topsoil screen plant looking for more income

[Ryan151]

Hello,
I've got a large tromel screen plant been making screened topsoil and screened amended topsoil. I am tied in with a pit and its been selling excellent up until July. July wasn't horrible but not good to say the least.

I am drawing a blank on what to do as far as jobs for the plant and my loader. Does any one have any ideas? My operating cost are pretty cheap I can run about 200 tph and fuel burn on plant and loader are about 9 gph.

Any input would be great Thanks.

 

[lantraxco]

Maybe some kind of recycling process?

 

[digger doug]

why have sales gone down ?

Is this a normal swing (happens every year ?)

Diesel is at it's lowest price, how about running as normal,
and making a big pile, banking it.

When demand picks back up just run the loader to load out the trucks.

 

[mrbb]

I agree, with current top soil prices and SO few(in MY AREA) offering it these days
I\d suggest stock oiling it, and placing some adds on craigslist to area's you would deliver, or sell too, can also look at offering more products like Mulch, sand or stone too
July is HOT month, so I have to think a lot of home owners are doing a lot of work in spring time and fall cooler weather to be shoveling dirt! LOL

UP MY way a LOT of guys that do top soil, also, started selling Amish Style sheds, as do OK, as all they do basically is deliver and set em up, and add costs to the pre build sheds for there time, MOST make 500-750+ a shed here, farther they deliver higher the price tag
the bigger guys get the actual shed walkers, the smaller guys seem to just get the walking trailers, or JUST straight shot deals and pick WHO they sell to and what the site looks like. to decided if they can deliver
doesn't seem like a bad extra income deal if you have the motivation

 

[DoyleX]

I've done it 8 years. The soil market is a boom in the spring and has a summer slowdown. Fall it trickles.

 

[Jerre Heyer]

Ryan, Use to for road millings, gravel, compost. Just adjust screen sizes as needed. STOCK PILE AND COVER what you can make when it's nice and you will have dry matl when everyone else has none or wet crap.

 

[clintm]

and charge more for the dry material. :thumbsup

 

[Ryan151]

Some good ideasguys thanks very much. Funny you guys talked about dry material we had a very rainy spring here and people were begging for dry product. Needless to say I won't be having wet stuff again. As for making a huge pile the stuff grows weeds after a few weeks I've been tinkering with the idea of getting a truck to do deliveries act. The pit in tied in with is basically family so I get dumb cheap prices on rock I could beat engines prices. What y'all think is it worth 20 grand for a tandem or does a guy get a full on truck and trailer?

 

[Ryan151]

I like the shed Idea no one does that here I'll look into that

 

[mrbb]

To keep weeds off stock piled top soil,just get some round up, or a like chemical, a gallon of it will mix up a LOT, and spray as they start, you can keep a big pile weed free with a little work, and if you cover it, even better, as weeds need sunlight to grow

 

[clintm]

in our humidity covering dirt in a pile does not work the moisture still gets in but its trapped and turns it to mud so to make it work you have to cover it with some kinda shed that will let it get some air flow. when we have screened dirt that when we got the most calls when it had just rained for 3 days or they would come in and con the loader operator into digging back in the pile to get one load of dry stuff and ruin 5 loads thats the main reason I haven't screened any in over 5 years .

 

[mrbb]

what you can do to help is places some pallets on top of the soil, and leave the ends un covered that will allow air flow and only the ends will get wet!
can get free pallets from a lot of places if you ask about!
just saying it can be done without need of a building roof deal!

 

[Ryan151]

In colorado up until lately we have not had much a problem with too much rain. But spring time gets that way.