Shifting sand/quarry dust/soil up 15 foot of steps

[keefersUK]

I'm thinking of paving a rear garden and doing a bit of raised bedwork, which is all fine and dandy but access is a real problem.

The only way in - other than through the house - is up a flight of steps at the side of the house about 15 foot high in total. There is absolutely no other access. There's no room to get a fork truck or anything like that at the bottom of the steps either.

I'd need to shift about 4 tonnes of quarry dust or sand, and a tonne of topsoil.

I really don't want to be clumping up and down the steps for a month with a bucket.

Any good ideas on achieving this?

One suggestion I've had is boarding the steps and using a barrow, but the steps are as steep as the stairs in your average house so I don't think that one's workable.

 

[ladylola]

You could always try your local hire shop and enquire about conveyor belts. They come in varying lenghts 2, 3 and 4 meters and larger too I think. We've used them several times in the past for clearing debris from buildings. Be aware though you would also need transformers as they are 110V. Can't help to say how much they would cost however, for the few tons you have it may be cheaper to pay a couple of lads to manhandle it for you,

 

[imamartian]

tell a group of rather unruly youths that you really don't want the sand and topsoil taking up those damn stairs!!! !!

Or more seriously, bag it and get it craned in?

 

[WabbitPoo]

I have had similar, if not worse, situations. This one time (at band camp) I had a steep drive, a trip thru a garage (over a raised threshold), a 90 deg bend thru a narrow door, another left bend onto a steep concrete path, then 30 yds uphill to the end of the garden. All this and I needed to shift 4T Mot, 2T of sand, cement, and 20m of heavy paving.

I hired a powered wheelbarrow with steerable tracks on it, and it had a tipping bucket. The only problem was its speed, or lack of it, but it saved my back and arms. It might be called a skip loader, depending on where u hire it from.

 

[imamartian]

the Ancient Egyptians laugh in your face !!!!

 

[Deluks]

What about a large bucket or dustbin strapped onto a stair climbing sack truck?

Or electric winch at the top, and one of those gardeners hand truck type things, having first boarded the stairs for the wheels.

 

[WabbitPoo]

Most BMs will "happily" unload bulk bags a far as their lorry can lift them. Cant you get the bag dumped at the top of the flight of teps?

 

[keefersUK]

Cheers for replies.

Ladylola, Conveyor sounds interesting, I'll see if I can price one of those. Not worried about transformers 'cos I can borrow a box from a relative easy enough.

imamartian, Crane would be out of my budget - 3 story house with a garage underneath!

Deluks - Combining sack truck, boards and a winch also sounds interesting and would probably be the cheapest too, good thinking. I'll definitely look into that one.

WabbitPoo - One of the guys in my football club delivers for local BM so he'd happily do that, but access to the steps isn't a straight line from the road and the steps only start about 30 feet from the road as it is so the lorry hoist wouldn't stretch.

 

[WabbitPoo]

Try the powered, wheelbarrow like this

Dont buy it tho, hire it.

 

[keefersUK]

Can't see that thing getting up a roughly 1 in 2 gradient surely?

 

[JohnD]

would it go up a ramp to dump into a skip?

 

[WabbitPoo]

yes, and yes. respectivley.

 

[keefersUK]

Done.

Looked into several of the options. Combinations of cost and availability slowly ruled them all out, so there was only one thing left.....

Buckets and two mates


Beer has amazingly persuasive properties!!!!

 

[plstering]

that will get it all up there m8

use hire station m8 youll get a good price if you say youll need it for a day

 

[johnheritage]

I was going to suggest a gang of 'chavs' as well, and a big create of beers.

Wheel barrowing it may not be a good plan if the stairs are enclosed on the sides and you can't get out from behind it if it topples or slides.

Cranes are an option, but may end up being pretty expensive.

Conveyors are a good idea to check out.

Personally, I'd look at boarding it and then pulling it up with a pulley or winch, with you not stood behind it.