A few projects I have done recently

Great shots what can I say. Only thing missing is a little moisture and it'd be glorious.

Fastdirt said:

Great shots what can I say. Only thing missing is a little moisture and it'd be glorious.

Click to expand...

Thanks FD. We got the water naturally - rained for Thursday and Friday of last week probably an inch total.

Should rap this little store up this week. Chicken shack is done and we're headed back at the condo project. They have most of the basement walls poured and we'll start backfill later in the week. The condo project is a textbook big contractor project - the paper work we have to fill out before we go to work in the morning takes 30 mins - JSA's, subcontractor reports and equipment inspections on each piece of iron.

CM1995 said:

The condo project is a textbook big contractor project - the paper work we have to fill out before we go to work in the morning takes 30 mins - JSA's, subcontractor reports and equipment inspections on each piece of iron.

Click to expand...

You are charging them for those hours I hope! That should be factored in to the job.

kshansen said:

You are charging them for those hours I hope! That should be factored in to the job.

Click to expand...

Absolutely, the job was priced factoring this in. This is one of those projects that if you get on site you have the opportunity to pick up T&M on a regular basis. The T&M covers the BS and then some.

Not much picture wise this week.

Back at the condo project. Walking the excavator into the basement for some T&M column footing digging. Wall crew poured that wall earlier in the day.




Masons are building one of two fire escape stairs. The west 1/2 of the foundation has been poured and partially waterproofed. We started backfilling that section Friday. Once we get the backfill on that section of wall up 7', the waterproofers will do the remaining section of wall. There is a #57 wedge from the outer edge of the footing on a 1/1 slope all the way to the top of the basement wall, 2K CY's of stone total.

CM

Why so much rock? We usually see just a uniform layer from top to bottom, and usually only one foot thick, but sometimes two or three.

Jerry the rock around here comes in all different shapes and sizes. The central area of AL is where the Appalachian mountains meet the coastal plain and that creates interesting geological formations. This is the reason Birmingham was once called the "steel city". Sand, coal, limestone and iron ore were all available in close proximity to the furnaces.

Side note - one has to be careful buying property in certain areas due to the "wildcat mines" that were prevalent at the turn of the 20th century. These mines were small shafts and never documented. It's not uncommon to encounter one in these areas.

I don't know how deep this ledge is but it was 25' or so across the top and we dug it out to pad grade. It was pushed up at some time as there was dirt on both sides of the pinnacle. The funny part is on the east side of the rock there was red silty clay that becomes play doh when it get's wet. We had to undercut a section of the pad in that area and moisture condition it, the other section of the pad was rock.

One really has to know the area in order to bid jobs. From time to time we'll have large out of state contractors come in and low bid a project only to leave with their tail tucked between their legs after the rock ate their lunch.

Picked up this Wacker Neuson trench roller on Iron Planet from our local Sunbelt Rentals. It's a 2010 with 432 hours, it's a little rough cosmetically but checks out mechanically.

Before it went to auction, they installed two new eyeballs, a starter and a head gasket.

Not bad for $2900.



It was auctioned with only the narrow wheels however they had the original wide wheels for this machine, picked them up for $400 and they are barely used.

It won't get used much but at $300 a day to rent one it won't take too many days to pay for it.

All the rain this week has really messed up our schedule. Took some time to catch up on some maintenance and service items - otherwise not much happened this week dirt wise.

At the condo - placing 4" perf pipe and #57 stone backfill around the elevator pit.



It's a very, very tight site. The masons are finishing up the two stair wells in the background.

Good find on the trench roller. For what you paid, it won't take long to pay for itself in rental fees. The rain skirted just above us and headed down your way. With all of the cracks in the clay (and now burn bans) around here we could have used some! Funny that a couple of months ago the dams were overflowing and we were flooding.

It's a shame you don't have a pin grapple quick coupler on your 321, back filling those walls in a tight area is a bit easier, when you can flip the bucket around. But hey, use what ya got.

Jim this wasn't bad at all, the elevator pit was only 12x12 or so. Op had it backfilled in 20 mins carrying the stone 50 yards from the pile.

I had a 321C that had a QC and a hydraulic thumb. It was nice to have both but the weight it added to the stick was more trouble than both of them were worth. The thumb was a Cat PL and it was heavy. It made the tractor too tippy combined with a QC and 48" bucket.

When I had a QC we hardly ever swapped buckets, just didn't need too for the work we were doing which was mostly grading and loading trucks, very little pipe work. However we did have continuous problems with small sharp rocks damaging the quick coupler lines going to the little cylinder, there is still a spare line on the service truck.

