I only dabble in smaller construction type jobs with my old equipment, but I'm starting a new project, probobly the biggest I've done, next week, provided the permits come through. My parents have decided to downsize to a smaller house, since they're getting older and spend much of the year down south. They've decided to have a new house built on their land almost across the road from me, and I'm going to do as much of the work as I'm capable of for them. This will mostly consist of clearing land, putting in a drive, and carpentry. Pouring the foundation and the septic will be left for professionals. It's going to be a good learning experience for me, and should help build my skills on the backhoe and dozer, neither of which I'm all that good on. I thought I'd start a thread and post the progress. I might even have a few question's for all you who could do this stuff in your sleep. :notworthy It may be a long process with my schedule, but we're hoping to have atleast the shell of a house up before the snow returns.(man do I hope ) I'm gonna have to try and remember the camera and taking pics better than I have in the past too.:Banghead Here's a couple of "before" pics. The first, where the drive will be going in. The second, where the house will be sitting. I'll try and keep it updated as progress.......um................progresses.
That looks like the same picture I posted of the camo painted CAT excavator at work... :cool2
I'm gonna wish I had that camo Cat I'm sure, after my old Ford breaks in half digging at the squillionth( Squizzy talk for "alot" ) stump.
I figured that you were already there with the Camo Cat giving Jeff a hand.
He is look at the second pic you can see the trees leaning that he's pushing on.
Theres gonna be a power pole in the middle of the driveway. :wink2 This coming a guy who can spot future issues before they happen, in his sleep.
Nah, that's a big grade stake.
Good one Jeff, keep the pics coming. So your gunna knock those pinus crapus trees down then get out your axe and build a log cabin? I can just hear Jeff singing now.... I'm a lumberjack and I'm Ok.....
I was just gonna push that pole over too!:beatsme They say call before you DIG . I figured if the power wires are up above, they're fair game then..............no?? You can see two yellow lines painted in the dirt, that's the tentative edges of the drive. Orchard, there's plenty of room for a Kubota and a Komatsu on this job too, ya know. My Brother in law is gonna bring over a wheel loader he just took ownership of too. It's a real oddball. A RayGo articulating loader. I'd never seen one previous too this one. I've seen Raygo rollers and graders, but not wheel loaders.:beatsme
I'm gonna try and pawn those trees off on someone. You need some firewood Squizzy? :naughty
Well, nothing spectacular to report yet, but a quick update. Had to change locations for the house and drive because of zoning issues and not enough road frontage so................ Here's the "new" driveway location. I've now staked it out. Will be 20ft wide, with ditches both sides. Second is the wooded area I've to clear for the drive. Dropped about a third of the trees so far. Will finish that and be pulling stumps this week-end. Should have pics that finally contain equipment working by then.
How far are you gonna have to pull line to supply power to the house now? I like that spot better. Is it gonna be up on the hill or further down? Do you have it done yet.......do ya......huh, huh.......do ya....
Just a little while longer ............. I said just a little while longer ............OK he is just starting. Hey you know what the monkey said when the train ran over his tail? * * * * * * * It wont be long now
:laugh
About 250ft. It'll be coming off the highway behind my place. Long story short, he couldn't build on his land because of a lack of road frontage. Needed 200ft minimum, so he's gonna build on the other side of my property which borders the highway. I'm making this drive go all the way across the property and his driveway will branch off it just on the inside of those trees, with the house all the to the right (first pic, my last post)tippy top of hill. It'll be alot easier for the building the house. I cleared that area a few years ago. The drive is gonna be a pain cuz it drops down to the highway while also slightly traversing a hill sideways and I want it wide enough for the semi. My old man tugged a few of the stumps out today with the Farmall while I was at work. Said they came out real easy. Must not have great root systems. Dozer will be on the job tomorrrow morning going after the rest of em'. I'd heard that one before, but it was the monkey getting his tail caught in a mower that did it.
