Here's my current project. It consists of back filling some 51,000 ft. of open trench. These trenches were dug in order to locate and map any current earthquake faults. They range from 10'-17' deep. The entire project covers 26,000 acres which requires a 4x4 about 80% of the time. The location is N/O I-10 Just before you drop down into Indio. Make sure you honk when you go by.:drinkup
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Looking good....I assume your owner/operator?? How well does that CAT push that sand?? Also what model I can't make it out. Nice Dodge btw......
I was going to say the same thing. I'm a Ford guy, but I must admit a lot of the new dodges look really nice as well.:thumbsup :thumbsup
Yah those new Dodges are looking good. They're a nice truck my buddy bought a 3500 SRW Cummins with the MegaCab. Inside its like the GM Durmax how quiet it is!!!!! BTW I was at a trade show & they had the Dodge 4500. Looked like a nice work truck. Now Ford has some competition with the F450/F550's. (GM's 4500/5500 does not compare when you're looking for a small but powerful commercail vehcile to work in heavy residentail areas......)
I do own a 430 Cat rubber tired hoe. It stays busy with a local water well drilling company that in with. This D8R belongs to ECCO EQ. Corp. They pay me my wages + pay for and maintain my 06 3500. Anything that goes into, on or gets used or worn out on my truck they pay for. In return, I work every day that I want to work and take excellent care of their investment. Any minor repairs that may occur, I take care of. Yeah, I know its a fat deal I have going on. But it didn't happen over night. I'll say, over the last 6 years, we both have maid each other lots of $ :drinkup
Thats a VERY nice deal...don't f it up
Looks like you will be busy for a while. Back filling. Congrats on the deal you got with the company.:drinkup Nice looking machine you got there. It looks pretty new. Is it? Also good looking truck. I had a 05 Dodge LWB Quad Cab with the Cummins in it but I sold it for 2 reasons. 1 was it was wrecked in to 3 times in one year. 2 was I needed the extra money to help my grand mother out at the time with some medical bills. God rest her soul.
And NO! I did'nt hit anything :cool2 http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2024345384
What in the hell is there a ripper on the tractor for. That stuff looks like it would be a dream to dig in compared to the crap that I have here.
UM..... It's easier to leave them on than take them off... And you'd be surprised out here. First theres the sand which covers up the cobble, bigger cobble, boulders, bigger boulders till you hit the blue granite. :Banghead Besides, rippers look cool :cool2
Good pics!:thumbsup How long ago were the trenches dug. Looks like a while ago. Also looks like you could use some rain. I'd sure like to send some of ours down.:drinkup I love those kind of jobs. No one around to bug you or slow you down, just get after it.
Some of them have been open for as long as 6-8 months. They are the ones I'm working on now. As I head north or toward the mountains, I'll run into newer trenches. You can use Goggle Earth and it shows great shots of the site. Also shows the site across the freeway I finished 2 years ago. Dillon Rd. @ I-10 will put you there.
End of a long night. :cool2
Good pics Pete. :thumbsup What are they planning to do with the land after you level it out?
After the geologists submit their report to the owners, they will then decide where they can or can't build. It's all relative as to where the active earthquake faults are. As the pictures below show, the trenches are the only way of pinpointing exactly where an active fault is. I know that this survey alone was over $1 million. If there is any development out here, it's still years off.
Pete, curious as to how the undercarriages on the 8's hold up in the sandy conditions. We don't have sand that fine up here, but there are places that are pretty darn close and we've buried wheeled machines in it. Just curious how many hours you're getting out of undercarriage components. BTW, darn nice truck and the pics are great!
It's hard for me to give you an accurate number. Reason being.... when I finish with the R, there's no telling where it will go. The company I work for rents equipment all over California. It could end up on the coast or up North. One never knows? The same goes for me. I could be on a excavator or another dozer or loader somewhere. I mostly end up on the kind of jobs that require you to have a 4x4, tools, fluids and lots of fuel. Fortunately for me, I can get by if repairs are needed and carry just over 200 gallons of fuel. That said, I end up where a mechanic and , or lube truck are unable to go. And knock on wood, I stay real busy all year long. I'll get with someone at the shop regarding your question. As for the truck, it's just another tool that helps me make a living. I've put just over 50,000 miles on it in 12 months and burned close to $12,000.00 of company fuel. With them maintaining it and taking care of any payments/expenses, I'll gladly go to where ever it is they ask of me. :cool2
Nice pics! Sweet truck! How often do you have to clean/replace the air filter in the dozer? Looks like it would be very dusty!
I blow both cabin and engine air filters once a day. Fuel is expensive, so every little bit helps. :cool2
how do you blow the engine filters without taking a chance of blowing a hole through them?
We always just use a blow gun and blow from the inside out, it blows all of the crap out, never seen one tear yet. We do ours when we service (every 100 hrs) unless its bad dusty, then we'll do it more frequently.
keyword "yet"
I only blow the primary filter. Messing with the secondary filter is a sin... isn't it? I always change all filters when ever I do a service @ 250 hrs. which is based on oil sample results. In conditions like I'm working in, I'll probably change the primary filter much sooner. During a service, I replace both the primary (big one) and secondary(little one) air filters with new ones. The secondary is always stays clean (white). If for some reason the primary was to get a tear in it, I'd know as soon as I pulled the cover. That's where the secondary filter saves your rear. BTW, I only use about 50psi when ever I blow a filter. The ground is so dry that I've chosen to work nights instead. People wont complain about dust they cant see. :naughty :naughty At around 4-5 hrs, the cabin filter is packed. So they both get cleaned twice a shift. In 28 years, the only time I've ever blown a hole in a filter was when it was wet. Oh well....It needed to be replaced anyways. While some may disagree, I've never had an engine failure on a machine that I operated and serviced due to sand entering the intake. :cool2
Or you can come over here and put a new air filter in every 1-2 hours...either that or you have to a real bad boy and blow your filter out. Sorry I not entirely made of money!.
I spoke with our shop supervisor tonight and asked him. On average, 4500-5000 hrs. before everything falls apart. And that's using Cat parts. Sand will eat up an U.C. almost as fast as rock. Keep in mind that we often end up in the absolute worst of conditions, and get paid well for it. :drinkup Well enough that there seems to always be a new machine being delivered to one of our yards. How they do it? I'll never know. :beatsme Some how, It must all work out. :yup
Hellooo Squizzy. I think this topic was discussed before. I mean blowing out filters..not about how much money you have One question...If you have a restriction guage/minder for your air filter, do you go by this when determining it is time to blow out your filter?
Yes, its been discussed quite a bit...unfortunatley some people don't understand we simply have no option. Nope...well, I used to look after some Detroit 149's and the indicators were about as useful as a sock full off...... err....we found the filters could be well clagged with oil and soot when the hours got high between rebuild and they'd start chewing diesel...the indicator would be in the green but we'd change the filters and the exhaust temps would come down along with fuel consumption. So I guess I don't really trust them in all conditions. Here when its really dusty we just check more often....4 times a day is not unusual in summer. Get out, bounce the filter on a tyre and then blow from the inside out. In the 248B I can tell when its bad because the engine just starts to loose its edge...the revs come up slower when you floor it. We tried oil foam reuseables but they were clogging up in no time and costing us more in cleaning. I use a degreasing gun cause of the larger nozzle and set the reg on the compressor about 35 psi. Enough Hi-jackery
Thanks Squizzy...Back to the original topic...
Sounds like us up here. The eastern side of WA state is considered a desert, it's sandy, but like I said not as bad as what you're dealing with in Cali. 6,000 hours is about as much as a dozer would get out of an undercarriage up here, seen some with 7,000-8,000 but those machines are basically waiting to fall apart.
Wow, it sure would be nice to get that many hours out of an undercarriage. On average we get about 1000 to 1500 hours out of our undercarriages before everything needs to be replaced. Brian
1500 hrs? I don't feel so bad now. :cool2
No kidding IIRC we got 4K out of our 8R and 6500 out of our JD1050. The JD spent 3 weeks running 24/6 on the beach and it was so shot I couldn't even get it to turn without digging in with one of the corner bits. Pete so do you only work a night most of the time it looks like your in the dark?
That depends.... This week has been real busy for me. I have been doing work at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival again this year. Maintaining about 10 reefer units and 5 fork lifts. This takes me about 3-4 hrs a day, gets me anywhere and everywhere the concert and the Ca$h isn't bad. I'm done by 9-10:00 am. The reason for the night work is mostly due to the dust I make. As I move away from the freeway, the dust will be less noticeable. My side gig will also be finished in another week. As long as I have 40 hrs of rental time, everyone is happy. They don't care when I work, as long as I have 40 hrs. I can do 4 10's, day or night, what ever I want. it makes no difference. I could even go right now If I felt like it. :cool2
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Here is a silly question for you.How do you get back to your truck at the end of your shift?It looks like you could be a mile away from your truck after 8 hours of backfilling.I don't breathe too well and I can't see me trying to walk all the way back to my pickup at the end of the day in that darn sand.I work alone a lot too,or used to when I was working.Ron G
Thats the fun part! When I did the project across the freeway two years ago, there were days where I actually spent 3-4 hrs alone moving my truck/tractor up. Thats all part of this type of job. With the temperature climbing well above 100 deg's, I try to plan my moves early in the morning before the sun comes up. One thing to always remember is to bring plenty of water with you. Red Wing Boots + sand = a very thirsty man. And lets not forget about the snakes... Just imagine, getting paid to exercise ! :cool2
Boy that is a nice deal ya got going, except for the exercise part. I think I would get a tow cable snag the loop with the rippers and pull my truck for the next move . That sand sure put a nice shine on that blade I’ve never got one looking that nice.
Great pics, out of curiosity do yoiu know what that thing rents for?
great pictures,your dozer looks a tough machine in the sand.
Looks like you've earned yourself a nice job there, flexi-time, new iron, new truck, little or no supervision :drinkup Just an observation... that track looks awfully tight in the last picture compared with some earlier photos. Is that just the way its parked or is there some packing in that material?
That’s why he takes his daughter to work with him. She runs the dozer and he moves the truck.
Yeah... on average...$240.00 per hr. Thats operated and maintained. The price may vary some depending on the customer, site conditions and what kind of deal those in the "Lets Make A Deal" department come up with. The customer always pays up front for move in and permits. :cool2
I saw that... It's just the way it was parked. Each and every time I climb off..... for whatever reason, I always walk around my machine looking for any bubu's, owies or signs of impending breakage. :cool2
Great Idea! rofessor
Finally !!!!:bouncegri I'll be finished with the canyon I've been working in today. These were some of the longest, deepest trenches. The longest was about 3/4 of a mile with smaller trenches running of at 90's. Those ranged from 100-300'. I would leave my truck at about the 1/2 way point. Every day has been a struggle just to get to my dozer. At the top of the canyon, the backfilling is much slower. Thanks to the rock.:Banghead Yep, theres rock in them there hills. Today I'll finish up then head for the next canyon to the east. Much of the time will be spent walking back to get my truck. BTW, I've found it to be a royal p.i.t.a to pull my truck out of a rut when I'm the one in the dozer doing the pulling. I would have taken pictures for you all to enjoy but by that time I was ready to explode. :nono I had better get back up to the trenches... :cool2
Up at the top. :cool2
Heading back down . :cool2
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Home....Sweet Home..... At the 1/2 way point looking up. :cool2
I thought I'd share some pics of this back pack I picked up for about $20.00 at Costco. Its made by High Sierra and if you need a place for stuff, things and whatchamacallits, it works out real well. It's even got a water thingy on the inside that has another water/straw/hose gizmo on the outside that you drink out of. Water actually stays cool all day long. Don't ask me how, but it works. It's got enough straps, loops and hooks that it's fairly easy to secure it somewhere on the tractor. Oh yeah, it does you no good when you are up at the top working to find that you left your lighter below in your truck. I should have put a few in the pack!:duh And I don't care how hard you try, you cant light a cig by holding it against the turbo! Not on this Cat! :cool2
Great pictures. I love the one head on of the blade. Just cool.:notworthy Nice looking bag you picked up there. I think I might have to get one foe my self. Looks like it works well. What did you do, forget to take your daughter to work? I thought the deal was she ran the dozer and you moved the truck up. Hey Roll Over Pete here is a cold :drinkup one for ya, o hell lets have a few.:drinkup :drinkup :drinkup :drinkup
A couple of paper clip across the battery posts........its a one time shot, cause the paper clip usually melts in two, but it works. Your gonna need something to hold it .....2 small rocks will do. Don't ask me how I know . SO, has anybody watched McGyver recently........
Oh yeah! ointhead Good one. But I loaded her up with 3 spares.....just in case... :cool2
you spent alot of time talking to yourself out there? :beatsme ointhead
That.....and singing to myself... :cool2
Latest Pics... :cool2
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What,no Cat padlocks???Ron G
I would have loved to dig those trenches!! After the last week, I am vowing never to operate a dozer again! I dont have a lot of time in them but the ride on hardpack caliche is backbreaking and kidney bruising. More power to ya!! :notworthy
I just as well leave everything open with a big lit up "Come And Get It" sign if I were to use Cat locks. If I remember right, I think I may have had a Cat lock key well before I even knew what it was for. I know I had a disconnect key by the 7th grade.... part of my drivers/operators training course. FWIW, thanks Massey Sand and Rock..... and I always checked the water and oil first. There....I finally got that one off of my chest..... :cool2
Those Cat locks are pretty tough but I carry a 30" master key that deals pretty well with locks that somebody forgot to bring a key for to avoid shutting the job down. In this area they are sold with a boot on them to keep the nasties out to help avoid freezing etc. I have worked for many companies over the years and those cussed Master laminated locks are found just about everywhere,sometimes the keys will look almost identical but be different.They have special sets of locks sold by the box full with one key and sometimes I have found that a key that I already have will work so I never throw them away when I change jobs. The problem with Cat locks is that they are too large for some equipment,the ubolt will not fit through the hole provided to accept a padlock so you cannot standardize your locks using them if you run other brands.Kinda like the Harley handlebars.:usa I have found that as often as not the contractors install the disconnect key,turn it on and leave it on as policy so if that is the case the Cat doorkey/lockkey is enough to provide plenty of damage if the carrier so desires. As long as you checked the oil and water I am sure they would not have minded,glad you got that off of your chest. Ron G
cool job. you should buy a small dirtbike or somthin that you can strap to the ripper, then ride it back to your truck. LOL
Yeah... Oops??? What ih the Sam Hill did I just back over? :beatsme :cool2
And getting stuck get real old real fast! It was only slightly over 100 degs. today :drinkup :drinkup :cool2
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What I'd give for 1 day out in that 8. Just me and the machine. We had a job doing an orchard removal like that last spring. It was way out of town, a good 15 minutes out in the sticks. I was on a 95 acre plot and at times I was completely by myself running our 312. I was out one night until 12AM, 19 hour shift. I miss those days of just getting on a machine and going, no BS, no traffic, just a good day of burnin diesel.
Did you try letting a bunch of air out of your tires, I did see a compressor in the bed right?
Stuck? .........I can still see the tires.
Thats what I ended up doing. The rears were already at 50psi. I lowered the fronts to 50 also...that made a huge difference. Now, I air the fronts down on the way in and air them back up on the way out. It takes a little more of my time but its better than breaking something. :cool2
Stuck = no more forward movement. After I aired down I was able to go on. There is mile after mile of trails like this. If I wanted to break something I could have made it look more stuck? With temps climbing above 100, I just don't feel like digging out under my truck to fix the drive line I just broke from burying my tires. There is still a long way to go. Survival is the key. :cool2
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Nice pics! I was always amazed how a little air pressure change could make such a difference is sandy soil.:drinkup I'm curious what they dug the trenches with?
nice truck love the pics. you definately have a good gig goin there..
nice truck and pictures
I'm not sure. I have yet to see anyone else on that job. I email pics of the trenches I've finished to the customer so he can see whats been completed. He likes what he sees so I guess theres no need for him to make the drive to Indio. :cool2
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nice picture of your pick-up and your dozer
Hmmm... I had thought of stuff to write about... but I forgot.....I'm tired.... Nite Y'all... :cool2
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Late night thats ok we rather just look at your pics anyways.
Yeah, how we gonna make "edumucated" comments about them when you don't tell us what we're looking at...... Um, your ripper is missing a shank........see thats all I could come up with....:beatsme
He had to drop one that sand is some hard stuff ya know.
anyone thought of the poor guy that had to dig all the trenches, hope he had a good size machine
It's been getting hot here. Desert hot, 100deg. + hot... and the a/c craps out on me Friday afternoon.:cussing OK....time to start the process of elimination. Bang the dash! Bang it again... Not it. The ride back to my truck was like being in an oven. Too dusty to open up any windows...I lost about 15lbs on that 10 min. ride. Once back, I find the 20 amp fan fuse blown. Replace and pop....there goes another one. This time, I turn the fan off and the a/c off before I waste another fuse. So far, so good. Turn the key on, fine... Fan on, fine.....got air movement. A/C switch on .....pop goes another fuse. Gotta be from the A/C switch to the compressor clutch. rofessor Since the engine is still real hot, I pull the dash back. No pinched wires found.:beatsme To the front of the machine, I start from the a/c compressor looking at the wiring. Anywhere where a short could be hiding. Right off the bat, I pull up the harness underneath the compressor. OK, maybe, but its still too darn hot. Everything else from there looks good. I can't really see anything, so snip goes the wire ties so I can pull the loom back. Ok...that looks like it could be a problem. Another 20 amp fuse and key, fan, compressor.. Cool. I can hear the clutch clicking on and off :scool You can barely see the spot in the yellow(light in the phone pic) wire where it had rubbed against something. Some tape, some rubber hose and some more wire ties and good as new! :cool2
I think a John Deere 450 excavator was used. :cool2
Glade you got you a/c working. I know exactly how you felt with out it. Just remember to restock some of those blown fuses just incase you get another wearer spot. Nice fix. I have been with out for a month now. The last few weeks were a killer. The dust is unbelievable in the scrap yard. I ordered the parts and they finally came. I needed a pulley, the spindle shaft, and the wearer washers. I have to pick them up Sometime Monday and the will be on the machine 2 sweet when I get them.
Thanks... I know it hard to have everything on board that you might need, but somehow, I get by.:drinkup And yeah, I gots lotsa fuses... :cool2
Just another day... :cool2
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I just have to post some pics of an old D8H I was running a while ago because the colors match up so well.My Dodge isn't quite as fancy but you will see the similarities.It is NOT my intention to steal your thunder or hijack the thread but it might bring a smile to your face.Thanks for all the great pics you have provided and keep them coming.Ron G
Nice Ron :drinkup And thanks... :cool2
so how did you get your name? is that what the picture in your signature is about?
Its a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand... :cool2
Great pictures as always, Roll Over Pete.:drinkup :cool2 I love the set up you got with your Dodge, again great pictures.:cool2 Keep them coming.
I don't know whats nicer the Cat or the Dodge and its goodies lol
Great pictures Pete! Are those first two up in Big Bear by any chance??? looks like a familiar trail:thumbsup I love the work pics too it must be awesome (besides the blistering hot heat) to be able to work out there alone and do what you want to get the job done
The first two are Bronco Hill, Los Coyotes Indian Reservation. I had been up that run many times. The wrong line at the top, the front end lifts almost to the spare tire, leans to the right, lands on its lid then back to the passenger side. A video shows that I almost went over backwards....that would have hurt! And I had my two boys riding with me. Two hrs later and back on all 4's, I drive right up to the top. The boys walked... I don't know why? :cool2
Just another short video of me doing my thing. Warning: As with all of my videos, If you have sensitive hearing and can't digest metal, hit the mute or don't even bother. :avid http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2032369169
A little TLC today. Fresh oil, new filters plus pulled samples from the trans and finals as well as engine. :cool2
So how many ft do you get backfilled in a day?