The hydraulic thumb was nice when you needed it but most of our track hoe work is mostly moving dirt and ditching so a manual works fine for now and I was able to save a coin or two.

That was a good deal on the compactor. A couple cans of spray paint and a set of decals and it would look real nice. You can find some good deals on Iron Planet. I love hyd thumbs but if all we did was dirt work I would not have any on the machine. Nothing better than digging and loading with a machine that just has a bucket on it.

Landclearer said:

That was a good deal on the compactor. A couple cans of spray paint and a set of decals and it would look real nice. You can find some good deals on Iron Planet.

Click to expand...

That's what 3 years of bottom fishing on Iron Planet nets. I bid the reserve and no one else bid on it.:beatsme

Going to paint it and get some WN decals or for fun might stick a Cat sticker and a .33E decal on it just for conversation.:tong

JNB we've somehow inherited your rain and it's soaking us. The condo job is one giant mud hole, I wish there were cracks in the red clay as we can make it wet if need be.

Good deal on the RT, but don't forget your handgun just in case you have to put it down. I have one with 1200 hours or so and it was a real nightmare. We sent it off to the repair shop for compacters and it has been doing much better. That is also a steal, I have seen them go at RB's for 5k or so. Even if you have a few problems it sure beats 35k for a new one. I think I am 50/50 on the excavators and thumbs. I will more than likely replace my 225 or 210 this year and the new one will have a hydraulic thumb with a 42" bucket. No coupler. Funny n the a.d.s, we never use it out here, only behind rock walls. All rigid pipe, D.R. 35.
Glad to see things are moving along.
CD

CD I figured if I can get a year or two out of it I'll be alright. The idea has crossed my mind to paint it up and throw it out on the market but I'll keep it and run it until it's scrap.

The spec on the pipe called for SCH 40 PVC and the GC was able to get 4" ADS approved as an alternate. Worked better for me although they are supplying the materials and we are installing, less labor on my end. The pit was backfilled totally with #57's and the ditch to daylight will be as well, the stone will carry any water, I doubt the pipe will flow anything.

When the time comes to add another excavator to the mix, I'm going to seriously consider a hydraulic thumb and then remove the manual one on the 321. After having two zero swings, I couldn't go back to a conventional.

Not a very exciting week in pictures.

Back at the condo project. Placed the foundation drain on the main wall and a little #57's to keep it in place. We backfilled with stone up to 1' below the waterproofing and the waterproofers installed the remaining portion.



Stone placed at foundation wall and the initial backfill is commencing. We're using the footing spoils first and then import chert fill to cap it off. A load of #57's is about to be dumped in the background.



The footing spoils are wet and a mixed bag of the different soils on this project. We did a layer of footing spoils and then layer of this nice red chert as we brought the lifts up. It worked well and was tight underneath a loaded tri-axle.



The waterproofers are finished and we are bringing the backfill on up. Now the trucks can turn in, dump and exit at the lower construction entrance - no need for flagging traffic now, I hate flagging traffic.

The green 40 yard is ours, it's the remaining box for brush. We've got a few brush check dams still in place that we'll remove next week and then get that box out of there. Now if we can just get the mason's silos, block and Lull out of the way.:cool2

Spent today at the pit loading chert out. The red color comes from the iron ore in the chert. I like to load trucks from front to back.



This is a large and interesting chert pit. On this side of the hill there is some of the best chert to be found in the area with very nasty clay layers between it, you have to pick and choose what you load. The material to the right in the picture is the nastier clay. On the other side of the hill is iron ore. There are brick structures on the other side that are still standing at the entrances to underground mines where they pulled the ore from the ground 100 years ago. Interesting place and a nice view.



Lucy's first round at operating. She watched the bucket with intensity. Give me a couple of months and I'll have her loading trucks.



The really aggravating part of the week. Super calls and says pavers knocked the ring off the storm sewer manhole and says "All you need is a little hot mud to fix it". Well this is what it looked like when we showed up. Super then proceeds to say we should've used concrete brick instead of clay brick to which I said - "Neither one would've held up to a paver smacking it".

There was no further discussion, we reset the ring and lid and they finished the wear course. All in a days work.

I see Lucy is earning her keep. So the real question is...does she prefer ISO or SAE?

JNB said:

I see Lucy is earning her keep. So the real question is...does she prefer ISO or SAE?

Click to expand...

Backhoe pattern of course.