Resurfaced 500' of Road Today

[Gordon Gould]

Resurfaced a 500' stretch of my mile long road today. Took 10 trips to the
Pike crusher plant, which luckily is only 4 miles away, with my Dodge
Ram 3500 dump to get 36.5 ton of 3/4" "Sta-mat". I tailgate spread each
load then rough graded the whole thing with my Planer/Box-Drag. Next I
did a wheel pack job with the 3500. After that I put the Land Pride rear blade
on and built the crown then repacked with the truck again. And last I put the
Planer back on and did a finish grading job and repacked.
A good days work ( for me anyway ) on a beautiful summer day.

 

[rekees4300]

Good job! :thumbsup: Perfect weather day here also. Did some work at the end of the lane where the county paved the road and left a 4 inch "speed bump". Dumped 6 loads of dirt with the FEL, put some gravel on top of it then tapper it all with a hand rack. Result was a mini ramp from my lane to the asphalt. Nothing as ambitious as your project but it was a good days work for me also.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Resurfaced a 500' stretch of my mile long road today. Took 10 trips to the
Pike crusher plant, which luckily is only 4 miles away, with my Dodge
Ram 3500 dump to get 36.5 ton of 3/4" "Sta-mat". I tailgate spread each
load then rough graded the whole thing with my Planer/Box-Drag. Next I
did a wheel pack job with the 3500. After that I put the Land Pride rear blade
on and built the crown then repacked with the truck again. And last I put the
Planer back on and did a finish grading job and repacked.
A good days work ( for me anyway ) on a beautiful summer day.

Whooah.!! That's a good days work right there.

Nice picture too.

Take a break and enjoy the fruits of the labor.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I know you have your own small dump truck. I have 2 available also, a GM40 that will haul 6 tons and a Ford 700 that will handle 8 tons, but I find its cheaper to just have it delivered. Both get about 4 mpg. I live 1.5 miles from the gravel pit and they can bring 24.5 tons at a time for $50 delivery fee. I would have to make 3 or 4 trips depending on which one I use, in your case about 8 so what are you saving?

Chris

 

[Gordon Gould]

Probably saving nothing, but I'm enjoying myself and have a sense of
accomplishment. Guess I could sell the truck and tractor and hire out
the road work and plowing, and buy firewood too, but life wouldnt be the
same. It's like being a farmer. Why would you do it. Because you love it.

 

[Army grunt]

Great looking job,
In keeping with why we do it, I built a saw mill, a friend asked how much does it save me? After the first $5000.It will only cost me about the same as if I bought from local yard, but its MINE . He really didn't understand the concept of self accomplishment.Its what keeps me getting up in the morning.
Happy 4th all
Army Grunt

 

[TripleR]

Very nice job.

We have an older model GMC dump truck and some tractors even though we have friends that will haul rock free and our renters will maintain my roads and mow my property, but sitting on the porch doesn't appeal to me.

I spent a little time yesterday talking to one of the men who farms our land. He is 81 and while his son and grand sons now do most of the work, he was out on his Polaris Ranger spraying weeds and checking crops. He occasionally drives a tractor and grain truck. He doesn't have to, he wants to.

 

[Jim in PA]

Gordon, I wonder if you could provide a little information about your box drag/planer. I'm in the market for one. How do you like the back hinge function? Thanks, Jim

 

[MarkV]

Hi Gordon, looks like you had a great day. I was wondering about "Sta-mat"? That is a new term for me. Would it be what we call "crusher run" here, 3/4" stone or finer mixed with stone dust?

MarkV

 

[Gordon Gould]

I like the hindged tailgate alot. I have two stop pins on the side panels. If I
swing the tailgate up and over to the rear it hangs behind the pins and does
not capture material running forward, but acts as an additional leveler. In reverse it hits the pins and acts as a plow face so I can back up and push
stuff. If I swing the tailgate up and over forward so it hangs in front of the
pins the box captures material and I can pull it similar to a box blade.
Here is a link to my first experience using it. Each time I use it I like it better.


http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/170529-new-road-grader-trail-run.html

Sta-mat or Stay-Mat may be a local term. Every pit has there own version
around here. But it is basicly like crusher run with stone and fines and maybe some clay for a binder. Packs hard and smooth.
At my local pit crusher run is 2" and smaller crushed ledge as it come out of
the crusher without any additional material added.

 

[Jim in PA]

Gordon, did you make it or buy it, if so what brand? I can't tell from the other thread. I have considered making one but I can't get the raw materials cheap enough to justify it. By the way, Vermont sure is a pretty place to be this time of year! I spent a few summers up there way back when.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I made it Jim. Probably the same deal as haulling my own gravel a little at a time. Here is how I did it and what it cost me.
If I was going to make another one I would make the cutting edge depth
adjustable. I set mine at 3/4" below the runners and have worn off 1/4"
already in about 30 hours of use. But now that I can see the value of the
thing I wont mind putting on heavier blades next time.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/167835-steel-cut-grader-planer.html

gg

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Probably saving nothing, but I'm enjoying myself and have a sense of
accomplishment. Guess I could sell the truck and tractor and hire out
the road work and plowing, and buy firewood too, but life wouldnt be the
same. It's like being a farmer. Why would you do it. Because you love it.

No foul on Diamondpilot but, what a great response from Gordon Gould.

Carry on....

 

[willfick]

Probably saving nothing, but I'm enjoying myself and have a sense of
accomplishment. Guess I could sell the truck and tractor and hire out
the road work and plowing, and buy firewood too, but life wouldnt be the
same. It's like being a farmer. Why would you do it. Because you love it.

There you go.
I bet 12 out of 11 of my projects I'd come out cheaper to pay somebody else to do it, but heck, anybody could do that. If I was in it for the money I'd live in an apartment.
Wm

 

[rox]

Probably saving nothing, but I'm enjoying myself and have a sense of
accomplishment. Guess I could sell the truck and tractor and hire out
the road work and plowing, and buy firewood too, but life wouldnt be the
same. It's like being a farmer. Why would you do it. Because you love it.

Gordon, truer words were never spoken. Spent 9 hours today picking almonds in 88F heat which my hsuband will sell tomorrow at the wholesale market. Why do we do this? We enjoy farming and this is part of it, it is like a cycle every summer we pick the almonds and sell them at the wholesale market.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Today i graded our driveway with the skidsteer. I didnt have to grade it but i wanted to fill in some if the ruts since it can be hard on the truck. Glad i had the grapple on since I had to move a tree our of the road since it fell when i was ditch cleaning.