A yard is a unit of measure commonly used in calculating the amount of landscaping and gardening products like mulch, compost, and topsoil.
Once you start making any home improvement on your lawn, there will come a time when you need to calculate the numbers of wheelbarrows you need to complete the job.
By being able to calculate the number of wheelbarrows you need to get the job done, you can save a lot of time and money. So, how many wheelbarrows make a yard? Well, it depends.
This post will comprehensively cover the number of wheelbarrows you will need for a yard, emphasizing the different sizes of wheelbarrows.
What is a yard?
For the unacquainted, a yard is a unit of measure used to measure 3-dimensional items, with one cubic yard being 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. In the US, a cubic yard is the standard unit for measuring mulch, sand, topsoil, gravel, compost, or any aggregate that you may need in gardening or landscaping.
Importantly, measuring a cubic yard differs significantly from measuring weight.
Understanding how many wheelbarrows make a yard becomes handy when ordering gardening, landscaping, or construction items.
Whether you order mulch, topsoil, or mulch, the gardening merchant will most certainly deliver it in a bulk bag that measures a cubic yard or a truckload measured in yards.
Once your order is delivered, you will need to get it to the site, typically using a wheelbarrow. Knowing how many wheelbarrows you need to walk for every yard will ensure you plan accordingly.
How many wheelbarrows make a cubic yard?
Wheelbarrow sizes vary, but common wheelbarrows sizes are 2 and 3 cubic feet. As such, how many wheelbarrows make a yard depends immensely on the size of your wheelbarrow.
A yard, on the other hand, is 27 cubic feet. The best way to know the number of wheelbarrows that will make a yard is to divide the size of your wheelbarrow into 27 cubic feet.
For those having trouble figuring out how many wheelbarrows they need for their gardening or landscaping project, one cubic yard is equal to:
- 5 (≈14) loads of 2 cubic foot wheelbarrow
- 9 loads of 3 cubic foot wheelbarrow
- 8 (≈7) loads of 4 cubic foot wheelbarrow
- 4 (≈6) loads of 5 cubic foot wheelbarrow
- 5 loads of 6 cubic foot wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrows come in many shapes and sizes, usually suited for different applications. For this reason, before you start using your wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow capacity
The 3-cubic foot-sized wheelbarrow is unquestionably the most common size of wheelbarrows, with 2-cubic foot-sized wheelbarrows seconding closely. If you have just purchased a new wheelbarrow and are unsure of its capacity, you can determine its volume by measuring the power of the tray.
This can be easily achieved by splitting the measurement into two different units – the flat base capacity and the tray’s sloped section measure – and then summing them to get the total capacity.
To determine your wheelbarrow tray’s flat base area, measure the length and width of the inside flat base, then use the ordinary surface area formula (length x width) to calculate the base area.
Next, measure the inside height (depth) of your wheelbarrow tray, then multiply the height by the base area to get a cubic capacity the flat area can hold for that height.
The capacity of the sloped section is usually equal to half the capacity of the base.
Divide the capacity the flat base can hold by two, then sum the result with the capacity. This should give you the capacity of your wheelbarrow tray.
Standard wheelbarrows come with either shallow trays or deep trays. Wheelbarrows with shallow trays are usually 2-cubic feet, perfectly suited for gardening and ordinary household activities. They are lightweight and compact to serve ordinary homeowners efficiently.
Deep tray wheelbarrows, on the other hand, come in varying sizes, ranging from 3 to 6 cubic feet. They are better suited for homeowners and seasoned gardeners.
There is a special category of deep-tray wheelbarrows known as contractor wheelbarrows. These wheelbarrows are designed to be very big with a capacity of 6 to 10 cubic feet and are best suited for professionals, particularly in construction.
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