Hey Pete I had to go over to Arizona this past weekend and stopped off at Carl's on Dillion Rd. and remembered you talking about thats where you are working and then sure enough once back on the 10 I saw what you've been doing:cool2 You have cat tracks everywhere! How far back into the hills do you have to go??? Here's a terrible shot i tried to get while driving on the way back of some evidence of seeing where you've been
Wish I would have known you were in town. The job goes north to the base of the foothills. Next time, give me a heads up, I'll meet ya at Carl's. :cool2
I dunno? Today, not enough. My alternator crapped out on the dozer this morning. So, off with the old one, a trip to Riverside for parts....... I'll hit it hard in the morning. :cool2
Finally finished up last week! :drinkup Good thing too....its been getting hot! 109 the other day I took a week off to rest my feet from all the walking and catch up on some much needed rest. My next project which I started last Monday has turned out to be the job from Hell :beatsme This job is for Kaiser Steel which ran the Eagle Mt. Mine in Desert Center Ca. I've been given a total pos D6R with a slope board. I can't believe the people I work for even considered using this machine with its history and with the poor shape that it's in. They said that it was all that they had, so..... anyways, they are going to wish they never shipped this D6 out. So far, a segment has fallen off which I got to fix out in the middle of nowhere. Friday, the ac froze up taking all the belts with it. I've got the parts in my truck and will have to lead another mechanic in some 26 miles of dirt road/ washes tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have to pull him most of the way as he doesn't have 4WD. It took 2 days just to walk the machine in the 26 miles to the site. I'll slowly work my way out over the next 6 weeks or so repairing some 250 culverts that cross the Kaiser Steel RR between I-10 and Hwy 111. The RR crosses I-10 @ Red Cloud Rd. That gives you an idea of where I'm at. There will always be a biologist there with me so there wont be any hiking like on the last job. The worst part will be the heat. It's posta be 110 + next week. If no one hears from me in a few days, please send out a search party! :cool2
Heres a few shots of some of the places where there wont be any homes.... thanks to some active faults.
The bottom two pictures show over 8" of movement! :cool2
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Tracking a dozer 26 miles makes for a long day. ointhead Whats with the biologist making sure you don't harm anything endangered? Good luck on the new job.:usa
Hey Rollover, I got to put the very first scratches on a brand new D-8T this morning...Moved from the Cat dealer in upstate NY to a jobsite 63 miles away in Mass. Went down the road nice at 12' 11" wide, tip to tip...the female escort behind me kept trying to put me in the middle lane of a very busy rush-hour commute, and I kept it in the gutter, because I'd rather take a few guard rails out than the side of an Escalade or something. She couldn't get it through her head that the lane is 12' wide and I'm hanging over into both lanes by 5 1/2" either side. Her theory was to let the cars come onto the 1st lane and have me hang in the middle... mine was, they'll have to ADAPT... Aside from the transporting, it's a serious piece of iron. Onboard air compressor for the seat, etc...Definitely a pleasure to be in all day...:drinkup
The entire job is on BLM land. It's a BLM thing ....... they require a biologist to be present if any work is to be done. There are turtles to watch for. For some reason, they prefer to live closer to the interstate..... about 18 miles from where I am working.:beatsme BLM = Bring Lotsa Money :cool2
On our 9's and 10's I will remove the tips and flip them up before it goes on the trailer. I always shorten up the shanks....easier to load that way. Some people will look at me like I'm crazy for taking just a lil extra effort. I don't even bother trying to explain anymore. I've hauled enough equipment to know that sometimes every little bit helps. Thats why I carry a shovel to clean up the u/c's on track machines I run. An extra 10 min on my end goes a long way with those who make our moves. And when I might need a favor or something from the truckers, they always come through for me. I do what I can to make their job easier. They always return the favor. :cool2
It's been 110 + on this miserable job. I've been sick the entire time. I think it is due to the dust that gets sucked up and stays in the cab. This D6R has got to be the biggest piece of poop I have ever run. It started out as an open cab machine and should have stayed that way. After market cabs are a Joke! I have 6 ratchet straps holding the cab down. But still I cant keep the cab sealed up. The blower blows nice cold dust on my head and in my eyes. Today, I bought an military gas mask and hooked it up to a 12V Parker Pump. What a huge difference! Filtered air to breathe! The pump belongs to a friend who used it when racing off road. I just added some hose and some clamps. Sure, it looks odd, but it works great! :cool2
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That’s a great idea there Roll Over. Who care what it looks like as long as it works and your not sucking in all that dust and getting sick. Sorry to here you got a big POS for this job. With the 6 binders you got holding the cab down have you tried any high expanding foam to seal up the holes from the dust.
Where ever works right:drinkup
just currious, somebody may have already asked this too. but. what did they dig the trench with (obviously a track hoe right?) but were the a one man band like you or were they in a hurry with lots-o-equipment. awesome pics btw.
I think he stated it was a JD 450 sized hoe.
Welcome to HEF JDMGrading! :drinkup
Now I'm off to Baker Ca. on rental to Granite Const. So many chiefs and never enough Indians. This is my second time on this job. Working 6:30 pm to 5:30 am is hard to get used to. Running a Cat 980G loading bottoms. Averaging 650 yds. hr. leaves little time to look at my watch. The nights go fast. :cool2
Even with some of the late hours you work...I would love to find a job where I could run equipment anytime I want. I never knew you were a DTR member till I saw a sticker on your back window in one of your pics. I go by CarolinaThunder over there.
Working out in the middle of no where can be a good thing.... sometimes... More often than not, I'm alone or the only operator there.... which got me to thinking..... Could this be due to the fact that maybe I don't play well with others Naaaa... :cool2 BTW, I'm a TDR and Cummins Forum member also :drinkup
I'm on rental to Granite Const in Baker Ca. Working 7:00pm -5:00am loading double bottoms with a Cat 980G Loader. It's got the stupid wide bucket which makes it a royal PITA to load with but I'm still getting 6500-6800 tons per night. 2 buckets gives me right at 25 tons which rolls the trucks over the scales right at 80000. I'll post some more pics when I get a chance..... :cool2
Heres a short video of me loading bottom dumps in Baker Ca. :cool2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDv0qFlJFj4 http://www.youtube.com/Suffacated
Lookin good Pete! Those bottoms sure are narrow, I bet it is a little frustrating with such a huge bucket. I've had to load my dad's 7X14 dump trailer at the pit with an older 988B whose bucket was just about as long as the trailer. Sure makes for some tedious loading, but I'm sure after enough passes you get the hang of it.
Ha those double drivers love those wide buckets. I guess at night they don't worry about cleaning off there trailers as much. With that big of bucket I like to paint a line on the bottom of the bucket in the center to help me line up for the first few days.
u edit that? whos the back ground music:thumbsup
Yep. That was me...... Something to do while working out of town and being stuck in a motel. A good friend if mine Ivan Moody put that out. Motograter was the group. He now is the lead man for 5 Finger Death Punch www.myspace.com/ffdp :cool2
Monday night....... Loaded out 7200 tons. There always seems to be a truck there! I hate that part.... About the time you think you can jump off and check a tire, another truck shows up. They just wont go away. Now I know what a dog with fleas feels like..... :cool2
i like
Looks like one of those jobs, that after a few days gets to be a bit boring. That is the way it is somtimes though. Nice looking truck, set up nice for what you need. Thanks for the pics. Jason
Your daughter did a excellent job working that dozer(I hope you're very proud of her!):scool
I like a challenge! When all goes the way it should, the loader never stops. Easy stock pile, trucks up close, I can hit 45-50 loads per hour. But that means that there is never time to get off and stretch. After about 5 hours, fatigue sets in. My back starts cramping and I get sloppy. So, I take a short break, grab something to drink while the foreman comes screaming and wondering whats wrong. At this point, I remind him that there are two people on a job that you never want to **** off. The inspector and the guy loading trucks. We can have a way of making the foreman's job miserable. :cool2
I am.... and Thank you :drinkup :cool2
Cool stuff! I love big long jobs like that you can really sink into and optomize your process. An operator like you who you can send out 'standalone' is worth their weight in gold, wish I had 10 like ya. That's a lot of dry sandy uncompacted backfill, think they'll see any real movement come winter? (out there, I wonder if they care.)
It's not often that one pays another a positive compliment. It's the easiest thing to do but seldom is it done. Your comment means allot to me. Thank you :drinkup :cool2
I can see of your video's that u are a good and competent operator!:IMO And i know it's a painstaking job, i've been in the same position for weeks loading trucks all day long with a 936F in the -90's. Chrushed gravel in huge piles, they seem to never disappear. U have to find a jobroutine, that makes u survive in the loader for the time it takes. And i mean u deserve to hear positive feedbacks from time to time!:drinkup It's theese smal feedbacks that makes life bether. And i bet we all can be bether on giving each other theese smal hints.:exactly
Thanks MKTEF :drinkup Its back to Baker. I have about a 4 hr. drive ahead of me. Being late is not an option. Be well my friend.... :cool2
No worries, drinks on me if we ever run into each other! :drinkup
Loading trucks as fast as you can like that sure is fun, for the first couple hours Turns into work in a hurry.
True that, I spent most of last week in a smaller Mustang loader. Loaders are so boring. I guess there isn't enough going on when running a loader for me to stay entertained. What are you gonna do though, there are worse things you could be doing. I just look at it this way, the sooner I get it done the sooner I can do something else.
I have no life.... Made it through Monday here in beautiful down town Baker, Ca. :throwup Mondays are always hard on the body. I don't start loading until 7:00pm and the last truck loads at 5:00am. By the time I finish checking out / fueling my 980 and a D6R its 7:00am... Long day. And trying to sleep in Baker during the day time? Yeah, right. Wednesday you finally get some and by Thursday you simply pass out due to the fact that you are exhausted. :sleeping The drive home Friday morning is .......... it is what it is. Dangerous. No one wants to stay in this place any longer than we have to....so we push ourselves to get outa here and get home. It takes me 3 1/2 hrs to make the drive. The last 1/2 hr is the hardest. The non-stop yawns grab hold of me. At times, its everything I can do to get home. Thank God for Red Bull, Monster Drinks and Heavy Metal.:woohoo Sometimes, people don't make it home. Friday morning, a pipe layer for Gr*ni*e Const. left the same job as I am on for the dreaded drive home. I don't know why he took the route that he was found on? Kelbaker road is a long 2 lane road that takes you out to......nothing. Well, Amboy, then 29 palms and finally Indio which is where he lived. I doubt that he ever saw the stop sign at the end of Kelbaker Rd. He had likely fallen asleep by then. I don't know how far he went once he left the road, but we were told that he was probably dead before his car burst into flames. I saw what was left of his car this morning at the tow yard. Not good. He leaves behind a wife and two kids.... So.....Life is short..... You just never know when your time will come up. It's important to know your limitations. And not let someone push you beyond what you are capable of doing.....safely. I often remind myself not to over do it so someone else can live the good life. At times, I feel like a machine....which is what the suits want. So look out for yourself. Take care of yourself. And count on only yourself. Mondays meeting showed me that when the crap hits the fan, you are only worth the price of a phone call. "All we have to do is make a phone call to get you replaced" from the RE's mouth. I was shocked. But that's to be expected from G*an*te. Thats the big green wrecking machine for ya Thanks for letting me vent. :cool2
A Message To Roll*over*pete From His Better Half... Baby~You tell that foreman that if anything happens to you, he'll be gettin' the phonecall...from me! And you know just how sweet I can be, huh? Please be safe drivin' home on Friday, or anyday...If it takes 1 1/2 hours or 6 hours, I'll still be waitin'... BTW...I had to peek and, Damn, you do have some awesome pics here!
Well Pete, seems you got a good one there :drinkup . You best listen to her .....sounds like she knows what she's talking bout. :thumbsup Might wanna remind the bossman that "Hell hath no fury like a women's scorn". He just might think it better to leave the phone threats outta the conversation. :cool2 By the way, the color and such, thats in the quote above is the way she intended it to look. There was a little error in the way she used the tags, which is why it didn't come out in the post like it was supposed to. Mrs. Pete, I must say that Pete is a lucky feller to have someone like youself. Yall take care now.
Pete, you got it right buddy. I'm still young yet and I feel like I'm gonna get wiped off the map at the rate I've been going. Last spring was a torture test for me, I was working 40+ hours in between noon on Fridays to 4 PM on Sundays, then I'd drive 3 1/2 hours back to college Sunday night because I'd have class at 7:30 the next morning. My parents were fairly worried about this schedule, I did it for 6 weeks straight while working another job in a restaurant during the week and going to school. Right now I'm not doing much better, I'm doing about 75 hours a week between my restaurant job and working part time for a buddy of mine running iron. Been working 2 days a week for him on Wednesday and Thursday consistently for 6 weeks. Haven't had a day off in probably 3 months. Then he calls me up Sunday morning and says he needs me to bail him out on a large commercial job we've been on, deadline is coming up and we're a little behind due to a couple change-orders. So I grogged outta bed Monday morning at 4:30 after having closed up the restaurant at 11 PM Sunday night, drove 1 hour to the site, worked 8 hours, then drove another hour back to my restaurant job to work another 5 hour shift until 10 PM. I'm gonna hit the wall pretty darn quick. My friends think I'm nuts, but I gotta keep myself afloat. If I'm not busy, I'm bored, and I dislike the restaurant job but it pays well. My 2 days of long hours running equipment is hard on me but I like it just for the sake of seat time and I need as much experience as I can to get into an apprenticeship with the local union next spring. Sorry to threadjack a little, but I hear what you're saying. I just thought I'd let you know I may be taking some of your advice here pretty soon. I've been thinking about doing the right thing and just saying "no" for a long time now and after having heard your story I know it's not just a pipe dream, bad stuff really does happen when you push it too far.
Finished a few hrs early... Problems on the freeway side can be a good thing. So with the extra motel time I thought I'd throw another video together. Warning: As with all of my videos, If Metal and/or explicit lyrics isn't for you, please...hit the mute button. Not everyone can stomach what I listen to. :Banghead There....you've been warned.... Enjoy..... :cool2 http://youtube.com/watch?v=coKvS_bq1-o
cool videos :drinkup
Pete, I'm amazed at the scale of which you do things in California. I just had a comment on the "dich job" you posted earlier...It seems like that job would have been a perfect candidate for an angle blade vs the S blade the 8 was equipped with . It sounds like you have been putting in some killer hours, hope you hang in there and stay safe. A real interesting post. You gotta like a guy who drives a Dodge! Alan627b
Thanks Alan... Well..... Finished the job in Baker Friday morning. It feels good to play couch potato for a day or two. And as of a few minutes ago, my next assignment..... Loading trucks with a Cat 245 in (this is the good part) Oxnard, Ca. The tractor is being moved tomorrow, I'll head up in the afternoon for a Wednesday start.... I haven't told the wife yet...:shf It's not a job, It's an adventure...... :cool2
I just mapquested Indio to Oxnard, 190 miles! :bash Stay safe man!
I loved those old 235s and 245s. They just keep on going. Not to fast ya know but keep going.
Made it to the new work 20. Got a bunch of cool pics to post after I get settled in at the motel.:throwup On the bright side, its about 15 deg's cooler here. :scool :cool2
like the videos btw about two weeks after you posted the first video ive been hearing five finger death punch on sirus daily, there one of my new favorites:avid
Another day...another project. Met up with the low bed at the Banning Scales. From there, I jumped in as an (under cover) escort or pilot depending on where we were at. :cool2
Our permit required us to exit the 118 at Rocky Point or Rocky Road or..brain fart....can't remember... :beatsme Anyways, this detour is a hight issue....but I'm not sure. Cal-trans has a way with about running you into a magical mystery tour kind of detour.... :badidea Our tax dollars at work for us.:idontgetit 1/2 hr. and 10 miles later, we get back on the 118 just 3 miles from where we exited. Go figure? :cool2
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Sweet pics! I see you had to remove a couple teeth to get that baby all the way down. Toting that machine around sure requires one hell of a lowboy :drinkup
A little bit about the Peterbilt tractor.... Year...? Power........ lots :naughty C-16 Cat @600 Hp. Jacobs engine brake & Cat retarder, 18 sp. trans & 2 sp. rears, lockers in both. Weak CB radio that won't quite make it across the street. :Banghead
That's the "Cali Special" right there!
Finished pinning the stick, teeth, everything checked & re checked. rofessor Tomorrow.....its show time...:guns :cool2
I imagine those articulated trailers are a handful!! We have an Ecco construction company here in NY, mostly doing work in the Metropolitan area. They've gone bankrupt several times, they are up to Ecco III with the name of the company the last time I knew. I wonder if there's a connection?
Very cool photos RollOver Pete:drinkup Looks like you're gonna have fun with that beast. What kind of hoe is that in the background with the blue boom and yellow stick?
I WANT that trailer...:scool I'm feeling the love, brotha. I spent 5 frigid months up here in Vt. back in winter of '95-'96 running a 235 and a 245 with a grapple, demo'in' a huge commercial building from top to bottom, including removing 200' X 400' slab & footers, crushing them to 5" minus, etc. Had to tarp the motor compartments and fire up a 100K BTU salamander space heater every morning, getting the iron up to around 60 degrees to get them lit up, they had no block heaters, and it was minus 20 farenheit every day for a solid 8 weeks in February that season.Once they were running, we were all set after a half hour of cycling the rams back and forth to get warm oil flowing everywhere. I had the main boom of that 235 break right off on me one minus 20 degree morning as I was sweeping some debris from one side of me to the other, I caught one of the I-beam stumps that the idiotic scrappies were supposed to cut off flush with the slab but missed one, and when I caught it with the corner of the outside tooth, the boom just laid right over in short order. You ain't had no entertainment sitting in an excavator until you've seen that! At first I was shook up thinking it was my fault for the ever-forbidden sweeping moves, but the owner's son was right along side me on the other hoe and knew I was a smooth dude, so he was laughing at the whole deal. The welder was laughing, too...when he handed them that bill.:drinkup
Just an educated guess, Steve, but I highly doubt there'd be any connection between the two companies. I know the Ecco Construction you're referring to in NY state, and the other outfit is Ecco Equipment as it reads on the rear of Pete's new ride...:drinkup
No connection. :cool2
Thanks Jim :drinkup That hoe in the background is a 300 Hitachi and belongs to Balie Construction. Thats who I am on rental to. They have me digging out for a parking structure and loading two artic's. The two Volvo's haul to a stock pile about 700" away. This structure has a C-25.00 @ 3/4:1. Notice the phone and power lines above and in the way.:beatsme Story of my life....something 's always in the way..well.... At C-15.00 I started hitting rock. :Banghead 70" buckets don't work well in rock but they will move lots of dirt really fast.... 6-8 yd's per bite. We are only working 5 8's for now. That's still 11 hrs by the time I haul enough fuel to service both trucks and my 245.:woohoo I was told by the foreman that after I finish the parking structure, a 48" bucket and a longer stick will be hauled to the job to replace the short stick and 70" bucket. I'll be digging the main line for a really deep storm drain. I'm not sure how or what they have planned but the line runs 30 ft. deep. 6 10's means lots of overtime and no life. So far...about 4-5 weeks worth. Sorry Beverly.... Once again.....story of my life (or lack of) :cool2
Hey Pete, Is this project the remodeling of the shopping mall in Thousand Oaks? I drive by this site almost every day. At least the weather is supposed to be cooling down for us in the next few days. Later, RT
Thats the place. Stop by if you get a chance. I'll be easy to find. :cool2
Thousand Oaks... Oaks Mall :cool2
Thursday,Oak Mall This hole was 45"X200" at the bottom. 25"deep. Some kind of storm drain related structure will be built here. :cool2
Heres a short video clip of me loading a 35 ton Volvo. :cool2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR7LKUEcTC8
Awesome vid RollOver Pete!!! That is one heck of a bucket on that 245 you take one mean bite with that baby! I just got your email so thank you very much for that! make sure to take you camera with you to that sukut job tomorrow Ken
This lil project consisted of demo, removal and import.....all of which would be done with my 325 and an O/O with a JD550. This was at one time a de silting pond. 1st day was busting up all the footings, and getting everything gathered up to be loaded out the following day. :cool2
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great pics man!
Nice pics ROP !
Great pics! More!
Here's some shots from the Sukut job in Ventura. Kinda glad its over. I'm in Sun Valley today and start back with Bali in 1000 Oaks tomorrow.
A few more from Ventura.
Finished up in Sun Valley... one day gig. At the Oaks Mall, the 245 I'm running now has a 15' stick and a 48" bucket. I'll start out digging 30' deep from the last man hole and drop 3 more feet around a radius and under an exhausting water main and power. Oh yeah..... pulling a shield. I had hit water around 15-20' last time. I'm sure the pumps will be running. The pics show both the short and long stick.
Great pics!!!!
Some pics from todays show.
Today the Chiefs are meeting to decide what to do with a 10" Transite water line? :beatsme Nothing like being prepared.
