foreman Etexas
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2011
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- 3,338
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- texas
- Tractor
- Kubota (2010)M7040,(2012)M7040,New Holland(2004)TL100
Great photos!! You my friend do an awesome job,everytime....
RDrancher's Photo Thread
- Thread starter RDrancher
- Start date
two_bit_score
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2008
- Messages
- 11,702
- Tractor
- John Deere 110 TLB, Diamond C 19LPX GN trailer
Do you have a market for those?
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
Thank you foreman!
This limestone is pretty common around here, so usually there's not much of a market for it. Since the slabs were pretty decent, a local stone yard purchased them and they'll be coming out to pick them up tomorrow. Right now all of the rock is sitting at a future jobsite where I'll be excavating to double the size of a pond and stacking the stone semi-vertically on one of the banks so they can see it from their back porch.
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
Started a project at a storage facility today. I had a friend call early this morning letting me know that he was out of work, so I had a helper! :thumbsup:
I found out two things today that I don't like about the Kubota CTL. The most annoying is that when the bucket is flat, it will not go lower than the bottom of the tracks. This is a real pita when spreading gravel since you can't use the heel of the bucket. This forces the use of the bucket edge which rolls up the larger rockl and separates it from the fines. The second is the slow dump mode that the bucket has. It makes it almost impossible to "flick" material.
I found out two things today that I don't like about the Kubota CTL. The most annoying is that when the bucket is flat, it will not go lower than the bottom of the tracks. This is a real pita when spreading gravel since you can't use the heel of the bucket. This forces the use of the bucket edge which rolls up the larger rockl and separates it from the fines. The second is the slow dump mode that the bucket has. It makes it almost impossible to "flick" material.
genusCastor
Silver Member
Kewl thread, thanks for posting it all. As was already stated, you do really nice looking work. :thumbsup:
I have a question. Do you have an "off-the-cuff" estimate for the difference in cost of putting in a gravel driveway as opposed to concreting it? We have ~600 ft driveway, only a couple years old, and I've been thinking that concrete might be more an initial expense, but I wouldn't have to monkey around with maintaining a gravel one anymore. I just wondered, it's prolly a question you often get(?)
- djb
I have a question. Do you have an "off-the-cuff" estimate for the difference in cost of putting in a gravel driveway as opposed to concreting it? We have ~600 ft driveway, only a couple years old, and I've been thinking that concrete might be more an initial expense, but I wouldn't have to monkey around with maintaining a gravel one anymore. I just wondered, it's prolly a question you often get(?)
I think this is a sign of the economy you're looking for to improve.
- djb
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
Thanks DJB!
Installing a concrete driveway costs roughly 8-10 times what a new gravel driveway costs. Taking your 600' driveway for instance (for a new driveway). Even if I had to come out and grade for a day, I could place all of the gravel the next day. That's only two days with the cost of material and one guy on one machine. If you wanted geotextile placed before the spreading gravel, I might need a laborer. The installation of concrete requires the same amount of grading and the concrete itself is roughly three times more expensive. Now add in forming, reinforcement, finishing and all of the handwork involved. And don't forget the workman's comp insurance the contractor has to pay for all of those employees...It gets expensive! I know, I did it for many years before moving here.
Since you already have a tractor, buying a pretty new land plane grading scraper and spending some quality seat time starts to look pretty good. Heck, even throw in a new top-n-tilt setup and make it even easier.
And yes, as far as work goes, I hope we're in for a change if you get what I mean.
Installing a concrete driveway costs roughly 8-10 times what a new gravel driveway costs. Taking your 600' driveway for instance (for a new driveway). Even if I had to come out and grade for a day, I could place all of the gravel the next day. That's only two days with the cost of material and one guy on one machine. If you wanted geotextile placed before the spreading gravel, I might need a laborer. The installation of concrete requires the same amount of grading and the concrete itself is roughly three times more expensive. Now add in forming, reinforcement, finishing and all of the handwork involved. And don't forget the workman's comp insurance the contractor has to pay for all of those employees...It gets expensive! I know, I did it for many years before moving here.
