was told when i finish this quad waterline that would be it for the year..we are really slow here in the central valley..hate to leave the company but might have to look around a little..theres other equipment in here but i'm a digger so i'll post it here
couple more
Hate to hear it, how long have you got left on this project, maybe something else will turn up:beatsme
Man those are the nicest trenches I've seen. perfectly straight, I can never dig in a perfectly straight line, what's the trick?! Nice work and pictures
Having a well marked out CL helps alot I've found. Knowing where your boom sits in relation to your cab and tracks is what it comes down to in the end. If your tracks are lined up nice then the boom is in the right line. Usually what I do is every time I back up I spin around so my cab (me in the seat) is dead center between the tracks. Then I fix where I'm sitting on my CL. Mad Max may have a trick of two of his own, I'm eager to see what he does.
The last two posts in this thread explain a lot about keeping it straight.
It is almost embarrassing to see that beautiful trench until you see the bucket he is using to dig it with. As with any trench keeping it on the centerline is the key but the results with that bucket is artistic.I am not taking anything away from the highly skilled operator but the end product would be almost impossible with that bucket.It is a joy to look at.Thanks for the pics.Ron G
Ditch Nice ditch Reddot556.
Kudous to the crew working on that project appears they are all doing what they are supposed to be doing excellent. That does look like some ideal soil conditions to work in. Lately here we have 2 2" pumps running all day to just see the bottom of oue excavation and then its digging and grading in muck.
your right ron..the trap bucket does all the pretty work. ive seen some guys use it in such a way as to have all the lines on the sides connect..even when your real deep and your sloping over 2 buckets tall...i'm not that patient..i just give them lotsa legal usable ditch. dirtman 2000: no trick really..i use a track line..not a center line..can't dig worth a damn with one...anyhow, get yourself lined up on your trackline and make sure you have a painted mark or a dirt clod or something that lets you know where center is..put your bucket right on center then i look down with my eyes at the front of my track..as long as the machine is in that posistion when your wanting to dig to the center..grading pass,etc.. you should be good..now when you start your next set and you want to tie in the current pass with the previous one i check my track spot with my eyes and just pull straight back...sometimes soil conditions aren't so good, rock or hardpan..and when you pull it tends to kinda move around some. thats when i dig a little wider so my pipelayers can lay it sraight even if i can't dig it straight..nice level right of way is very important too!
reddot i take it you dig with the V-Bucket then switch over to the standard bucket and just keep moving down? i have never seen a bucket like that, pretty neat
dirt digger: yea, bucket change every set..it does get boring, not to mention that 1500ft strtch of w/l to dig...twice!!!..and my radio is broke!!!!
That makes sense. I've never really had the oportunity to dig a nice straight ditch in a field before. I've always had to dig around trees that had to be saved and it always throughs your trench outa line. Thanks for the tips though.
broken radio?....sounds like the Peterbilt I drove 2-3 days a week over the summer..what a boring day
I'm lucky enough to have a (working) radio w/ cd player. I leave my Sirius satellite radio in my hoe and then I stash an iPod with noise cancelling headphones in my glovebox of my car in case I end up on another machine for the day. The iPod will save your life (or your sanity anyways) my friend.
geese vt where do you keep the microwave,coffee pot and flat panel big screen tv? ya the tunes are nice to keep the nerves calm.
It's tough but I get by with my heated/cooled cup holder On long haul days I'll either read my Maxim magazine or watch videos on my iPod (someday, maybe someday they will give me more trucks).
no matter how many trucks you get u will never be happ. i saw ur new video last night u would need alot i mean alot of trucks to keep u happy hahahahah