Gravel Bags

[The Old Ruminator]

Havnt checked prior posts.
Anyone tried agricultural gravel bags for soil disposal and wall building ? Thinking of giving it a go.

http://www.securecovers.co.uk/secure_gravel_bags_.phtml

 

[Peter Burgess]

We have used standard size polyprop sandbags (synthetic rather than hessian) for a number of years for spoil disposal and wall building. They stack very well, depending on what you put in them. Make sure you tie up the end well. Mud will probably ooze out, but sand, gravel and small rocks should be OK. Shop around, though, as the price can vary greatly. Filled and stacked carefully, they can provide a degree of support for the roof as well. The only drawback is that we have only used white and they don't really blend well in the underground environment. I suppose they do at least make it clear to future explorers that the spoil dump is not a natural feature! They do make quite a striking feature when caught in the beam of a caving lamp contrasting with the drabness of the mines where we have used them.

 

[AndyF]

We've used those cheque pattern "granny shopping bags" that have a good handle. Very storng and about 75p to ?1 a go from...erhm...."corner shops" and market stalls

 

[The Old Ruminator]

We tried bio degradable bags but the handles fell off. The thing re the agricultural bags is they are nylon or similiar and black or dark green. They are used on farms to retain silage sheets instead of old tyres. I thought the long sausage shape would be better for making up short walls as they could be bent to shape. We are currently digging out gravel and though stacking space isnt yet a problem it soon could be. Thats unless we get a breakthrough of course. In any case it makes a change from months of mud and big boulders.

 

[Hughie]

Havnt checked prior posts.
Anyone tried agricultural gravel bags for soil disposal and wall building ? Thinking of giving it a go.

http://www.securecovers.co.uk/secure_gravel_bags_.phtml

They're pretty tough - we use them for their intended use.

Only hold about 20kg, and are a bit fruity at ?1.34 each. Free delivery for 100+.

Got to be a cheaper alternative.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Thanks Hughie. I have nicked four for a trial run on Tuesday. If we can fill them at the dig face and drag them back to the spoil tip it will save using and emptying the drag tray. In theory it also means a tidier and more commodious tip site. We could do with a sandbag wall here as there are loose boulders . Will post up results.

 

[Elaine]

You say they are pretty tough Hugh, but I dragged them about 50ft along concrete to stack them somewhere and I made holes in quite a few. They are not abrasion resistant. But if you carried them more than dragged them they should last for yonks.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Well the gravel bags work well for retaining walls. Not ideal for travelling far though. Here is an awkward place to tip gravel but it worked fine with the bags.

Topped off with an acrow prop and conventional farm feed bags.