# A Ton of Sand is How Much?



## karliejaye

Those prices seem very fair! Where I am at 1 ton of pea gravel is about $36. State spec gravel (for drive ways and such) is $21 a ton. And i have not priced out sand. Also not sure about pickup load vs tonnage, I have always had it delivered.

ETA: 6 tons of pea gravel is about 5 cubic yards or a dump truck load.


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## SouthernTrails

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1 Ton of River Sand covers about 35 square feet when the sand is 1" thick

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## Corporal

I wanna know how you pick a ton of sand or gravel up. Never done it, but I own two diesel trucks.

Do you buy an oversized plastic tarp and line the back with it? VERY curious bc I could use that much sand this Fall. =D


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## SouthernTrails

Corporal said:


> I wanna know how you pick a ton of sand or gravel up. Never done it, but I own two diesel trucks.
> 
> Do you buy an oversized plastic tarp and line the back with it? VERY curious bc I could use that much sand this Fall. =D


Depends on if you like your truck :lol::lol:

Plastic may help some with scratches on sand, not sure about rock...

Getting it out with a shovel may scratch the inside of your truck, plastic or not....


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## PaintHorseMares

For something small, like filling some holes in our road, we have used a load in the bed of our truck without any liner. It will scratch it up and it is a real PITA to get out of the bed. You can't do much with a ton, so for anything bigger, we pay to have it delivered in a dump truck that can do a fairly good job of spreading it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag

In Canada it's sold by the cubic yard. You don't want quarry run cuz you'll regret all the rocks and stones you have to pick up. Go for screened sand if for horses. A pickup holds about 1 cu yd because of the weight. Any more than that and the truck will squat and it's hard on the shocks and springs. Front end kinda floats too.


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## STT GUY

Sand weighs 100# per cubic foot. Our arena is 160 x 120 amd we went 3 inches deep.....so thats 19200 square feet x 100# = 1,920,000# or 960 tons. Divide this by 4 (we're only 3" deep not a full 12) and thats 240 tons of sand or 22 dump track loads. 

We buy washed sand, its angular and excellent for horse arena and round pen applications. y price was 18/ton delivered, spread and leveled.


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## STT GUY

Saddlebag said:


> In Canada it's sold by the cubic yard. You don't want quarry run cuz you'll regret all the rocks and stones you have to pick up. Go for screened sand if for horses. A pickup holds about 1 cu yd because of the weight. Any more than that and the truck will squat and it's hard on the shocks and springs. Front end kinda floats too.


Yep, around here there is raw, screened and washed. The latter being the most desirable.


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## Horseychick87

1 ton of dry average grade sand will cover 20 cubic feet, which is 0.74074 cubic yards, or roughly 4/5ths of a cubic yard.
1 ton of sand will cover 80-100 square feet to a depth of 2 inches.

1 ton of pea gravel; this will vary according to actual size and density of the pea gravel itself.

If you give the measurements of the projects (Width, Length, and Depth, that would help.)


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## BadWolf

It's for paddock paradise. I have another thread going on this board about what I'm planning if anyone wants full details. 

The sand will be in a low, wet area to keep things from getting too muddy, no specific measurements yet. I'd ballpark that area at about 25ft x 6-8ft, not sure on depth.
The pea gravel will be around the water trough and _maybe_ in the aisle of the barn (10ft x 24ft, not sure on depth). 
It's definitely going to be dirt in the stalls, at least for this year, but I want gravel to help with hoof maintenance and to give them a different texture to walk on.


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## Left Hand Percherons

SouthernTrails said:


> .
> 
> 1 Ton of River Sand covers about 35 square feet when the sand is 1" thick
> 
> .


One ton of sand will cover about 200 square feet one inch thick. 35 sq feet is only an area about 6x6.

The pickup load is the better deal if you have the suspension on your truck to carry the load.


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## BadWolf

I think the heaviest thing that's gone in the bed would have been a load of water.
That was 250 gallons (just over a ton) plus the weight of the water tank itself.
No trouble.


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## Corporal

I'm loading up 40 (65 lb) bales of hay on my 2007 Cummins Diesel today. I figure that's over 2,500 lbs. Does a ton of sand weigh more than this?
I love my trucks, just trying to think ahead about what is cost effective. Truck damage isn't acceptable, but my truck bed has a protective coating.


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## SouthernTrails

Left Hand Percherons said:


> One ton of sand will cover about 200 square feet one inch thick. 35 sq feet is only an area about 6x6.


You are correct, It should be 135 SF for River Sand that I was quoting, somehow I missed typing the 1 in front of the 35.


Some types of sand covers as low as 80 SF, some as high as 250 SF.