That sewer line is down there pretty deep.It is not fun digging that deep because it is difficult to see what you are doing,especially at certain times of the day.Did you actually find that water line without breaking it or was it marked well?The guys working in the hole really need to have faith in their operator if they know what they are doing.Do you stack trench boxes to secure the trench or does that sheathing on the outside of the boxes provide what is required.Nice pics,brings back memories.Ron G
I'm curious about that as well.
About that water line.... Yesterday, we had a big meeting re: the Transite water main. It was exposed at the street and at 20'. This Transite (concrete & asbestos) water line only had 2.5-3' of cover on it. Now I did everything in my power to be polite, understanding and courteous. That said, I have no problem asking questions and expressing my feelings. In other words, I'll look you right in the eye and tell you how much if an idiot you are rather than calling you one behind your back. I find myself on someones bad side every now and then due to the fact that their feelings were hurt or I insulted their intelligence. Oh well....get over it. Oh...back to yesterdays meeting.... I couldn't for the life of me figure out why we were even having this little H2O meeting. :beatsme Everyone knew that there was this big bad deadline to get whatever it is we need to do done. They also knew that there was a water main with less than 3' of cover running right where a 32' deep storm drain goes. I made sure that they knew that a Cat245B Excavator weighs in at around 150,000 lbs. Now...150,000 lbs + 3' of cover = broken water main. I told them it would break. I even asked them if there if something new, some kind of anti gravity device that will make 150,000 lbs not feel like 150,000 lbs. Bottom line...some idiot didn't take care of business. It doesn't matter who it was, I could really care less. They waited till the last second...and it bit them in the rear. Then they expect me to pull off some kind of miracle? I got your miracle right here buddy. Funny thing is.... they all thought that I caught the H2O main with a tooth... Yeah....lets blame the guy on the excavator! I warned them. 150,000 lbs + 3' of cover = broken water main...:duh I don't understand how some people can get away with so much brain-farting on the job site?
Enough for one day... I even get to work tomorrow!
That transite is very delicate stuff,to say nothing about it is illegal to use any more.I would not have wanted to work on that even if it was ductile iron.I bet that is what it gets replaced with.Thanks for the great pics.I am surprised that they allowed you to take any pics after an incident like that.Lots of boss types get very sensitive when the cameras come out.What happened was pretty predictable,they cannot say that they were not warned about it.Did the storm sewer suck up the water or did it plug up with silt?Ron G
yea i'll take the lake front property please :laugh
None of the water ran into our storm drain. I made sure of that. :thumbsup Instead, the water made a lake out of what was a just finished pad for a new theater. From there it continued down "stream" to who knows where.:beatsme All I know is that there were a bunch of finger pointing, hard hat wearing know-it-alls running around in their little 4WD golf cart looking whatchamacallits wanting to blame someone. Here I am... I'm your man...:drinkup Anyways....we had a good day today. Everyone went home with all of their fingers and toes... No matter what goes wrong, its always a good day when everyone goes home with all of their parts. The pics show both of the 24x8x10 stacked shields. The 10x20 plates stay in place when the shield is pulled forward.
That's the truth if I've ever heard it:drinkup :drinkup :usa Just how deep is that hole, looks like you're sitting in a 10 foot prebench at least. And my last question, why are you covering the pipe in concrete like that, I've seen this done from time to time in magazines and i just don't understand it.:beatsme
C-32.5 -FL. You are correct about me sitting on a 10' bench. I dig this out ahead of time. That way, the pipe layers don't sit as much. The two shields give me 20'. That last 10' is what takes the longest. Rock, really hard stuff. I have yet to see anything fall or cave off against the shield. With the water table @ around 20', and the friction and heat from digging, the hole fills up with what looks like steam. At times I have to wait a bit for it to clear before I reach in close to the pipe. And this happens in the middle of the day. Due to the depth we're digging, the pipe manufacture warranty isn't any good. I believe the slurry is to help keep the pipe from collapsing.
Well, at least the footings won't go anywhere under that theatre now that it's been hydro-compacted.
Not sure if you can answer this and more just curious than anything. Is the N-12 pipe you are using have water tight gaskets or just snug fit ones. I know there is a difference, as I have installed plenty of both. Wondering how they slide them together, using the excavator bucket or some sort of tool to pull them together. Looks like a fun project. Trbo
I am not 100% sure, but with the way the gasket goes on the pipe and all the lube they use I'd say its water tight. It's kinda a pain to slide the two together. To do this, I track forward as much as I can so that I can lay my bucket flat just above the pipe. This often means that I am hanging about 4' of track in mid air....over the shield. It's easy to tell when you have tracked far enough. First, the pipe layers eyes get real big as they head to the far end of the shield. And you can feel it in the seat of your pants...you know, that natural reaction you get that makes your cheeks clinch up in the seat after you feel the front of machine drop ever so slightly. That's usually far enough. Anyways, the pipe layers run a chain around the pipe about 2/3rds from the bell end and hook it to the lifting eye on my bucket. I crowd out and boom down without lifting or crushing the pipe and she slides right in. I'll try to get some pics when I'm "hangin track". I'm sure that will make huge points with the pipe layers. :spaz I just love livin' on the edge!
Laborers have no faith! Pics are lookin good!
Thanks. I've worked for many different contractors. Every job is an adventure. The job foreman can make things go smoothly or he can make the job a living hell....which is usually how it ends up. Arm waving, yelling , screaming and every other childish act that can come out of an insecure foreman I've lived thru. Acting like a punk does nothing to increase production. It just pisses everyone off, production drops, and at times someone ends up getting hurt. Thats what happens when you don't have a clear head and try to meet someones unrealistic demands. I've seen it happen many times. I can usually tell within the first 5 minutes of starting a new job what the foreman is made of. The way I am treated determines how I will act toward the foreman and the kind of job I'll do for him. The people I'm rented out to at Bali Construction are a pleasure to work for. Everyone treats everyone with respect, theres no arm waving, screaming or yelling and everyone gets along. They are also open to any suggestions I might have on how to do something. In fact, I am often asked for my opinion on how to make something go more smoothly, safely or how to increase production. That doesn't happen very often on jobs nowadays.
Really enjoying the pictures Pete. Hope to be getting some of my own up soon. :thumbsup In my observations, I noticed you changed the tooth pattern on your bucket. Was there a reason for this.....rotating because of wear, maybe?
You're a class act Pete,idlers always to the front on the excavator,nice clean cut,always thinking ahead because if you were not the jobsite would not look as clean as it does.Great pics,good work,thanks for sharing them.Ron G
Tuesday I ran into a layer of really hard stuff.....rock, dirt, whatever...I dunno what it is? It's right there at the bottom of my cut where I have less breakout pressure. The rock smokes....almost smells like it has sulfur or something in it. Like burning matches... At lunch I thought I'd try something different. I was getting no where, just burning fuel and taking a chance of breaking something. Changing the tooth pattern worked. Plus, it is easier for me to hold a plate and drive it into the trench without caving in the wall. In the kind of work, one must always be willing to try something different. Remember, no matter how or what it is that you are doing, there is always an easier way... Time to get to work.....
Thanks Ron. I really get into this kind of work. Makes one think....and keeps you on the edge! I don't always get to run this excavator. This 245B #7623 is the machine I'd prefer to be on. More so than our 365's, 375's Dozers and Loaders. No bells or whistles, just open the throttle and dig! The way things used to be.........
so you didnt 'feel' that 8" sewer line before you broke it? Looks like 8" from the pictures anyways.
I knew where both lines were. The sewer, we cut and repaired. The water, I broke by sitting on it.
Some shots of the "Top Hands" method of backfilling.
I hate it when that happens
Your geoengineer allows you guys to use case loaders for backfill material?
I don't think he's caught on yet.:naughty
Pete, Can i come work with you.
Geez you guys are advanced....we have only just got around to using Volkswagons for backfill.
Hopefully their gonna flip that Case a 1/4 turn so it doesn't stick out of the ground after...
Sure!
You've seen it before.... Maybe you have one or know of some unlucky person who has one. I'm talking about that spot in the yard where nothing will grow. Not grass, not weeds, nothing. Chances are theres one (or something) decomposing just under the surface.
Monday I finished up my 1000 Oaks gig. I hated to see that job end so soon. If someone would have had their (stuff) together, I'd still be there digging. They have a huge pile of dirt to move first. Tuesday morning I ended up in Rancho Palos Verdes.... High rent district! I'm running a 325 w/ breaker. I'll stay here while the shop puts the short stick and 70'' bucket back on the 245 and hauls it to the desert. Yeah....I finally get to work at home for once! Only 3 miles from the house even! Guess I have an export job to do. I'm not sure how many yds, but its posta be about 1.5 months worth. Well see.....
Some of our rock trucks, loaders and one of our 9T's
Our lube truck, some of Catrac's repowered 657B's and a Linkbelt trying to do a Cat's job.
Wow! I used to live in RPV. Dad was an aerospace engineer for hughes aircraft. Kinda curious where that job site is at? I didn't think there was much more land to develop on. Kevo
So. RPV dr. s/o Hawthorne.
I didn't realize you worked for ECCO I work with several of there hands in San Diego. They must keep the guys like hidden cause the hands I worked with ointhead
They do try to hide me. Guess I don't play well with others But they keep me busy...that's what counts. I'm still waiting to start a export job just 3 miles from the house. Permit problems... City of La Quinta can be a real PITA. But once it starts I've got about 150,000 yds. to load with the 245B I had in 1000 Oaks. It will be nice to finally work here at home. Till then, I'll still have to get up early to beat the traffic. 3:00 am I'll head up to City Of Industry for Griffith Co. There's a 300 long reach there waiting for me.
Part of the never ending magical mystery tour.... Rancho Palos Vredes.... 325 / breaker. Dana Point... 325 Long Reach
Our tax dollars at work... :usa Leave it to G***ite and their highly skilled safety conscious operators. This is what happens when you snag a track.... :beatsme BTW, the operator REFUSED to take a drug test :naughty He no longer works for the Big Green Wrecking Team :ban Imagine that...:lmao
Home of the worlds tallest thermometer... D8R at the Baker pit.. Baker, Ca.
D 9T at Black Mt. for Romero Gen. Contractors.
Lookin good as always! Looks like the circus pulled into town with that 375, that's no good.
Granite bid and got a big design-build ODOT highway realignment job here in western Oregon, involving huge cuts and fills through steep timberland... and it pretty much went to crap on them. I'm not even sure what the status is of the job now, as it is on hold last I heard. From what I've read about it, they ran into things like ancient landslides 100 feet deep that nobody could have foreseen, to be fair.
As usual Pete, great pics and some good jobs done. Thank for posting and sharing. Trbo
Granite is a huge company. I guess they are world wide? As an operator, I only worked for Granite for about 2 months. 2 months of their crap is all I could handle. The back stabbing, buck passing, and overall butt kissing was not for me. Management often put their kids in the seats while working the locals 1-2 days a week. For me, a day off is a day to go to the hall. A day to find another job. Membership does have its privileges. Granite proved this. Another interesting thing I've noticed about Granite is that they bring in allot of interns. 23 year old project engineers who have just barely started to shave. Not that theres anything wrong with that. They need to learn somewhere, And I have all the respect in the world for some of them. They are taking on a huge load. But what they lack is experience in the real world. What looks good on paper doesn't always work on the job site. If you are going to run a sewer project, you had better know first hand how to lay pipe. That means that you did your time in the trench. Also, it helps to have seat time on a hoe, dozer and loader. But by the looks of their well manicured hands, I doubt they've ever picked up a shovel. Some of these kids are good to work with. They even ask for my ideas and opinions on how to do certain tasks. I always try to help them out the best I can. Thats how they learn. Then there are the other kids with attitudes. They have read about it in school and therefore know far more than me and my 30 years of trial, error and experience. The foremen who have been there and done that have to answer to these kids. Every day on I-15 there would be a pissing match between the two. One always blaming the other. I'm glad to only work occasionally for them on a rental basis only. Otherwise, I'd be in jail for assault. Oh well... I guess they must make money. How, I'll never know.
The latest from the rock pile..
Quarrying, leveling or just moving Are you quarrying rock out to sell or is it just to get to a certain elevation or what? Just curious, seems like just the dozer at the rock pile, so just pushing? Always fun to keep track of what your doing, and having the photos to remember it by. Trbo
On this job, I'm helping another D9 push to a loader who feeds a crusher. I think what happened was they pushed short to star off with. Now, all of their material is long and steep. Oh well....I don't know how they'll make any money with the cost of an extra D9? Today I heard that they have rolled one dozer and burned up 2 torque converters trying to back up that steep boulder field. It never fails. Cutting corners from the start will cost ya in the long run.
Woo Hoo... Fridays almost here... :woohoo Get to go home and use my own litter box.....motel livin gets old. At the rock pile, there are two loaders being used by Romero Const. Loading trucks is a Cat 980G and feeding the crusher is a Kawasaki 115z. I don't know much about these Kawasaki loaders, but the thing never stops. I mean, it looks like a nice running loader. Seems to have lots of power, well balanced, and easy on the operator. Anyone here know much about these Cummins powered loaders? http://www.kawasakiloaders.com/products/zv/115zv/pdf/115zv_brochure.pdf
Nice pics of the Mojave! I spent a year down there with Kiewit when they repaved, (if thats what you want to call it) I-15 from Barstow up towards Baker. I was feeding the crusher so I had nothing to do with the grade! All the saftey crap and back stabbing and hoping you had pictures of a supe ******** a goat to keep a job really got old. Sounds just like Granite like you were talking about Pete. Jason
I have ran Kawasaki 95 and smaller. There nice loaders and turn sharper the Cats. The interiors where kind of cheap and didn't seem to hold up very well, but what does on this new iron. Had to grease the trunyon a lot on them other then that I can't think of anything.
The latest pics from the rock pile.
As always Pete, great pics. Thanks for sharing. Trbo:notworthy
Today.... I kinda worked myself outa a job..... I dunno? At 9:00am, I was told I had one more week. I think to myself, "self.... one more week. Cool". I call the office to let my pimp know. She says...."Cool". By 11:00am, my pimp calls me back. "Last day. Low bed will be there in the morning to pick the 9 up and head to the yard. Tell them its too late for them to change their minds again. I've got you committed in Yuma Az. in the morning. Call me when you get everything wrapped up." Click.... Well, Friday has been changed to Monday which is OK by me. Guess I've got a hot date in Yuma with a Cat 963. Doing what and where? I'll find out tomorrow. Sounds like about 6-8 weeks worth.... Oh, and the best part.... This one's an open cab . Better go dig up my coveralls. So, I finished up by washing off the 9. Thats what happens when everyone takes off yet someone leaves the keys in the H2O truck. I'm sure they would have said Ok anyways.... Yeah, I often do stuff like that to make the Low Bed drivers life a little easier. It always makes me feel better.... Besides, Class is a clean tractor.... Here's the last of the rock pile pics...
Sounds like you got a legit deal going, I'd LOVE to be the guy that just gets sent everywhere. I guess what I'm saying is that it's good to be needed/wanted in other places, makes you feel somewhat like a valuable asset to a company to the point where you can hold a little more responsibility over the average joe operator. Sounds like you're the "go-to guy", but do they offer anything (other than monetary benefits) for this type of run and gun gig?
nice pics keep'em coming:drinkup
Man Pete you really do get around! Great shots as usual:cool2 At least your getting sent over to Yuma this time of the year and not in the middle of summer
I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "other than monetary benefits"? Part of my deal with my employer is that I'll supply the wheels and you maintain them. That means any repairs, parts like tires, brakes, oil, filters, fuel and anything that gets used up or wears out. Also, the extra o/t to cover all payments associated with operating my truck. In return, I provide myself and my services anywhere, anytime, 24/7, 100% commitment. One day I might be in Oxnard, the next day in Long Beach and the next day Baker or Needles. Anywhere Susan, my dispatcher needs me, I go. No whining, complaining... No questions asked. She can always count on me... Thats all part of the deal. So, back to your question of what they offer me other than monetary benefits? They allow me a place on their team and at the end of the day they tell me "Thank you Pete". What more could I ask for?
I guess what I meant was, do they offer you the ability to do somewhat as you please, more or less, as long as the job gets done on time? I know a few guys that were somewhat high up with companies running around for them doing good work and the like, but the boss always screwed them over when it came to the guy actually calling some shots as he sees it from the site. Something would go wrong, employee would use his best judgement to fix the issue, and the office would slap him for not calling in and discussing the issue entirely. I guess you have somewhat of an obligation to let your employer know what's up if you have a serious issue, but I've noticed sometimes the boss gets hosed that you didn't do things quite his way, even though the job got finished without fault.
OK... I understand ya now CascadeScraper. Fortunately for me, my dispatcher, equipment manager and myself have developed a very trusting working relationship over the years. They know that I always watch out for the company's best interest. If there is ever a problem with the customer or another operator, I'll always call first to let them know the problem and suggest a solution. If there's no time to call or I cant get anyone on the line, I'll handle it the best I can. There has never been any problems with any decisions I've made on the job. They have stood behind me 100%. When there is a job out in the middle of no where, or a long distance from one of our shops, no mechanics, no fuel, no phone service or when you need a 4x4 just to get there, they send me. The Baker job, I had myself and 4 rock trucks to maintain. Thousand Oaks, I had my 245 and 3 Volvo rock trucks to maintain and fuel. The closest fuel was in Oxnard. That's good for 2 trips a day. When there is any equipment problems, I call the shop if its something major. Most of the time if it's something minor I just handle it myself. On a job we had in Needles Ca, I had operator try to pull a fast one by "blowing a hose" in order to go home and get his 8. When I went to check on the machine, I hound the blown hose to be a cut radiator hose. I removed the hose, took a picture and emailed it to the shop along with a message recommending that they fire the jerk. :shf They did.:exactly That night I drove 3 hrs to Cat in Indio and 3 hrs back to have the machine ready for the next morning. So to answer your question, yes they do give me the ability to make decisions. Weather they involve the customer, equipment or operators, any decision I make is always with the company's best interest in mind.:cool2 They trust that I wont put people or equipment in harms way. They know that I don't tolerate people who abuse equipment or steal from the company. :nono That includes customers who try to get 8.5 and only pay for 8.:badidea And finally, they know that I didn't accept employment here to make friends. I'm here to make money.
hey pete, sorry to change the subject but are you going to post that video of you playing in the rocks:beatsme
What a view from the gravel pit.
Here ya go jimmyjack :drinkup I could have swore that I had it up here somewhere I've got some other footage to edit... I'll get around to it sooner or later... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnyZY1iM4qU
This has turned out to be an interesting job. They do things a bit differently here. Takes a little getting used to. The job is located here: lat:32.56045 lon:-114.67406 I'll give ya some of my "observations" later. It's late.....
Just another day, another dollar I see. How do you like the track loader?
I am green with jealousy...you have what I and many here would truly consider the "perfect job" congrats on having it and keep the updates coming! :notworthy
It's just another track loader. I first broke in on a 977L back in 1978-79. The newer ones are......newer. But when they break they are a real PITA. I'm sitting here waiting for word on where to go for parts for a 963B that went down at 10:00am.
Ok...from the start of the week I've been placing rip rap in a settling pond. As you can see, there's more dirt than rip rap. These guys I'm rented to have some beautiful equipment. More money than brains..... I say that because they have a D10T push cat with a cushion dozer. As seen in the pic, that's what they are pushing the rip rap with.:beatsme After the 10 is done pushing, mixing in some dirt and compacting everything, what I have left is a huge pile of poo. Oh well, what do you expect for an underpaid operator? Ya get what you pay for. Here's our 963B just before it went down. Cat is sending out the parts so I can finish the repairs. Meanwhile, I'll have to continue getting paid to punch some keys on my laptop.
Mr. Ambitious Let me introduce you to the laziest excuse for an excavator operator that I've ever seen.:wierd I don't know his name..... It really doesn't matter what it is anyways. This bozo just sits and waits to be spoon fed. He does nothing to help out or clean as he goes. Earlier, I decided to have a little talk with Mr. Ambitious. After hearing something come out of his mouth that resembled a request or order, I proceeded to ask him to help me out a little bit. I don't know who died and made this guy king? But he was going to have nothing to do with cleaning up his mess. I ended by politely informing him how lazy he was and knowing the owner must have its advantages.:stirthepot He then stormed off to have his hissy fit and look for some much needed sympathy. Notice how he piles the rip rap up against the tracks. :idontgetit
That's one hell of a settling pond.
