<font color="blue">I didn't know I cannot drain to my own field. You and I are in the same water management district). </font>
I probably was a little too obscure; you can drain to your own field; just don't let it flow to the highway swale or similar (or, at least don't let them see you doing it).
<font color="blue"> Does your contractor work in Polk county, too, in the Lake Wales area, southeast Polk? I may want to give him a call. </font>
I think he does; I'll ask tomorrow. His name is Wade Barnhill; his company is Barnhill Construction in Okeechobee. He actually lives in Basinger, which is well on the way to Sebring. I'll get you a number when I talk to him.
As for the drag line, I'll be all done before you could find one and get it in use. Good idea, though. The drag lines I remember from when Port St. Lucie was being developed were the old mechanical ones with lots of pulleys, winches and cables. They have been pretty much replaced here in Florida with hydraulic excavators except for very large jobs, like the local shell rock pit. They are excellent for digging in water and digging a pretty good distance from the machine. They basically work by trowing the bucket out like an underhand cast, then dragging it back with the cables until it's full, then swinging and tipping the bucket to fill the transport or stockpile the spoil.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we're suspending digging for the weekend, but moving dirt. The dozer is here now, and Wade will be running it. He's going to show me how to run the loader and I'll be bucketing dirt that has been stockpiled while the truck was off for service.