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## SouthernTrails

Corporal said:


> I'm loading up 40 (65 lb) bales of hay on my 2007 Cummins Diesel today. I figure that's over 2,500 lbs. Does a ton of sand weigh more than this?
> I love my trucks, just trying to think ahead about what is cost effective. Truck damage isn't acceptable, but my truck bed has a protective coating.


A Ton in the USA is 2,000 lbs.

A bed liner is good, we always had one, but rarely needed a pickup truck load, when we needed sand it was usually 3-4 large dumptrucks.

Scoops on a Bobcat Loader will vary but a Ton of sand is about 1 scoop on a Bobcat, which if you visualize the size of a bucket that is not a lot of Sand.

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## Corporal

I guess I'm being too cryptic. What do YOU think? Should I line the bed and fill it and drive it home? I WILL find out what it costs to deliver but it's a good 25 miles from my house. I want your opinions. Thanks. =D


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## PaintHorseMares

Corporal said:


> I guess I'm being too cryptic. What do YOU think? Should I line the bed and fill it and drive it home? I WILL find out what it costs to deliver but it's a good 25 miles from my house. I want your opinions. Thanks. =D


Lining the bed will certainly help preserve the bed.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## STT GUY

Just got breakdown for everything......we used 1137 tons of rock, gravel, base and sand for our arena, barn area and round pen. Yikes!!!!!! but dang does it look nice. Got a couple inches of rain last night and this morning and everything drained perfectly.


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## karliejaye

Corporal said:


> Does a ton of sand weigh more than this?
> 
> 
> 
> Off topic, but this made me think of the old riddle: What weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?
Click to expand...


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## Corporal

Ha, ha! I was not thinking in terms of how much a ton of sand weighs, but *what a truck bed load would weigh*, and if it would be prudent to buy it and drive it home to use in my unfinished training area (55' x 65'.) It is now unamended compressed clay and I am sure that _some sand _would improve the footing. We do have a business that will load and sell me sand and gravel, in Urbana. 
I have a cargo bar (like this):
Heininger AutomotiveÂ*Adjustable Cargo BarÂ* | AZ Truck Accessories
that we used for several years after we bungeed up the tailgate, and I thought that I would secure it right inside of the bed in front of the tailgate (since then replaced) with some 1/2" plywood, then use a tarp. Why? Bc i don't want to stress my tailgate and I know the nature of sand. It will level out where you put it.

Found this, too:
Bed Bag Disposable Pickup Truck Bed Liner - JCWhitney

This is how I approach my hobbies when I don't know anybody who has done it before. You should see my cubby hole attic that I'm flooring...one hour at a time. =b


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## Horseychick87

BadWolf said:


> It's for paddock paradise. I have another thread going on this board about what I'm planning if anyone wants full details.
> 
> The sand will be in a low, wet area to keep things from getting too muddy, no specific measurements yet. I'd ballpark that area at about 25ft x 6-8ft, not sure on depth.
> The pea gravel will be around the water trough and _maybe_ in the aisle of the barn (10ft x 24ft, not sure on depth).
> It's definitely going to be dirt in the stalls, at least for this year, but I want gravel to help with hoof maintenance and to give them a different texture to walk on.


 For the PP, you'll probably want the gravel at least 2 inches deep, if not closer to 4 or 6. If you multiple the length (inches) x width (in inches) x depth, that'll give you cubic inches, you can divide cubic inches by 
1728 to get cubic feet and cubic feet can be divided by 3 to get cubic yards. Dump trucks have varying sizes and will hold different volumes, this will cause the weight to be different also.

A 4 cubic yard loader of sand will weigh differently than 4 cubic yards of pea gravel. (My mom had the smallest sized dump truck you could get, and it held, I believe 2 cubic yards. I'd have to ask her to know for sure though.)

Once you know how many cubic feet/ yards you need you can figure out if it's cheaper to buy by the ton, or by the truck load.


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## PaintHorseMares

^^^ divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Phly

All I can say is wow! Yall are over paying for materials! The truck scales at 27320lbs with me in it, and this load of structural sand cost about $125. Plus delivery. About 5$ a ton :\ 

Find some honest people to work with. This load went to a clay turn out to be mixed in. I tailgated it down the middle of the turn out for them.


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## Left Hand Percherons

Corporal said:


> Ha, ha! I was not thinking in terms of how much a ton of sand weighs, but *what a truck bed load would weigh*, and if it would be prudent to buy it and drive it home to use in my unfinished training area (55' x 65'.) =b


For a job this size, you are wasting your time, money and truck trying to do it yourself. 55x65 is 3575 sq ft. You need 18 T of sand just to add one inch to the surface. You probably want more like 2 1/2 inches or closer to 50 T.


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## STT GUY

This is where our many, many, many tons of material went....


