Dirt

Just one of many issues with a dirt roof is HOW to get the dirt onto the roof. Especially with a multi-level 4,200 square foot roof in need of six inches of fill. That is 2,100 cubic feet. That is 78 cubic yards. Or, to put it in visual terms, that is seven dump truck loads of dirt.

I followed a lead on a conveyor. It only reached twenty feet and was designed for shovels full of dirt in each segment. More for digging out a crawl space then for adding tons of fill.

I tried the guy that can shoot material with precision upwards of 70 feet. Sounded good. But at $145/hr for travel time between loads the math suffered. Then I thought about filling his truck with the material on site. But I had nothing to reach the 9 feet height to clear his truck sides.

Then somebody suggested a ‘fork lift’ with a bucket attachment. And here it is. They make them long enough to reach the whole roof, but none were available locally. So I settled on a 36’ reach and a couple of guys with wheelbarrows.

Already, it is looking dirty. And I like it.

Steve