Oh I saw some spinning tracks on that vid.:nono Just hearing the words rocks and dozer makes my kidneys hurt. As for your new job poo is a good word for it thank goodness for 4n1 buckets.
1P-3705 was the seal that failed. I had a 1P-3704 and a 1P-3706 in my truck but no 3705. :beatsme Guess I'm gonna have to re-stock....or maybe go shopping at the Cat store?
What this excavator operator does not realize is that you can make his day a living hell. Ive dealt with these guys in the demo biz. They need me to move something with the loader and they have it all spread out, or they have piles of iron that look like pick up sticks. My bucket cant really pick up iron crosses, the biter gets blocked and wont close tightly on anything then. I suggest you block this fella in. Toss rip rap all around him, as close to the counterweight and tracks as possible. Then see how friendly he is. I dont get mad anymore I get even.
Rollover Pete;44576. Sukut job in Ventura At last, some pics of equipment (627 scrapers) that actually look like they work for a living. Not trying to be smart, but am curious to know how often you steam-clean and re-paint the gear in your other pics? I started shifting dirt around 1964 with cable gear which was only cleaned before sale. My alltime favourite machine would be the WABCO 252-FT. They would out-perform any other scraper made then or since that time. [email protected]
Welcome to HEF Ray :drinkup
Yuma is history..... well, maybe for two weeks anyways. Sorry I didn't get some more pics. Ya know, its funny how someone will try to cover up the truth by painting a pretty picture just so you will buy it. At the last minute I was told that they wouldn't need us back for two weeks. Well, thanks for the heads up. Why were we told that we would be here WORKING for X number of days? I have no patience for someone who lies or fails to tell the whole truth. So..... After making some calls, my reply to the contractor was...... If there's work elsewhere for these machines, they will be moved out. If they are just going to sit, they will sit in our yard. Unless you have a 24 hr security guard on site, leaving our machines out here is just asking for problems. Both 963's have been moved and I'm finally working closer to home.
Run for your lives! Friday I ended up at UC Riverside. A small demo job using a Cat 315 with a thumb. Everything was cool..... Small concrete border to remove and load plus some fence posts and finally two large trees to remove. Thats when it got fun. I was told that there was a small Beehive somewhere near the top of one of the trees. Oh, this was after I had pulled the thing down. The hive ended up being under one of the stumps. The guy on the saw saw the swarm coming from the stump.... He ran....but not fast enough. He got hit about 15 times. I was ok...I just closed up the cab...oh, no a/c...:beatsme So it's getting hot now without any a/c and we have a bunch of really upset bees flying around. The guys I'm working for are either hiding in their cars or standing far away from me and my machine. Just as luck would have it, the bees decide to move to a new home... On the boom of my 315. Thats just great! So I track over away from any cars and offices and shut her down. I wait inside the cab for about a 1/2 hr. hoping that the bees will calm down. By now, I'm really ready to get out of there. I finally open the door up real slowly, get out and quietly close the door. Now I very slowly walk away till I finally get in my truck. I talk with the chickens I'm working for and we decide what to do next. The bee people are supposed to be out there this weekend to do their thing. Yada yada yada, I get my ticket signed and am about to leave when I remember that I didn't shut off the master or lock the door. ointhead So....I slowly walk back, lock the door, hit the master and slowly walk away. I've worked around bees before. I know that if you panic and run, they will get ya. They chased the poor guy on the saw clear across the job. Almost 100 yds until he jumped in the Foreman's truck. Bees will get ya if they feel threatened or if they run into you. When you throw your arms up trying to swat at them is when you get stung. If you don't make any sudden moves, they might land on ya and check you out. But since you ain't a flower or something, they'll fly off. You panic and run, bees will see you as a threat. I was OK and almost back to my truck when I hear a bee flying by my head. Like an idiot, I loose it and throw my hand up by my ear. Thats all it took.....a bee sting to the ear........really stings....
glad to see your making new friends
I just felt the blood drain out of my face, from your bee story. That is typical, even at this late date. About 50 years ago, when I was about 4 or so, I found a broom stick in the shed. Then, I saw a huge wasp nest in the corner, at the ceiling. I stuck that stick in that nest, and they called me muley, for a couple of weeks.
The bee people showed up over the weekend and removed the bees. Today I finished up loading a high side with the remaining green waste. Then all there was left for me to do was pull any remaining sod off of the slopes and call it a day. I have tomorrow off.... Now I can finally service my truck....again. 200 hrs seems to come really fast. The first two pics show where the actual bee hive was. It's kinda hard to see....maybe one day I'll learn how to use a camera.
Pete watch out if there killer bees if don't matter what you do they will come after you. I've loaded several hives into high sides in a open cap machine and never got stung. I made a thread about the killer bees coming after me man they had my #. The next day after the bee guy can they where still chasing me around the job. I was scared to run for my truck I didn't want them in there with me.
Got called late last night to go cover for a teamster. So I spent the day in a A40D Volvo. It was kinda nice working 5 miles from the house.
awesome pics as always pete:usa jordan
Thanks :drinkup
Most jobs around here always seem to come to a sudden stop around this time of year. Luckily for me, I have some side jobs to fall back on. This job was about 2 blocks from my house. It was good for 2 days worth helping finish up a lift station.
Today I did the driver/delivery thing. Pipe casing to a new well site and 3 loads of trench plates back to the yard. Tomorrow I'll hop on the low bed and move two backhoes and a pump rig. Something else will come up for Monday. I doubt that I'll work my regular job till after the first. It pays better but these side/cash jobs can also be a good thing.
Good idea using the porta-potty as a stand for the temporary fencing!!!
Hi RollOver Pete, I was looking at your pics of the "big project" (on the first page) and was amazed that I drove right by you last year on my way home, I know that area really well. I kind of laughed about the Coachella sign, because I know where that is "exactly". We travel to San Felipe every year for a couple of months (Feb. and March) and we fill up the motorhome at the Love's Travel stop right there. We are just about to leave again soon. By the way.............love the pics
Hey Cavalo :drinkup Did you notice the work I did on the south side of I 10 back in 2005? Same kind of job. I was there about 4 months. Unfortunately, that was before I found out about HEF. Next time you stop at the Loves, let me know. I'll buy you a cup of coffee. PM me and I'll send you my cell #.
Brother...are my arms tired... I started back up in Yuma Az. this week. Things are a little more organized this time. Instead of trying to move rip rap that has been compacted with a 10T like I dealt with on the last phase, now I've got end dumps and side dumps bringing their loads right to me. We've got 12 trucks making 10 rounds each dumping in an area about 1/3 the size of a football field. If one gets stuck or brain farts and dumps in the wrong spot, It screws up everybody's program. If everything goes as it should, I can eat up the rip rap as fast as they bring it plus keep the dump area clean and flat. It is a VERY busy day.... 10 hrs are up before I know it. Note to self.... Remember to fuel at lunch as well as at quitting time. Running as I have been, a 963 will run out of fuel at 9 hrs. Tonight after work, I ran over to Empire Machinery and picked up a set of teeth with pins and retainers. Then it was back out to the job to install them. Nothing better than beating old pins into submission after you've already put in 10+ hrs. But on the bright side, I scored me a new 38th edition of the Caterpillar Performance Handbook. :notworthy Perfect early morning bathroom reading material
I take it that HEF is this forum, thanks for the nice reply.......I send you a pm No i guess I didnt see the other work, although my wife says that I can spot machinery from an unbelievable distance, but on the same hand cant hear her!
Wednesdays pics.
I have never seen a tub that dumped to the side like that on an over the road rig.That must raise he** with the tires.It looks like he plans to back away from the dumpsite the way he is sitting now.I would like to see that in action.Great pics.Ron G
i would just like to again state that you are at the top of my list of "Coolest Jobs in The World" :notworthy
What's the long boom's job? Smoothing out the sand before the rock gets dumped on?
Awesome pics Roll over Pete............keep em coming........
Here ya go Ron... http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZtzZS8_ItHs
Here is one of the ponds we finished right before Christmas.
Boy, you really come through for people Roll over Pete. You are an assest to this forum, I tell you what!
Love the bang from the grader on the stinger. Just a little tap to let you know you better be ready to start steering.
Thanks,ROP.Pretty much as I had expected but I doubt that I would ever have witnessed it realtime if it were not for you.Thanks again.Ron G
RollOver Pete, you are one good operator my friend, keep the pics coming!
Get yours today! First of all, thanks everyone for the cool comments :drinkup Speaking of a little tap on the stinger, The driver didn't think that tap was all that little. He pulled off of the job yesterday afternoon. :cussing Today, I guess Mr. Blademan smacked a few more of them. So we sat...and sat waiting for trucks. :beatsme Guess they decided to park it. This is where it gets good.... The contractors remedy...... A newly improved cushion type push block! :thumbsup Thats right folks.... You saw it here first... From Smooth Move Industries, We give you the "Bumper Thumper Eliminator":scool When thumpin bumpers turns into a real pain in the rear as well as your neck, Our "Bumper Thumper Eliminator" will easily and painlessly eliminate any unnecessary bumper thumps. Get yours while supply lasts! Limit two per household. Not to be used by pregnant women, those with high blood pressure or those taking Viagra.
wow man, that's a great job on that pond. It's like nothing I have seen. You seem to be quite fit for these kinds of jobs. Keep up the good work man!
Now thats thinking Pete do they have a patent out on the Bumper Thumper Eliminator? And to think of all the companies buying dozers with cushion blades.
Can you give some information on becoming a dealer. I've got plenty of those already made up in the back yard.
I thought the tug boats had the patent on the "Bumper Thumper Eliminator". After all they have been bumper thumpin for 100s of years now. That is funny story Pete. Not many truck drivers have had the opertunity to run a motor grader and most likely don't realize that a direct drive machine does not operate like a hydrostaic machine. The more postitive engagement of power to the drivetrain on the grader sure does make a bit of difference when it comes to either taking the slack out of a tow cable or approching the push block. Oh and did I mention that I know much better than to attempt to "help" while being pushed/pulled by a motor grader? Only took me once to get some traction and make some slack in the cable then getting stuck again as the grader operater did not see the slack I had created... then as the slack comes tight again... well, we all know how that story ends. :Banghead
Today I started a small demo job for Coachella Valley Water District at their Palm Desert treatment plant. I used a 325 with a breaker and a thumb. I removed some silo footings.... these things were full of re-bar! All the re-bar has been removed and piled up. In the morning I'll have 2 trucks hauling demo.... Should make for an easy day....
sweet pics!
Can't tell from the pics but does the 325 have a Q/C? If so how long does it lake to change from the bucket/thumb to the hammer? I know you have to atleast pull the pin for the thumb cylinder.
This machine has a manual wedge lock coupler. By the time I get my truck, find my keys to open my tool box which were left on the excavator, drop the hammer, break and cap hyd lines, grab the bucket, lock it in place, pin the thumb ram, connect thumb's hyd lines, put my tools away, wipe all the grease off of my pants, clean up all the hyd oil that ran down my arm and ended up on my arm pit, park my truck and take a smoke break I've wasted about a 1/2 hr. If I am told to hurry up or someone tries to help me out it always takes longer.
That's my motto. :drinkup It also takes longer if someone "just wants to watch". :nono
As usual Great Pics Pete:salute I always look forward to see what you add next... I like how in another post you said your the "forum slut" I couldn't of said it better you get all around
Thanks Kenny :drinkup
Here's a better pic for ya Dirtman...
Short n sweet Finished this job up yesterday Sometimes I wonder if I could get away with dragging my feet a little. Ya know, make it last a bit longer... I'm sure I could get away with it...... Na..... never mind. Anyways, these gravy gigs have a way of ending just as I'm getting the hang of it...
Hard up or just plain stupid? So much for a Wednesday gig... Close to home.... I couldn't be so lucky. It amazes me how or why people cut their rates? Could it be that they have more money than brains? Is their overhead that much less? Or do people cut rates by as much as 30% just to get their foot in the door? This latest cut throat has just recently entered the equipment rental business. They brokered and rented bottoms and end dumps for years but recently sold all but a few power units. I don't know how many they had (greypeterbiltswithflames) but it must have been 70-100....maybe more. All nice looking...2 AX, 3 AX, some with sleepers, all with big power. Pullers are now hooked to their trailers.....hundreds of trailers. They still have their low bed or heavy haul division so I'm sure they can move their machines for next to nothing. I'm kinda glad we lost the bid. 30% left on the table..... We're talking about a D10 working in rock.... 30% is a chunk of $ when its a D10. So.... you guys (greypeterbiltswithflames) deserve everything thats waiting up there for you as soon as you sink your ripper in that rock. Hope you still have some warranty left... You're gonna need it. And please.... Make sure you do a thorough job of wearing that machine out so you can continue to cut rates. You already screwed up the trucking industry in So Cal. I doubt you'll last long enough to do the same to the equipment rental business. Un-be-leaveiable... Ok...I'm all better now... Thanks for letting me vent...
Easy there Pete! Your right most of them don't last long. Trouble is it seems anymore someone else is right behind them.:drinkup
Agree with you there Pete. Way to many who underbit/dump cost to get jobs. Bet they misses the 30% when the job is done :idea
rolloverpete i finally scrolled down far enough to see this thread wow you do some nice work, it took me a long time to go through all your pics and i enjoyed all of them, makes me wanna give up this mining gig and go back to building something. hopefully those cut rate ******* will sink their own boat. when people leave big money on the table like that they are usually cutting corners and sacrificing quality hopefully they go out of business before they kill some one on a blow and go job. the best kind of revenge is when they complete the job in a subpar mannor and they have to call you and your company in to do it right.
With the down turn in the economy I'm sure we are going to see the usual suspects carving up the job. Rates, integrity, and quality always seem to be the first casualties. Hopefully established, respectable companies will get through the slump and carry on regardless..........:usa:Cowboy
Slow times brings out the best and worst of some people. Once upon a time, if I was out of work I didn't even want to be around me. I'd stress, get depressed, ugly even..... I'm sure there are many operators out there who are really hurting from not working. But you know, regardless of this rule and that rule, I always look out for #1. Selfish? Oh yeah... I've been hungry before. It's not a good feeling. I've learned to do whatever it takes to keep the money flowing. IMHO, that doesn't include unemployment. I'm able to work so I don't file for unemployment. I refuse to go there. If I were injured or sick or something, it would be a different story. But I'm not sick or injured. I'm just a workaholic. I have been fortunate enough over the years to have met many different people who have allowed me to "get a foot in the door". Some I have become close friends with while others remain only a business contact. Regardless....and I'll tell this to any friend of mine....union or non union.. Open as many doors as you can and never burn a bridge. Those doors you once opened may hold the means for you to continue to earn an income during slow times. Unemployment is like a cancer. You slowly fall further behind and get farther in debt. You eat away at any saving you might have. You sit around waiting for a phone call. You watch lots of Jerry Springer Burning a bridge may keep you from being able to reach that door. So.....my side jobs help me keep my head above water during these slow times.
Some stuff I do durring the slow times...
Yard Goat Cleaning up at the yard.
I started a new project in Camarillo today for A.L. MacIntosh Co. This is another one of those jobs that you look forward to doing yet they always end way to fast. Its amazing when everything clicks and everyone gets along. A good Foreman makes all the difference.
How do you like the komatsu dozer? that model is very popular around here for the size of LGP for those who want a cheaper machine.
That Dozer has very unique track grousers on it. They are solid from one side of the pad to the other up to a point. How do they compare to the normal one cleet grouser.
I know those pads are way better for self cleaning effect and much better in swampy conditions.
Not much time wasted on windows cleaning there Pete? We call them pads Toblerone beacuse they loke like the cocolate
Thoe D85PX's are a great dozer. I ran one for a couple weeks last spring they push like stink. And the engine sounds good and healthy in them. Is that model joystick steer? Sweet pics too!
The company I work for has a few of these machines. It's not a bad machine to run. It's got plenty of power, and does well in wet/muddy conditions. The only improvement I would say this machine needs is more speed/response to the hydraulics. Other than that, it's a nice machine. I was surprised at how well it does at pushing mud out of our cut. Before I showed up, MacIntosh had been using 2 9R's, a 963 and 637D's to haul-push mud. They ended up spending all of their time digging and pulling themselves out. Only after they lost a motor in one of their 9's did they stop and re-evaluate the way they were doing things. The water table is at 7-8' and the removal calls for 12'. I still think that they may need to dewater, but thats a call they will need to make. Friday morning when I started into the cut, I wasn't too sure of how well I'd do at meeting their expectations. I had to constantly work across a large section of the cut. If I worked one section for to long, it would start pumping to the point where the water would start to surface. The ground would turn to pudding in no time so working larger areas seemed to help things settle down while allowing me to push mud. There was only one time later in the day when I almost stuck the machine because I had to get just one more push. The machine started to sink so I threw it in reverse and thought to myself, "self... that was really a dumb move" I was just at the point of being high centered, the tracks were about packed full of mud and It was hard to even tell if I was moving at all. Tube locking the blade and dropping it in float a few times gave me just enough of whatever I needed to finally be able to back out. I know if I would have panicked by throwing her in forward to try to drive out, I'd still be there. Oh....and the developer, owner, super and my foreman were all sitting on the sidelines watching me... Getting my ticket signed at the end of the day, Mark the foreman told me that I had pushed more mud and cut more grade in that one day then they had done in 4 days. That was good to hear. The more I think about it.....I might just run by the shop tomorrow to find me a large rescue cable to hook to the back of the machine. I'll just leave it tied up to the back of the ROPS...just in case. I'm sure I'll need it before this job is over.
Thanks... Yes.. It's a joystick steer. I don't much care for the 1-3 gear selector.
you even shoveled your tracks off for the weekend. :usa
You noticed..:drinkup As far as I was from home, another 1/2 hr wasn't going to make any difference. With Friday traffic it takes forever. I left at 4:30 pm.. Got home at 9:30 pm.
Im with ya one the gear selector. Never cared for it. One company I worked for had two of 65s. While they were a good dozer, they seemed to be slow? :beatsme Maybe it was because they were high hour machines and getting tired. Anyone who ran either of them found the angled dash board to be an excelent footrest. One foreman saw his dozer man running it with his feet up, the foreman kicked the operator off the machine. After a half hour running it he called for the lowboy to get rid of it. It was about that time both went to auction. We had an older D85. Early 80s machine i belive. It had a lot of hours and ran like a champ. It was our push cat for one of the Terex Ts14 crews. Last time i saw it, it was in need of some new shoes, but still pushin them green weenies. That being said, I still prefered the D7H we ran on our Ts14 crew
RollOver Pete i see that you have an excavator on the job,is it possible to have the excavator operator to dig a hole or trench down to grade over to one end of the job site to maybe lower the water table for you,which would have been nice over the weekend if you wasn't going to be working.Maybe have put a pump in it to pump the water out. I know you said it wasn't your call,but if it is that wet that would sure help.With the test hole to grade at least you could tell if there was hard pan at the bottom of cut when to grade.Again you may already know if they core drilled it. I was wondering also how big is the area you working??? I see you was dozing different directions.It looked like you had pushed quite a bit of dirt over next to the highwall.Are they going to use the excavator to to cut that out of the hole you working on. Since where i live we deal alot with mud,i also would think that having you push the mud over where the excavator could reach it and load the scraper would have also been a choice. I realize not being there and having others in charge you have to do it their way,plus i'm sure if i was there i could see the whys and why nots. Looked like if the dozer blade was shiny and not having to carry part of you load back with you when you backed up would have helped Well good luck with your dirt pushing,or i meant mud :usa
Yeah I never really cared for the 1-3 gear selector on it. Kinda liked the way the Deere dozers are with the hydrostat, would be nice to have a few more gears like the deere. I did notice the blade was a bit slow but it seemed blazing fast compared to the D85EX with 27 000hrs they made me run. Bout the only thing I liked about the older D85's is with the clutch brake steering I was able to sit my feet up on the dash and run the steering, gear selector and throttle all with my left hand, blade with the right and lounge back while we were backfilling.
The stuck 9N is patiently waiting for me to bring him a cable.
