Thanks for the pics Bob. Have you got any more pics of the details of that there....err...Roadrunner!??
Squizzy, the Roadrunner is a great tool for spreading, finish grading, and doing roads. I have it set up to push in front of my Bobcat or tow behind my skiploader. I don't currently have any other pictures showing more than you can already see in what I have posted. There are various size Roadrunners. Mine is 7 ft. wide. There are two angled blades inside that are adjusted on one side by a screw jack and the other side by hydraulics (option). On the bottom of the side plates are skidshoes. When just spreading, you usually set the blades about the same depth as the skid shoe. If you want to cut and remove dirt, you set the blades just below the skid shoe. With the hydraulic option on one side, you can raise or lower that side while grading to establish road crowns etc. I really works well grading washboard roads. Where a gannon box on a tractor tends to ride over the high spots somewhat, the angled blades cut them off. Also, when filling ruts, the angle blades continously cut the high spots and transfer material to the ruts just like a road grader does. I have had mine for about 3 years now and still am amazed at how well it works. If you want more information check out the web site www.roadrunnerblade.com .
I like to do loam with a power tilt clean-up bucket on my mini excavator. You can dump the load then bucket it where it is needed, do ditch lines, slopes, around obsticals and then use the blade for large areas. Around here, nothing is flat, so that makes a big difference, and with the excavator, rain/mud is not an issue, as you're not traveling on the loam you are spreading. jmho
wern't you in "equipment today" talkin about vts system?
Yea, that would be me. Good memory since that was a couple of years ago.