What's your winter projects...?

[Gittyup]

Rex,

Thanks on the trailer compliment. But, I only modified (added hydraulics), and painted a purchased CMI trailer.

I'm cheap. So, I've been refusing to pay for dirt. I keep posting ads. on craigs list for free fill dirt. Every now and then I get a hit and usually get a little bit of free fill. Then someone closeby was building a pool and needed to get rid of their dirt. Deep dig pool dirt is great fill (mostly clay in these parts). Win-Win for both of us. They've brought me 160 tons so far. I have about 10 tons left to be moved. Then, when it really dries out, I can get in there and install the culvert pipe. After that, I'll be begging for more dirt! At this rate, I might finish by 2012! But, then again, I'm in no hurry.

 

[RexB]

Good find on the Pool Excavation -- now I've really got DIRT ENVY.

We're all dirt poor here on an island it's trucked in from the mainland. We have plenty of rocks though LOL. Glacial deposits...

I put my name on the County waiting list for excess dirt when they rebuild the roads and highways. I don't mind sifting the broken glass and beercans out of it, but not one FULL can yet! And their extra dirt is few and far between...

Right now I'm waiting for it to rain so I can wimp out of cleaning up more trees that fell over the winter storms. And I tell the wife (she's driving this) that if it's raining, the chainsaw will short out.

I don't mind the rain so much, but all year round it's the same thing -- cleanup after the dang alders fall over.


ROTFL

 

[mark.r]

I'll personally rename this thread, "What your Spring projects . . .?" since Spring is official now.

That said, I should have known. Things around the place were moving along just too smoothly. Grass seeded, fertilizer down, lime on the way, etc. I'm setting in class the other night an my boarder calls and says on the horses got tangled in the wire fence. Now let me preface this by saying that we have beautiful black three board fence around the entire property that is only 4 years old. Really stout stuff. EXCEPT for one 100ft. length that backs up to a cow property. Why the pervious owner did just put in a final lenght there I will never know. So that 100ft. length has two wire fences, ours and the cow farmer back to back. Both are in relatively good condition or at least I thought they were. But since I don't pay a lot of attention to it because it the fence sets behind my manure pile, my 3pt implements, and all my trailers neither I nor the horses typically hang out over there.

Probably number one, I ASSumed too much. Since I just over seeded all of our property except that on paddock (on purpose) we have them locked in there for a couple week until the other fields have time to recover and the grass seed/fert./rain to take hold. Well horses are like dogs, they get into sh*t when they are bored and that sh*t was that wire fence. So as a result, this morning before coming into my REAL FULL time job I went and picked up a Woods PD65 with 12inch HD auger and 6 4X6X16 fence posts.

Hey guess what I am doing this weekend . . .

 

[RexB]

Don't it figure they got into that 'hidden' last remaining wire.

Horse story: When we were building paddocks out of old concrete bomb bunkers at Barbers' Point, Hawaii, we built steel pipe (free pipe) fences to close off the open ends. Built little tack sheds for each one, strung overhead wire to get electricity, trenched in water pipes in a couple of places, etc. Anyway, I was helping a neighbor string his electricity, and mine, which involved standing atop the 30ft tall bunkers and heaving the lines over the paddocks. He didn't want to take the horses out to another paddock for a few minutes like I did: "It'll be Ok, they stay calm for anything". Famous last words. I heaved the line to him and the horses spooked into the old bathtub watering troughs. Emergency vet call and $300 of stitches legs later (big money back then). Lucky they weren't hurt worse. I shoulda' known better.

Anyhooo...I've gotta' pick up a 9" auger to plant 4x4 posts. I used a 12" for the 8x8's in a pole barn, but it takes out too much clay and rocks and roots to use for the small posts. And 4ft deep is too big a hole to easily fill with concrete for my old back and patience.

You're putting in a lot of work and $moola$ for your horse ranch, it will look beautiful. Later in the year can you take a wide-angle photo of it from up in a tree or something? Congrats on the work and a successful business venture :thumbup:


Yes, Spring Projects and my favorite time of year

 

[RexB]

Dirt Envy is history!