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## BadWolf

I think what I'm doing would probably be small enough for pickup loads or single tons at a time. I'll end up paying a little more per ton than I would with a dump truck, but it'll help me divide the cost over time.
Cosmetic truck damage isn't really a concern for me. That ship sailed long ago.

I wonder how many tons a pickup load would be?
Just 1? 2?


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## Horseychick87

PaintHorseMares said:


> ^^^ divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 Thank you, I put 3 thinking about all those cubic measurements, LOL.

So if you can do it:
Measure in inches, length x width x desired depth= cubic inches.
Divide cubic inches by 1728 for cubic feet, and divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards.


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## Horseychick87

BadWolf said:


> I think what I'm doing would probably be small enough for pickup loads or single tons at a time. I'll end up paying a little more per ton than I would with a dump truck, but it'll help me divide the cost over time.
> Cosmetic truck damage isn't really a concern for me. That ship sailed long ago.
> 
> I wonder how many tons a pickup load would be?
> Just 1? 2?


 Measure your truck bed and get cubic feet or yards if applicable, then you can find an online calculator for the materials based on volume, this would give you a rough estimate of weight. But again, I'd try to figure out if it were more economical to buy by the ton or by the volume.


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## Corporal

Left Hand Percherons said:


> For a job this size, you are wasting your time, money and truck trying to do it yourself. 55x65 is 3575 sq ft. You need 18 T of sand just to add one inch to the surface. You probably want more like 2 1/2 inches or closer to 50 T.


Can't afford that right now. I thought I could improve the footing on my track and especially on the south 1/2 of it, where it's bare. Good to know. Ha, ha, I know a women who told me that her outdoor arena is completely surfaced with sand and has been for many years. I remembered that I had put that money towards putting my DD's through college. (She has no children.) sigh
Thanks for offering tangible advice. Equus keepus brokus, but we don't have to always be reminded of this.


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## Phly

One lil thing, don't buy sand or dirt when it's raining.  they won't give ya much of a deal on water.


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## Left Hand Percherons

STT GUY said:


> This is where our many, many, many tons of material went....


 Why? when you have THAT in the background? Every time I drive through, I so wish I had horses with me.


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## QtrBel

You don't want to buy wet sand as it increases the weight dramatically. I managed a pit for several years for a friend. Typical 3/4 ton truck could haul 2500 lbs. A yard of sand varies weight wise but it is safe to say 2700lbs as a rough estimate. Current prices here are $4 a yard but there is a min charge of between $25 and $35. You can get one yard for that loaded in your truck bed or on a trailer or you can arrange for an 8 yard dump load for $32 plus tax and delivery through a local delivery service and pay by the mile (min delivery charge + mile above min radius for delivery) or have them deliver 8 yards for $6.50 a yard (within a min radius). If you rent an end dump trailer you would get more for your money as you could load more yards per trip.


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## QtrBel

Corporal I should have added we would be kind enough to split the load if someone brought a couple of trucks with trailers at the same time. The high cost was from having to have the loader stop what he was doing and come up top to load from the bays and then return to the prior job. It covered the inconvenience for us and time from stopping to restarting what was being done originally. I have allowed someone to fill their bed with one person, one shovel when he argued it would be nothing to do it himself. The next trip he gladly paid the $25 for his one yard then got smart and also brought a trailer next time so took home I think 3 yards.


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## Corporal

I'm all for saving money BUT, it's penny-wise and pound-foolish to wreck your truck while you do. I just started to get my winter hay, and my 2007 Cummins Full Ton truck usually carries 40 bales (60-65 lbs). I've been loading that number bc when I use my other truck at the same time I can travel with 75 bales total, one trip, two trucks, a nice neat number to keep track of.
My hay man has suggested how to load this, but I'm wondering if I could take more. For instance, bc of the bed, my 1993 3/4 ton Cummins can take 35 bales, 3 rows high (11 first row, 12 the second and 3rd rows.) If I pack the same on the newer truck I could go 4 high and take 47 (11, again, on the first row bc of the tire wells.) But, I don't know if it's too much weight. Many years ago I bought hay for an animal supply store (local) and one of their clerks who would load for me grew up loading hay, etc., on his family's cattle farm. He taught me about loading and "tying down" the bales, as well as proper stacking in my loft.
Opinions about total bales on my 2007 truck?
I have a very small trailer, bought to transport a riding mower, which probably couldn't carry more than 10 bales--kinda worthless for moving hay.


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## Phly

One of the few reasons why I like flat beds, we had 50 bales on stacked in a hurry. I will say my truck is heavier suspended then most but, has had 100 bales on the truck and pulled 2 wagons.


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## BadWolf

Nice!
I saw a flatbed the other day that had stock racks built on to it. That would be great for moving sheep/goats/other small stock.

