So I got a good deal on some trusses...

[dholly]

It was hot, hot, hot - 92F and 75% humidity - but I still got out the hand rake and finished it off. What a moron, but the job is done and the ice-cold beers after tasted mighty good!

 

[dholly]

With the small pile gone it was time to start on the big pile. I have no clue how many yards it is, but it's bigger up close that it looks in some of the earlier pictures. Here's the 7610 next to the pile, looking into the woods where the dirt will be moved.

 

[dholly]

After a few loads, you begin to realize the LA352 loader is mighty handy but, well, kinda small. I'm not even gonna hazard how many loads this will take but I guess you have to start somewhere. Working up to that 50hr service soon...

 

[dholly]

One of the ongoing projects is to clear a few acres of thick overgrowth brush and grape vines in the woods out back. I got a good start on it in Spring but, as expected, things got a bit wet and 'soupy' at one spot along my access trail. So I decided to use the big pile for backfilling around the new garage, and whatever was left over could be used to build up the access trail. Here's the short run to where it's got to go...

 

[dholly]

After a while, I started making good progress but decided to stop moving dirt and clear some more in the woods. Choice of going back and forth baking in the sun, or working in the cool, shaded woods made for a pretty easy decision.

 

[Donman]

dholly, do you plan to leave the belly mower on for the whole earth moving job? Is that as high as it gets off the ground or is just at rest?

 

[dholly]

Donman - probably not. The mower deck does not have much clearance, hardly any lift at all along the front edge really, so it does come off when I get aggressive in the woods clearing or into any rough ground. But so far, picking up a load and transporting is easy enough and, since I'm just dumping and packing as I move forward, it hasn't been a problem. But frankly, because it was such a PITA the first time I had to reinstall it, I try not to take it off unless really necessary.

 

[dholly]

Had a real nice Peterbuilt 10-wheeler delivering the gravel but he took off so fast I didn't get a shot. Oh well, here's the Bobcat excavator moving some stone. Man, I would love one of these!

 

[dholly]

Had some conduit handy so I decided to throw one in for the cable TV line that was originally routed around the end of the driveway turn-around and somehow tangled itself around the dozer blade. We did manage to miss the underground electric out to the driveway lamp post. Not that it mattered much, I already took that out a couple of weeks back when I trenched for the dog's Invisable Fencing. I hate it when people don't even bury a line more than 6" deep or bother to mark it. Grrr...

 

[dholly]

Not bad for a first couple day's work. One last pic of the little Bobcat excavator - it was sooo quiet, the music coming from the cab was louder than the engine.