There wasting their time with the D9,if their in a hurry they better get a couple lgp dozers to help you looks to me.:usa
The 9N worked with the 37's all day doing a removal on the south end. They didn't have any problems until right before quitting time. With a 15' cut, the bottom went from sand to quick sand. A pair of 37's spent the last hr. up to their bails in the stuff. Hmmmm... Up to their bails.....:naughty Clever...isnt it. There is an 8R helping me out with the removals on the north end. He does fine until everything turns to mud. Then he gets stuck... Then I push him out..... Check out the short video I just put up. It kinda shows how we are dealing with the mud. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5VAPbmhirs
Hmmm..... I just realized that the date on the last two pics is off...way off. I wonder if that has anything to do with me dropping my camera?:yup
:drinkup Awesome pics yet again Pete! Love that video too:drinkup
My Yellow Submarine Thanks Kenny :drinkup Here's what I did first thing this morning. I figured I'd hurry up and get it out of my system. All it took was a little pull from the 330 to free me.
That's some real poo.
what is the job gonna be when its done pete...looks like some awfully nasty ground your workin in there....
Great pics as usual, Pete. You're in some real muck down there, it rivals western WA on a bad day that's for sure.
See now that is why you brought that cable and put it on the dozer right? What was the reason for having to grade down so deep for? before long its all going to have to be done with the excavators if it keeps getting more and more wet.
Just curious, but you mentioned dewatering. How might one go about dewatering such a large area?
Perimeter pipes with sand points pushed into the ground every 6-15 feet, I was on one project where the water table was 2 feet down and we had to dig 5 feet in depth, it was drier than a desert down there. Like this:
In Gold Coast, Australia, we dig a series of trenches through excavation area including a lower level sump then pump until it's dry.........C ya..........Ray
Thanks guys, that's kinda how I figured it would be done, but thought I'd ask anyway.
There will be some kind of outlet stores.
The cable on the dozer worked great! I would have had a fun time digging thru the goo while wrestling a 1.5" cable. I myself ended up stuck a few times. One time down to my knees, I just about lost a boot. And it was laced tight. We are doing a 12' over-ex. On the south side, our cuts 15'. Once the bottom is shot in, the fabric is laid out. I'm not sure what kind of fabric it is? I'll try to find out tomorrow. Then the 8 and myself start pushing in fill. I drag a sheep's foot and mix/pack/make the soils guy happy. After 3' of cover we get compaction tests and bingo, 94-96%. Even on top of the goo that swallowed me up yesterday.... Somehow that fabric works. :beatsme
man look at those jobs !! some guys just got all the luck.
That fabric looks like what we made earthquake blankets out of then I was in Socal. We where down below the water table too. The ground was pumping so bad the dirt nazi failed it without a even test. I finely got him to test it in a 2' pot hole and it passed (over 95). I don't understand why dirt nazis don't think you can compact mud.
Yep I'm sure it is the same ol black fabric that I use all the time. Comes on 15' by 300' long rolls that are a pain to move if they get wet then you break the cardboard tube on the inside:Banghead. stuff is a woven material that is awsome for bridging across wet area. Sure does work good when tying to put a driveway thru a swamp not that I would know...
That fabric is great stuff. I've had a couple situations where it really came in handy for bridging over a soggy area.
Around here its called Typar. Everyones right, its excellent for building roads in swampy areas.
Here's some of Fridays pics...
fabric wehave used the fabric tobridge pumping clayand it has always workedijusthate to have to use it. but it does work great! in az wecall it petro mat.:usa
Finished up with my Camarillo mud gig tonight. We got the worst of it out. The rest can be done with scrapers and a hoe. Heres a short vid showing Jager Tractors 637D's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzrjcQ8sJgM
ROP Loved your pics and vid, can't wait for your next job pics etc.
pete, do you listen to tunes when you are all alone in the middle of nowhere? all day all alone makes for a loony operator after a while.
That vid was like standing next to rail road tracks and watching the loco's slowly grunt past, what a beautifull noise!
Thanks :drinkup
Sometimes... When I remember to bring the tunes. Otherwise I guess I talk and sing to myself allot :beatsme From the outside looking in, I must look like a true 5150
sucks when you run out of songs to sing
Heres some shots of my weekend gig. I built a track for a demolition derby here in Indio, Ca. this weekend. Used a John deere 210 4X4 to push up a berm, push stuck cars off if it during the show and finally clean things up at the end. I've done work for WGAS www.wgasmotorsports.com in the past ie: building tuff truck tracks, mud bogs, monster trucks and tractor pulls. I'll haul their trailer to Imperial for a show their doing there next weekend.
all work and no play... do you ever sleep??
Only when I'm on the clock.
ROP never seen a single axle rig pulling a set of trailers like that, up here it would be a tandem drive, triple axle lead and a tandem pup. Bushcat.
They like to use these doubles here since they gross 80,000 and net 50,000. They also get stuck quite often when their haul roads are made of blow sand. This group I am loading in the pics and videos are mostly owner operators who pull for Terra Trucking. I've worked with most of them for over 20 years. These guys are some of the best drivers I've ever seen and they always do everything in their power to make my life easier. In return, they know I'll always do everything in my power to make their life easier.....not slam them, no broken side boards and keep their haul road clean. The job shown was the I-15 truck lane in Baker Ca. I'd load out 7000 tons every night... All legal loads crossing a scale. I was able to single pass them and hit 79000-80000 lbs almost every time. Overloads were trimmed before they hit the highway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDv0qFlJFj4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coKvS_bq1-o
Looks like the wind was really whippin at the demo derby
Cool vids there ROP. Those wiggle wagons just keep coming, but it makes the time go by faster. Looks like you have a pretty good job there, as you are doing something different quite often keeps it from getting too boring, new job new challenge as they say. Keep it up.
It was... But at least we didn't get any rain. One year, it rained hard....all weekend. It was one of the best demo Derby's I've ever seen! But it's all good. The Indio fairgrounds is.....um.... I'll just say that it's the puniest arena to do a show in. But it's only a few blocks from where I live. Saturday I'll be at the Imperial Co. Fair building a track. I'm not sure what kind of show....maybe tuff trucks.. Maybe demo derby.... Just hope the weather is nice.
I built a Demo derby track a couple years ago. We dug a trench all the way aroud and piled the dirt on the inside of the trench. WOrked good. It wqas a fun job and the promoter did a good job of promoting my business. Jerry
Thanks bushcat :drinkup
i noticed that alot of california truckers run single drive trucks, i thought it was because cali law, if you can legally bridge your 80000 lbs on a single axle, no matter how rough riding they are you should do it, cali doesnt recognize a third axle either, so more than a single is dead weight. in my quest to see the world outside wy i did some longhaul livestock trucking, pigs into e. la sheep out of the holtville area. alot of pride in those cali truckers trucks i noticed. great pics again rop i especially like your sign off on your vids. :thumbsup
Finished up the week doing side jobs. This is where having a CDL really pays off. This weekend I'm in El Centro at the Imperial Valley Agg Expo. Building another track for some bike, truck and buggy races.
boy, a jack of all trades. hey you ever home you seem to be doing something all the time:beatsme
When I'm home, trouble seems to find me :beatsme Until certain people get off of their sweet rear and do their job(RivCODA's office) by locking up a certain someone (cortez ln. skank) and let me finally have my day in court, its better if stay outa sight by working.
trouble if it's got t###, tracks, or tires; it's gonna give you trouble...
great pics again rop, glad you are staying out of trouble for the weekend, dont worry i drank enough bud lite for the both of us.
For those of you that have a problem with Road Rage, have accidentally abused a rental car or just enjoy Demolition Derby's, here's a video of the derby I worked in Indio a few weeks ago. And yes, thats me on the JD skip loader. http://youtube.com/watch?v=taMR3eQMQLs
I guess between the two of us we drank enough for 4 of us
:drinkup
Paying the bills...
These were taken at a well site for the city of Hemet. The nice thing about city jobs.... Prevailing wage
Its a beautiful thing!:thumbsup
very cool pics pete!
to habla espanol senor pete?
Only when my mom starts going off on me. Even then, I have a hard time understanding every thing she says. The cuss words.... I've pretty much got them figured out.
Thats great. I was just wondering how prevelant spanish is in your area. The flood of imigrant workers hasnt really made it this far north. Not like other areas ive worked in at least.
Here's some more of my weekly chores. The umbrella I was lifting had come down due to some real strong winds last month. I'm not sure of the weight but they were heavier than I thought. I had to reposition 2 times in order to make a safe pick(finger on the override button) There were a total of 4 of them at Deer Creek Ranch in Indio. The last is a load of timbers I loaded yesterday evening. Why on a Sunday? Why not...
Here's some of the Freightliner I've been tinkering with. The sleeper has been removed... Still working on cleaning up the wiring. Still having a hard time finding a 15 speed or a LL. I may end up going with a 4 speed Spicer which will save about $2,000.00. A 9 and a 4.... Low gears + real long legs.....I like it
Nice looking trucks. Those umbrellas don't look that heavy. How much were they? Do you know?
I don't know what the weight was I realize that a good operator would know these things.... Anyways, these umbrellas are some 20 years old. Who ever made these things must have had lots of time and lots of extra steel. When I pulled up next to the thing, it was easily bigger, longer and and would cover me up. So I set up where I thought I'd be ok. Not to close...not to far. We get the thing rigged up and start leveling it up.... Wmmmm....my liftometer is yellow....red.. Crap... winch down, boom up....nope. Yeah....lots heavier than it looks. So I bring everything in and move closer. I needed to be at least 15" away since it is 30" in diameter. The weight....your guess is as good as mine. As long as everyone walks away with all their finger and toes and nothing gets broken, Its all good.
This week landed me a seat on a mighty Cat 613C. It's been over 8 years since I squeezed my stuff into one of these stiff-neck little scrapers. The good part is that it was only about a 10 mile drive from the house. Some kind of park is being built here...skate park maybe. Guess I have a bad habit of getting with the program, I've once again worked myself out of a job. This little machine ran out of dirt. So once again I'll be leaving at just before 3:00 am on a Friday morning so I can drive 3 hours to my next gig. San Diego....just a few miles from the Tijuana border :throwup Don't know what I'll be doing.... But there should be a Cat 963 there waiting for me. So....what time should I get back home tomorrow night? I'm guessing..... 8:45-9:00 pm.
Use at your own risk. I've always believed that no matter what it is that you are doing, theres always an easier way. For me, that means making my ride or job easier. Here's a little secret to making a bad thing feel not as bad. Air pressure is the key to success in anything with air filled tires. For some reason, anytime I get on a rubber tired tractor it always rides like crap. It bounces, spins tires easily and by the end of the day my back is wrecked. I've learned over the years that too much tire pressure can be just as bad as not having enough tire pressure. One of the first things I do when running a rubber tired machine is first, show up early. It takes about a 1/2 hr to get a machine aired down to the point that makes me comfortable. A comfortable operator is a productive operator. rofessor Showing up early also lets me do this without people asking stupid questions. The 613 I ran calls for about 44 psi in the fronts. I know from experience that who ever airs up our tires has never run that tractor after he's over inflated it. Checking the fronts showed both at 60 psi. Not with me in the seat. In a few minutes they were both at 35 psi cold. After the tires warm up a bit, the pressure climbed to 40 psi. I happen to be the kind of person who likes taking chances. I'll always try something new to see if it makes my life easier and more productive. That said, if it can go wrong... it will. So before you go turning wrenches and changing things around, be prepared! It would look really bad if you got a flat because you lost a the valve core. It might even get you fired. So, please have the right parts and tools before you go trying something like this. On loaders, I'll grab a full bucket of dirt then air down until I get nice bulge in the side wall. A gauge, extra valve cores and a compressor is a must! My Cat Performance Handbook has all of the correct pressures listed in it. I like to go about 10 psi below for more traction and a better ride.
Just like 4 wheelin!
This week I went back to San Diego for a day then San Bernardo for 1 day. Wednesday was open so I went to the shop and loaded 4 bits that needed to be hauled to Phoenix Az. for some machine work. The 4 weighed right at 10,000 lbs total. There waqs all kinds of cool stuff at this machine shop. The 4000hp electric motors were the biggest I've ever seen. The V16 Cummins were rated at 1800hp. I couldn't make out which model they were...KTTA ? Today I put two new steering tires on my dodge and moved the old tires back. I'll get two new steers about every 20,000 miles and when I have two sets, I move them to the back. The rears will run another 40,000 miles. Total of 60,000 miles per tire. Tomorrow, I'll head back to San Diego to pick up my daughter. Cant wait!
As always ROP, great pics, great narration of your photos and what you do. Lol posted just after you did those last pics, can you say TURBO! Trbo :drinkup
Thanks :drinkup
you could have left with 10'000# of copper
I got to tear apart 8 of those this time last year. Did i see a dime of it? Of course not, i got my measly iuoe wage. Oh well, such is life. I guess i need a bigger set of gonads, start my own company, and wreck buildings with those monsters in em
uh, pete, is there something you need to tell us about your avitar?
Another machine that pete touched, they always roll over... :beatsme
I have no clue as to what you guys are babbling about
:drinkupman i hate it when that happens! way too cool pete all we got here in northern indiana is mud to play in!:notworthy
If your Jeep ain't upside down by the end of the off roadin' day, you didn't drive it hard enough!
The top looks like Los Coyotes, and the bottom looks like Calico, am I right?
Here's some at Calico.
L.C.I.R. The one shows me going up El Hill. I did that hill many times in reverse. I'm still not sure why. I rolled at the top of Bronco Hill. The front lifted at the very top. Almost stood it up on the spare tire... Came close to going end over end... which really would have hurt. At the last second, it pivoted on the right rear, landed on its top then came to rest on the passenger side. It took almost 2 hrs to get it rolled back over without sliding down the rest of the way. It's amazing how much spare change you find when you give your jeep a good rolling over.
Oh yeah....almost forgot... Here's what I did today. I took this Allison out of one of the flatbeds at my side gig. I'll pick a rebuilt trans up later this week and get her put back in. Tonight, I'll pull the trans out of my Dodge and get ready to install a new twin disk. The stock clutch is weak to start off with. Towing heavy + adding some power is often the end of them. A double disk should work fine with 400hp.
Any FJ Cruisers around? Pete, I figured you got enough bouncing around on that 8R, but NO! I'll be in Indio for a couple more weeks so I'll look for a Dodge Duely or an upside down Jeep! You watch for a blue FJ with Alaska plates!
Are those buffalo wild???
Laird River/Hot Springs on the Alaska Hwy. The heard just wanders around! Driving fast in the fog at night can be deadly!
Hey Pete! Are you still working on your truck?? Or are you taking care of your little(??) princess? Long time since you have been operating the heavy equipment? Wating on pics:beatsme
from your earlier pics, how did you get that dozer out into the middle of no where? XD
Working on my Dodge just about killed me. I've had back problems since 1996. I took a bad fall while throwing a tarp over a load. It's a long story...the dr.'s, therapy, drugs..... Anyways, I've ended up with some nerve damage. Any time I do some of the things that I shouldnt be doing.... like working on my truck, jumping off of something, lifting something heavy.... Normal stuff like I used to do will wreck me.... I can't get any sleep because my arms will go numb which wakes me up. All I have to do is move just a bit and the pain goes away. But then it comes back.......over and over....all night. I've always been able to deal with it.... But it's bad this time. I sometimes loose my strength/grip which makes it hard to turn wrenches. It feels like one or both arms are wrapped real tightly in Ace bandages.. My fingers will tingle like when you cut the circulation off. I move just so...it goes away. I move the wrong way, it comes back. I went in to the shop today after taking it easy for a few days. I had a hell of a time. Some of the others who work there can tell that I'm having a hard time by the way I walk. I've always been able to hide or disguise any pain. Seems like I've lost my touch. I've been out on the crane some... I've also been getting ready for the Coachella music festival. I work there every year maintaining fork lifts, reefer trailers and gen sets used at the concert. I usually start around the 14th working in the evenings a few hours every night. On the 26-28th, its 20 hrs. a day while the show is on. Then its a repeat the following week for the Stagecoach Festival. More info on both can be found at the link. http://www.coachella.com/ Yesterday I did make it San Diego to spend some time with Lindsay. She's come such a long way in a short time. It still blows me away :usa She flies out on Saturday for Tokyo then Guam where she'll meet up with the USS Nimitz. She says to all, "Hello and thanks for all of the support" "
I did some digging and lots and lots of walking :drinkup Drive the truck..get out.. Run back to get the dozer......get out... Run back to get the truck......get stuck.....get out... Run up to get the dozer......unstick the truck.......long days... But it sure was fun !
and the best part! You got paid to do it XD
I actually decided to get up off my rump and do something productive today This is the 86 International I've been working on. I'll set the Allison back into it in the morning.
Towing? If I ever get finished with some of the many never ending projects already going, I can start on this 71 Pete H20 truck
Hello Pete:drinkup Glad to hear that you are keeping yourself busy Take care of your health too,so you can still do some driving for ECCO And i hope my daughter follows your daughters great footsteps:usa
Thanks Rockbreaker :drinkup Keeping busy is what I do to keep outa trouble Besides, I dont know how not to work... This flight tracker is kinda cool. I can now spend 10+ hours watching Lindsay fly across the Pacific. Flight: UA 837 - United Airlines Equipment: Boeing 747-400 Passenger Latitude: 40-10-48.0 N Longitude: 127-00-36.0 W Speed: 514 mph (828 kph) Altitude: 32,000 feet (9,754 meters) Bearing: 300 To NRT: 4,804 miles (7,731 km) From SFO: 305 miles (491 km www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do?id=123605697
Lookin good Pete:cool2
I know you aint talking about me
looks like everything is under control. Might wanna take a shower for you go to bed tonight though
The added oils keep me from rusting up the sheets
And no woman wants a squeaky lover.
Coachella Work continues to be slow....real slow, which in my case is a good thing.:idontgetit This allows me to work my side jobs an in particular the Coachella Valley Music Festival. www.coachella.com This will be my 8th year there at what first started out as me working for free passes for my daughter and I. That only lasted 2 years. It has evolved into another sweet little side gig. Now, its all about me maintaining 20 or so reefer trailers and about 4 fork lifts for a food and beverage company, an ice company and a beer distributer.:drinkup The event is so tightly packed that in previous years getting fuel to the many reefer trailers was almost impossible for the local fuel vendor. Thats where I come in. I've made arrangements with the bulk fuel plant to set me up with a CFN card from each of the customers that I'll be delivering fuel to. It's easier to keep track of what fuel goes where that way. Plus, I can get fuel 24hrs or before and after if my real job takes off again. I'll charge $75.00 per hour this year instead of by the gallon as in previous years. No tax on labor plus it makes for an easier cash deal. Another benefit is free passes....lots of them. The 25th,26th, and 27th are the concert days....long days.... The following week is the Stage Coach Festival.... 3 days of Country Music and a bunch more fuel to hau l:Cowboy. Now if I can only remain unemployed...... :beatsme
The way things are right now, that should not be a problem:Banghead Have a ball at the music fest.
Yuck, Jack Johnson, he's like Raffi for adults. Everyone just calms down from the mosh pits and grabs a lawn chair and a bottle (of some kind) and practically goes numb.
Say Pete, concerning your daughter on the Nimitz, did you catch the adverts for the show on PBS called CARRIER? It is 10 seperate episodes each one focusing on a certain topic. It is based on the USS Nimitz. Looks to be a real good watch.
Oh yeah! Thats gonna be a great series! Well....I feel .....clear and partly cloudy I loaded 1800'of 2.5 " sch 80 pvc and a gravel pump in Phoenix this morning. I've already unloaded everything at the well site and now I need to go check up on my other, other side gig. The thing is.....it feels soooo good to just sit here and look at my eye lids
You have alot of really cool pictures here. I feel for you that you have to drive a dodge, but hey no ones perfect right!! lol.
