Speed Bump

[Harv]

So I'm out there trying to scrape a few inches off a stretch of my soon-to-be-muddy tractor path using my box blade. As I've mentioned before, my soil has just enough rocks to be really annoying, especially when I'm trying to produce a "mirror finish" with the scraper. One of two things usually happen -- a rock gets pulled up and is dragged along, leaving a gouge behind the blade, or the box climbs over the rock, dumping part of my load right where I don't want it. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

I wasn't worried about a fine finish on this project, but I did notice a hard spot that was dumping my load and creating a ridge that was less than desirable. Having a slightly rounded, smooth surface, this particular rock was not getting pulled up by the blade, so I hopped off the tractor (hate when I have to do that), and tried to dislodge the little bugger with my steel toed boot -- no luck. Pretty firmly embedded in pretty firm soil.

Long story short -- see attachment. Bet this has never happend to any of you ...

 

[scruffy]

More than once Harv! NoCal is well known for its rocks. I dug a 20 foot trench to bury a propane line, and only had enough dirt to cover the pipe about 3", had to haul a couple pickup loads of dirt in, and 5 or 6 loads of rock out....they're heavy! Don't even WANT to talk about the Rose garden I put in for the wife at that place....absolutely murder.

 

[Mike_Dumond]

The story goes, that God made the heavens and the earth in 6 days, then on the seventh, he threw rocks at Maine.

Pulled, pushed and cussed one out yesterday that probably weighs as much as the tractor. Luckily, it was on a down hill slope. Now. I got to dig a hole to bury it. Wish I had a back hoe.

Got to learn to spell.

Keep the greasy side down.
Mike<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Mike_Dumond on 10/01/01 12:34 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Bird]

Harv, I'd like to know how you manage to have that camera handy for all your projects without getting the camera damaged, dirty, etc.

I'm really sorry I didn't take my camera with me to my brother's place Saturday; might have made some interesting pictures. Two years ago he had his pond enlarged considerably, deepened, and went around some big trees to leave them on an island. The dam was all right as it was. The dozer operator really knew his business and left a little pile of dirt a little over 80 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 10 feet high at the side of the pond, and back into trees on either side of the pile. Not long after it was done, my brother moved just a little dirt from the end of the pile and left it with a near vertical cliff face. So now after two years finally had time to start the major project of moving all that dirt (mostly hard packed clay) to low spots, washouts, etc. We're moving it anywhere from 100 feet to 100 yards from the pile.

Right away we found that a B2710 couldn't dig into that cliff face and get a bucket full of dirt. We were able to raise the bucket, and use the tooth bar to scratch dirt off the face, but very quickly realized this could be a life long project at that rate. And of course, it was too high to get the edge of the bucket to the top to pull dirt off there. So the only solution was to get the tractor up on top of that pile. My brother usually has more nerve than I (more of a daredevil), but unfortunately, he decided that it probably couldn't be done; sides of the pile too steep and sure couldn't take the route the dozer had taken because that end sloped right to the water now. So I did it, slowly and carefully, low range, 4WD, differential lock, a little wheel spinning, very tight seat belt (something else was pretty tight, too), but I finally got up there. Weeds had grown to about 4' high on the pile. Once on top, I just started chipping away at the top of the cliff face with the tooth bar and pushing it off until I had a ramp I thought I could drive down; dropped the anchor (all 5 scarifiers set to maximum depth on the box blade) and drove down it.

So we had it made from there on. We let the tailgate down level on his Kawasaki Mule, bolted down a sheet of plywood in the bed that extends out beyond the tailgate a few inches and he has a power dump on it. I dump 3 buckets full of dirt onto the Mule and while he's gone to dump it, I back up on top of the pile, drop the box blade, drag a full load to the bottom and repeat that until he gets back and I dump another 3 buckets full on the Mule. We think in about 4.5 hours Saturday and 6.5 hours Sunday, we may have moved close to one-third of the pile. Looks like a couple of more weekends at least for this project. The good thing about it is that tearing it up with the box blade rippers makes it load, dump, and spread about like dusty gravel.

Bird

 

[RichNJ]

OK, So how did you get the rock dislodged?
In the past I have done either:
1. Call the neighbor with the backhoe or
2. Cover it up and forget it's there.

 

[hayden]

I went digging with a backhoe last fall trying to remove a rock that was sticking up in my driveway about the size of a coconut. After about an hour I gave up concluding that it was really a burried volkswagen. I might go after it again this fall.

Peter

High techie, reciently founded a startup company and struggling for tractor time.

 

[hayden]

And who takes all the pictures?

High techie, reciently founded a startup company and struggling for tractor time.

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I'd like to know how you manage to have that camera handy for all your projects</font color=blue>

Fact is, Bird, I don't. On about a third of my projects, if I think it would be of interest and I have the time and inclination, I make a trip back to the house for the camera. I frequently set the camera up on a tripod (especially if I decide to be in the pictures myself), and just set the whole thing out of the way under a tree while I continue to work. Taking subsequent pictures is then a good excuse for taking frequent breaks. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

On the last couple of trips to to the property, I was taking advantage of the virtually empty pond to go in and clean out the debris that mother nature had tossed in (fallen trees, limbs, etc.). I wound up skidding two pretty good-sized logs up the sides and out of the pond. Used a combination of chains and a long hunk o' hefty rope 'cuz I refused to risk my tractor on the unstable pond basin. Those would have made pretty good pictures, but I was hot, sweaty and covered in mud, so fetching the camera was just too dang much trouble. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

I do wish you had pictures of you and your 2710 ripping your way down the side of that pile. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

<font color=blue>So how did you get the rock dislodged?</font color=blue>

The old-fashioned way, Rich. I used the oh-my-aching-back hoe (pick) and a pry bar. Once I started to get an idea of how big that sucker was, I dug out just enough to get a chain around one end and gave it a tug with the tractor to stand it up on end. From there I took a couple of good wraps with the chain, and just dragged it away.

About 30 feet up the road from that one were several more, thankfully a little smaller. Since I still had the camera on the tripod, I snapped the attached picts of the unglamorous parts of the project. The tricky part was remembering not to drop a wheel into the resulting holes before I filled them back in. That big 'un would've swallowed a rear tire and toppled me fer sure. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Boondox]

Reminds me of the rock I dug out of our driveway last spring, shortly after I took delivery of Clementine. I was regrading the driveway using that wonderful LP3572 blade when the L3010 lurched to a stop. It had uncovered the mother of all stones.

Backed up and tried to scoop it up with the bucket, but the rock was way too big (one foot thick and about five feet in diameter). I was, however, able to flip it end over end down the road. Just as I stashed it in the bushes for later use, my wife went zipping by in her truck. This was mud season, so the hole in the driveway was completely filled with muddy water, making it invisible. I heard a tremendous WHUMP! as she pulled into the driveway, and muddy water came over the top of the two story house! /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

That explains why I never got my backhoe.

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[Bird]

Darn it, Pete. I had to go to the doctor this morning for this sinus congestion and coughing, then you get me to laughing and that starts the coughing and that hurts my head./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird