A few projects I have done recently

[Don.S]

Structural fill eh. What is that used for? To fill in inside a foundation or something. Build up around a building? What is considered structural fill and is it easy to get? I have never built up anything structural with dirt around here its packing sand or gravel. This is a interesting concept to me.

 

[Don.S]

I absolutely love seeing the different ways jobs are accomplished in different areas. Many of the ways you guys do a job i find crazy but then i remember there is no cold or ice there. It is very interesting.

 

[CM1995]

Structural fill eh. What is that used for? To fill in inside a foundation or something. Build up around a building? What is considered structural fill and is it easy to get? I have never built up anything structural with dirt around here its packing sand or gravel. This is a interesting concept to me.

Don structural fill here is usually any natural occurring "dirt" defined by the project spec book to have a specific density (lb/cf), liquid limit and plastic limit.

Here is a typical spec from a 4 story apartment project we are bidding:



We use dirt as structural fill 99.9% of the time here as sand or gravel is prohibitively expensive for fill unless one is filling a confined space, foundation walls, ect.

The material we are using on this site had a PCF of 108 and optimum moisture of 16%. I don't know the PL or LL but the geotech approved it.

 

[willie59]

I absolutely love seeing the different ways jobs are accomplished in different areas. Many of the ways you guys do a job i find crazy but then i remember there is no cold or ice there. It is very interesting.

Even areas within a particular state can be different. Eastern TN is completely different soils from western TN. The soils on the TN side of the Smokey Mountains is completely different than the NC side. Where CM is located in Alabama has soil, but in counties farther south and to the west of him is more sand and pea gravel so building methods and soil specs would be totally different. And yeah, it's a bit different here in the south, we do get cold and freezing weather where I'm located, but no hard freezing. The water line and sewer line for my home is barely a foot underground.

 

[CM1995]

On the fill side of this project, building a pad for a national paint manufacturer, the one that covers the world or something like that.



Typical tri-axle dump we contract on a regular basis. This type truck is legal on state and county roads with a 25 ton payload.



Dirt doc getting ready to pop a test. First time we've seen a non-nuke test gauge. Not quite sure how it works but we received passing grades.



Company mascot and cheerleader - AKA - "The Goose" enjoying herself on the jobsite. She really enjoys just being one of the guys on the site.

 

[CM1995]

Even areas within a particular state can be different. Eastern TN is completely different soils from western TN. The soils on the TN side of the Smokey Mountains is completely different than the NC side. Where CM is located in Alabama has soil, but in counties farther south and to the west of him is more sand and pea gravel so building methods and soil specs would be totally different. And yeah, it's a bit different here in the south, we do get cold and freezing weather where I'm located, but no hard freezing. The water line and sewer line for my home is barely a foot underground.

No doubt Wille. Central AL has some very diverse soil conditions. I seem to recall you drilled into the side of Shades Mountain (not really a mountain for you folks out west ) for some under drains on HWY 31 in Vestavia one time during your career.

 

[willie59]

No doubt Wille. Central AL has some very diverse soil conditions. I seem to recall you drilled into the side of Shades Mountain (not really a mountain for you folks out west ) for some under drains on HWY 31 in Vestavia one time during your career.

Yep, back when I was young and bullet proof, drilled and installed horizontal drains at a slide where highway 31 crosses the ridge between Homewood and Vestavia Hills.




Also drilled and installed drains on US 78 in Hamilton, soil was sand and pea gravel there which required digging a very large and wide pit to place the drill rig, even with that, more than once, when thunderstorms blew in overnight I'd come in the next morning to find my rig buried to the top of the tracks in sand. That material was hell to drill and install drains.

 

[savman]

CM,

Is that the original paint on the counterweight of your 321d?

If not, did you rattle can it with Cat paint or do something else?

What about when you talk about pulling dents and doing bondo work....I think you've mentioned you use rattle can from Cat. Any tricks or just mask and spray? I have a couple cans but haven't used them yet.

Need to do some touch up work on my 321 and the entire counterweight could use new paint and decal. It doesn't look near as good as yours. And the 'A' in Cat has a big gouge in it (bought it that way).

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[CM1995]

CM,

Is that the original paint on the counterweight of your 321d?

If not, did you rattle can it with Cat paint or do something else?

What about when you talk about pulling dents and doing bondo work....I think you've mentioned you use rattle can from Cat. Any tricks or just mask and spray? I have a couple cans but haven't used them yet.

Need to do some touch up work on my 321 and the entire counterweight could use new paint and decal. It doesn't look near as good as yours. And the 'A' in Cat has a big gouge in it (bought it that way).

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Savman it's not the original paint. When we bought the 321 in '14 the dealer touched up the paint with rattle cans and put on a new Cat sticker. Over the years we've touched up the normal scrapes and scratches with a rattle can of Cat paint.

The only real tricks I know in performing a rattle can makeover is do a thorough cleaning first followed by sanding the area using heavier grit for larger scratches and finishing out with a finer grit. When you've sanded enough for a smooth paint job clean the area with mineral spirits to get rid of any last trash.

We'll mask off doors or other areas of different color or decals we don't want over spray on. Otherwise just feather the rattle can out. It takes practice to not have any runs. What I like to do is take my finger off the nozzle right before you get to the area you are painting but carry on through to fade the paint, if that makes sense.