Don't kill yourself Pete! I think you could/should rig up a towbar like that for the Dodge, might save some shoe leather! Speaking of things Navy, happen to catch any of the Battle 360 episodes on the Military channel yet? They do a great job of blending computer animation with archive footage, it's been really interesting the few I've gotten to see. They had one on the big E the other night.... Not that it matters, but my dad was one of the First Crew when the USS Forrestal was brand new.... Take it easy, getting old sucks.....alan627b
Couldn't be more correct Pete! I've been scrolling and reading all these posts then I see this one. WOW! I tell you what, it's the companies like this (Dispatch Trucking) that contributed to the ruining of the trucking here in SoCal over the past few years. I pulled highside & lowside end-dumps here for a few years and ran super-10's to. It's just gotten wayyyyyy to cut throat over the past year. Guys I've know for years going under, good guys. To many people believe that dumping rates CONSTANTLY and selling out 95% of their fleet to knuckle heads is the way improve cash flow. It used to be that we were all within $1 to $3 per hour of eachother. I've been fortunate that the company I've pulled for here in SoCal for the past few years happens to be just about the biggest. We have a bit less fleet than the "other" big one but we've got dump accounts literally throughout California. That has kept us busy, allowing customers to dump on our credit. The demo business is just not what it used to be though. That still didn't stop me from getting out. I truly didn't want to get out of the trucking, heck I'm established and requested but it's only gonna get worse. It's the guys ^^^I described ^^^up there and the ones who are running around all over the place with half way broken down trucks doing it for 50% less than a proffesional would-it's those guys ruining it for the honest people. I think it'll improve next year for the trucking, it's getting better little by little. Problem is it's inconsistent and too up and down, which is why I went back to me roots....IUOE Local 12! :drinkup Cheers brother! I used to operate, hell I grew up on a backhoe. Then I got into trucking and only operated when it was slow. Now, I got out just a month or so ago officially, and I'm in Local 12, division 1. I had an awesome opportunity through family to get me in and working, no list-- just pay my dues and go to work. I count my blessings everyday! I have my days here and there but so far so good. Perhaps we'll work together soon. (You may have loaded my end dump before however) I run a new Cat 248b with all the bells and whistles right now. I can run backhoes, skiploaders, wheel loaders, excavators & 973's. I used to run A35 & A40 Volvo's with the trucking outfit. I can run most equipment, I'm pretty much setup on this Cat 248 now, we're really trying to market this unit as the company I'm with is "broadening" their horizons. Heck...you ever need an operator over there, you just let me know...pm me if you like. Like you, I'm Multi-Skilled and Los Angeles County is where I live and work EVERYWHERE! :usa:drinkup Be Safe!
Hey peoples... Been so stinkin busy here... Can't seem to find the time to bang on the keys much. I'll post some pics and worry about bangin the keys later.
Our new SS-40.
One of my side jobs.. Gonna see if we can find some water.
Great pics again Pete. :notworthy What is the drill rig looking truck for, lol is it a drill rig or somthing else? Whos tractor and backhoe you have there? Thanks again. Trbo
Pete that's awesome stuff there. Wish I had as many side gigs to keep me in the green stuff (and keep me out of trouble Unraveled a ball bearing yesterday ). Never been to Cali-forn-I-A always wanted too amybe after getting this degree. about the young idiots... first thing i learned as one of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children was talk to teh guy who has the experience and knows the most. It can make things easier and may save a life. Hope your daughter like the pacific i didn't mostly because i was constan;y getting my guys out of trouble for something ointhead (atlantic service for me ) Keep the good stuff coming and keep yer fingers an toes attatched Good luck and Godspeed RoP.
The drill rig is from Barneys hole digging out of Long Beach. They were there to drill for our 50' conductor pipe. Once we reached 50', we lowered a joint, welded another on and finally dumped about 12 yds of mud to hold everything in place. We finished by welding a lid to the pipe to keep nosy people from falling in. Monday, I'll haul Betsy to the site and position her over the hole. After I get the mud pump, pipe trailer, water tower and everything else needed, we'll start drilling for water. This is for the Indio Water Authority. I think we'll run into the side of the mountain before we find water. But thats not my call. The backhoe and Freightliner both belong to PSP which is one of my side gigs.
Remember the International that I put the Allison in a while back? There it is (pic #2,3)
Sometimes, drilling is allot like watching paint dry...or grass grow. It hit 105 degs yesterday As of today at 9030, we were at 285' or 60' a day. Talk about some rocky drilling. I'm on my way to move our 430 back to the drill rig. I need to clean out our mud pits and do something with that long bumpy thing they call a road. Thats got to be the longest two miles I've traveled in a long time!
Here's the San Andreas fault. From what I hear, this is where California is going to break off and fall into the ocean. Our test well should be just fine. It's about a 1/4 mile east from where the new beach will be.
Seems that my part time job has become my full time job for now. I've been at it 7 days a week. The only day I worked 8 hrs was on Sunday. The rest have been a minimum of 12's. My project up in Indio Hills has been slow going. We've been drilling 30-60' a day.....in rock. We just added another stick which brings us to 460'. All this for a test hole?
Here's some of what I did on Sunday.
Here's what I moved this morning. I'll post some pics of the other well site when I get some batteries
Good to see you are keeping yourself from going crazy at home Pete:beerchug
Here's the IWA site that we moved on this morning.
4:00am - 7:00 pm Oh....this one is prevailing wage
like the pic of the pump trailer behing the ol' dodge...how'd that handle?
You would be testing for water to supply the new beach front hotels :naughty or soil investigation to aid building design Make hay while the sun shines Pete Not only are you earning, you dont look to have the temptations to spend it either. Says Win, win situation to me :thumbsup
Around the job site it handles just fine. I'll haul them on and off site with the Freightliner. Since I have all my tools, compressor, fittings and hyd pump in my Dodge, I'll move it in place and raise & lower the tower with my truck. I'll also spot our mud pumps and pipe trailers.
Here's some from early this morning.
Here's a few pics from the last few days.
Man thats a good lookin drill rig... This brings back memorys of drillin for oil in lost hills....
Hey Pete:usa Are you on vacation or is the return of our dauther that are keeping you from posting pics for us:idontgetit And how do you like the backhoe compared to the 245?
Vacation? I wish... I've been so stinking busy lately that I cant seem to find the time to get any pics. I took one day off last week....... I think? I dunno, can't remember :beatsme Right now I just happened to be ordering parts from Cat.... So I thought I'd stop by. Lindsay is back in San Diego... Has been for a few weeks. Shes living on a barge next to the Nimitz. They are doing some kind of repairs/maintenance. Anyways, I'll try to get some pics as soon as I finish doing whatever it was that I'm suppose to do Oh.... The 430 compared to the 245? The only nice thing about the 430 is that I can move it w/out a 9 ax. Other than that, its just a rubber tired toy that's always just a bit too small for what I need.
What you do to make money mister:scool Maybe you should tell them that you want a rubber duck instead of the 430
Here's a little of what's been going on since I last had time to post some pics. Our Indio well went to 1500+'. Casing is in and I pulled the rig off of the hole yesterday. I'll move it to a new site at 3:00 am. Tuesday morning. I've worked a few shifts as the worm on the rig. I still have all of my fingers and toes but my back wasnt too happy with me. I paid for it for about a week. It sucks getting old.
Casing and moving everything off site. This ended up being a 14 hr. day. On top of that, It was about 115 degs
One thing about this job is that it allows me to get my creative juices flowing. Nothing is ever the same and everything is always subject to change. When our baker tanks showed up the other day, I had them dropped across the street knowing that one of them was going to be a challenge to move. Besides, I couldnt see paying stand by time or travel time for the baker tank guy to come back and place the older tank. After a little head scratching, this is what I came up with. It worked like a dream Lucky once again...
Here's what I did yesterday afternoon. This will make year # 9. It's all for a good cause....The 4th of July :usa Notice the proper use of a water cooler
This morning :usa
Now thats the way to fly the colors. Slick move with the dolly on the baker tank. Would have been a bear without that.
Moved the SS-40 to a new site last night. Yeah, out of sight, out of mind. Besides, trying to get something that big into a cramped sardine caned housing devision (Del Webb) during bankers hours just isn't going to happen. Way too much construction traffic and I just won't physically fit on their narrow streets no matter what anyone says. So, with the builder saying that the main gate is off limits and the HOA saying not after hours, I (with the bosses OK) just waited for everyone to go home then eased right on through the main gate. The security guards just waved me on through. Just like so many other things in life, it always seems like there has to be some sort of power struggle. People want the job done, they just dont want to see it being done. They want fresh water to drink even though they have no clue as to where that H20 came from or how it got to the faucet in their overpriced cracker box retirement homes :falldownlaugh And to the HOA... I'm not working for you. I'm working for someone else who is working for the city of Indio. "After hours"? Monday we start drilling 24-7...but I promise to make as LITTLE noise as practical. BTW, its your tax $ paying my wage this time. Sorry, just had to throw that in ps... try answering your phone and returning my calls next time. i don't write letters to anyone, especially some hoa begging them for their blessing so we can do our jobs. OK... I'm done venting now..... Here's some of todays set up pics.
Nice pics as always Pete. Some people are only on your case because they think that they have to know everything that goes on and that the world can't function unless it goes through them. Do you enjoy doing the driling as much as moving dirt? Or like myself do whatever it takes to stay busy and make a lil $$$. Trbo
Enjoy Whats that :beatsme I dunno if there's any time left over for me to enjoy anything. Even though I'm working right here in my back yard, I'm home less now than when I was working out of town. Here it is Sunday... And I'm working....as I did yesterday. It's just real hot and humid and I need to cool off a bit before I jump on the crane and load some track outs onto my truck. Guess I'll call this my lunch break. Lets see.....17.5 hrs on Thursday..... That was a busy day. 11.5 yesterday and about the same before. As for the "enjoy" concept... I love a challenge, but hate working around lazy gravy sucking idiots. There's plenty of both around here. I'm mostly hauling equipment and materials back and forth. Renting this and that, making calls, fixing broken things, and looking for ways to do what they say cant be done. The owner is so overwhelmed right now that I more or less set my hours and schedule what needs to be moved or hauled off. We've got two rigs with 2 crews each working 24/7 and do what I can to keep up with both of them... including breaking down, moving, then setting them back up. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to physically do this kind of work. Sitting on a dozer without any A.C. ripping rock is a cake walk compared to the beating I subject myself to now. Keep in mind that no one forces me or orders me to work like I do. I know what needs to be done therefore I do what I need to do to make it happen. Normally, had this been someone else that I was working for, you wouldnt catch me putting out as much as I do. But the owner is a close friend of mine. We go way back....like back to the 7th grade. When he asked me to help him out, I was there. That's what friends are for... And brother....is this gonna cost him :naughty Here's a video of our rig. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxRaNyPfrrM
Great pics as usual Rpete!:thumbsup I am curious about the baker tank. Don't know much at all about well drilling and the like, so bear with me. How do they normally move the tank when there are two king pin hook-ups on each end?
I know what you mean about working long hours and doing it YOUR way. I had a guy the other day, newbie in the company, ask me what my job was. I said "Not being a smartass but it is easier to ask what I don't do." I don't drive Mixers, or Powder trucks or work in the office(unless its figuring out my quarry stripping reports). I did tell him what I do though, such as run all the earthmoving equipment(dozers, haul trucks, loaders and excavator), assist with the quarry crews in setting up, moving to another quarry, and crushing as well. Bust up boulders left over by the quarry crew, clean up messes left by others, build roads, etc. Work with the sand crew in digging sand, helping with set up and tear down, etc. Working on equipment, service and repair, welding, repair and fabrication. And anything else my 3 to 5 different bosses find for me to do. I've never been told that I have to be done by a certain time and can only work a set number of hours in a week. If I need somthing, I get it. If it needs fixing I fix it and so on and so forth. I drive myself hard and WILL NOT leave somthing that I did look half ***. I'm 24 years old, have BAD hearing, a back that is sore somtimes and one hernia that I have known is there(working its way out) for the past 3 years. But I will not quit, just too darn stuborn is what my dad tells me. Trbo
Exactly, I love when the newbie asks how many hours your allowed to work and you just say as many as needed. I have a similar situation with the job I am in, and what you said pretty much says it all. I'm also just 19 and I have more responsibilities and duties than people twice my age, but I also get paid twice as much:usa
Exactly, I love when the newbie asks how many hours your allowed to work and you just say as many as needed. I have a similar situation with the job I am in, and what you said pretty much says it all. I'm also just 19 and I have more responsibilities and duties than people twice my age, but I also get paid twice as much:usa
In a perfect world, we would be ready for the tanks when they show up on the job. I'm not exactly sure if they were early or we were late :beatsme But I couldnt see paying the stand by time or paying another $400.00 to have the tank setter upper come back out to place the tank. So I signed the paperwork and told him to drop it across the street hoping that I'd be able to rig up something to get it moved. Lucky for me, my idea worked perfectly the first time Heres some of Sundays pics of me loading some track outs and todays load that's sitting out in the parking lot.
I think what CM1995 was asking about is how the tanks are normally delivered. Baker has a single axle pin-on dolley that hooks up to the tank. They deliver it, and pull the dolley out, winch it onto their truck, and use it on another tank later. When they come to pick it up, they bring the dolley out, slide it under one end, then hook up to the other end, and drive off. Pete, Feel free to add, I'm not trying to hi-jack your thread, just add some details that are not easily seenif you have never seen it in action.
No problem :drinkup And thanks... I was kind of in a hurry...hot.....really hot and needing my HEF fix. Home just happened to be on the way from point A to point B.... I've still got a few loads of cuttings to haul, but I'll wait till dark. Darkness has a way of making peaking loads not peak so bad Sorry CM... I just read it a lil different.. Thanks JDOFMEMI. You nailed it 100%... BTW, hi-jack aint in my vocabulary
Thanks for the info RO-pete and JDOFMEMI!:thumbsup I haven't been around contraptions such as that before, I figured some sort of dolly set up, just curious. When I first saw the pictures of the tank with two king pins on either end and no wheels, I had visions of the episode of Ice Road Truckers where they were moving the derrick and one guy was pulling and the other driver was steering in reverse.
If we could only get some politicians with Pete's work ethic we could put this oil dependency thing on the back burner. ROP- . I have been keeping up with this thread for a while now and always enjoy to see what you have accomplished the prior week/day. Keep up with the great pics and good stories!
Work is still going 7 days a week for me. Although we only have one rig running at the time, there's still more than enough for me do. We'll be moving our SS40 to Seal Beach around the 1st of the month. Since I'll be running back and forth, I'm sure that I'll see little time here at the house. I finally convinced the boss that I'm going to have a hard time keeping up due to the lack of trailers. I've been pulling a 48' drop deck which has worked out ....ok... but a hydraulic trailer would make life much easier. Being able to load gen sets, compressors and pumps on one trailer instead of pulling them one at a time will save big bucks and money. Here's one of the trailers that I looked at yesterday. It's a Trail-Eze TE80HT. 2004 model for $35.000.00. I'm also looking at some Landolls. I had better get my butt out the door....lots to do before Monday.
Here's a trailer I'm looking at. 2004 48' x 102" Trail Eze. Asking price is $35,000.00. I'll offer him $30,000.00 cash.
Those Hyd. trailers are sure handy. I just bought one, smae brand, but a 1997 model. Got it for about 16K at auction. It works really well, and I only need to do very minor work to it to fix a bent linkage on the tail. Keep in mind the 2 line wet kit for your truck, with a flow control valve. If you are set up for an end dump, it is too much flow, and needs a return line. It cost about $6,000 to set my truck up to be able to pull the Hyd trailer or an end dump. Would be less just for the Hyd trailer only. You will be very happy with it compared to the drop deck you have now. Pete, I looked back at the pics of that trailer, and I think it came from the same sale as mine, so if you want, I can give you the lowdown on what was paid for it, give you some leverage. PM me if you want me to look it up in my catalog.
For gen sets and small wheeled equipment I prefer a true sliding axle trailer. but the beaver tail is a damn handy setup also. Oh and be care full about backing trailers onto the trailer with a tandem axle tractor. I remember one time going to get out of the truck to un pin the genset and ending up 100 yards away from the trailer by the time I got it reigned in. No one hurt no equipment damaged but a priceless education was earned. Being a California trailer I wouldn't be too worried but if it has a history in the rust belt be sure to inspect the underside real well. some of those beaver tails were built with square tube cross members that rotted from the inside out. You can get away with running those trailers of a dump kit. You just have to use something to hold the dump lever down and have them plumb the return strait to the tank with a return tube to the bottom as not to airate the fluid. DO NOT leave it in this position unless your actively moving the tail or neck ramp it will burn up the pump. But it does work fairly well.
1st, Thanks Jerry :drinkup While at Cat in Riverside this week, I came across a 2002 Ledwell 48'x102" lowbed. It had just come up for sale that day for $26,500.00. After looking at it I told the store manager I'd take it. In two days I was able to talk him down to $25,000.00 He's faxed me an invoice and I'll take him a check Tuesday. Now keep in mind, I'm not in the equipment hauling business. Right now I'm drilling water wells so this trailer will allow me to haul drill pipe, casing, and everything else needed to bring up drinking water. Compared to the equipment trailers that I've used and abused, this will make life much easier.
Looks like a good deal Pete. You will surely be happy with it.
Got to go to Gilbert Az. last week. Loaded up my Dodge with some bits to get rebuilt. It was nice to get out of town for the day. Other than that, just trying to get the bucket-o-bolts ready for the Seal Beach job. That should be a nice and bumpy ride. A Freightliner on Reyco spring suspension will rattle you to death. I think I'll call the truck the "RattleStar Gallacita".:thumbsup The RattleStar got a new air-fuel ratio valve and another 1.5' of slide for the 5th wheel. Some steer tires and I should be good for a CHP sticker. I'll head to Banning and pull in for a voluntary inspection Monday. The only other thing I'm waiting for is the wet kit. Those parts should be in Monday or Tuesday.
rattle star galatica. PERFECT name for a freight shaker. with all that added slide carefull you dont stand that bucket on her nose.
Hey ROP why Gilbert AZ cant you find someone in Bakersfield to rebuild those bits? With all the oil drillin going on there you would think a guy could.
The folks at O K Bit service do great work. It's worth the drive. I went after our low bed yesterday afternoon with the RattleStar. I still need to get the wet kit hooked up as soon as I can squeeze a few more hours out of a 24 hr. day. Starting a new well in Seal Beach today. Just doing prep work. Containers to be used as sound walls, grading plus making a new drive way so we can get the rig in here. ECCO will bring me a 950 in the morning. Screw the lil tractors. I'm tired of moving mountains with little tractors. A 950 may not be huge, but it's a hell of a lot bigger than a skip loader. Oh....the best part... It's almost cold here in the morning! We're at Lampson @ Seal Beach Blvd. Stop by if you're in the area.
Always nice to have equipment available to use, even if it ain't always the perferct thing its better than the alteritive. Just wondering, HOW cold is it getting in the morning? I said somthing bout can't wait til fall the other day and my super told the boss "thats when he puts away the sleeveless shirts and wears regular tees, til bout 30 degrees out, then puts on a sweatshirt." I am not joking, I am very warm blooded and I'll work outside in a tee shirt til it gets DARN cold out. Trbo
So far.... upper 60's. To me, thats cold
ROP can you please clarify what that curb cutter is doing I am thinking you have cast insitu curb where as we in UK still use individual bout 3' long curbs. I think the cutter has cut a dropper ( sloped ) at the end and has then cut the length of the curb just above blacktop. You will then remove this to give you an access. If I am correct then that has got to be the wicked piece of kit I've seen this week :cool2 They aint goin to believe this when I tell um at work :notworthy I've just had another look and that is awesome, amazing how thinks are so different in other parts of the world.
This will be our new driveway. Since our right of way is too narrow for a conventional driveway, we thought we'd make use of the existing street radius. No problem pulling in with a 48+' trailer now. The only catch is that we will need to back out... Not a problem.
Thanks for that photo Pete, I dont think you realise just how :jawdrop :woohoo out of this world that curb cutter is to me over here :thumbsup
That said, I'm not sure what the curb situation is like over there? Maybe, importing and working a curb machine deserves some thought and a few cold ones :drinkup
It needs some serious thought We are way behind you in the use of insitu curb and gutter. We still use 3' factory made kerbs and dozens of different channels. I have seen some insitu kerb but it was higher and wave shaped to keep trucks going where they should be going rather than where they would like to go, and it was nothing to be proud of in the quality stakes I know some pavers over here have kerb moulds but I think the machines are too big for alot of the jobs that could be done with them, I think its an extra they have found they can do if required but dont seem to push it. Possibly because nobody is aware of the available machinery like that cutter than can do what it does :notworthy I spotted a much more compact machine in one of the other threads that is very intresting. The other thing we dont do is on site batching trucks, we have on site batchers for very big jobs but no mobile self sufficient truck mixers :beatsme
Hey Pete,You are about 10 min. from my yard.Tell Denny I said Hi.Just mention D4/Disc.He will know who you are taking about.You must be workin on the north side of Lampson.John.
