Standard for ribbon colors while grade checking?

[Dozerboy]

Its been a while since I used ribbons the right way while grade checking. So is there a standard? Anyone make me a list or have a site that shows them?

This is what I remember

Blue- Finish
White- 1'
Red- 2'
Yellow- 3'
and...

Then we would mix the colors too
Yellow & Red 5'

Blue & White- Top of slope??


I'm helping to put together a training program and would like to include this.
Thanks

 

[Mass-X]

Local 12 trainers utilize(d) a “Standard” coding system that was originally derived from a CA earthmoving contractor. I’ve seen some variations, but they just get confusing. This is the original “Standard.”

Blue – Grade
White – 1’ Cut
Red – 2’ Cut
Red & White – 3’ Cut
Yellow – 4’ Cut
Yellow & White – 5’ Cut
Yellow & Red – 6’ Cut

If it’s deeper than that, tell them to dig til they see the devil and re-stake when your eye tells you its close.

I go one farther, and have the grade checker paint the lathe blue below the crow’s foot, and orange above. It makes seeing cut/fill lines and delineations really easy from a distance for all operators. Most common mistake for a new grade setter is to forget the white ribbon 1' above the blue on a fill stake.

Break line ribbons are different everywhere, especially between grade checkers and surveyors. I have my grade setters do single orange streamer for hinge points and tops of slope, and then double orange streamer for toes and CL. Stakes like that are generally for the finish hands who have a better picture in their heads of the project and are more likely to actually read the info on the stake anyway.

 

[Dozerboy]

Thanks I too learn off the local 12s standard. Out here people use what every ribbon they have handy and write some crazy stuff on stakes. Well that is when we do any grade checking at all, but things are pretty flat here. I feel that stake this way really helped me lean how to picture the job just off the staking. Something none of our operators or supers can do very well.

 

[JDOFMEMI]

Mass-X has it nailed. As usual, by the way.

I would add that blue added to another color changes it from a cut mark to a fill mark. Not used real often, but handy at times. An example would be: blue and red together = 2' fill. A more common one would be a blue with yellow for a 4' fill. If you can't hike the lath up enough to get a blue on it then this will give operators an idea on a deeper fill area.

Another added bit is that the direction of the knot matters. On lot split stakes, with grades for both lots, there can be 2 sets of ribbons, and the knot faces the side that the ribbon is for.

I like the idea for the blue and orange paint at the crowsfoot. I have not seen that one used.

Staking is getting to be a lost art, with so much GPS work being done. I have been on several jobs without any stakes, or maybe just some crossed lath to mark where scrapers should start or stop cutting or filling. It gets confusing for those without the GPS info at times.

 

[Construct'O]

In the old days it was more of a problem to get the grade check out of the pickup to set stake then what COLOR they were!!!!

 

[Dozerboy]

Another added bit is that the direction of the knot matters. On lot split stakes, with grades for both lots, there can be 2 sets of ribbons, and the knot faces the side that the ribbon is for.

Staking is getting to be a lost art, with so much GPS work being done. I have been on several jobs without any stakes, or maybe just some crossed lath to mark where scrapers should start or stop cutting or filling. It gets confusing for those without the GPS info at times.

Ya knots have bit me in the ass a few times.

Ya'll are lucky in Socal there is still standards out there. Here their ain't. I've seen some crazy stuff wrote on stakes and no one puts a hub by the stakes.


As of lately I'm with Construct'O though. Guys have realized I can get things pretty close without stakes or anything. They have gotten lazy which puts more work on me.

 

[390eric]

Wow never knew this much about stakes. Hate to say it but all I know is mostly gps, I am young 26. I have never really been on a grading job with cut fill stakes. Been with the same company since I have really started moving dirt, its all stakeless and gps dozers on cuts and fills. I can read and understand stakes, but its how we do layout, because its usually just for us, when we do use stakes.