Culvert Redux
- Thread starter Harv
- Start date
mikim
Veteran Member
This was the 3rd and last hat that the mower "ate". I had an 8N at the time and now that I have my TC45 I find I need to trim and retrim those limbs higher. If my head had been in the hat - my wife would be a rich woman now. An improvement I shouldn't suggest to her./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif I don't doubt that it might be a california fashion trend. I read an article in a car magazine once that took a country wide survey on what people drove and why - but they eliminated California "because those crazies will drive anything just to be different" /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I've actually thought about buying a hard hat for head protection against those limbs - but doubt it would fare even as well as a cowboy hat in the mower.
When I bought my new mower I made sure I got the chains. My old one didn't have any and I don't know how many times I had a rock go zingin' past me on the seat. I had expanded metal wrapped on the 8N's motor to keep it from getting hit by 'em. Just dumb luck I never got hit.
mike
When I bought my new mower I made sure I got the chains. My old one didn't have any and I don't know how many times I had a rock go zingin' past me on the seat. I had expanded metal wrapped on the 8N's motor to keep it from getting hit by 'em. Just dumb luck I never got hit.
mike
Bird
Epic Contributor
<font color=blue>I put a log about 2ft.X 5" under the tractor and out the front for about 50 Ft. Heard the mower hit and saw the log come flying out the front under the loader bucket</font color=blue>
Von, that's almost the same thing that happened to me with the B7100 and that's what gave me the incentive to make some chain guards. I certainly won't say it can't happen even with the chain guards, but so far it never has.
Bird
Von, that's almost the same thing that happened to me with the B7100 and that's what gave me the incentive to make some chain guards. I certainly won't say it can't happen even with the chain guards, but so far it never has.
Bird
StoneHeartFarm
Veteran Member
Hey bird!
Is there a thread on here about makin chain guards? If not, maybe we should start one?
SHF
Is there a thread on here about makin chain guards? If not, maybe we should start one?
SHF
Bird
Epic Contributor
SHF, it's been discussed a bit, but I don't even remember just where (since some of us tend to get a bit off topic at times). Of course, I'd never do that./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif I definitely want chain guards, but the darned things are expensive, so since I have more time than money, I just made my own for the 4' brush hog when I had the B7100; they worked just fine, but I didn't like the design, so I did the ones a little differently for the 5' brush hog I have now. They're better, but I think if I ever do another one, it'll be even better; I'll make some more slight changes in design.
Bird
Bird
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Harv
Elite Member
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- Tractor
- Kubota L2500DT Standard Transmission
Well, the rainy season should be here in another month or two, so I decided it was time to finish this project. As you may or may not recall, my culvert #3 was a washout, literally. I underestimated the resolve with which flowing water will seek out any gaps around the inlets, and as a result lost most of the fill between and around my pipes. I have since replaced the fill, but hadn't fixed the original problem.
A couple of weeks ago, after an hour or so of carefully arranging rocks around the culvert face, I was not satisfied that I had improved the situation. So the following morning, I took the easy way out and picked up a few sacks of redi-mix and had at it again.
I dug out around the uphill ends of the pipes, exposing the last 4 or 5 inches. Then I just grabbed a piece of plywood scrap about the right size and slapped it up against the openings. Using a plastic garbage bag as my release agent, I just staked the board in place and leaned some heavy rocks against it for support. Then it was just a matter of mixing, pouring and rodding. The kids, of course, added the final touches. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
This last weekend I saw the results, which, although probably adequate, point out the value of measuring tools and levels and such. I did it all by eyeball, forgetting that I have a lousy eye. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif
The attached pictures tell the story.
A couple of weeks ago, after an hour or so of carefully arranging rocks around the culvert face, I was not satisfied that I had improved the situation. So the following morning, I took the easy way out and picked up a few sacks of redi-mix and had at it again.
I dug out around the uphill ends of the pipes, exposing the last 4 or 5 inches. Then I just grabbed a piece of plywood scrap about the right size and slapped it up against the openings. Using a plastic garbage bag as my release agent, I just staked the board in place and leaned some heavy rocks against it for support. Then it was just a matter of mixing, pouring and rodding. The kids, of course, added the final touches. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
This last weekend I saw the results, which, although probably adequate, point out the value of measuring tools and levels and such. I did it all by eyeball, forgetting that I have a lousy eye. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif
The attached pictures tell the story.