Hey Pete! I haven't had a chance to look at this post for some time and finally had a few minutes... Awesome shots you been taking! opcorn Glad to hear your staying real busy! I have to pass by you latest gig everyday cruising on the 405 ointhead I'll definitely hit you up one of these days:drinkup Kenny BTW you might want to pass up the 950 and have ECCO bring you the new 966H they just got:thumbsup
Denny isn't working there anymore I have yet to hear what happened.
Kenny! Susan warned me about your new job! :drinkup Stop by anytime if you are in the area. I'm either there or in the process of getting there...... Aw ratts.... I should be sleepin about now..... Yeah, I'm not making much sense, am I :beatsme Ok..... just a few pics and I'll hit the sack. Moved the rig to the beach this week..... I've lost track of how many loads I've hauled to Seal Beach. But I did have a easy day yesterday.... Put a 6 core in place of a 3 core radiator. 92,000 lbs WB/I-10 and its everything I could do to keep the temps below 215 Wrong....
Other than the CAT 3406B engine, The radiator is now officially the most valuable and or expensive piece of the RattleStar Craplica.
The RattleStar has been quite busy...
Here's some of todays pics. Since I brought in 2 loads last night/this morning, I have absolutely no problem spending a little time in the drivers lounge
This is where the new well is to be drilled. After our welder finishes with the flow line, we will backfill and compact around the conductor pipe. I'll then hook to the rig and try to center up and over the pipe without falling in, getting hung up or breaking anything. Then I'll load the yellow equipment trailer on the Ledwell and head back to the desert. For now, I'm kickin it in the drivers lounge
Boy Pete, I bet that's not a jump outta bed kinda lounge is it? How many times have you smacked your head on that?
thats a lovely hole, pete.
Why, thank you. :drinkup
Hauled in the last two loads today. Now, its time to drill!
looks nice. the water in yer swimmin pools looks a little cloudy, though
I just love my job Took the RattleStar to Bakersfield yesterday morning to load 2100' of 3" trimming line. Truck ran fine despite the constant abuse that the poor excuse for a highway aka I-5 put us through. Im sure that this has got to be one of the country's worst shaped/most poorly maintained highways. Our tax dollars are obviously being put to a good use maintaining this road. I swear, I've been on jeep trails that do less damage to your ride than what I went through yesterday on I-5. Next time, if there even is a next time, I'll go way out of my way by taking Hwy-14 to 58 then drop down into Bakersfield instead of beating the RattleStar and myself to death on I-5. On a good note, The RattleStar did get pulled in for an inspection while going south yesterday. After all my paperwork, logs and T and T were checked, the CHP placed a new sticker on the truck and one back on the trailer. As if anyone had a doubt.
Pete I hear you loud and clear on I-5 over the grapevine. I had the bad luck to lowbed over it a few months back with a 330 hoe on board. Had never been over it in a truck, only on 4 wheels. There are potholes in the truck lanes I thought were going to tear the front axle off. If your truck didn't rattle before, it will after that trip. One expansion joint somewhere by Fraiser park N/B side was so bad it knocked down the sun visors, broke my mirror bracket on the left door, and rattled loose everything in the cab. Could not see it coming in the dark either. Good thing I was only going abour 45 or so, I was afraid it may permanantly bend my trailer. If I had to drive that route on a regular basis, I would be trying to organize some sort of campaign to get Caltrans working on some maintenance.
Ditto on the Interstate 5. A few months back I had a job north of Bakersfield and traveled on it with my dump truck pulling my equipment trailer. I went out over the grapevine and came back on the 58 through Tehachapi. Both routes were terrible. It was really windy at the time. I had to concentrate as hard as I did when I used to race offroad and the bumps were about the same as an offroad race. I had just finished doing my front end complete with an alignment. I am sure it is not as good now as it was right after the alignment. I installed a really heavy duty tie rod when I did the front end. I am certain I would have bent the standard one, the road was so rough.
Today was one of those days when I get to try out something new. I rented a Deere 35D mini excavator. I have never been on anything as small as this machine, But tell you what, I had the time of my life This mini was just like a bigger machine...only way smaller. I couldn't believe how well the machine ran and how un-mini it felt. I didn't spent but a few hours on it but how awesome would it be having something like this 35D to play with as a kid :exactly Slightly bigger than a Tonka Toy, it would fit nicely in most back yards. With a thumb attachment, picking up dog turds would be anything but a chore. Hell, I would have gave up my allowance money and done it for free if I had a toy like that to ride around on while chasing Fido.
This has turned into a decently large sized operation over the short time you have worked there hasn't it? Does the company you work for have multiple drills/ jobs going on elsewhere or are you the main one?
You know WColtharp, Pete is Mr fix in the company. Site prep, transport, mecanics, Rigging, trailerbuyer and packing. Every firm in the business needs a guy like Pete to keep the shop going without to much hassle and phonecalls. I believe the firm is very happy with Pete working and fixing things like he does. Hats off for you pete:notworthy
Yeah, I'd agree that he's a great job being able to do so many different tasks. I guess it's hard to get bored that way!
These guys have been drilling here in the low desert since the 40's. It's always been a family owned and run operation. I've known one of the owners since the 7th grade and started out working part time/weekends or when ever I had any off time back in 1998. We have jobs going on from Blythe to Mojave to the beach and everywhere in between. We've been as far as Japan, parts of Mexico, Montana, Nevada. Most are motor/pump/electrical jobs. The owner specializes in the programing/setting up panels and computer related stuff. That and maintaining the pumps, motors,plumbing, and panels is where the money is at. Right now, we are running two drills. Our SS40 is drilling 24/7 in Seal Beach. Today, I moved Ol' Betsy out to the Polo Grounds here in Indio. This is one of the original drills that has been dropping holes for over 50 years. This one rig is responsible for over 4-500 wells. She drills true and with reverse mud she drills fast. Oh, and she's paid for. I've ran jobs for the owner and while he'd like for me to do more of that kind of work, I'm not very good doing "boss' kind of stuff. I know that I'm really not a people person. I have been known to use some rather un-conventional means to obtain desired results. Sometimes, doing what you have to do will land you in a pile of trouble. Um.... I've got a real low tolerance for lazy people/pendejos and I don't play well with others. What ends up happening is me firing everyone and finishing the job myself.
Wednesday and Thursday I hauled the old rig, mud pump, H2O tower, drill pipe trailer and a rental backhoe to the Polo Grounds.
Today I went to Hemet then Seal Beach. At the Hemet job, we've been using a rental crane from Bob Hill Crane rental. http://www.bhccrane.com/index.php Joe and Tim are the operator and oiler on this 120 ton Liebherr LMH 1072. This crane is all wheel drive/steer and is quite an amazing piece of equipment.
As if I didn't already have enough to do... Found this in the yard tonight To be continued...
man thats a nice looking crane
ROP- Sounds like your the right man for the job! That's an impressive company from the way it sounds. I'm sure this beats the heck out of the job you had out there in the D8 in the desert doesn't it?
Totally different beast. The D8 job as with any operating job is a piece of cake compared to what I'm doing now. And this new vacuum trailer.... Totally foreign to me. I know nothing about how to load or unload them. I just know that there's another pto driven pump of some kind that I'll need to install on the RattleStar sometime this week. For now, I'm surfing around trying to learn something about this vacuum trailer so I don't go out and look like a complete dumbass.
There sure isn't much on those Vac trailers available on the internet. I tried to find some info also and only found specs.
So I see. I'll wing it somehow. I've got about 800' of casing to load/move/unload tomorrow. I've got an email off to the trailer manufacturer to see if he can hook me up with some customers already using the same kind of trailer.
I can tell you ROP, its not rocket science... Connect your compressor, build up wacuum/pressure in the tank, add hoses, open valve. Just give the pump its oil and dont suck stuff into the compressor. You'll learn the special tricks from another user...i bet that thing got its own special tricks u need to know.
Thanks. Thats kinda how I figured it would go. Here's some pics from Sunday.
Yes, remember that last tip Pete..."Open Valve". A local Tank cleaning service successfully crushed one of those "suck trucks" by missing that vital tip....much to the amusement of their competitors. I wish I still had the photos...it was like a crushed beer can.
As always ROP, great photos and gald to see you keeping busy. I know you would go crazy if you werent. Seems you and I have been kind of doing the same type of work lately, lots of grunt work. In the past few weeks, all of our crushing spreads as well as the sand crew have been ready to move, so for me lots of take downs, move outs and set ups. But all good cause it keeps me busy. Trbo
Blue Ox exhaust brake I've had a little time to do some tinkerin' on the RattleStar this week. One thing that has kinda bothered me was the lack of some kind of retarder. It keeps you on your toes descending any kind of grade when you are just over 90,000 lbs. Even running around light and local, I still hate having to use my service brakes as much as I do knowing that there are products out on the market designed to slow a vehicle down while saving your brakes. On my 06 Dodge Ram, I spec'd it out with a Jacobs exhaust brake to be installed before I was to take delivery of the truck. The price was an additional $1300.00 and well worth it. Since I often tow heavy, I wanted to be able to keep my brakes cool as long as possible. In doing a little research, I found Brake Systems Inc. http://www.brakesystemsinc.com/blueox.html They make and sell the Blue Ox exhaust brake which has been around for over 50 years. Finding the parts for a Jacobs engine brake was going to be a bit costly. Besides, parts for a 3406B seem to not be as popular as they once were. The word "discontinued" seems to come up when ever I call Cat looking for parts. So, with the owners approval, I ordered the parts needed for an exhaust brake. The kit BSI sent me was about one of the most straight forward, complete, bolt on kits I've ever seen. The instructions covered and explained everything clearly. A 10 year old could have installed this thing on his go cart.... That easy. Start to finish took me about 4 hrs. While its not a Jake Brake, It's much, much better than nothing. In fact, this Blue Ox exhaust brake works real well. Much better than I had expected. The price delivered to the door..... $973.00
Nice work Pete. Here around a brake like that is standard in all trucks. Its connected to the brake pedal, when u tuch it it brakes, press harder and the normal brake engages. Has a switch on the dash to disconnect it.(no jake when pressing pedal) Most trucks also has a switch that makes it go on when u apply the parking brake. That way the engine dosen't produse so much smoke at idle, and it heats up faster in the winter.(no problem for u i guess) Adds a pic of our suction truck. It got both a suction tank and a water tank. Suction tank is sorrounded by the water tank. Truck has a suction system and a water high pressure system, u wash out the dirt u want to load with the suction hose. This one is sertified to carry any dangerous goods also, gas/oil/diesel and such. Add a picture of our water drill too. In the pic we drilled to 330 feet. 279mm/11 inch of pipe was drilled to 150 feet. The rest of the way was drilled with a 229mm/9 inch pipe.(inside the 11') Pump in theese wells where 4 inches, inside a 6 inch filterpipe. As u see we got a totaly different way of drilling after water. This rig operates with a DTH hammer and air, we add foam at the real deep wells.
That's a sweet rig MKTEF.
You know Pete you talk about jakes and retarders and I can't help but think, AH someone else who knows what they are for. All of our trucks are right up around 60K and you wouldn't believe the lack of people who use the engine brakes on these trucks. The driver I've got right now doesn't use it 3/4 of the time and when he does it annoys me to no end. He'll use it on a hill and when he down shifts, he reaches out and shuts if off on the dash, then he'll down shift, the turn it back on.:Banghead Then when I drive it and actually use it to slow the truck down he has the nerve to say "Do you really need to use that noisy thing?" God I wanted to just reach across the cab and SLAP him. We've got others who won't ever use them just come up on a exit ramp or such and just slam on the brakes and thats it.
ROP, good to see you're keeping yourself busy! Neat exhaust brake, I remember seeing some similar setups on military vehicles. 95zIV, Make 'em pay for the linings and drums, and have 'em change them out when the time comes as well. That'll show 'em what the Jake is for :Banghead
We have an N10 Volvo with a similar exhaust brake mounted further back in the exhaust pipe but I haven't seen one mounted to the turbo like that one, ROP. That looks like a better idea and should be more effective. Our other Volvos have a factory fitted exhaust brakes fitted to the turbos and they are akin to chucking a brick out on a piece of string for braking effect. Our NL12 is fitted with a Voith Hydraulic retarder in the driveline and that is brilliant. Our terrain is reasonably flat and with that you hardly have to use the service brakes at all. But like 95zIV said, try and get your driver to use it. He says he does, but every corner the brake lights come on and we have to adjust the semi brakes on a regular basis. Rn'R.
MKTEF, I like your Scania! Any more of those?
How's this for a 40" bit
Nice pic Pete! That look like a roumer drill.(Not shure about the spelling here) Meaning its for increasing the diameter of the whole after the first pass. I had a look at a special DTH hammer that handled 600 or 800 pipe.(23"/31") Only two where made and it was for horisontal drilling with a rigg like ours. It laid in the workshop of a local drilling firm. Then u are stretching the limits real with our smal riggs... The interresting here is that our drill torque, down and lift force is compatable with riggs u have in the US.(not the biggest ones though) Ours is prepared for mud drilling too, but we havent bought the mudpumps and the rest for it. We're handling 2 7/8 API..
I would not like to meet that thing on a dark night!:crying:spaz
I really do have no life Hey peoples.... It's been a while... And I do apologize for not checking in more often. But you gotta understand that the person who is currently smudging grease on this laptop must not be playing with a full deck Here it is.... Friday night... Eating McDonalds again...:throwup And I'm removing an old but otherwise good turbo from the RattleStar. Yeah..... I've lost it.......
There's a good reason for removing the turbo. Get to that later. Work has still been 6-7 days a week. Like today... Wrenching on the RattleStar.
This is a new well we are starting in Thermal Ca. Since I always seem to be alone(I don't play well with others), I need to come up with creative ways to load and unload equipment. This mud pump weight 38,000 lbs. I've tried many different ways to load this thing. So far, chaining up the dolly so I can make steering adjustments, airing up the bags and using the winch is the easiest way.
Pete, What's the 2 speed switch on the shifter of the dodge for? Before anyone answers "that's to run the 2 speed". I know that, but i'm also pretty sure that Dodge doesn't put those rears in the pickups.
:cool2 nice move Pete. Many will be thinking why not just winch it on forward so it self steers, but they dont, do they, well yes they do and it isnt the way you want it to besides you then have to get it off in reverse :Banghead
That operates the Jacobs exhaust brake. Comes like that from the factory.
Last week I took the RattleStar to a friends shop in Fontana. This 1980 W900 was there waiting for an engine rebuild. Other than the sick spread between the drivers, take a look at those torque arms I've never seen anything like it. Some specs: 1980 Kenworth W900 Cat 3408 DITA Cat retarder Spicer 6 sp. main Spicer 4 sp. aux Eaton 2 sp rears
Very cool KW!
Thanks for sharing those pics.I have never seen anything like it either.Ron G
The Cat Doctor Last week I talked the boss into having the overhead run on the RattleStar. He's never had anything done to the truck other than oil - filter changes and a few clutches. Over time I have replaced a few items and chased down a few electrical problems. I even had a 6 row radiator built and installed since I absolutely hate having to back out of the throttle because she's getting hot. We live in the desert... Sure it gets hot. But if everything is working as it should, you won't have that problem. If it's not wright, get bit fixed. I don't buy the lame excuse about her running a little hot so go easy on her when I'm working 10-15 hrs a day. Since the valve covers have never been off, I went in to get her checked out. Ron T owns The Cat Doctor in Fontana, Ca. He only works on Cats and was referred to me by my good friend Mark Garcia. When I first went down to Ron's shop, one of the first things his mechanic asked me was if I wanted more power That's my kind of mechanic :notworthy I made an appointment for the following Monday which gave me time to install a pyrometer. No pyrometer... no tune up.... no power. The valves were way off so we set them tight. I had the governor checked and set. The high idle and torque were set. (5 turns ea.) Finally, the timing was checked, repaired and re-set. Now.... I've been in and driven some fairly fast/strong rigs before. But this tune up was insane I mean, I had more power than I could use. That's why I went with a OR6051 turbo. This truck is like a rocket now. There's no more mashing the pedal to the floor. And no need to drop gears where I once had to drop down to 8th or 7th. Where I once made almost 17 psi. of boost, I now make 30+ with the larger turbo. I need a different gauge that goes above 30 psi. Power? until I run her on a dyno, who knows? I'm assured by the mechanic that I'm putting a minium of 400-450 to the ground. Those #'s were before I changed to the larger turbo. The object now is to not break anything and to see if I can increase my fuel mileage.
Or6051 The Cat Doctor Radical Options -N- Transportation 10180 Beech Ave. Fontana, Ca. 92335 951-490-7899 And please.... Tell Ron I sent ya.
Pete Good to see you back. You were gone long enough I was getting worried about you. All those hrs out in the desert, thought you maybe got lost or something! Looks like you are enjoying the hydraulic trailer. They sure are handy. The cat docs logo is great! HEF on the laptop, out in the field, wrenching on the truck. You are a die hard.
Nice KW.I havnt seen that truck around foor a while.Few years back I used to see it hauling scrapers.Nothin like havin a big cat with a set of sticks and a retarder.
Doctor :notworthy thats a magician glad you approve of the results Pete, as you say try not to break anything. :drinkup
I've picked up almost 1 mile per gallon. I've done the math and keep records of all the fuel I burn. I've checked it and checked it again. Last fill up worked out to 5.7
and cover the ground in less time no doubt :cool2
My Western Star has the same Chalmers suspension shown on the Kenworth, but without the large spread between drivers. It is one beefy suspension. With an air ride cab and seat, it isn't too bad of a ride. It has a lot of articulation and really is an "offroad" suspension. It is about 1,000lbs lighter than a Hendricks spring suspension.
My first weekend off in .....a long time. The RattleStar is running great but I'm a bit worn out. We've started another hole for the City of Riverside at Waterman @ Orange Show Rd. We'll start back up at Seal Beach as soon as the city decides on a well design.
Bombay Beach Heres some pics and videos of one of my latest gigs at Bombay Beach. http://youtu.be/NrL-2ByddDU http://youtu.be/-M-fUCS6y-M http://youtu.be/WLxalBPdwaE http://youtu.be/Xse7RIylmHE http://youtu.be/OTsDdFbGG_Y http://youtu.be/nH5Y4_sm790
Glad to see your still hard at it RollOver Pete.
Thanks DigDug... This is one of those deals where a friend hooked me up and I got requested out of the hall. We work 14 hours a day for 7 days then another crew comes in giving us 7 days off. The off time is when I work my " cash only" side gigs
Sunset Ave. These are from some of the Union Pacific work I've done on my off time. This particular job was on the Sunset underpass project in Las Vegas. It hauled 4 loaders, 1 blade and 2 H20 trucks from Indio in 7 days to get everything to that site. We worked 2 days , Saturday and Sunday to remove and lay the new temp line. It took me a week to move everything to Colton to a new job site. One thing about RR work....they pay damned good money and have no problem spending it. http://youtu.be/7fwmiXbl3iw http://youtu.be/ia0Hv8bt5n4 http://youtu.be/UmG2eXAOywE http://youtu.be/MOtKJC0O6zE
Sunset Ave
Mojave
Rip Rap to Niland Here's an old 88A that I loaded rip rap with. This is a strong machine with working a/c
Indio High School Demo job at my old high school
Random RR pics
Pete Love the old 988. Those 87A's are a real workhorse. They have their problems for sure, but I miss my old one. It left for Mexico a few years back. Other than the never ending leaks, it was a good machine. Had the rock bucket, a little bigger than that one, and it was the machine to have for rip rap. I would take it over my 988B for sorting rock.
Exactly! Thats why the 88B sat there.
Santa Rosa Mt. Heres a well we drilled up on Santa Rosa Mt. last year.
Santa Rosa Mt. The weather started getting rough.
Santa Rosa Mt.
Well, I guess school is out for summer ...:avid
snow? thanks for all the great pics!!! i guess you guy's don't carry chains on you trucks being from socal prolly made for some fun driving. regards, cd
Fun driving? At the time, the truck had no defroster, no heater, it didnt even have a heater core. We live in the desert. Why in the world would I need a heater? After this adventure, I installed a heater that would hard boil your eggs:stirthepot Heres some vids of #13 http://youtu.be/vsDpbi0FaZk http://youtu.be/KzO35OwdqeY http://youtu.be/EAb_x6z5v2s
Great pics and video. Interesting how your side of the country works , trucks without a heater???? Thanks for sharing.