Today: First pic show's some "pulling" of stumps. I'm sure it's frowned upon, but.....anyhoo, it's the way we did many of em'. Second, dragging trees to the burn pile. Third thru ? pics, pushed over the trees that leaned towards road, cuz we couldn't saw them down.
A couple more. They're all down now, just need to finish dragging them off, and then start cutting into the hill.
Go Jeff..Go sure is a nice looking little JD350 ya got there . Looks like you're off to a good start, now just keep the big MO on your side. And fore ya know it you'll be inside looking out
Looks like fun, if you were closer I'd bring mine over and join in. Of course, I don't have the cool sweeps so it wouldn't look as "at home" in the woods as the 350. Good job!:thumbsup
Cool Jeff, keep the photo's up. Going to be nice to look back at a photo album when the home is built.
Thanks guys!:thumbsup It wasn't a completely good day. My old man came to me and said the Farmall's clutch started slipping. He'd been pulling stumps and trees around with it for acouple days,so............ Neither a main clutch or torque amplifier clutch adjustment fixed it either. The old girl's been real good to me for along time, so she's going too see the Farmall doctor Monday. Had to push it on the trailer with the dozer. I wish you lived closer Wrenchbender. This type of repair is probobly right up your alley. It's alittle too big of a repair for me. They're gonna have to split the tractor. Something I've never done, and don't really have time to learn right now. Oh, the fun of owning old stuff.:cool2
Sorry to hear about the Farmall but that ain't as bad as it sounds Jeff the worst part with this job would be the fastners in the sheet metal. They tend ta get a little rusty or wallered out with age. I used to use a dolly I built to seperate farm tractors now I just swing the engine end and carry the rear away with the forklift. While the doc is in there get him to check for a leaking rear main seal on the engine and/or leaking input shaft seal on the trans. This is the best time to repair either or both. Also look at the flywheel and check for hot spots/cracks if it shows signs of either have it trued or the new clutch life will be shortened greatly.
Jeff, :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup
Thanks, will do!! I'm thinking it's possibly broken clutch spring/s. The pedal seemed alittle easier to push than it use too. Hopefully it didn't heat up the flywheel too much when it started slipping. I'd planned on using it to drag the two bottom plow through where we needed to cut, just to help loosen things up. Hopefully he'll have time to get it fixed soon. Not the end of the world if he doesn't. We've alternatives. Also, thanks Squizzy.:drinkup
Today: Pushing the brush, stump, etc to the pile. Uphill................both ways. I was impressed with how much could be moved at once, as long as I kept the blade on the ground. If it came up even slightly, the whole push went to crap. Last pic: time for a break! Got an estimate for the Farmall clutch. $600-700 complete. I thought that was very fair, considering the amount of work. Said they'de get it done this week, Woo-hoo!!:thumbsup
Looks like all the work you put into your dozer paid off there Mr. Jeff. :thumbsup How much more clearing you gotta do?
Not much more. I've three stumps that'll need some help from the backhoe, and finish pushing all the brush away. Then I can start moving dirt. I'll need to put in 2 culverts also, and bring in some class 5. The drive, hole for the house, and some landscaping are the big parts for me too accomplish. I'm still doing alright time wise, so far. We're still waiting on estimates for pouring the foundation, and doing the septic. We're really hoping we don't have to go with a mound system, I think we might be ok with just a gravity system.:beatsme
An expert, when it comes to marking stakes, showed up on the job today. He checked out what I'd done already, but marked a few other spot's where he thought a stake should've been.
Nice pics! Looks like a fun job.:thumbsup
That is one trick looking 350 there Jeff,love it!!! Ron G
Hey Jeff, The JD looks great, well done. On another note I was wondering if you had any compaction tests done yet??..you know.....to see wether it'll hold up??.... rolleyes: ) for... when.... naughty :naughty :naughty ) you bring in the truck...... to..... Nail all your own stakes !!:lmao :lmao :lmao ( ooooh..Ize cracking myself up on that one )
Thanks Lashlander, Ron, and Squizzy! A "compaction test"? Umm, I can just use a turkey thermometer and poke it into the ground to get that number, right?:beatsme (on edit) I checked, it's at 70 degrees F compaction right now. Is that pretty good then?
