Culvert Project

[Harv]

Glenn -

Our timing on the culvert project was incredible from start to finish. Apparently we were wrapping up our projects on the very same day (I thought I felt the vibes).

I think your theory on the boxblade is still sound. It does best on my property where the rocks are the fewest. It also handles up to fist-sized rocks okay, but it tends to just climb over football-sized boulders. More weight would help, I'm sure, and I haven't used the scarifiers enough to offer an opinion on that issue. I'm sure I will have more comments when I get more experience.

The property is at about 2,000 feet above sea level. Of course, our sea is the Pacific Ocean, which is at a different level than yours. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

BTW - I did not boxblade the ditch with the rocks. The lay of the land was such that I couldn't get good position on it, at least with my novice skills. I was also trying to learn more about FEL usage and I did make some progress there.

I will probably add more soil to top off my culvert bridges, but they're basically finished (the inevitable photos will be posted soon). I will then concentrate on grooming my newly forged roads that traverse all the culverts. By trial and error I already had some success leveling out some side-slope problems areas. Once level, I will use the ol' boxblade in earnest, both with and without the rippers engaged.

I enjoyed working the culverts together with you. Hope we team up on another project soon. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Harv]

As I just indicated to Glenn, my third and final culvert is pretty much finished. For those of you who have had quite enough culvert pictures, I've attached the short version of this last culvert. If there's anyone out there who just can't get enough of this, I've added another chapter to my online scrapbook.

 

[Rowski]

Harv,

Are you going to leave the rebar sticking out?

Derek

 

[Harv]

Derek -

<font color=blue>Are you going to leave the rebar sticking out?</font color=blue>

Nope. That was just for the photo shoot -- they're all pounded in flush to the top bag, now.

 

[chuckp]

Harv:
Great Looking culverts. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif A lot of Tractor Seat time as well and tamping tool time, bag filling time, and just plain enjoyment time. /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif I congratulate you on such a fine piece of work. By the way, who built that nice "T Post" Barbed wire fence in the back ground? /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

Chuck

 

[Harv]

Chuck -

<font color=blue>By the way, who built that nice "T Post" Barbed wire fence in the back ground?</font color=blue>

I have no idea. Although my folks bought the property about 25 years ago, I was so busy with my own life that I didn't get to spend much time there when things were being built. Dad passed away some 12 years ago and Mom has pretty much lost her memory, so a lot of information is gone forever.

I notice I do have a lot of fencing to do pretty soon. Several hundred yards are down and need total replacement. Hope I can use the tractor in some way to make it easier. Some parts are simply not accessible by tractor unless I want to be on the public road side. The blind curves and the IQ of some of the drivers I have seen out there make that a very unattractive possibility.

 

[chuckp]

I have built many a mile of "T Post" fence in my life and it is a lot of hard work. The "T Posts" are driven with a manual driver that you can get at Tractor Supply. The Corner Pull Posts and Line Tensioning posts are usually some hardwood tree cut by yourself or you can purchase 4" X 6" Posts which you bury in none other than, "Redi Mix". /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Chuck

 

[Bird]

Chuck, I've done just a little of that fence building myself, and I don't like those t-post drivers you mentioned; too much like work. Of course, that's what I had to use. I've seen a few t-posts sunk just with the weight of a front end loader bucket if you have a big enough tractor and soft enough ground, which I don't. And then I checked into the 3-point post drivers. That sure looks good, for about the price of a good backhoe, so that eliminated that option./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[Von]

Bird,
I live on a private drive that is about 1/2 mile long. Every fall we put up about 1/4 mile of snow fence, and I used the front loader of my old Oliver 550 to pound them in. Since selling the Oliver and getting the Kubota I put the 450lb. 3pt. counter weight in the bucket of the FEL and that gives enough weight to drive the T stakes in. We do use the hand driver for the hard ones but mostly use the tractor.

Von

 

[scruffy]

Well guys, I've built a lot of t-post fences, and use my trusty home built driver. IT does a great job! Its just the operator I have problems with....hard to get him interested in pounding that ol' thing up and down. If I ever make another one, it WILL be lighter!

 

[Harv]

Hey, Glenn!!!

I'm heading up to see my culverts for the first time since the big rain/snow we had out here. I'm anxious to see if the water found its way through the pipes and not some way around them. I might just take a picture or two, if it's at all interesting. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Which reminds me -- on 10/21 you said, "<font color=blue>I'll post pictures once I have them developed.[/b]".

Any chance that will happen soon? I would like very much to see how yours turned out. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Harv, my humble opinions here, from the school of hard knocks. You mentioned you had got "cold feet" when a manufacturer you heard of wasn't familiar to your dealer.

That is certainly not a sign of anything. Tractor dealers have arrangements with certain manufacturers and seem loathe to acknowledge the existance of anyone else. Some of the ones I've talked to don't seem to do much looking around to see what's out there. Some of the good manufacturers don't spend a lot of time marketing their stuff if they are doing OK as it is. The post was about the loader rakes. The company that builds them does that as kind of a new product they are historically a manufacturer of thumb kits and grapple buckets for bigger tractors and excavators.

And a well known company is CERTAINLY no guarantee of anything. Anybody heard of Woods? The dealer ordered a tooth bar to be installed on my tractor before purchase last year. They went round and round for 6 months or so, the dealer got so frustrated they finally gave me the money back on the bar and gave me the bar. I figured I might be able to return it for a "good one" to at least make up some of the loss of not having the tractor for an entire work season. The bar is warped like crazy from not using proper procedures when it was welded. (Also too short but that I could deal with) Woods response..."Take it to a Blacksmith Shop!" That's really nice. It would be easy to fix this if you had the jig they use to make it or just exchange it. It probably CAN'T be fixed without more money than it takes to get another one. But who do I get one from? It is the type that goes over a removable cutting edge. Shall I try Woods again? What is that saying? "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" The biggest horror stories I've ever been involved with are from Ford, Chevy and Yamaha.

Zeke the guy who welds in his garage always seems to get it right! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

del

 

[Harv]

I hear ya, Del! Point well taken.