top soil removal

[sidedward]

Hi every1, got to remove or shall i better say excavate 2 foot high soil from the garden.Basically skimming10 metre the garden by 2 foot or 60 cm .The area is a rectangle of 7.5 metre by .So the volume is 45 metre cubed.Whats the best way of doing it .I cant use mechanical digger (NO ACCESS ).What tools do i need & 2 people how many days.
Regards
Sid

 

[Jackrae]

So that'll probably be about 50 tonnes or so. If you cannot get an excavator in, how do you get the soil out. You can get mini-excavators that will pass through a standard room doorway. But you still need to barrow the soil.

Assuming a guy will dig out around 2 tonnes/day (if the going is easy) then you need 10 days to simply do the digging. Now you have to shift it so you'd better add another 10 days. By which time the guys are getting a bit tired to you'd better add another 10 days for them being off due to "sickness or bad weather.

All in all about a months work.

Unless of course you find a couple of eu visitors in which case the whole job will be done within the week

As to tools, picks, spades, shovels, barrows, embrocation, and beer - lots of it !!

 

[sidedward]

Just thought of it I have 80 cm wide side access to the property . Is there a mechanical digger to go through that access?

 

[rxbren]

a 1t mini digger is around 750mm wide so will fit but only if a straight run as any turns will need alot more width due to the length of the machine you can also get a mini skip loader which is around 750mm too
there probably about 70t of soil to shift

 

[ladylola]

Doesn't help with the digging out part but to shift it you could always hire some conveyer belts set up in a line down your access

 

[WabbitPoo]

Conveyors are great but hideously expensive (last time I checked anyway)

 

[r896neo]

I frequently use a combo of micro digger and tracked 1 ton dumper.

Both of these fit comfortably through a normal access of 900mm.

The dumper is a common model available from most hire firms and i think its 800mm wide.

Your 45 cubic metres will pretty much double in volume by the time you get it dug out because it loosens up so much.

An 8 wheel grab lorry will take about 12 cube i think so your looking at easily 5 of them maybe more.

At 130 quid a pop or similar plus machine hire etc this is going to cost a lot.

If you can keep it all clean soil and no other crap in it you may get a better deal

 

[rxbren]

grab takes about 7m3 or around 16t of material and around £240 a load round my way so your looking at best part of 7 loads which would be 7 seperate days if you only have the odside space for a garb loads worth

 

[sidedward]

Thanks guys for your speedy reply.Just measured the side access again & after taking the width of the concrete post in to consideration realized that the clear gap is only 700mm(70cm).

 

[r896neo]

Oh dear, even a micro digger will not get through that. Can you remove the post?

 

[sidedward]

Just had a look micro digger gets through 650mm.

 

[sidedward]

Only problem remains carrying all that soil over a distance of 15 meter to the front of the house .Wonder how many wheelbarrow that might be for 50 cubic meter?