"Pumping" gravel uphill?

[zmoz]

I need some clean, graded 3/4" crushed gravel, which is about $33/yard. Otherwise I can buy "3/4-minus" for $11/yard, except it comes full of dirt, and, well, "minus".

I can run it through a screen myself and clean it and save myself a lot of money. Problem is I would need to do this in my creek which is about 40 feet downhill from the gravel delivery point. It would be nice to have the sand and small leftover gravel down here.

I was thinking I could run a 4" pipe straight down the hill, at about a 60 degree angle, and funnel gravel down to the creek area with gravity. (and maybe a little water) Once it's down there I can use the creek to sift and clean the gravel by pumping lots of water over it.

Problem is getting it back up the hill. No chance of any vehicle driving down there, not even the smallest tractor. How would you move a bunch of clean 3/4" gravel 40 feet up a hill? Is there some way I can "pump" it up the way they do with concrete? Maybe dump some gravel in front of a jet of water? Some kind of screw mechanism?

Otherwise I'll be stuck pulling buckets up with a winch, and that won't be fun....

 

[MikeInEburg]

And by the time you fabricate this, plus the time to wash and screen the gravel plus the fact that half the weight will be left in the creek - after all that, how much will you have saved versus buying the 3/4 that you need?

But to answer the question, a conveyor is the more standard solution to moving gravel like you describe.

Good luck.
Mike

 

[zmoz]

But to answer the question, a conveyor is the more standard solution to moving gravel like you describe.

Right, unfortunately there is no way that will work here. I need to somehow move it back up the pipe. It is a very difficult terrain, most machines won't work.

As for what's left in the creek that's half of why I want to do it, I would also like a load of sand and smaller gravel down there. Right now it's a muddy mess, I plan on installing a pipe and pushing sand/gravel down there anyway. Win win. And I have a lot of time....

 

[yankeerider]

How about pumping creek water up the hill to screen and was there. Keep the big stuff up there, return the fines with the water downhill through another pipe.

 

[Bartcephus]

Good thing you have a lot of time. Just a thought.... pack mules?

 

[SPYDERLK]

How about pumping creek water up the hill to screen and was there. Keep the big stuff up there, return the fines with the water downhill through another pipe.

:thumbsup: Thisll work. Couple of good sized pumps. You will need a power source at the creek - electric or engine to push the water up.
larry

 

[aczlan]

How about pumping creek water up the hill to screen and was there. Keep the big stuff up there, return the fines with the water downhill through another pipe.

That would avoid most of the hassles of moving it up, then down.

Aaron Z

 

[Scooby074]

Id check with the powers that be before id go dumping a bunch of silt into a stream. Not only will it destroy fish habitat, here at least youd be in for a VERY large fine. Huge fines (and court cases) have happened for merely driving through (a single time) a fish habitat. And these crossings were made "in the woods" where it shouldn't be noticed.. but they were.

 

[racerboy832]

Just check a few more places on prices. $33 is way too much even for CT prices. Last time I checked it was around 16 a ton from Tilcon.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Are you talking about crushed limestone (white) or crushed gravel (brown round rock). I would not put lime stone in a stream. Any type of crushed stone is hard to get to slide down a chute. When we haul it in conctere mixers the chutes have to be all the way down to get it to slide.
Bill