My grandpa used to have a pick-up that was modified so you could easily remove the tailgate and then dump the bed like a big dump truck.

Those were probably some of the more clever truck innovations I've seen.
That dump bed was _perfect_ for hauling rock!


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## QtrBel

Corporal the general rule was no more than 3000 - 3200 lbs for 3/4 ton diesel and 6500 for a 1 ton. All depended on the configuration of the truck. It could be more or less. If they carried more they had to sign a waiver. I had a flatbed chevy - 1 ton 1970ish that was a beater but could haul. I had more offers for that truck than anything I have ever owned. I should have never sold it. Weight wise you could haul more but configuration wise for safety and sight sound like you are carrying a comfortable load.


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## Corporal

65 x 50 = 3,250
So...since this is a Full Ton doolie, which I also use to haul a gooseneck 4-horse slant STEEL trailer, maybe 50 bales isn't too much for it?
It would certainly make my next trips pay better. What do you all think.
Understand that I use 4 inch straps to hold down, and I use clothesline on the 2nd and 3rd layers so it doesn't shift when I am standing on the top layer. Plus I set the cruise for 45 mph, and mosey home slowly.
Opinions?


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## Phly

I think you'd be just dandy! That's way more cautious then I am and I've never had any problems. So long as it's stack right, which it sounds like you have down pat, we don't even strap.


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## QtrBel

Weight wise you would be well within capacity for that truck. If you can safely configure the load then go for it. I haven't hauled squares in over 15 years so I would be no help with figuring that. I hauled a lot less bale wise then than my crew in my 3/4 ton than they did in theirs. We each had a different comfort zone. Now on the 1 ton flatbed I could out load their trucks.


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## Corporal

Thanks SO MUCH for your help! Many years ago this college guy showed me how to stack--he would stand on a stack of hay and throw each bale into it's spot on the back of my truck...amazing!--showed me to put 11 bales on the bottom, all tall (3 in between the wheels), then cross the next layer of 12, then 12, again. This is what I do with my 1993 truck, so I carry 35 bales. If I do this with my Full Ton 2007 truck I'll carry one tier higher, so it total 47 bales, and I could put 2 more bales in the back seat, for 49. Since I buy and stack about 400 bales each winter, and my hay man is 37 miles from my house. I found him a few years ago, during the drought, and he puts up about 40,000 bales each year. I'm tired of chasing hay from different suppliers and one that is closest to my place likes to bale light. This guy's bales are always tight and heavy, alfalfa, and alfalfa mix.
For anybody who has never stacked their own hay, even me at 56yo, can easily unload and stack 40 bales in the same day. When I get two truckloads I either unload one and then unload the other truck the next day, or unload them both low enough to park them in the garage until the next day. We have so much humidity that I don't want any dew to settle on my bales.
My loft door in 9 foot high so I can easily back up to the barn. On the newer truck everything sits higher and I can walk out from the loft to the top tier. By the time I get to the bottom row, I usually do the "clean and jerk" on the last 4 bales, by wrapping my arms through the baling twine and use my knees to lift to the lip of the loft, then push in.
Sorry for waxing on but it's just one of the joyous jobs I enjoy having my horses. =D =D =D


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## BadWolf

Seems my truck can haul more than I thought.
By my best estimate (45lbs per block), that's about 6,100lbs.

I couldn't go above 30mph without some handling issues, but I moved those about 40 miles last night without a problem.
Not ideal, clearly, but good to know the limit.

Going by this, I'd say a truckload would be a better deal than a ton.
Those cinderblocks are full of holes, so I should be able to get 2-3 tons of rock or sand easily. 
The local quarry is only 14 miles, so not as much stress on the tires.


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## Left Hand Percherons

Just because it will fit in the bed doesn't mean you should haul it. Loads like that should be pulled over by the cops. No quarry should allow you off the property with such a load. It will come back to them if something goes wrong.


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## BadWolf

I agree that was definitely too much to haul.
We were on a hill when we were loading, so we didn't notice how drastic it was until we got onto flat ground.
At that point, we checked the tire pressure, and consulted with someone more experienced in moving heavy loads.
They gave us the ok, so we went slowly, emergency flashers on in the truck, and a second vehicle following with its flashers on too. Every available place, we pulled over to allow traffic to pass.

I'm not saying it's right, but it's very common to see trucks moving very heavy loads like this at low speeds in this area - building materials, farm implements, etc. 
Sometimes, you have to haul what you need with what you've got, and people aren't pulled over unless they're being reckless about it - speeding, things flying off, etc. 

That is an extreme upper limit. I'll never put that much in there again.
It does give a good visual example of what that kind of weight actually looks like.


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