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A few projects I have done recently

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
That's the same experience I had with a skid 4n1.

As far as that Hamm goes it ran fine for 2 hours and then started throwing electrical fits not cranking, it was maybe a couple of years old and in good shape for a rental machine. Called the rental house and they walked us through getting it cranked and finally got it cranked. We just left it running until we finished compacting the base. And it had a Deutz, I had a bad experience with a Deutz and fuel pump solenoids in a Bobcat 863. I'll never own another one.

Sounds like that warehouse job could've been easily handled with a 953, D5/6 and a compactor. I like to pair the 953 and 321 for clearing and the 953 and D5 for topsoil and earth moving. If I only could have one machine to make a living it would be a 953.
 

ih100

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Peterborough UK
i've had nothing to do with Deutz in the last 25 years. The new ones are like the rest, too many cables and sensors. The old air cooled four and five cylinders that Cat fitted in the smaller 200 series excavators would leak oil all day, smoke like a locomotive, and never miss a beat. That's progress - not.

With you on the 953's, good sized machine. It was a sad day when they discontinued the 943 and pushed those POS 939's with the rubber tip links. One came up four auction near me last year, ex local government machine with 2000 hours, went for £4000, whatever that was USD. someone got a bargain there, shame it wasn't me.
 

CM1995

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Somebody did get a good deal on that 939, I too would've bought it for that price - $5155, although I've never ran one and not familiar with them. What about the rubber tip links?

The 943's were popular around here for residential work, they basically replaced the 955's and 941's in the '80's. I guess Cat figured the bigger CTL's are filling the void left by the 943 but they can't and they won't. Speed and rubber won't make up for weight and metal tracks.

I have thought about going up to a 963 for the next loader for a little more ass and bigger bucket. Mobilization is not a problem as I hire it out to a friend who has a tri-axle Landoll, it's a sweet trailer. LC has a 963 but he hardly ever puts a bucket on it.:p
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
As the chicken shack turns.:D

Started structural fill this week. 4th load at the entrance. The trucking company we are using has some nice tri-axles, two new KW's and this Star.;)

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The under drains dried the site up but the existing soils were still soft, very soft - the 279 would leave 2" tracks as it traveled. Had a meeting with the geo-engineer and owner, decided to use geo-grid across the entire site.

Decided on an 18" thick bridge lift on top of the grid, static rolled with the compactor - no vibration as that would've brought the water up.
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Rolled out the grid far enough to get the initial 18" bridge lift and still be able to maneuver equipment around the site. The geo-grid cost around $6K, way cheaper than undercutting and importing more fill.

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I've used geo-grid many times before with good results. This site was a perfect candidate. Once the initial 18" bridge lift was spread we could back loaded tri-axles across it and dump without pumping.

Advancing the second lift on the grid. Turned the vibrator on for the second lift with good results, no water came up. We had a few areas that were flexing under load after the bridge lift but they tightened up on the second lift. Firm believer in geo-grid.

IMG_5571.JPG
 

CM1995

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The chert pit where we loaded the fill. The material is very hard and abrasive. Already went through a set of teeth on the hoe and almost wore out the teeth on the '53 cutting and pushing to the hoe.

In 3 - 12 hour days and one 5 hour day we loaded, hauled and compacted 238 loads, not too shabby.

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We mob'd to the pit Monday, this pick was Friday. When we arrived there was barely a haul road in the middle, we moved a lot of dirt last week.

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Spent my time between the pit hogging dirt with the 53 to the hoe and the site. When I came off the top of the pit, I immediately saw the track in the dust of the haul road at the bottom of the hill. Those are tandem dump truck tracks in the right of the pic.:eek:

Got down to the bottom of the hill where the slither track was, rummaged around the back seat to find my 410, then looked around to see if it was anywhere close before getting out to snap the pic.

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Not much to do when your working can to cain't out of town but have a few cold barley sodas on the second floor of the motel.:D

Your's truly in chair, it was a long day.

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CM1995

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Still looks pretty can to me, CM. Good stuff as always.