Gittyup's wonderful dirt made me hungry. Couldn't talk a neighbor into digging out a new swimming pool for it so I had to make a local quarry richer. Now to grow some weeds

Fill in a low wet patch


and a couple of piles scattered around to level things out

 

[Gittyup]

Your dirt is a lot prettier than my red clay. Looks like yours would actually be good for growing something in.

I finally finished moving the last of the dirt that I had. I now must turn my attention to my 18 x 35 leanto project to provide shelter for my CK. Material being picked up today. Crush n run on order for under the leanto. I will have to ferry the CnR down that just-built road back to my barn. I hope it doesn't rain this week so I can get it back there.

 

[mark.r]

Don't it figure they got into that 'hidden' last remaining wire.

Horse story: When we were building paddocks out of old concrete bomb bunkers at Barbers' Point, Hawaii, we built steel pipe (free pipe) fences to close off the open ends. Built little tack sheds for each one, strung overhead wire to get electricity, trenched in water pipes in a couple of places, etc. Anyway, I was helping a neighbor string his electricity, and mine, which involved standing atop the 30ft tall bunkers and heaving the lines over the paddocks. He didn't want to take the horses out to another paddock for a few minutes like I did: "It'll be Ok, they stay calm for anything". Famous last words. I heaved the line to him and the horses spooked into the old bathtub watering troughs. Emergency vet call and $300 of stitches legs later (big money back then). Lucky they weren't hurt worse. I shoulda' known better.

Anyhooo...I've gotta' pick up a 9" auger to plant 4x4 posts. I used a 12" for the 8x8's in a pole barn, but it takes out too much clay and rocks and roots to use for the small posts. And 4ft deep is too big a hole to easily fill with concrete for my old back and patience.

You're putting in a lot of work and $moola$ for your horse ranch, it will look beautiful. Later in the year can you take a wide-angle photo of it from up in a tree or something? Congrats on the work and a successful business venture :thumbup:


Yes, Spring Projects and my favorite time of year

Some how that all sounds very familiar.

Thanks for compliments. I rather not think of how much time/effort/and money that goes into these things I all of a sudden feel like crying. I'll just try to enjoy it.

Yes that dirt you have there would look nice in some of my holes and low spots too!

Oh let me not forget to mention, two holes in I broke a shear bolt on a huge root. 90 minutes before Easter dinner on a Sunday . . . I just packed it in for the day. That hole is going to have to be dug by hand I believe. I did get must of the root out but it's just too tight in there for the auger so I will finish the last ft. by hand.

 

[Gittyup]

Hey Rex,

Just notices your channel iron feet on your outriggers. How effective has that setup been for you? I've operating without anything, and, of course, this causes the tractor to move around a lot. I was thinking something like what you have, only welded in a square configuration. But, yours is much simpler. I could have those cut, drilled and installed in no time.... what AM I waiting on?

 

[RexB]

Easy and free from the scrap pile

They work real well in dirt, and move about two-or-three inches when digging stumps 10-12" diameter Alder and fir trees. They move about six-to-twelve inches digging out 15-36" diameter tree stumps. (Depending on how hard and fast the digging is done.)

They are 4"W channel iron with 1.5" deep ribs, cut 12" long. The overall mounted dimensions are 12" square, same as the Big xx model for small tractors. I didn't weld them in a square because done this way the extra two cross ribs give more traction in the "pull" direction when backhoeing. Welding four pieces in a square for each foot would involve more steelcutting but give better resistance to side-to-side movement, so either way is good.

You may want to put the bolt threads and nuts up because the threads get ruin't the way I have them, mine are down because dirt pads will always be there while I own it and the bolts sticking out give them a little more traction.

Trace the bolthole locations onto the chaneliron because they are angled a little and not the same.

If you dig a lot in loose dirt and humus, might want to get channel iron with 2" ribs or bigger...