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Commercial construction work pictures

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,425
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
They did flowable at the nuke to also receive resilience in the compacted material yet capable to dig thru, pea gravels would continue to flow on dig outs where the trench turned into a pit to retain safe working conditions. Pea Gravel pits around the site became pump station locations for ground water pumps as that became a larger looming issue.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
yes pea gravel is a liability on a return dig. We stubbed up in a couple of places and one was abandoned below grade and noted on an as-built, so a returning plumber could hook something up without having to go down to the main line.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,246
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
no, they are a huge PITA. that was a lot of hauling off in there and two guys and a ton of moving parts to break.

Actually we've kicked around the idea of a vac excavation component for our business over the last couple of years. Couple of discussions and a thread here on HEF.

It's a huge investment with a lot of wear parts but the earning potential is there and the business model is scaleable with potential to sell to a larger company once a market share is established.

Just thoughts at this point.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,425
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Even the little burg we live outside of has one, use to minimize disturbance of compacted soils replacing water or gas system valves. Worker said paod for itself in three years and is parked a LOT!
 

AzIron

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
1,541
Location
Az
Vac trucks are awesome but man are they a hog for maintenance I like the idea of owning one but the learning curve is steep enough with a trailer trucks a whole another ball game

We had job that we had to protect trench integrity for a month so we backfilled with pea gravel that way when we went back we used a vacuum to suck out the gravel in no time
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
The minion is back on the sidewalk, having flown 6 times in and out of remote areas on the job in 4 days. I had the assistance of a great operator in the tower crane and good bellman, although I would signal the tower the old fashioned way whenever I needed to.
Today we placed drain rock in 18" wide trenches lined with fabric, using a Gar-Bro 2 yard concrete bucket. It's touchy work, really easy to wash your fabric into the hole and make a real mess of things but it went flawlessly, due in large part to that tower operator. I'd yell out commands and the bellman stayed up top and relayed my commands to the operator.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
I mobed back to that job this morning and placed 2.5 tons of pea with the concrete bucket, dumped the balance of the truckload at another site where I had robbed the site guy's pile on the weekend. Then it was back to the pit to get 2.27 tons of drain rock. It's a bugger because I have no place at all to store material on this site, nor do I have a spare machine at the yard to load from a pile so I get material in strategic amounts.
I was aiming to get one bucket full and this is how that worked out:
PXL-20220719-185439116.jpg


At the end of the day we hopped the mini into what real estate was available on this tight high rise site.
PXL-20220719-205103242.jpg
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
No pictures just all elbows today. I had no plumber or helper and dug out a Tenant Improvement (TI) in a new tilt up by myself, up and down on the machine in the ditch with shovel, broom, wheelbarrowing in the bedding because the general wanted plywood down to protect the polished floors and wheelbarrow was easier and faster than moving plywood. At least I could load it with the 18" bucket and mini.
The 18" is a perfect normal wheelbarrow load of pea gravel. I got in 18K steps on the fitbit and a bunch of cardio.
Then I mobed down to the hirise job, dropped off the mini, and grabbed a load of pea for the job up north, and will run there early tomorrow. GO GO GO!
They want me to get the 20 ton tilt off that site so that will get done.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
Randles has a mountain of quartz and granite scrap. They run it through a crusher now and then, I have not inquired about the products.
PXL_20220729_143111870.jpg

My other materials account has recycled materials too. The current deal there is 3/4 asphalt @$6 per ton.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,246
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
$6 a ton for crushed asphalt is cheap. Ordered a 25 ton load of waste rock and it was $385 delivered about 10 miles from the quarry. Cheapest rock we can get.

We used to be able to get millings here almost free until the state and county DOT started to require all the millings be recycled and a credit back to them on the resurfacing projects. Not quite sure how it all works.
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Part of my job at the last dealer I worked for was to keep the used equipment yard smoothed out so people could drive through without getting all muddy or even stuck in the winter time. One large contractor that did a lot of milling used to give us all the stuff for free. I loved that stuff. I hadn't thought about having to pay for it now.
 

colson04

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
2,057
Location
Delton, Michigan
We used to be able to get millings here almost free until the state and county

Same thing here. About 12 years ago, anyone could get in line for a milling project and get topped off. Now you have to be an authorized contractor with the state to haul, and everything off the mill goes to a predetermined dump site for further processing.

When the state repaved M43 in Delton, my father in law took his dad's dump truck and hauled as many loads as he could get for his driveway. Only cost was fuel for the truck. Just pulled up in line and the miller would fill him up. Several local guys did the same.
 

Camshawn

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2017
Messages
585
Location
Langley BC
Occupation
retired
When they repaved the road here several yrs ago, there were fliers in the mailboxes and a phone call was made. Ordered 5 boxes, set up lights on the dump area, and eventually when to bed. No trucks showed. Called again and the plant decided they were close enough that they would recycle all the milling. I guess we are too close to the plant.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
I finished digging the last of the cottages in an assisted living expansion job. This one was a 4plex split on two levels, so basically a duplex. There is a couple hundred tons of export in the way that nobody wants to take responsibility to move, so I took down a fence, cut a notch in the berm and got my part done.
Those are really deep open holes on each side of my little ramp. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
PXL_20220927_153607893.jpg PXL_20220927_142011684.jpg
 
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