Yet another slightly offbeat assignment...

[MarkV]

I was thinking about the funnel idea and wondering if some sort of heavy fabric skirt on the bottom to stuff into the manhole might minimize spillage and clean up.

MarkV

 

[Dougster]

Doug, just wanted to point out 1 good and obvious thing about this job, People are calling you to do work. Your on your way with this new business.
Good luck

It would seem so at this point Brian. The yellow pages ad finally appearing has suddenly boosted me into turbo mode... at least as far as inquiries are going. Let's hope it holds up this way.

Dougster

 

[Renze]

You guys are all thinking way too complicated...

4 years ago, when my sister in law was expecting her 1st, we filled a swimming pool in my brothers backyard.

It was only reachable from a 4 feet wide back path. We dumped two loads of a 4,5 m3 dumptrailer on the front sidewalk and used a cheap 16 year old kid to load the wheelbarrows with a mini excavator, and were carting dirt with 5 or 6 people with wheelbarrows.
We got 9 m3 of backfill into a backyard within 3 hours.

 

[tensaw12]

Dougster,
This, wil not, help with your problem, But, will give you somerthing to think about.
I was a custom home builder, until, I retired, and I learned over the years, that some of the most profitable jobs were the one's that I didn't get.
Ray

 

[Dougster]

I was thinking about the funnel idea and wondering if some sort of heavy fabric skirt on the bottom to stuff into the manhole might minimize spillage and clean up.
MarkV

I would probably extend the 2x10s or 2x12s a bit below the lower edge of the plywood for a tight fit inside the manholes that won't move. I think I'll be okay as long as it doesn't fall over.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

You guys are all thinking way too complicated... 4 years ago, when my sister in law was expecting her 1st, we filled a swimming pool in my brothers backyard. It was only reachable from a 4 feet wide back path. We dumped two loads of a 4,5 m3 dumptrailer on the front sidewalk and used a cheap 16 year old kid to load the wheelbarrows with a mini excavator, and were carting dirt with 5 or 6 people with wheelbarrows. We got 9 m3 of backfill into a backyard within 3 hours.

Where are those 5 or 6 people with wheelbarrows when you most need them???

All kidding aside, I get your point but for what I bid this job I would lose money bigtime if I had to hire 5 or 6 people to do the work.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, This, wil not, help with your problem, But, will give you somerthing to think about. I was a custom home builder, until, I retired, and I learned over the years, that some of the most profitable jobs were the one's that I didn't get.
Ray

I understand Ray... but I am still just starting out (my first yellowpages ad just appeared at the end of last month!)... and small oddball jobs like this fall right into my target niche market. May sound funny, but I WANT to be the guy people turn to when they don't know what to do... or when the big boys are too big and the little guys are too small.

Remember... you folks are only hearing about my oddball or particularly challenging jobs. You don't hear about the straightforward, boring ones. Maybe I'd be better off if there were more of the latter and less of the former... but that's also what keeps life interesting for this crazy old engineer.

Dougster

 

[Willl]

I think the best plan so far is the 2X12/plywood funnel idea.

Scab on some 2X6 to keep it up right and top it off with someway to move it with the FEL.

Are you done yet ?

 

[Dougster]

I think the best plan so far is the 2X12/plywood funnel idea. Scab on some 2X6 to keep it up right and top it off with someway to move it with the FEL. Are you done yet ?

Done building it? Or done with this thread???

I too think all the useful & worthwhile opinions are in and the plywood funnel idea wins the day. Time to end this thread and move on to more fun business! I thank EVERYONE for their input and hope you will all help me out on the next "oddball" that comes along!

Dougster

 

[Willl]

Done building it?

Yup. Just kinding.

I've spent many hours planning a 10 min job.

Or done with this thread???

As if you were so lucky.
Heck no, if you get the job we want pictures, pictures, pictures.

 

[Defective]

I agree.

With this long a thread for a fairly simple idea, there better be pictures to prove it worked.

Unless, of course, the client backs out. Then we'll expect a picture of the bail receipt.

 

[Dougster]

I agree. With this long a thread for a fairly simple idea, there better be pictures to prove it worked. Unless, of course, the client backs out. Then we'll expect a picture of the bail receipt.

Well, two points on that. I really am in the process of buying the stump bucket anyway. Funds are allocated and I've only been holding back to see if I can combine shipping costs on several items I need... but I will have it here by the time this job gets done. I will be very tempted to test the "no cost" option before I go with the "low cost" option.