Or you can just wait for the red button to pop up when its done. What, no pictures today....:cool2
Nooo! Those things are notoriously inaccurate. I like to do things the right way, CB. My turkey thermometer is accuate to those little lines between each of the numbers, giving me a more consistant reading on computation or whatever Squizzy said.:yup Nope, we have thunderstorms moving through, and it would just be a mess going in there right now.
JeffD wrote" Got an estimate for the Farmall clutch. $600-700 complete. I thought that was very fair, considering the amount of work. Said they'de get it done this week, Woo-hoo!!" Prices differ from place to place even within 50 miles. But the price sounds much like the ones around this area. I know you've heard it before but I'm saying it again "the cheapest ain't always the most economical". I hope they git'er done soon so she can earn her keep. Ya got it looking good so don't slow down. That JD 350 can take the heat if you can. Ya know we're looking for more pics of it in action.:usa
Just hold your big umbrella over the dozer. And if the storm gets too bad park under one of the really tall trees 'til it passes. What could possibly happen? Wait, do I smell something burning?...
Wrenchbender, I spoke too soon on the Farmall. I'd gotton an estimate before it was pulled down. Gotta call today AFTER it was pulled down and the torque amplifier is out. Plus two of the splined shafts are almost un-splined. TA clutch, ramps-rollers, 2 shafts, seal/gaskets/fluid/blah-blah-blah................right around $2000. The tractor's hardly worth that much, but I use it for so many things, I said go ahead anyways. Oh well?! With my luck, just about anything.:cool2 Here's what I did today. Got the Ford out and dug at some stumps that were putting up some resistance. They really do come out easy doing it that way!!
great pics:cool2
Thanks JDMan! Today: Finished with the stumps, hauling brush, and started cutting in the drive. It has a semblance of a drive now, although still along ways to go.
Nice work Jeff!:usa
Finally.....some real dozer work. opcorn How long did it take you to cut that in? Looks like a pretty good amount of dirt you moved. Did you pile it to the side or spread it in a lower spot? I can getcha a good deal on some rock for that driveway :naughty .......you gotta work out the trucking though. :bouncegri
Thanks Lashlander! About 4.5-5hrs of dozing. It went faster than I expected, although it was all downhill. I pulled out bigger roots etc best I could as they came up, and pushed it to the downhill side. There was alot of clay down about 1-2 ft. Hit some water too. Made it nice for rolling the clay off the blade, but I'm hoping the water is only a vein and not a spring. We'll see if it dries out in that particular spot. Might have to dig it out in that spot if it keeps running and put in some rock for it to drain.:beatsme I've never had to deal with anything like that before. Boy, do I wish!
If it does turn out to be a spring then you can cut a trench about 3 feet deep and fill it with #5 stone, or something course with no fnes in it. Cut from spring discharge to the edge of the driveway, angled slightly down hill. Fill the first 2 feet with the stone and fill the top foot with the native fill. Out here at the quarry there are always underground springs popping up in the roads, up top, not in the pit. They start off as a puddle, then turn into a pot hole. You can fill it in and compact but that doesn't do any good. To fix it, I just do what I said above and have no pot holes any more. The fact you already have a backhoe there will make it real easy. Did I tell ya I can get ya a good deal on some #5 stone.....
The arrow points to where the water was coming out. 3/4rds the way to the top of the hill.:Banghead It was actually running down the drive at one point. Made it nice for working, but I'm worried it might be a problem later. I'm going to put a small ditch on the inside of the drive, so maybe I can have it run into that if it doesn't dry up. :beatsme
That's a good plan!!:thumbsup I know I've lot's of springs on my property too. I've an artesian well that is constantly running. It runs out of a pipe in the casing and into a ditch no matter how much I use it. I'll take a train load. Can I pay ya later though?:notworthy
I'm getting from the picture that the driveway curves abit :beatsme . Might not be best to put the water on the inside of the curve. Really depends how much water it actually puts out, probably just enough to make it mushy. If you put it on the inside of the curve though, it will probably make a bigger mushy spot. Is there a spot at the bottom of the driveway for it too drain? Since your gonna be taking your big truck through there, you definately don't want mushy spots like that. I'd go ahead and get the water going down the hill, see picture below. You outta go into business.......Jeff's Bottled Artesian Water Co.........has a nice ring to it.
