And So It Begins

[EddieWalker]

Dave,

You sure are moving along nice and quickly. Isn't it amazing all that goes into makeing a driveway? I'm always astounded at what it takes to do it right, and how much money it costs. Most of the time, people just think about the house, but that road in is just as important!!!

It looks great with the rock, and I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of it when the grass is grown in. You really did a nice job of opening it up and creating a nice crown.

Eddie

[Steve_Miller]

Nice looking job, like Eddie and a few others have said, if you can swing it, do it, you won't regret it. Same for the culvert, i know you had one left over and I would have done the same and used it, but hopefully it doesn't come back to haunt you. After a year or two (hopefully not sooner) you will probably have a good idea of what kind of drainage the culvert will provide. Great looking lot, I would be just itching to get out on the tractor and do something even though you have a house to build. A million thoughts and ideas and not enough money to be able to do them. Keep us on the edge of our seats as to your progress.

Steve

[davemhughes]

I spent most of yesterday bush hogging. Glad I bought a good one because a light cheap one would have been trashed by now. I am trying hard to get rid of as many holly trees as possible. It seems like I have large thorn puncture sites all over me. I will post a couple of pics of these because for those not familiar with these trees be thankful, very painful encounter to deal with. I have more to do today. Plus a 3ac old wheat field up on top that just has grass and light brush growing there now. Plan on burning several large brush piles as soon as it rains a little. Power poles and a well next. I'm pushing hard because spring rains are coming.

Steve: I know your right about the culvert and its is gong to be an issue i think but how big an issue is my question, like you said time will tell. I plan on digging out the water side of the crossing and turning it into a small retaining pond to help in the water flow, so a sudden rush of water does not over whelm the 18in tube.

Just so much to do taking raw land and turning it into a home and doing a lot of it yourself is hard but worth while. I keep seeing and focusing on what it can be when ts all done. Thanks again to everyone the for solid advice on everything. I do listen to it, not saying I always do it, but I listen.

Eddie your advice and explanation on the dozer/grader in another thread made the difference in how the road is coming together. Thanks for taking the time to break it down for me. The gravel advice is already showing to be true also.

[jinman]

You are making great progress Dave. The road looks very nice. I don't see much trouble with it in the future with the way you are building it.

Now, that lynch pin episode really seems unusual. I have two types of lynch pins (inexpensive and expensive). The cheap ones bend really easily, but the more expensive ones don't give at all. I'm just wondering if you weren't better off with the one that let go. If it hadn't there is no telling what might have broken. It must have bounced off the tire to come back and hit your toolbox where it did. I'm sure glad you weren't in the line of fire.

Don't you just love trees and bushes with thorns?

[davemhughes]

You are making great progress Dave. The road looks very nice. I don't see much trouble with it in the future with the way you are building it.

Now, that lynch pin episode really seems unusual. I have two types of lynch pins (inexpensive and expensive). The cheap ones bend really easily, but the more expensive ones don't give at all. I'm just wondering if you weren't better off with the one that let go. If it hadn't there is no telling what might have broken. It must have bounced off the tire to come back and hit your toolbox where it did. I'm sure glad you weren't in the line of fire.

Don't you just love trees and bushes with thorns?

Thanks....probably true about the lynch pin bouncing off the tire, it was loud when it broke off and hit the tool box. Well 1 1/2 days of bush hog work, seems like hundreds of times of being stuck with BIG thorns, and actually the worst was the easiest part. That being open field of just grass.......round and round and round.

I took a couple of pics, the small trees are the Hollies, must of mowed hundreds of them this size down. No way it seemed to get away from those thorns.

[Pks]

I think those big thorns are from Hawthorns. I'll check with my wife, she's the expert.

She says "Definitely a locust. Fabaceae, the pea family. Feathery foliage. Not sure of the exact species, but maybe honey locust."

They grow fast, spread their young quickly (via route systems and seeds), can be tough to kill and don't rot...wood can make a good fence post.

Mary mentioned that she noticed a unique hypersensitivity to Roundup. We will be doing some testing with the locusts that are encircling our house once the leaves open up.

[davemhughes]

I think those big thorns are from Hawthorns. I'll check with my wife, she's the expert.

She says "Definitely a locust. Fabaceae, the pea family. Feathery foliage. Not sure of the exact species, but maybe honey locust."

They grow fast, spread their young quickly (via route systems and seeds), can be tough to kill and don't rot...wood can make a good fence post.

Mary mentioned that she noticed a unique hypersensitivity to Roundup. We will be doing some testing with the locusts that are encircling our house once the leaves open up.

The bulldozer operator told me the ones I can not bush hog down to spray right now with 24D vegetation killer before they bud out. He said it kills them dead. We will see.

[davemhughes]

Update

Wells in now (post some pics soon) 126ft w/11gal a minute. Cased and capped. I was a little concerned as the drillers rig was very old and tagged "Antigue", it looked it too. But the job is done now. Guess it just goes to show old equipment used right will do the job. Just have to stay after the power company to get the power in and everytime I call its "this week". been using my tractor a lot lately doing jobs for people.....gravel drives, boxblade work, garden tilling, and now it has mushroomed into mowing and a whole complete full time job.

[the_sandman_454]

Careful with booby traps, as I believe it isn't exactly legal to do. What's wrong with spotlighters though? I mean I understand they're on private property, but wouldn't a gate at the access point be the safer way to go, along with a mess of "No Trespassing" signs?

Nice looking place you've got there though.

[Robert_in_NY]

Booby traps that harm people are illegal. His is designed to make any truck get stuck. The truck and people are not harmed but will need help to get out. How well it works is a different story.I have no problem with spot lighters as long as they are respectful. When we have some friends come up from PA during hunting season we go around the places we hunt and spot the fields so they can see what is out there. We know where the houses are as well as any pastures and avoid them. But we have had idiots spot light our own pastures right next to our house then spotlight the barn and woods. You meet all kinds but you remember the idiots.