Ha! Thanks hvy. Cain't came around 6:30 PM after 60+ loads. Work hard and play hard, enjoy life along the way. There is nothing like having a groove moving dirt, trucks running smoothly and hitting compaction - it was a good week.
 

JoshA

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Mar 23, 2007
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Alberta, Canada
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CM, wanted to say thanks, appreciate viewing this thread ( and LC's, all the continuing blogs), been lurking through for the past couple years with great interest!

Never really considered using the grid beneath clay layers, always fabric between soils and grid beneath aggregates, might have to investigate this!

-Josh
 

Landclearer

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I would say you had a real good week. Lot of material moved and placed. I like geo grid as well but we rarely get to use it. Seems to me that our soil guys are somewhat scared and would prefer to undercut and place new fill on most jobs. That is Ok also $$. The dirt pit cleaned up real nice.

Working out of town sucks when you can't work!
 

CM1995

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CM, wanted to say thanks, appreciate viewing this thread ( and LC's, all the continuing blogs), been lurking through for the past couple years with great interest!

Never really considered using the grid beneath clay layers, always fabric between soils and grid beneath aggregates, might have to investigate this!

-Josh

This site was a perfect candidate for geo-grid once the under drains were taking the bulk of the ground water. The existing soils are silty clays that have no strength when wet. This soil layer was 3-4' deep then hard clay. Due to having a fixed invert on the existing pipe at the lowest point of the lot, we would've had to pump the water from the undercut as it would be below the bottom of the under drains, not a viable solution and would've been a PITA for us. The grid performed well and saved the owners $25-30K in undercut and import - win/win.

The fills range from 2.5' to over 5' in depth which allows enough structural fill for the geogrid to perform. I have used it with crushed stone and dirt with good results.

The structural fill is chert which is a mixture of clay and rock. This chert also has a fair amount of sand which helps with compaction. Basically it's a sandy clay with gravel. It compacts very well, we use the 279's teeth to wipe an area smooth for the nuke tester because a shovel doesn't cut it.


I would say you had a real good week. Lot of material moved and placed. I like geo grid as well but we rarely get to use it. Seems to me that our soil guys are somewhat scared and would prefer to undercut and place new fill on most jobs. That is Ok also $$. The dirt pit cleaned up real nice.

Working out of town sucks when you can't work!

This is the 4th chicken shack we've done for these guys, my role is to VE in addition to being the site contractor. They don't shop my price and I give the most economical solutions to get the site developed.

The difference between a project like this and a hard bid for a national chain is the owners listen to your suggestions, instead of the boiler plate - "do it like the plans show". Several times I've made suggestions on national chain sites that would save time and money only to ruffle the PM's or engineers feathers, I guess they thought I was trying to show them up. Oh well it's their money.;)

LC I wonder if the soil guys are worried about how the georgid will perform with your sandy soils? The rock in our fill helps the grid perform as it should. Interesting question.
 

Landclearer

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It is great to have a relationship like you do with the chicken folks. I know what you mean about the guys that want it by the plans whether it is good bad or ridiculous. We have a couple good customers that we help in the same way. Lots of times we would make more going by the plan but it seems kinda sleazy to take advantage like that.

You have brought up a great point about the grid. It stands to reason that the sand would for lack of better words squish through the grid. Next time I get a soil guy I like I will ask him.
 

CM1995

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The chicken shack site has a very old, very nice water oak on the corner. Original plans called for it to be removed which would have been a damn shame.

We put our heads together and played out several options to re-design the parking lot and monument sign location in order to save her. I redlined the site drawings at the local breakfast joint over a gravy biscuit and some ham and eggs. Presented it to the owners and they went with it.;)

Lost 2 parking spaces and a landscape island but it was worth it to save such a beautiful tree. The fill is at the edge of the drip line and with so much ground water on this site it has a shot at making it.

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Parked up at the end of a good week. Chert fill 3' past the back of curb and topsoil roughed in for a future swale to carry water off the street, towards the the oak and across the front of the lot. The stake by the idler on the dozer is the high point of the break on this side of the parking lot.