Ya got it looking real good Jeff. Now are ya sure that Professional grade stake marker of yours ain't pulling a fast one on ya? And I think CB is on to something about getting the water across the road and down hill away from the inside curve.
Yup, I tried to keep it at the same curve as the hill. I'm putting in a 40' culvert where it meets the road. It continues downhill and goes into a swampy area at the bottom.(off to the right in last pic) :yup It'll probobly dry up now..............I just cut through it's source. Thanks! Mr. Stinky (AKA "the stake marker") never decided to come visit while I was working today though!:beatsme Yeah, I think CB may be right in his advice.
Hey Jeff, it's Saturday now go build a road. It's a beautiful day for a man and his JD to go play........I mean work .Hope it all goes smooth and we're looking foward to the updates.
I did like you said WB, and worked it for near 10hrs today. I can still hear the tracks squeakin' and the motor, in my head. I didn't have alot too show for all that work though. I was pushing farther so it ate up the time. I'm not Deas on a dozer yet, but atleast I'm getting better. Put the culvert in, continued cutting the hill. Finally have the driveway meeting the road, and it's useable. The dog didn't make his way up there today either, but had a doe show up and she was checking me out.
I figured it out, and the lil' dozer uses approx 1.25-1.5 gals/hr diesel, working it hard. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I thought it was pretty good.:beatsme She just keep purring along without a hitch or hiccup. Probobly one of the better pieces of old iron I've bought.:yup Still, I wouldn't have minded having that cable D7 I was contemplating, around right now (had it not a blown final). Could've used the bigger blade, for alot less rounds.
Great looking job Jeff! I would imagine that you have learned a few new tricks since you started this project. Sounds like you are having a blast. Another alternative to CB's solution for draining a spring in your road, is dig your trench across the road starting at the source. Use perforated pipe, laying course gravel ( as CB mentioned, no fines) underneath and a layer on top. You have cut off the source so that problem might be solved. You are going to cut some ditches? Look really nice if you could get all of that loose material away from the tree line. If you are going to do some ditching, once you have the back and foreslopes finished, throw some grass seed and hay on them to stabilize. On edit..I see that you have access to a backhoe. The hoe works great for leveling/smoothing out the loose material in the hard to get at places (around the trees)
You are doing a good job Jeff,that 350 is not a very big machine and certainly was not designed for road building,at least it would not be the first choice for most of us for that job.The fact that it is doing it well is a tribute to John Deere and why their dozers are first choice with so many in their market area. John Deere is the leader in small dozers and has been for many years. You still see a lot of older ones around because they are worth repairing as they are so well liked.You have a friend for life there.Ron G
I didn't have alot too show for all that work though. I was pushing farther so it ate up the time. I'm not Deas on a dozer yet, but atleast I'm getting better Well it looks good from my house The drive meets the road that says a lot right there. The JD is holding up to it's end of the deal very well I really like the 350's. That's one tough little dozer, and those extra trips well they count as practice if you're back dragging to fill low spots on the way up. By the time you finish this job you'll be( in my best Jerry Lewis buck tooth jop-on-eese voice ) first class A#1 operator.
Jeff - looks good. That little ol' JD 350 obviously has a lot of life left in it. :thumbsup As far as the springs go we run into them all the time. In fact one we fixed last year under neath a road last year is still pouring water - even though our rain fall is significantly short this year and we are in stage 3 drought conditions - which means Scotty has radioed the captain and told him "that's all he's got". It's real bad down here. We fixed this rather large marshy spring with 12" of #57 gravel, 4" perf. pipe and filter fabric on the top, bottom and sides. Which brings me to my suggestion to not forget the filter fabric. We use the woven type you use for silt fencing. Dig your trench, lay the fabric in the bottom, dump your stone in and wrap the stone with the fabric - kinda making a "french drain burrito". The fabric will stop any fines infiltrating the stone and stopping it up.
