A few projects I have done recently

[CM1995]

LC we're averaging 18 loose yards per load.

Grandpa I wish I could buy it but there's two problems. One they don't want to sell it and two I don't have the money.:tong

 

[CM1995]

Not much with this week being short and I also took off Tuesday.

Back at the condo project running storm sewer.

This line starts at a manhole that will be tied into a 60" CMP detention structure at a later date that runs almost the entire length of the building. We can't put the detention structure in due to construction equipment loading during the building phase. The spec's for the 60" CMP call for 3' of cover for construction loading (Lulls, man lifts) and we will only have 1' of cover, it's tight. The T250 will have to do the final grading over the CMP structure.

There is another 15' of 18" RCP out of this manhole that will tie into the 60" CMP det. structure that runs parallel to the power line. The poles and lines are coming down, the electricity will be fed underground to the building. At least that will be out of the way.



An 80' line of 18" RCP. It was tight coming by the corner of the building. We put a bucket of #57's on each joint laid so it doesn't move while belling it up. This line was steep, .78' per 8' joint.



Spec's called for mudding each joint of pipe. We used gaskets in addition to the mudding. Spec's also called for stone backfill to the spring line. Due to the tight area we had to backfill with stone so far and then backfill will dirt. The dirt on this side of the project is very crappy but it's a landscape area.



Placing the foundation drain and stone backfill to daylight.

 

[Landclearer]

I don't think you are going to have to worry about any sediment building up in that run of pipe. That is a lot of fall. It is a pain laying pipe that steep! Do you use a rock box with the 321?

 

[CM1995]

At first I didn't want to grout the joints and tried to persuade the civil to allow fabric instead but it was a no-go. It wasn't that bad and we completed it quickly. With gaskets and mud this storm will be good for a long, long time.

I haven't laid storm this steep in a while but it's no more difficult than running it level or at a very small %.

I don't have a rock box but would like one. On this project space is so tight that a rock box wouldn't be of much benefit. We had to walk the 321 to the stockpile and then back down to bed the pipe. Have a residential street coming up with some deep storm that I would like to have a rock box for. Used rock boxes are hard to find and I'm too cheap to buy a new one.

 

[d9gdon]

CM,

You know that you can rent those rock boxes? Not trying to plug a certain vendor, but it starts with United. We don't have a lot of use for them, but we did just use one for 4 months and it beats buying one.

 

[CM1995]

CM,

You know that you can rent those rock boxes? Not trying to plug a certain vendor, but it starts with United. We don't have a lot of use for them, but we did just use one for 4 months and it beats buying one.

I don't like to rent either.:tong

Yeah United, Sunbelt and some other local rental companies rent them but when you factor in the rental rates vs the stone saved on small pipe jobs it doesn't pencil out for the projects I do. We use either the track hoe or a skid steer to shuttle the stone from a pile as it's not that long of a distance to the trench line on these small projects. The remnants of the stone pile get placed in the upper most level of the trench so there's not much wasted.

Now I did find a brand new 5CY box in Indiana for $2700 with free shipping east of the Mississippi River, that's a pretty good deal if the price is correct.

 

[CM1995]

Running the remaining 18" RCP on one storm line at the condo project. There is another line at the other end of the building we'll be doing later.



Digging out for the end line yard inlet. It was around 12' deep.



The benefits of a zero swing excavator. Part of the right track was under the office trailer. Just another day.

 

[Landclearer]

That makes me want a zero tail swing. We have never tried one but it sure would come in handy. How is the balance compared to a regular machine?

 

[CM1995]

LC there isn't a huge difference that I can tell but I've got a lot of hours on 321's. Rented a 320EL a few weeks ago for the chert pit loading and I couldn't tell a difference in balance but I did have to keep an eye on the camera so I didn't swing that big ass into the wall.

Yes it is slightly more tippy than a traditional hoe but the benefits outweigh the tail swing IMO, like every machine you run on a daily basis you learn to compensate for how it operates.

The flip side is you get used to having no tail swing and have to remember there is a tail behind you when you jump on a conventional machine, like a rented Doosan 360 on a demo job... I've seen me forget there was a tail and hit the same tree twice, while loading a dump trailer.

I can't believe I just told that..

 

[JNB]

The truth shall set you free...... :laugh

 

[CM1995]

The truth shall set you free...... :laugh

Right on JNB!:drinkup

 

[willie59]

The flip side is you get used to having no tail swing and have to remember there is a tail behind you when you jump on a conventional machine, like a rented Doosan 360 on a demo job... I've seen me forget there was a tail and hit the same tree twice, while loading a dump trailer.

I can't believe I just told that..

And by that time the tree was thinking "operator my a$$!" :tong

I don't operate them so I have nothing to offer in that respect, but one thing about zero tail machines that boggles my mind is how and operator can still manage to beat up and scrub the paint off of the counterweight on one, and I see it all the time. I mean, what kind of a jack legged position are you getting yourself into if you scrub the paint off of a counterweight that stays inside the tracks? Beats me...but they do.