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The T-posts with the caution tape is the end of under drain we installed across the front of the building pad. Left the end open to take the run off from the road. Shows the amount of fill brought in to bring the lot to grade.
IMG_8792 2.jpg IMG_2254.JPG
 

Landclearer

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Yeah I agree to pretty of a tree to take down for one or two parking spots. The site is really moving along and taking shape. Are you going to install curb now or wait until the building is underway?
 

Sterff

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I like your idea of saving the oak. Is that your fuel tank, if so how do you move it? Most guys around here run pickup truck tanks or have a fuel tank in a job trailer.
 

CM1995

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I like your idea of saving the oak. Is that your fuel tank, if so how do you move it? Most guys around here run pickup truck tanks or have a fuel tank in a job trailer.

That's our fuel tank. It's a 550 gal. double walled with all the plates and certs. If it's a bigger job we'll bring out that tank instead of using the transfer tanks on the pickups. Usually it stays at the shop and we fill transfer tanks up out of it. We have a 90 gal tank on each pickup and a 100 gal on the service truck.

If the tank is empty we'll move it with the hoe and a strap or the 279 with forks. Only try to move it when it's empty or less than 100 gals.

Rented a 60' JLG boom lift and trimmed the lower hanging limbs in order to get a little visibility from the street. Didn't cut many just the lowest ones hanging towards the ground. Cleaned up nice, forgot to get a pic. Next two days are going to be soakers so we probably won't be back on site until Thursday.
 

CM1995

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I haven't updated the thread in a while, it's been busy.

Laying some 18" HDPE at the chicken shack, backfilling with #57 stone.

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Always a challenge on the chicken shack sites. They go for the prime locations that have been passed over because of the challenges to develop. Perfect example here. 3/4 of the lot was water logged with poor soils and the rear 1/4 of the lot was limestone.

Laying some 18" HDPE to catch an existing 15" RCP coming under the road from the building up hill.

More on the rock to follow.

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This was one of two weep drains we installed to catch the ground water leaching out of the rock layers at the rear of the lot. This pic is after we hammered the rock layers down to 2' below finished grade and filled back in with #2 crushed limestone.
There is quite a bit of groundwater that flows between the layers of limestone and comes out in this area. This is also the reason why the lower portion of the lot was saturated.

The wick drain is tied back into the French drain we installed before any fill went in. The geo-grid can be seen in the pic.

IMG_2947.JPG
 

CM1995

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Now for the rock.

Rented a Kobelco 210 with Stanley hammer from NEF. I have to admit I was impressed by the Kobelco with 5K hours and a hammer hanging on the end of it. It seemed to have held up very well for a rental hammer machine.

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The slow going process of hammer, remove, hammer, repeat.

We hammered the limestone down to rip-rap size pieces and used it for the outflow at the one headwall on site and along the ditch next to the street in the pic.

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Storm manhole tie in to the existing pipe at the upper end of the lot. Had to hammer some rock to get it in there.

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CM1995

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Gratuitous rock excavation pic to show the site conditions. The pile of rock in the background came from the rear storm line.

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Rock, topsoil and ground water. The groundwater in the pic is the reason for the wick drain up thread.
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Rock hammered below grade and somewhat smoothed out. The plan was to hammer the rock 2' below finished grade, filter fabric, 1' of #2 stone for a drainage/separation layer and then chert fill to pavement sub grade. The #2 stone and fabric will be a capillary break between the chert fill and final pavement.

The wick drain is 1' or so below the #2 stone layer so in theory any groundwater coming up will drain through the #2 layer to the French drain and exit the site.
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#2 stone spread on the filter fabric just before a good ol' southern rain storm dumped on the site.

Another layer of filter fabric was rolled out on top of the #2 stone. Now, weather permitting we can place the final layer of chert fill and see this project in our rear view mirror.

IMG_2956.JPG
 

CM1995

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Thought this was a neat pic of the hammered limestone. The circle was about the size of a 5 gallon bucket lid.
IMG_2888.JPG
 
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