Thanks all! Grader4me-Thanks for the tips. I am going to cut the slope back and dig a shallow ditch on the inside. I'm concerned with the water running down the hill onto & across the drive come springtime(snow runoff). Ron & WB- I agree it's kinda small for the job, but it seems like she's up to the task if I've got the time and patience. A 40year old piece and still being worked hard, as Squizzy would say "without any drama", is a testiment to John Deere's quality.:yup (too me atleast) But wouldn't that be a "first crass operaror" though? CM1995- The filter fabric is an option I was thinking of too, besides just for that wet area. If I were to use it over that whole area where I'd used alot of fill(from highway to near top of hill), would 4" of class 5 ontop be enough to stabilize, you think? My concern is that I really have alot of clay there. I'll have to check on it's pricing. Something else I've thought about is that layer of clay probobly runs up the whole hill, and to me, all the water that makes it though the ground anywhere above is gonna follow that layer of clay downward and end up on the driveway eventually, now that I've cut through that layer.:beatsme
Using Filter Fabric My 02 cents concerning filter fabric. First an example...We had a section of road about 1/8 of a mile long that had mostly clay for a base. In the spring time this section would pretty much turn upside down, making it near impassible. First we ditched both sides having good fore slopes. Then we laided filter fabric over the whole area and covered with 2 feet of gravel. This was about 15 years ago and there has never been a problem sense. Not even a wet spot. Just make sure that you get plenty of cover over it. Also when pushing the gravel onto it, try and keep it from bunching up. We have also tryed this in other spots (short sections) and we wasn't as careful pushing the gravel onto it, and it had bunched up, and this combined with not enough cover(4 to 5 inches), I would eventually catch it with the grader:Banghead So the moral of the story is this stuff works great if done properly. It will keep the clay from working it's way to the surface. I think that it would do the trick for you. Again ,this is only from what I have seen work for us.
Let's not confuse our goetextiles by using a generic name... The discussion of "filter fabric" caught my attention. The type CM is talking about for dealing with the spring water, and the type G4me is talking about for keeping the subbase stable might be two different animals. Just so Jeff doesn't call a supplier and order something that's not exactly what he's looking for, here's a good read on the different types of fabrics, and what they do: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/stewardship/accessroads/geotextiles.htm On edit: I Googled for geotextiles, and found the information above directly, but looking at it now, the whole site seems like it has lots of good information: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/stewardship/accessroads/accessroads.htm
Great links digger. The fabric I am talking about is the "woven" type. Here is a link. Wouldn't this also be the type that CM is talking about?
Sorry but I mis-typed the fabric I was talking about. It's a non-woven type fabric used in silt fencing and underneath temp. construction entrances. It's this type http://www.usfabricsinc.com/media/products/US160NW.pdf . The drainage application shown in the diagram is what I am talking about. The non-woven type is designed to keep the fines out and the gravel in. My suggestion was to use it only to wrap the "french drain" installed to divert the spring away. We have installed a couple 1000LF using it and #57 stone to divert ground water underneath a fill. Digger's right there is a big assortment of "filter fabrics". There are many types of fabric and grids for all sorts of different applications. Geo-grid, which I believe is a trade name of Tensar, is what we use for ground stabilization and anchoring segmented block walls like Keystone. It's a very strong plastic fiber and very expensive. Here's a link http://www.tensarcorp.com/index.asp?id=70 . I have seen projects where they have used this and a couple ft of stone to make a road over a swamp - for the power company of course, who else could get the Corps permit.
What we call "filter fabric" is more of a felt, we use it to cover crushed stone in drain lines, and leach lines that sort of thing. We call the road stabilization fabric "marifi" I think that is a company that makes it. There are 2 different weights that we use. 600 and 1200(I dont know what it means). The 1200 is much more heavy, a 12' full roll is almost too much for two people. We use the road stabilization fabric a lot, it is really incredible stuff. For what it costs its worth it for piece of mind, especially in any area in question. Great pics by the way Jeff!! You're soing a great job!