And as a mechanic, a zero tail is an absolute pain to work on, 10 lbs of material stuffed into a 5 lb sack. Some repairs require counterweight removal, just can't get to it otherwise. But it is what it is, no sense crying in your milk over it. Zero tail machines shine in tight spaces, close quarter work, city street sewer/water line work, and work on roadways that have traffic while doing the work, don't have to worry about the arse of the machine swinging out in a traffic lane.

 

[Oxbow]

And by that time the tree was thinking "operator my a$$!" :tong

I don't operate them so I have nothing to offer in that respect, but one thing about zero tail machines that boggles my mind is how and operator can still manage to beat up and scrub the paint off of the counterweight on one, and I see it all the time. I mean, what kind of a jack legged position are you getting yourself into if you scrub the paint off of a counterweight that stays inside the tracks? Beats me...but they do.

And as a mechanic, a zero tail is an absolute pain to work on, 10 lbs of material stuffed into a 5 lb sack. Some repairs require counterweight removal, just can't get to it otherwise. But it is what it is, no sense crying in your milk over it. Zero tail machines shine in tight spaces, close quarter work, city street sewer/water line work, and work on roadways that have traffic while doing the work, don't have to worry about the arse of the machine swinging out in a traffic lane.

My Dad used to call that a "blivet" Willie, I have no idea where the expression came from (he was Canadian with Scottish background), but it may have had something to do with stuffing sausage.

I apologize for sidetracking the thread, but it is nice when memories are conjured up of the person that I respect most in my life!

 

[CM1995]

And by that time the tree was thinking "operator my a$$!" :tong

Hell, that's what I was thinking.:bash



They are a pain to work on Willie. Took two guys and a good day just to change out the A/C blower motor under the seat..

However it's a necessary evil, we would've had to side dig the last joint of 18" RCP at 10-12' deep and that would've been a pain in the arse. On the flip side a zero swing will get one into trouble as well. You can get too comfortable not worrying about the swing and get your work to close to you. I've seen me do that too...:tong

My Dad used to call that a "blivet" Willie, I have no idea where the expression came from (he was Canadian with Scottish background), but it may have had something to do with stuffing sausage.

I apologize for sidetracking the thread, but it is nice when memories are conjured up of the person that I respect most in my life!

Absolutely no apologies necessary Oxbow.

 

[ScottAR]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blivet We'll call that one the offical meaning.

The ones on urban dictionary are much as described above although some are quite colorful.

Great pics!

 

[JNB]

I've seen me do that too...:tong

Man...this is like True Confession or sumpthin'. opcorn

 

[CM1995]

Man...this is like True Confession or sumpthin'. opcorn

I've broke a lot of stuff in my 25 years of operating...:cool2

Not even telling the pickup truck stories.

 

[willie59]

I've broke a lot of stuff in my 25 years of operating...

Don't get me started on the things that I have F'd up. For many years I've stated that the thing that makes guys like us different than a laborer with a shovel in his hand, when we screw up...it costs a helluva lot more money. :yup

 

[JNB]

I've broke a lot of stuff in my 25 years of operating...:cool2

Not even telling the pickup truck stories.

Worse would be hitting your own brand new '94 Ford pickup WITH the machine. Now THAT would be a great story. Especially if it happened right after you chewed the laborers arse for pulling a hose around a building corner and knocking down your transit.

 

[Oxbow]

I've broke a lot of stuff in my 25 years of operating...:cool2

Not even telling the pickup truck stories.

You just had to bring that up, didn't you CM. Come to think of it, that would be a great thread; "Things I've seen myself do".

It was a nice sunny day, and I had just done a full service on a Liebherr excavator (don't remember the number, but about an 85,000 pound machine). We were working on a canal for a hydro-electric plant, and I had parked my 1985 3500 GMC crew cab pickup well out of the way, up on the canal bank. I walked the excavator down into the canal, which was about 20' deep, and was working on getting the last 2 feet of basalt excavated from the bottom of the canal. Another fellow was running a 46A, cleaning up and working the material towards me, and I was pulling the rock that was still to high out. I was working close to one side of the canal and needed to move backwards, and wanted to see what I was walking on. I was too close to the bank to swing away from it without hitting the counterweight, so I raised the boom all the way up, stick out, to swing over the canal bank. I could just barely see over the bank, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a glint of shining chrome coming from the left front wheel of my pickup, right before the bucket struck the windshield above the steering column. As soon as I saw what was about to happen, I instinctively gave it full left swing and up on the boom in an attempt to miss it, but in doing so the right track slipped off of a rock, allowing the track to settle about 6" at the most, but this ended up in letting the bucket drop probably two feet at least, which produced a double-whammy effect on the poor old pickup, which resulted in pushing the steering column down until the steering wheel was touching the seat. It also struck hard enough to blow the bead off of the left front tire.

After changing the tire, I did manage to drive it home, but had to strattle the steering wheel to do so.

The bright side of the story is: had I not done that I would not have purchased my very first brand new diesel pickup, a 95 F-350 crew cab powerstroke, which I drove until it had 325,000 thousand miles on it. It was still good when I traded it in, and I often wish I had kept it around.

Still, I believe I wished I hadn't seen me (or anyone else for that matter) do that.