Attachments
Bird
Epic Contributor
Looks pretty good to me, Harv. The only thing I wonder about is the fact that the bottom of the culverts appears to be few inches above the bottom of the ditch, so I suppose you're going to be left with a puddle there. Will it soak in or dry up pretty quickly?
Bird
Bird
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Harv
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2000
- Messages
- 3,371
- Tractor
- Kubota L2500DT Standard Transmission
<font color=blue>I wonder about is the fact that the bottom of the culverts appears to be few inches above the bottom of the ditch</font color=blue>
Nothing wrong with your eyballs, Bird. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
That last picture shows how it looked right after I peeled away the form. I had deliberately dug out below the pipes to make sure the concrete extended below the creekbed level. The attached picture shows how it looks now, after I filled in and around with rocks and gravel.
I never really thought about the dynamics of water flow in a creek and the associated erosion, but now that I am thinking about it, I'm hoping the way I filled in the depression will discourage erosion under the concrete face. My intuition (solid as gossamer) tells me that the remaining pockets between the bottom rocks and gravel will get silted in, and the creek will establish its new bed at the level of the pipes.
Too bad this creek only runs when the neighbor's pond overflows. As dry as that pond is now, it could be many months before we get to see what happens. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif
Nothing wrong with your eyballs, Bird. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
That last picture shows how it looked right after I peeled away the form. I had deliberately dug out below the pipes to make sure the concrete extended below the creekbed level. The attached picture shows how it looks now, after I filled in and around with rocks and gravel.
I never really thought about the dynamics of water flow in a creek and the associated erosion, but now that I am thinking about it, I'm hoping the way I filled in the depression will discourage erosion under the concrete face. My intuition (solid as gossamer) tells me that the remaining pockets between the bottom rocks and gravel will get silted in, and the creek will establish its new bed at the level of the pipes.
Too bad this creek only runs when the neighbor's pond overflows. As dry as that pond is now, it could be many months before we get to see what happens. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif
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glennmac
Veteran Member
In Harv's original culvert thread, he and I were building our culverts at the same time. I gave detail on mine in that thread, but never documented the ultimate failure.
Mine was a double culvert--two 10' long, 30" diameter plastic pipes in a 4' deep, 6' wide stream bed. I used 12 tons of limestone crush on top. In the first rain where the water came over the banks, half of the gravel and one of the pipes washed away. I repaired it with another 5 tons of limestone. The second big rain caused "blowholes" in the limestone cover. Before I repaired that, a really big gullywasher washed away everything, including the two pipes, which are still buried in silt about 1/4 mile downstream.
I concluded that a culvert bridge would not work unless (1) the entire culvert bridge was embedded in a matrix of concrete, or (2) the culverts were so large in cross section that they could handle any volume of water. I decided option 1 was too costly and that option 2 would require a humongous culvert that protruded several feet above bank level (ie, a 6' diameter culvert, which would require a steel or concrete pipe instead of the plastic).
Last month I built a wooden bridge on concrete foundations, the details of which I have yet to document here.
Harv, I hope your concrete facing does the trick, but I suspect that if water goes over the top, it will still wash out the gravel behind the facing.
Mine was a double culvert--two 10' long, 30" diameter plastic pipes in a 4' deep, 6' wide stream bed. I used 12 tons of limestone crush on top. In the first rain where the water came over the banks, half of the gravel and one of the pipes washed away. I repaired it with another 5 tons of limestone. The second big rain caused "blowholes" in the limestone cover. Before I repaired that, a really big gullywasher washed away everything, including the two pipes, which are still buried in silt about 1/4 mile downstream.
I concluded that a culvert bridge would not work unless (1) the entire culvert bridge was embedded in a matrix of concrete, or (2) the culverts were so large in cross section that they could handle any volume of water. I decided option 1 was too costly and that option 2 would require a humongous culvert that protruded several feet above bank level (ie, a 6' diameter culvert, which would require a steel or concrete pipe instead of the plastic).
Last month I built a wooden bridge on concrete foundations, the details of which I have yet to document here.
Harv, I hope your concrete facing does the trick, but I suspect that if water goes over the top, it will still wash out the gravel behind the facing.
Bird
Epic Contributor
You say I just didn't have enough faith in you, Harv?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif I should have known you didn't leave it like it was in the first picture.
Bird
Bird