As far as your Cat sticker if you want it to look nice just bite the bullet and order one from Cat. For small nicks and gashes in the sticker we've touched them up with a small artists paint brush and Cat paint. We've done that on the decal on our 321.

 

[savman]

Thx for the pointers; If I can ever get a break in my schedule touching up my 321 is high up on the list.

 

[Nige]

Also drilled and installed drains on US 78 in Hamilton,

I used to drive up & down Hwy 78 to work every day back in the dim & distant past. Not as far as Hamilton though, I used to hang a right at Eldridge on to AL-13 towards Natural Bridge.

 

[CM1995]

I used to drive up & down Hwy 78 to work every day back in the dim & distant past. Not as far as Hamilton though, I used to hang a right at Eldridge on to AL-13 towards Natural Bridge.

My mothers family was from Hamilton. The patch of land where the house she was born in is currently under a stretch of I-22.

 

[willie59]

I used to drive up & down Hwy 78 to work every day back in the dim & distant past. Not as far as Hamilton though, I used to hang a right at Eldridge on to AL-13 towards Natural Bridge.

Dang Nige, if you've been through that part of Alabamastan then you truly have been all over the world!

 

[CM1995]

Back at the first prototype drive-thru only Chicken Shack installing the storm drains.

All the main pipe is 18" corrugated HDPE with pre-cast 48" round inlets. There are 2 grate inlet structures (GI's) in the natural area, 4 hooded curb grate inlets (HGI's) and 1 swapping an existing HGI to a GI.

And there was a dog house manhole to tie into the main developments storm sewer system's 18" side line.

We'll pour concrete on either side of the existing RCP up to the crown and then cut a hole in the existing pipe just south of the bell.

This is where the Husky "dustless" cutoff saw will come in handy.



Backfilling an 18" pipe to an end line HGI. There will be a segmented retainer wall in front of the pipe where the proposed curb will go on top. We don't get paid to design it - just put it in..



Doghouse manhole tie in to existing top shot. The proposed retaining wall will be to the right, towards the silt fence.



One of the 2 GI's in the landscape area. There is an HGI in front of the roller for the two lane drive thru.

 

[CM1995]

One of the grate inlets with pipes mudded and backfilled. The frame and grate is just set on top to cover the hole, we'll adjust to grade with brick and mud later.



The new to us trench roller let us down, it stopped pulling in reverse on the front drum. Lifted it up in the air with the hoe and there is a clicking sound on the front drums when putting it in reverse. It still vibrates and goes forward so hopefully not a hydraulic issue. From the schematics it might be a shaft or key, we'll find out.

Brought the oldest Waker up to complete the job.



Hauled some excess fill from the Chicken Shack to an older job since the wall guys finally showed up. 8 loads total all walked in thin lifts with 279D-02. This is the project where the "clearing" guy put a tree on the building. As far as I know that is still not worked out.

That's the boring part, the most important part is Lucy got to see her buddy Rip.

 

[CM1995]

Ordered a '22 F350 back in October and it finally came in last week, just shy of an 8 month wait time.



All I can say is it this truck is the finest HD pickup I have ever owned.

 

[Nige]

Dang Nige, if you've been through that part of Alabamastan then you truly have been all over the world!

The one thing that sticks in my mind from all those years ago was rocking up to the 4-way stop in Eldridge at the intersection of Hwy78 & AL13 one morning on the way to work to find the KKK out there with their collection buckets.......!! That was an interesting conversation, you should've been there.

 

[CM1995]

The one thing that sticks in my mind from all those years ago was rocking up to the 4-way stop in Eldridge at the intersection of Hwy78 & AL13 one morning on the way to work to find the KKK out there with their collection buckets.......!! That was an interesting conversation, you should've been there.

Well what year was that Nige...

Isn't that the second time you've posted that in this thread?

 

[dirty4fun]

Gee maybe they are getting close to building mine, I ordered one in November last year also. I had to cancel the gooseneck hitch because they said it would not be made this year if I wanted one it's an F350 long bed.

Ordered a '22 F350 back in October and it finally came in last week, just shy of an 8 month wait time.

View attachment 258817

All I can say is it this truck is the finest HD pickup I have ever owned.

View attachment 258818

 

[CM1995]

Gee maybe they are getting close to building mine, I ordered one in November last year also. I had to cancel the gooseneck hitch because they said it would not be made this year if I wanted one it's an F350 long bed.

Do you have a production date and a window sticker yet?

My production date was bumped 4 times, original build week was 2/28 and final week was 4/4.
Window sticker was available to view on 4/1
Truck went into production on 4/4
Modules populated on 4/6
Truck was built and shipped on 4/15
Arrived at the dealer on 4/28

This truck has all the so called "restraints" -
5th wheel hitch
Moonroof
Spray in liner
Wheel well liners

When we took delivery the salesman said he was surprised the truck had the massaging seats as Ford is starting to ship trucks without them. These seats were the main reason I talked the boss into a new truck..

From what I can tell from another Ford forum, once your truck is built they are shipping faster to the midwest than the south.

What's your build Dirty?