Thanks guys, for the info and the links! I've some reading and reseach to do now. My main concern for using the fabric was to keep the class 5 and clay seperated (when it gets wet and swishy) and for stabilizing the road abit.
Oh, me and my big mouth!!:Banghead I powerwashed out the UC the other day, and found some shiny marks on the side of the left drive sprocket.:beatsme The left rear roller had excessive side play, and was rubbing the sprocket. Pulled it out and found the 4 bolts which center the roller had come out on one side. One broken off flush. I'll get it back together ASAP, and continue with the driveway pronto-ly............er no, with great pronto-ness:beatsme With urgent pronto-liness, yeah!!:cool2 I'm blaming you Pete "kc5gxc" ( I'm not really ). It was all your talk of bad rollers that caused this.:wink2
Look at the bright side....you caught it and repaired it before any further damage was done!
This is very true! I had sticker shock when I found out how much just the new seals and bushings were going to be for it. More than a complete roller for the Komastu D20's and 21's.
Is that genuine JD stuff/prices Jeff. I know for most all that gear is available aftermarket and its generally where the manufacturer gets the stuff anyway. On the 248B the relay for the fuel pump was fitted upside down so it collected water everytime I pressure cleaned. It crapped out on a job and I didn't have time to fix it....a phone and the Cat truck materialised....$358.00!! for a call out, a fuse and a 12 volt relay. I found the same relay yesterday for $28.00.....I'm thinking about going into business.
Yup, it is. Well, maybe, I'll pick the parts up tomorrow and see for sure. They're spose be "Genuine". Yeah, no kidding!! Well, unless there's a mistake and I'm getting a set of seals and bushings with each part #, the two bushings and seals for this one roller are $270. I didn't know this until after I ordered them, otherwise I would've been doing some checking on aftermarket parts, like you mentioned. I'll have a talk with the parts guy and see "whats up" with those prices, or if there was a mistake. I'm use to big prices for truck parts but these JD prices are completely ridiculous, if they're correct.:Banghead
I went to the JD dealer Sat morning to pick up my parts and check on the parts pricing issue. The parts were still not in, but I now have an idea why the prices are so out of whack, and why I'm having trouble even getting them. The 2 seals and bushings for the 1 roller were indeed $277. The roller design was changed and my roller has been long since obsolete. To get the original roller parts was going to be expensive($277) as the seal are an uncommon design (and made up 75% of the price) I can buy an updated genuine JD complete repalcement roller for $223, and they said a foreign made one for even less.(waiting for that price from them) The parts guy was understanding at why I was upset, and did seem to be interested in finding me a more cost effective solution, so I'm perfectly willing to continue to work with them. They've no problem returning what I've already ordered and ordering a complete roller instead. A complete rollers seems to be the way to go, and is alittle more inline $$ wise, to what I'd expect.
Definately a good choice. Seems you were looking at a good deal of money either way but I think the choice you made will benefit you later when it comes time to rebuild the roller. :thumbsup So we get to see more pictures now.....:beatsme
You will, you will, but I've nothing new worth posting right now. I still gotta truck 5-6 days/wk, and doing this job is only in my "free time". There's not much left over after the trucking...............and keeping my equipment running. on edit( and sweezing in some quality "HEF" time:wink2 ) But soon!!
Why yes Mr. Jeff, thats a excellent idea.......trucking pictures would be great.... Are the rest of your rollers in good shape? I ask because maybe you could get a discount if you bought a certain quantity. :beatsme
I don't have too many of them kind.:beatsme I double checked the rest-o-them and they were all good. The one that went bad was only cuz those bolts backed out. If'n I knew beforehand I'd have only ordered one seal, that's all that needed replacement. I pounded out the bushings and ruined the other seal removing it, not knowing they were made outta gold and unicorn horn till after. ointhead
I haven't seen any evidence of that yet....
