On 4/21/2016 12:46 PM, songbird wrote:
Don Y wrote:
....
"Aggregate" products tend to be about 1T/cu yd. If you
have a 6 cu ft wheelbarrow (which is a "larger size"),
that's about 400+ pounds, fully loaded. But, once
you address limits on fill to avoid spillage (once you
tip the wheelbarrow to move it), you're probably down in
the ~4 cu ft ballpark (250 pounds).

i wouldn't say it is that much less, i filled
it usually within just a few inches from the top
in front so that when i lifted the wheelbarrow
it shifted just enough to be full. this is
important when you are moving tons and tons, you
really don't want yet one more load...

Understood. I moved 20T of aggregate into the back yard...
*after* 6T of topsoil. And, another 6T for the front yard.
There is a very deliberate calculation that you make when you
trade off weight of "this load" vs. "yet another trip".

OTOH, having to go back and rake up stuff that spilled
along the way is yet another "effort" to be factored in.

Of course, the machine supports some of that load for
you, in transit. So, "you" can transport more than
"you" can carry!

[I've moved 300 pound refrigerators, 700 pound gun safes,
etc.; I assure you , I can't CARRY anywhere near that sort
of weight!]

for sure! that's why i used it. for small
jobs i carry a few buckets in the wheelbarrow
or even just carry them. depends upon what time
of the year it is and how in shape i am. right
now, the wheelbarrow carries stuff.

Nowadays, I only use the wheelbarrow to mix cement/concrete.
Any digging that I do can pile the soil up adjacent to the
hole instead of having to MOVE it any distance (a shower
curtain or tarp ON the aggregate helps keep the soil from
blending in with the aggregate to complicate cleanup).

songbird wrote:
the el cheapo one i don't even like to use...
the tire is narrow and the frame is wobbly.

Pneumatic tires also tend to "fail" (the seal breaks)
when twisted or leaned (sideways) too heavily. This
leaves you with a loaded wheelbarrow and a tire that
you CAN'T inflate (without taking the load off the
SINGLE tire!)

OTOH, they tend to be better on soft/uneven surfaces.

we have too much uneven stuff to even contemplate
something like a hard tire.

I learned the "practical limit" for the pneumatic tire unit
The Hard Way. I.e., that "extra trips" took less time and
effort than "bigger loads" -- esp when the tire could so
dramatically deflate under load.

Had I the need to do it over, I'd consider spreading
planks on the surface and riding over those.

[Or, a bobcat, like the neighbor did]

they now make some wheelbarrows with two wheels!
i would like to get one of those some day when the
rest of these wear out and get recycled or something...

Yes, they also make 4 wheel carts, ATV drawn conveyances, bobcats,
back hoes, etc. :

[I've a friend with a "personal back hoe"; another with a front
loader. Sad NOT to see them in CONSTANT use!]

they do have these for rent... i am very much doing
the gardening i do as physical exercise with some
meaning behind it so i tend to dig with a shovel or
haul things by hand.

I've dug out all of the (large!) root crowns of all of the
trees I felled, here. The largest resulted in a net deficit
of almost 7T of soil (to account for the "wood" I removed
from the ground). You can't really use a motorized tool
for this as you never have "a clear shot". And, can't get
*under* the root crown to address those tap roots.

I also watched a neighbor using a small back hoe to trench
for a new electric service "make a mistake" and catch the
natural gas line. Doesn't take much to realize there are
extra risks (potential costs) associated with those labor
savers.

noisy machines would have been
useful at first, but now everything is in place so
such a machine has little use for us. not that i
could not find something fun to do... but the
manager might object.

I would consider a back hoe to install the cistern. There
shouldn't be MUCH there that would complicate the digging.
And, get double-duty out of it by trenching for the french
drain at the same time.

As I get older, the idea of that much digging doesn't
appeal to me... (if it EVER DID!)