cuttin edge
Senior Member
Our construction season is winding down. The asphalt plant is shut down, and being prepared for winter. The plows are all painted, the loaders, with the exception of 2, all have their winter tires on, and the crew is down from around 100 to about 15 of us. We have had some really mild weather for this time of year. This past week, we have had some -12c or 10F nights, with 0c or 32F. The federal government wanted a road going out to a lighthouse fixed. The road is 5km or a little over 3 miles long. It is built out over a peatmoss bog. it was well built back in the day. Crib work, with sandstone over top. The first km is wide and built heavy, as it provides access to the harvesting area of the peatmoss field. The rest is about 16 feet wide, no heavy traffic, just some sport fishermen, someone checking the weather station, and lighthouse, and some teenage boys with their parents car, taking their girlfriends somewhere out of sight. $11000 bucks, for a dozen loads of sandstone for the big holes, and some grading. Now the cold as far as I'm concerned has been enough to put some frost in the ground. People seem to think that mid mount ripper on my grader can do all. 2 inches of frost is harder to rip than rock, so just to show that I tried, I attempted about 10 feet and left the marks for them to see. Step 2, roll some sod off the sides to expose some unfrozen material. Boss calls. They have upped the budget to $25000, grading, plus up to 80 loads of sandstone. I'm sending down the D6, as the sandstone pit in the area is coarse. So keeping in mind that there is probably 20 or 80 feet of bog just outside this 16 foot road, how does he figure a loaded tandem truck can get past a 6 tractor. Add to the mix, expected snow, and then a temp change to around +12c or 53F. A dozen loads on that road with the frost melting, not bad, but 80? Snowed that night. Not a lot, but enough to have to plow the contracts. The 2 big loaders, still working, were unable to plow, so the smaller ones move in. My L70 F with an 11 foot box takes a bit longer than an 18 foot box on an L180. On the radio I hear the tandems getting ready to head down to the lighthouse job. Then I get a call from the dozer man for some info. I share what I know. Don't let the trucks turn loaded in the little turning areas. I also voice this to the truckers on the radio. Boss phones and wants me to take a truck and help haul when I'm done plowing. Once they get far enough along, I can park the truck and do some grading. I said you know what's going to happen once the frost starts to melt. Should be fine he says. I finish playing find the edge of the asphalt in the snow, grab an old tandem and start the hour long trip. I get there, and there are 5 tandems waiting on the road. One of the trucks tried to turn loaded, and couldn't be pulled without doing damage, so they were waiting for the float to come from town, an hour away, grab the excavator in the pit, and bring it down. The float can't get in there, so the 350 has to walk almost 2 miles to get there. I start grading. Still frozen, but getting softer. The trucks start rolling again. Boss calls, how you making out. I tell him I think you better wait for the ground to freeze, haul your sandstone, then grade it in the spring, I could shape it up in less than a day. Keep going it will be fine. Yesterday morning, frost gone, road completely rutted up, D6 back drags the mess, and we are out of there until the ground freezes. go figure