Well, how about "It keeps me outta the bar" then??
Jeff, I just took a look on Heavyquip for roller part #AM2008T. They sell it for $163.64 not sure who it is made by.
Ok, thanks!! The dealer's gonna call me tomorrow AM with a price for a foreign made one, and then I'll decide which way to go, genuine or aftermarket, from them or order elsewhere. Thanks for the heads up.:thumbsup
Well someone will have to correct me if I am wrong here but I believe Berco makes John Deere undercarriage. So in my opinion OEM from deere is really aftermarket to begin with.
Huh, I didn't know that. I just thought they made their own. The part#AM2008T you gave is for the original style roller that my machine has too. I checked it out and Heavyquip has it in stock. The part # JD changed it too was AT174436, which Heavyquip didn't have in stock. I wouldn't care if I got the older style though, if they've lasted as long as they have so far. Have you ordered from Heavyquip before? Are they quick shipping? Any complaints, positive feedback about them?
Jeff,you will NEVER forgive yourself if you put a chinese roller under there!!!!Ron G
I have never ordered anything from them since they are only 1 1/2 hours from me. So can't help you on whether they are good on shipping or not.
Ron, you'll be proud of me. I put American made parts back in it, not quite all back together yet though. JBL, thanks for the help too. I have Heavyquip's link in my list of favorites now. I'll check with them on future parts.
I AM proud of you Jeff and the dozer will thank you for it too.Just replacing that one roller will make a difference in the way the machine rides,especially if your tracks were loose.You will continue to be pleased with it and your choice of dozers,you could have done much worse.Ron G
Thanks Ron! I got her all back together, and continued on this job. Today, First pic: Removed the sod/topsoil. Second: Pushed topsoil to low area, and started cutting. Third: Same. Forth: Far as I got today. Had deer hanging around all day too. ( they're lucky it's not hunting season! )
Looking good! :thumbsup
The deer know it's not hunting season,they ain't foolin' me!! You are doing good there Jeff,I went to an auction yesterday,more like a tag sale really.I was looking for some grab hooks etc as it seems like all the chains I have left have no hooks on them and I need to pick the motor off of my boat so I can put a new transom and floor in it.Anyway,the guy had a 350B for sale and was asking 9k for it,it looked pretty good from a distance but I didn't look too close because I don't want to tease myself.I got all the parts I needed,two handfuls for 5 bucks and I set the price.Ron G
Jeff, the deer are looking for your veggie garden. Fresh dirt = fresh veggies in thier eyes/ umm noses I mean. Any way glad to see the JD back at work and doing such a fine job to boot. :usa
You're doing a great looking job there Jeff. Looking at your pictures I can visualize a big old grader doing the trimming up work for you. Looks like you're getting pretty slick on er now, so maybe a grader isn't required? You say(earlier post) that you are going to cut some small ditches as well? Did you make a decision about using filter fabric?
Looking good Jeff! There doesn't seem to be too much stone in your soil there, does it get muddy quick? Deer are very curious creatures. When I was building my house, I was up on scaffold doing the siding under lights. I had a weird feeling I was being watched (I was alone 900 feet from the road) and turned around to find 6 doe just standing there watching what I was doing about 20 feet away!!
Looking good Jeff. :thumbsup I think the expanded metal on the back of the ROPS would be a good place to mount a gun rack.