Also, I am running into considerable resistance on the part of clients to the photographing of their property/projects... both before and after the work is completed. I am down to only doing this now when large tree removal is involved (to forward to my tree guy) or when rental equipment is indicated (to show the task to the equipment rental folks). Everyone is crazy concerned about privacy and confidentiality these days. Posting the pix on the net makes it worse. I certainly don't mind posting pix of the plywood funnel if I do build it, but actual "action" shots are probably not gonna happen. Sorry guys!

Dougster

 

[Renze]

Where are those 5 or 6 people with wheelbarrows when you most need them???

All kidding aside, I get your point but for what I bid this job I would lose money bigtime if I had to hire 5 or 6 people to do the work.

Dougster

Hmm... how much dirt will a stump bucket hold, vs a wheelbarrow ? I dont think much more. If you load the wheelbarrows with a mini excavator, there's hardly any getting tired on the job, and people can cart on and off, which in the end will be quicker than the rock bucket because the wheelbarrow is so much more manoeuverable.

If you had to shovel it all into the wheelbarrows by hand, it would be too exopensive, but using the men on the wheelbarrows just to cart, this is a very quick and effective way as the kid who gets least tired, (on the exacavtor) sets the pace.


By the way, what exactly are manholes ?? manholes like they dug in WW1 ??

 

[Dougster]

Hmm... how much dirt will a stump bucket hold, vs a wheelbarrow ? I dont think much more. If you load the wheelbarrows with a mini excavator, there's hardly any getting tired on the job, and people can cart on and off, which in the end will be quicker than the rock bucket because the wheelbarrow is so much more manoeuverable. If you had to shovel it all into the wheelbarrows by hand, it would be too exopensive, but using the men on the wheelbarrows just to cart, this is a very quick and effective way as the kid who gets least tired, (on the exacavtor) sets the pace.

I totally understand what you are saying... but I am a "one man and one tractor" show. No employees. Haven't learned to speak enough Spanish and Portuguese to pull that off yet. I really wish that I could afford real legitimate employees... but that possibility is literally years away. And for what I bid this job, I couldn't afford to use any employees anyway.

By the way, what exactly are manholes ?? manholes like they dug in WW1??

Nope... nothing like that. These are abandoned underground utility compartments... that now allegedly pose a danger to the public if not filled in.

Dougster

 

[LarryRB]

Have you accepted and figured out how to accomplish this task?

 

[Renze]

Dougster, you mean manholes at cable joints, when the cable trenches were already backfilled ? If somebody dug trenches to install cables, wouldnt they keep the dirt nearby for backfilling ?
Or are the manholes permanent working pits, that are now no longer in use and needs to be filled because they arent needed any more ?

Sorry for asking dumb questions...

 

[Dougster]

Have you accepted and figured out how to accomplish this task?

Dougster, you mean manholes at cable joints, when the cable trenches were already backfilled ? If somebody dug trenches to install cables, wouldnt they keep the dirt nearby for backfilling ? Or are the manholes permanent working pits, that are now no longer in use and needs to be filled because they arent needed any more ? Sorry for asking dumb questions...

Sending you folks PMs...

Dougster

 

[Toiyabe]

Dougster,

Are you sure you know what you are getting into here? Flowable fill is like concrete with a real high slump (very runny with a smaller aggregate size).

I suppose you could kinda do the job with a dump trailer, FEL and funnel but it would be a real mess, and the stuff does set eventually. I'm not sure how long it stays workable (a couple of hours?), but you need to consider that.

Flowable fill makes sense for this job, but I didn't think about that because you kept saying sand.

 

[Willl]

PMs

Should of kept my mouth shut.

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, Are you sure you know what you are getting into here? Flowable fill is like concrete with a real high slump (very runny with a smaller aggregate size). I suppose you could kinda do the job with a dump trailer, FEL and funnel but it would be a real mess, and the stuff does set eventually. I'm not sure how long it stays workable (a couple of hours?), but you need to consider that. Flowable fill makes sense for this job, but I didn't think about that because you kept saying sand.

The client is talking sand. The materials provider offered up a flowable sand mix which I took to be mean dry sand with other things added to assure good flow and distribution. The town will have the final say when I pull the permit. I apologize to all for my incorrect and/or ambiguous usage.

Dougster