Since you already have a tractor, buying a pretty new land plane grading scraper and spending some quality seat time starts to look pretty good. Heck, even throw in a new top-n-tilt setup and make it even easier.
And yes, as far as work goes, I hope we're in for a change if you get what I mean.
genusCastor
Silver Member
Thanks. I've never got any estimates, but was thinking maybe an order of magnitude difference would be ballpark close... We had the driveway base done by a friend, and I've been adding crushed limestone to it since, maintaining the initial base plus adding an extension along the side of the building, and a small turnaround area. It seems that the middle of the drive starts to elevate (or the tire areas depress) soon after I use the box blade to level it out. I would think this is a common issue with gravel drives - since the middle is never traveled on it doesn't get pressed like the two sides do. I'm not packing anything down, either, like you do with a roller. I bet that (a roller) would make a difference.
One thing I've learned tinkering around with a box blade and FEL, excavating/leveling is an art. And from your pics I've learned you're an artist. :laughing:
Trufully.
- djb
One thing I've learned tinkering around with a box blade and FEL, excavating/leveling is an art. And from your pics I've learned you're an artist. :laughing:
Trufully.
- djb
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
DJB- Yes, using a vibratory roller will make it last a lot longer.
The storage folks decided that they didn't want the material they chose for the topping in front of their new building (the last one burned to the ground). So I loaded it up and sent it back. The 3/4" road base they decided on couldn't be delivered until today, so I took the SVL75 back and I'll finish with my tractor which is supposed to be ready by noon today.
While I was at the Kubota dealership I took a couple eye candy photos. I really like the stout v-brace in the bottom of their 4in1 bucket and the plates protecting the cylinders.
The storage folks decided that they didn't want the material they chose for the topping in front of their new building (the last one burned to the ground). So I loaded it up and sent it back. The 3/4" road base they decided on couldn't be delivered until today, so I took the SVL75 back and I'll finish with my tractor which is supposed to be ready by noon today.
While I was at the Kubota dealership I took a couple eye candy photos. I really like the stout v-brace in the bottom of their 4in1 bucket and the plates protecting the cylinders.
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
I picked up my tractor today. She's a good as 2300 hrs new can be!
Here's a link to the break and repair. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/259888-tc35d-4wd-noise.html
I can finally go finish my job tomorrow. :thumbsup:
Here's a link to the break and repair. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/259888-tc35d-4wd-noise.html
I can finally go finish my job tomorrow. :thumbsup:
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
Back at the storage facility today. This job is very frustrating for me since I like all of my work to look...well...perfect. At least as perfect as I can make it. There is no straight edge to work with on the asphalt. It's been patched and broken off so many times its a mess. Some areas have poured concrete and asphalt underneath the road base. Thin here, thick there. I swear the guy that painted the red line was drunk. To paraphrase one of the members on another forum...If it looks like crap when I get there, its gonna look like smooth crap when I leave!
I spread some 3/4" road base about 15 ft wide in front of a new storage building. The last one burned down so I removed about 2" of whatever was there. It looked like flex base, broken asphalt, recycled concrete, 5/8" stone and pea gravel. It was full of burned junk the fire department pulled out, demo material, and screws and debris from the guys working on the new building. Then I spread the new material and blended it into the existing. I experimented with the blade depth on my landplane a bit. Works pretty good!
I'll go back in the morning and roll everything. Seems like this job is taking forever. This storage place is really busy during the daytime. While I'm trying to work people keep parking in my work area and even in front of my material piles.
I spread some 3/4" road base about 15 ft wide in front of a new storage building. The last one burned down so I removed about 2" of whatever was there. It looked like flex base, broken asphalt, recycled concrete, 5/8" stone and pea gravel. It was full of burned junk the fire department pulled out, demo material, and screws and debris from the guys working on the new building. Then I spread the new material and blended it into the existing. I experimented with the blade depth on my landplane a bit. Works pretty good!
I'll go back in the morning and roll everything. Seems like this job is taking forever. This storage place is really busy during the daytime. While I'm trying to work people keep parking in my work area and even in front of my material piles.