Thanks everyone for the comments! My plans currently are to put a small ditch on the west side of the drive(right in last pics) the whole length. The east side has enough slope away I "think" it'll be ok. I've also still to cut the bank back with the backhoe in the section I'd done earlier, and a culvert where it'll connect to my current drive. I'm planning on using the farbic for atleast the section of hill I did earlier, where it meets the road in the wooded area, possibly more. You're right, there is very little stone. It does get muddy quick too. My plans are to put 4" of class 5 over the whole drive, with the fabric under the first 200ft, which I "hope" will be sufficient.:beatsme I may add some pit run first over the fabric before the class 5 to give adaquate depth in that area. :cool2 But a branch might knock the safety off and pull the trigger. One of the deer came pretty close the other day (75ft maybe). I decided to see if I could get it closer by laying down on my back in the grass. If I was looking directly at it, it wouldn't come closer, but every time I looked at the sky, and kept talking loudly it would inch it's way closer. If I turned to look though, it would stop. Look away, it came closer. Finally it must have got as close as it felt comfortable, and that was it. I was laying there watching it, and it started to make whistling noises through it's nose, and stomping one front leg on the ground. For a second I "thought" by it's actions it might charge me, so I got up on all four, incase I needed to run. It then turned and slowly walked away, but it turned back every 20ft or so to look at me. I'm not sure what it was signaling by it's action. I thought it was a doe, I didn't see any spikes on it, but thought that type of behaviour was something a buck would probobly do.
You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of your "closeness with nature" would you. A doe will show the same behavior you describe if they feel cornered or have young close by. They are far less likely to charge, unlike a buck, but will show some of the same behaviors. Having said that, I think I have spent too much time watching instead of putting meat in the freezer. :drinkup
Sorry I didn't have the camera with at the time. Me too. I haven't gone hunting in a few years now. It falls during my busy time at work. Plus I need a new scope for the 30-06. Took it off to put on the 10-22 for plinking. It doesn't have any iron sights for backup either.
Time to put this thread to bed. Well, this thread was spose to end with a driveway, house and all the fixin's, but sadly it'll have to stop here. Figured I'd give it some closure. I'll finish the driveway up next year, maybe. I don't really care about it anymore. The rest of the project, house, septic, well, are all cancelled. We were building it for my parents, but on July 24th my father had a seizure. Docotor's found a brain tumor. It's since been removed, but he's not in great shape. He still can't speak in sentances, only a word or two. His right arm doesn't work, right leg barely works, and he still can't walk on his own. So, their current house is gonna have to be home for them from here on out. I've been busy building wheelchair ramps, and doing interior mods to it in anticipation of him eventually getting out of the hospital and returning home. I guess you never can tell what life's gonna bring sometimes. I did get time learning/operating my dozer on this project, so I guess it did help me alittle with experience that way. (the only "bright side" of this whole #%@&^ thing!! )
Jeff, so sorry to hear this. You're right, life can turn on a dime. My thought are with you and your family.
So sorry to hear that Jeff. Sometimes life sucks. Things that we think are important become nothing in times like this.
Sorry to hear this Jeff,life has its trials and tribulations.We all have to deal with these things at some point.Thanks for sharing.You have memories of better days that noone can take away.Ron G
Jeff, My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Joe
Jeff I’m so sorry to her of this. Life dose suck when it decides to take a turn for the worst and knocks you down like this. The most important things stop and become nothing but a memory and the furthest thought in your mind now is the most important thing. Jeff I know how you feel as I went through some life changing events with my Grand Father and brother and now as I type this I’m going through some with my dad. My thoughts and prayers are with you and you family. Mike
Jeff, I'm very sorry to hear this you and family are in my thoughts and prayers. I also have been through some of these things it's been some years ago now. I guess the main thing that kept me going through it at the time was all the great memories of good times. And I still look back and smile at a lot of the strange and crazy stuff my parents did to make us kids happy.
Thank you all for the thought's and prayers. It really is appreciated!!
Jeff, The same thing happened to my Grand-pa. He actually was totally paralyzed on his right side. He made a full recovery & did real well for 3 more years. His recovery is not common, bit it CAN happen. Don't give up.
Very sorry to hear that Jeff. I hope your father gets well , sounds like your taking good care of him. Good luck . doug
Thanks smalltime! My Dad was also completely paralyzed on his right side after the operation, even his face. It's slowly coming around, so maybe he'll be ok with enough time. Thanks again, and Thanks to you also Digdug!! We appreciate all the thought's.
sorry to hear about that hope everything gets better thoughts and prayers are with you and your family
Thank you for that 4x4ford!
Jeff, sorry to hear about that
nice pics