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Crawl Space work

BlackDog

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2014
Messages
46
Location
New Jersey
Just went to look at a job today. They need the grade in a crawl space raised about 8". There is maybe 3' clearance. I have a small opening that I can get into. Any have any experience or ideas on how to move material in?
 

Ronsii

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
3,464
Location
Western Washington
Occupation
s/e Heavy equipment operator
For jobs like that usually a few 5 gallon buckets... 1 guy filling, 1 guy transporting, and as many guys as you can get underneath :)
 

JBGASH

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
760
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Plumbing & Excavation Contractor / farmer
As Ronsil says, the five gallon bucket method works good
 

digger242j

Administrator
Joined
Oct 31, 2003
Messages
6,826
Location
Southwestern PA
Occupation
Self employed excavator
For jobs like that usually a few 5 gallon buckets... 1 guy filling, 1 guy transporting, and as many guys as you can get underneath :)

A long time ago, I used to help an old friend of mine with little labor intensive jobs like that. He had a whole flock of five gallon buckets. We'd drive to the supply yard, and he'd spread them out across the bed of his pickup truck, and have the loader dump 1/2 or 3/4 of a ton in the bed. When we got back to the job, half of the material was already in the buckets... :thumbsup
 

LT-x7

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
394
Location
Central COMMI-fornia
Occupation
Earth Moving Contractor
I like the conveyor idea!

I'm curious why you looking to add material to a crawl space? In my experience people are looking to remove material from a crawl space.
 

jaluhn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
Messages
49
Location
San Diego CA
When I helped my dad clean out the craw space under our mobile home he built a little flatbed cart to put a rubbermade tub on and used that. Much easier than messing with buckets. Cart was pretty simple, couple chunks of angle iron and lawn mower wheels IIRC and was sized to match the bottom of the tub with a little rim. Should be about to find a tub that will hold 50 lb or so of dirt and be an easy size to work with, just get a few of those. If you set it up right it should be pretty easy for the folks in the crawl space to just wheel it where needed and tip the tub off to one side to dump. Tie a rope on each end and pull it back and forth.
 

Tractorguy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2015
Messages
174
Location
NC
I think a bark blower would work for topsoil as well. Some guys around her have used it to spray compost...
 

BlackDog

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2014
Messages
46
Location
New Jersey
Sorry never got back. My power supply went on my PC so I really have not been online. Joispoi the area is about 17x30 and I only have to bring the area up 6-8". I have to use clean fill so it maybe a little heavy for the bark blower to move. I don't really know never used one before. I am thinking about just using the bucket method and welding a cart up and using a rope to move the cart under the house.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,717
Location
Elsewhen
Eeeeeuuuuwww ! :throwup

Gravel thru a blower might need some earplugs.

Doesn't work that way, but I see your point, lol. The blower just pushes air, there's a feeder, usually rotary, that drops material into the air stream at the back of the box. Gravel might be too heavy to move consistently, but soils and mixes are fine.
 

DDoug

Formerly digger doug
Joined
Nov 2, 2011
Messages
2,800
Location
NW Pennsylvania
Occupation
Thrash-A-Matic designer
Doesn't work that way, but I see your point, lol. The blower just pushes air, there's a feeder, usually rotary, that drops material into the air stream at the back of the box. Gravel might be too heavy to move consistently, but soils and mixes are fine.

Yup seen bark blowers (to fill a truck) drop it in downstream of the blower wheel.
But a bale shredding type goes thru.

I have worked on some machinery that I said "It looked like it was sandblasted with 2-b"

Seriously, the OP needs to do some quick math, and figure out the total amount needed down there.

A simple portable electric belt conveyor might be just the ticket (as has been mentioned before)
A one ton pick up dump with a coal door to hit the conveyor, and someone below moving the conveyor
by hand may be all that's needed.
 
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