And trucking without a/c :crying 115* by 9:00 am. is a sure way to separate the men from the boys. Then there's the sweat. The sweat that first soaks your cig's and renders your bic lighter inoperative. From there it runs down into your pants soaking what little cash you might have and what ever junk you brought along. Finally, it all collects down in your boots where it saturates your socks :throwup and makes those squishy noises when you try to walk. Only the strongest survive long enough to get their head examined. :Banghead
Kaiser Steel Eagle Mountain Iron Ore Mine Last week I was back at Eagle Mt. on a side job driving a water truck. Below is the top of the 9% haul road. There are 4 runaway ramps, 3 of them within the 1st 1/4 mile from the top.
Kaiser Steel # 38 Here's the Marion 192M that still sits up at the mine. It was sold to a company in South America but still sits here due to the lack of funds to move the machine. MFG: Marion SPECS: 17YD, 192M/201M, 1973 TYPE: Electric shovel POWERED BY: Trailing cable with 4160 volts ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT: Ward Leonard MOTORS: (1) GE type K8299 800 HP AC motor for M/G set drive (1) GE type MDP620AER 800 HP DC motor for hoist (2) GE type MDP808AER 130 HP DC motors for crowd (2) GE type MDV810AAR 195 HP DC motors for swing (1) GE type MDP816AE 420 HP DC motor for propel DIPPER CAPACITY: 17 cubic yard BOOM LENGTH: 51' DIPPER HANDLE LENGTH: 32'6" CUTTING HEIGHT MAXIMUM: 48' CUTTING RADIUS @ MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 59' CUTTING HEIGHT @ MAXIMUM RADIUS: 27'10" CUTTING RADIUS MAXIMUM: 64'7" PADS: 46" CRAWLER LENGTH: 27'6" CRAWLER WIDTH - STANDARD: 24'10" WORKING WEIGHT: 1,035,000 lbs. BALLAST WEIGHT: 100,000 lbs. DOMESTIC SHIPPING WEIGHT: 865,000 lbs. TOTAL HOURS: Records show a total of 22,508 hrs = 1 shift/day for the 8 years of operation involved for all major components. YEAR: 1973 SERIAL NUMBER: 23008 PROPERTY NO.: KSC38 SPECIAL FEATURES: GE type 1C4456Y1 DC control panel and 440 volt 3 phase, 60cycle auxiliary motors. Independent propel static control, auto lube, elevated air conditioned cab. Can carry 22-23 yd. dipper. New Marion 201M front end installed in 1979. Location: California
That seems like pretty low hours for a shovel that size. I bet it has a lot of life left it it. What is going on there now?
It's a cash $ side job of mine. We send out about 20 loads a day of rip rap going to a SCE job. I just keep the dust down.
Not a bad gig then. Nice scenery.
Hi Pete ,i'm a newbie on here. Just read this thread from start to finnish and i'm in awe of you . I work in the construction industry in the Highlands in Scotland .Wish more people had your work ethic and survival skills . Look forward to more of your adventures . Keep up the good work
Thanks Jacob and welcome to HEF :beerchug
I liked the plywood trick. I used to keep a couple of costco sized bottles of dawn dish washing soap around for the same reason. Anytime you had to jack HARD sideways a little dawn dish soap laid down in front of the tires did a wonderful job. and it was CHEEP
Today at the rock pile...
Ahhh, The view from an 87A, doing what it is best at.
Its funny how stuff like this happens right before quitting time...
How in the world did that happen?? Did he think there was a road there when there was none,or did it collapse???? Wow!
Looks like a good way to end the day. lol
Now thats a BIG Bit.
Dust control @ Eagle Mt. Mine. Finishing up @ Indio High School.
This is what it looks like when the boss crams 31 tons of demo into a 22 ton bag.
If that is your scale printout, it is not too good. If it is the never very friendly DOT officer, you are in deep @%#$
Yeah, thats one hefty fine right there!
Heck I see enough room for at least 5 more tons...
I gotta go with dozer boy. Its not to heavy till the ram wont lift it.
Here's some of my latest jobs/pics.
The last few days....
Last week at Chiriaco Summit http://www.sce.com/PowerandEnvironment/Transmission/ProjectsByCounty/RiversideCounty/DPV/default.htm
Nice I miss doing pioneering in CA. Doosan:throwup
Very nice pics! Thankyou.
Normally I would agree :throwup but this machine has given me no reason to :throwup Did a Doosan make you :throwup ? If so....please, tell us all about it.
We had 420 that we got used worked good for a while, but developed a fuel issue. I know it had a cracked fuel line that we fixed, but it still didn't run right. Dealer came out and never did get it fixed 100%. Last I knew since I no longer work there was the dealer was taking it back. There is a local rental company that has switch from linkbelts to Doosan/Terex. There mechanic was telling me they have been having issues with them, but we didn't get into what. Sorry I can't provide more info.
Remember this loader.... Still have it... Above: Glamis Below: Bombay Beach
Is that your own loader? Haven't posted in this thread in a while..
No. It belongs to the gentleman I do some work for. Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Yes I do, a question about the bucket. Is it a special rock bucket or do all loader buckets have those strong looking ribs attached to the teeth under the skin?
That is a home made bucket. We have 4 of these floating around. 1 for a 980, 2 for the 988 and 1 for the 988B.
Pete, I'm interested in the RR rig you had a couple of pictures of, is that a undercutter? do you have more pictures?
Info below is from the GREX website. http://www.georgetownrail.com/materialHandling/dump_train.php http://www.georgetownrail.com/files/DumpTrainSpecSheet.pdf MATERIAL HANDLING DumpTrain™ Aggregate Delivery System The DumpTrain™ is an aggregate delivery system capable of pin-point unloading at up to 2000 tph. One 35 ft. or 50-foot boom, one man, in about an hour. Safe and efficient, DumpTrain™ services are provided with a GREX operating technician. One Man Operation - Place Walkway Ballast - Washout Repair - Roadbed Construction - Bridge Material Placement - Eliminate Re-Handling - Replace Crossing Material - Stockpile Materials DumpTrain™ Specifications: Capacity: 1500 nt One 35 ft. or 50 ft. boom 2,000 cubic ft. of capacity Light weight 63,000 lbs. Length: 1000 ft.
Looks like it got a paint job and then some. Nice. I don't see AC though and with that closed cab the union rep is going to have a chat with someone.
The union requires A/C? Doesn't seem to be a saftey issue.
Who would have thought......a 988 with CARB #'s
Operating engineers requires machines that were equipped with ac's to be functional. There is also something re: the outside temp. In a nutshell, todays operators are just as soft as the new electric over hydraulic politically correct machines with enhanced fine grade settings that make even the most unskilled person look like a pro :stirthepot That....and working in adverse conditions might ruin their i pods. :bash Some would consider that to be a huge safety issue.
Look at what Santa delivered to our yard. Brand stinking new 966K.
That is part of what makes a UNION so useless - cannt even run a machine w/out A/C ?????? Its time for some people to grow a pair and be a real Operator , next they gonna require someone to operate it for them so they dont have to get off there phone and cause any inconvence to them.
Trust me, the union has no say in wheather a machine has air. MSHA, on the other hand, requires any machine that came with air to be maintained with air.
If you fellows are gonna turn this into a union bashing thread...I'll lock it down. Trade unions are strong in some areas, and it serves their members daily. If you choose to be non-union in your area, that's your choice, but they ain't no sense in using HEF as a platform to smear unions. HEF takes a neutral stand on union or non-union, and we hope our members do the same, but at the same time, using HEF to bash unions or union members will not be tolerated.
Have you used that one yet?
Not yet. It will go out to a RR job after the 1st.
Tell me more about your 3500. I really like the look of it. What is the brand of fuel tanks and toolbox you have in the back of it?
The tanks and box is from Weatherguard. I can carry a total of 200 gal. My truck weighs just over 11,000 lbs as it sits. I no longer use the gas compressor. Instead I use an electric XD4000 which takes up less room and works just as good. When I set this truck up, I did it with the idea that whatever job I was working at the time, the job would more than pay for the truck. And thats how its worked. Fuel, tires, oil plus the extra overtime from using my truck on jobs has more than made my payment, insurance and covered my expenses. I have never worked on a job where once the contractor realized the extra service that I could provide, he didn't go for it. Any hauling..... my hourly wage + $.65 mile.
Mods....Smarty, home made cold air intake, 1 piece drive shaft, twin disk clutch, air bags and no stinkin' muffler
That 245 sure looks like it was kept in good shape. thanks for sharing
This machine was by far one of the finest excavators I have ever ran. Simple, direct and to the point, with this machine, I could out load and out dig anyone running an electronic machine of the same weight. This machine was a diffing monster. And it never broke down while I was on it.
By now, I'm sure this machine has gone off to auction....replaced by a newer electronic green machine :bash
We just scrapped a 245 with an M.E. package that had a touch over 20,000 hrs. on it. Sure was a shame to see it go, just a good hard working backhoe. Thanks for sharing those pics, that is a good looking, straight hoe.
Thanks for sharing ROP... there's something about those old 200s, they just look like brutes. I've never had an opportunity to run one, but I wouldn't mind taking one for a spin. Looks like that trench had a little water in it, haha. :drinkup
Rollover - i have looking into the same air compressor as you have - can you give any info, likes , dislikes about it. How hard is it on the alternator to be able to maintain the needed amperage to run it. I was considering adding one or two of the batteries as you have and connect with the 2 already on the truck ( F-350 w/ 7.3 ) . I have a couple 15 gal tanks mounted under my bed and would connect it into them to have the extra volume, normally my most need is for a 1/2 impact , but sometimes i do have to pull out a 1" tire impact on occasions. The only other big use is a plasma cutter - but not much needed for it. thanks for any information.
^^^X2 I love the old cats unless they were real tired other then tracking with them that kind of sucks.
Likes....it works.... runs my 1/2, 3/4 impact, as well as drill , grinder and cut off wheel. Dislikes.......none. This compressor replaces the gas compressor I had chained up in the back. It works just as well, takes up less space and I don't need to haul gas around. 1 extra battery should work for you. Use big cable and run your idle up to about 1200 rpm's. At 200 amps max, It will pull a load and pull your engine down a bit but so far, so good. I've had this comp for 3 years and I have yet to ruin an alternator. When I do, I'll put another one in. The key here is keeping your batteries, cables and any connections in 100% perfect working shape. If this can't be done, then this compressor isn't for you.
I always wondered if it was possible to retrofit a compressor onto the 5.9 cummins engine. Talked to a guy at work who knows them well, said they go where the vacuum pump is on the older ones, since the new ones are all hydroboost, no vacuum pump. Wonder if the new engines have that blocked off or what, just something always been curious about. Been thinking bout doing a 5.9 swap in the old ford, thought it would be nice to have access to air.
Yes, most all of the 5.9s in shcool buses had air, i have not seen exactly where it is but i know they were there.
Colton
I destroyed all 4 of UP's super straps this week. I guess this 88 pulls a little better than they thought it would... :cool2
Very nice, looks like its still alittle cool down there, enjoy it while you can. I used to do alot of RR type work.
RR work is about the easiest money there is. I only go out on RR jobs on a rare occasion since I have yet to be able to mesh with RR way of doing things... That and I don't know how to keep my big mouth shut. But I guess it takes a special breed of person to be able to sit there all day watching the paint dry. Me....I'd much rather go out and have to mentally and physically work for my money.
Those old 87A's sure have some grunt when they are running right. I am still surprised it pulled through a 100K strap, unless it got nicked somewhere.
Look at what "Father Time" dropped off yesterday.
What? I cant hear you!
With 60 series in them instead of 12-71's they are a lot friendlier on the ears.
Nice images!
Rip rap for West Coast. By next thursday I will have sent the remainder of a 5000 ton order. The loader....a 37 year old Cat 980B.
Not one of my jobs, but a local job .. Showing off their fine skills in common sense and asset management are the fine folks from Granite Construction
Here's what I had waiting for me last week. 24 of them I was told by my boss that I loaded and sent 300 in 8 1/2 hrs last Friday. No wonder my arms were so tired :tong Tomorrow there is supposed to be 28 trucks... I can hardly wait. :Banghead This old 46A is in about poor a shape as they come. It's owner obviously doesn't care much....as long as it still runs.
Anyone ever seen one of these?
I've seen a fox with a self loader before, but not a water wagon.
Really? Where at?
Let me re-phrase that, I've never seen one in person, but in a rock and dirt magazine. Essentially it's just a 446 (I believe) with all the fixins' removed and a hitch on the back. I bet it was reallllll handy in the right place. Are you running that one in the photo?, if so, how does it run?
http://davisprecisiondesign.com/projects_scraper1a.jpg I did a quick search and came up with this, it's a cutie.
Hey Pete, I remember at one point you put an exhaust brake on a truck you were running. How was it for holding back? I'm thinking of putting one on my single axle, I know they're not a jake but for single axle weights it seems like it would be fine, and a lot cheaper. What do you think?
For the money, you can't go wrong. Easy to install, trouble free and for what it is, it works really well. http://www.brakesystemsinc.com/blueox.html
Thanks Pete!!!
10-4
I was just driving along this morning.... minding my own business ... and this happens!
Well that's a Monday on a Wednesday.
Talk about running it till the wheels fell off
Cue the old Kenny Rogers song "You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel"!
\ That seems to be normal for the contractor (which shall not be named) that I'm working for. I'm almost embarrassed to even admit who it is that I am working for. He's got a bunch of equipment and I'd say.....75% of it is worn out dangerous junk. But....its a paycheck. The pay is good...more than I had expected and there are some benefits. I'm not sure how long I'll last here since I have a real hard time keeping my feelings to myself especially when it comes to my safety, my job and my pay check. I'll just ride this one out as long as I can. Meanwhile, I'll humor y'all with some pics.. I'll call this series "The rich get richer collection". Enjoy They have decent water trucks. Unfortunately, too many different people run (hammer) them and it takes half a dozen phone calls to get their company mechanic to fix anything.
They ran this rock bucket for another 2 weeks after I told them that it was falling apart. A fine fleet of 51's
D8R that I ran on a weekend. Red light started flashing and an airflow restriction / engine de-rate showed on the screen . Nobody on the job except me so I handled it. This is what I found.. I didn't know that a radial seal air filter could hold so much dirt..
someone needs to explain to the co. mech that capscrews don`t work in those locations
I'm speechless... 6/6/19? WTH
And the majority of these machines , 1/2 of the 51's, 2 of the 9L push cats, 980B and 8R have been repowered . The repowered 51's ride like crap, have lose hitches but run strong. The 51's that still have V8's are nice machines . The hitches are tight, the seats work and the cans will actually come up out of the cut when you pull the lever. That's because nobody wants to run them....lotsa smoke and not enough power. None of the 51's have working parking brakes or service brakes. The retarders kind of work depending if the machine builds air or not. Caning out is all you got unless you're climbing a grade. Throwing your can away doesn't work if your machine dies and starts rolling backwards. That happened to this company a few years back . They said the operator had a heart attack causing the machine to run backwards down the hill hitting a 57 at the bottom. I don't know how anyone was able to determine that? Maybe the fact that he didn't bail out as soon as it started rolling backwards? Unfortunately, the seat belt did work. Massive head trauma from hitting the back of the ROPS proved that. Regardless, he still lost his life that morning. I only found this out about 3 months ago. Had I of known before I hired on, I wouldnt have hired on. It's one of those situations where the pay is good and once again steady. I can't afford to take any time off to look for something else. Not until I can build my savings back up....which in reality won't be any time soon. My ongoing friendship with the IRS and FTB just about guarantees that. All self inflicted and my fault. But should anything ever happen while I'm at work, the wife knows to lawyer up.
To think that not long ago this machine was a push cat.
A few months back as a push cat with rippers.
But it's scraper dirt...
Drove past this on the way to work yesterday.
Today ..... I saw a man die . Um.... about 7:30 am I watched a bucket come off of a Hitachi excavator. I just happened to be looking in the right direction where an underground contractor was digging storm drain when I see the bucket fly off as the operator was swinging around towards the ditch. My first reaction was" damn....thats embarrassing". It never dawned on me as to just how dangerous that could be. So I kept on pushing and ripping and just doing my thing. A short time later I see an ambulance, two fire engines and about four police cars come onto the site. Well...it turns out that the bucket landed in the trench on top of a laborer. Apparently the operator along with a few others on their crew had started CPR. The fire dept took over and after what seemed to be 30 minutes, they loaded up and headed for the hospital. The laborer died on the way to the hospital. Man.....my heart hurts for everyone involved. Especially the operator. That's going to be hard, if not impossible to go on after an accident like this. I don't know the how or why this accident happened. It really doesn't matter at this point. But somewhere here in So. Cal. someones daddy and someones husband isnt coming home. And it hurts thinking about that. I didn't know the laborer and I dont know the operator, but I'm still gonna say a prayer for them tonight.
Next to cave ins that ranks up in the top spot of things that are always on my mind for safety of guys in the ditch I cant imagine dealing with that
Yeah, I hate when anybody gets under a machine. A lot of people think if a hose blows, they'll have time to move, they won't. I have seen a trackhoe blow a boom lift hose and the bucket dropped faster than you can blink. I also feel for that man's family, and for that operator. That would be hard to live with. Today I loaded a tandem dump driven by the supervisor I am working under on a big job I am doing for the SC DNR. I dumped the last bucket in the truck and backed up about 4 feet. He said something, and I shut the loader off. I didn't put the bucket down, which was wrong of me, but I just wanted to hear his comment. The idiot walked under my bucket to wipe a handful of lime off the body, then stood under the bucket talking to me for about 90 seconds. I couldn't put the bucket down, and I was afraid to crank up and back away with him between the loader and the truck. I came within an ace of telling him to f@($ing move! This would have gone over very poorly, as he is not very friendly.
It will be interesting to see what the OSHA investigation comes up with. I personally always shake an attachment and put down pressure on it to insure that it is locked with the coupler . After yesterdays accident I noticed the operator back on the machine while a few police and what must have been some kind of investigators , about 3 of them standing by the machine. The operator went to hook up the bucket while everyone watched. I did not see him curl the attachment to unlock it before hooking the bucket. He then grabbed the bucket and lifted it about 6 " in the air without curling it again or putting down pressure on it to make sure it was locked in. Anyways, he lifts up and as expected, in front of God, the inspectors and everyone else, the bucket drops and hits the ground. Not good.
It easy to speculate from here but the only times I have seen that happen is a busted coupler or blown or leaking hose I cant imagine an operator that cant attach a bucket correctly but i also cant believe what passes for an operator these days
We were all called to come in this morning for a meeting. Everyone including the company that had the accident as well as the sub contractors were there. The gentleman that lost his life was 21 years old. The operator running the machine happened to be his uncle. Bad and sad situation all around. The job is shut down while OSHA conducts their investigation.
It's hard to say. The guy running the machine is experienced and has been with the company for a number of years. In the years that I've been operating and wrenching I have yet to see a coupler fail or suddenly unlock due to a blown hydraulic hose, cylinder or any other reason. The only thing that I could think of is if somehow there was an electrical malfunction of some kind in the switch or if the coupler was never locked in the first place. If they are properly locked, they just dont just unlock on their own unless they have been damaged or modified somehow. If that's the case, blame falls on the operator.
Sent to me by a friend working for Las Vegas Paving. Yep....that's a 10T
Well, now...THAT takes talent. Though, I guess, if you are going to roll one over, that's how to do it, no damage and easy to upright.
That's pretty impressive
That operator should be working for Cirque du Soleil...and playing the lottery....
There are a variety of safety devices installed on couplers now days to prevent drop off from happening. Something was broken, the operator was not qualified (idiot) or someone disabled the safety feature (criminal). Sad for someone at the start of their life to have it cut so short.
It all started out with what I thought was low batteries. Then I plugged in the computer. The rest is history. So far, 1 new starter, 1 new fan clutch 1 additional CAT 1R-0750 fuel filter Still waiting on 6 fuel tubes 6 BBI injectors. 2 weeks worth of rental car for the wife.
and one(1) thoroughly disgusted look
Lol.. You caught that. But.... It's mine, its paid for, it has no egr, requires no def, has 380,000 miles and it doesn't run. I'd still rather push it in and out of my garage than make payments and pay interest on anything new. Before long , I'll have my injectors. And it will run, and it will run good. Then something else will break. But what the hell, it's still paid for.
bt cummins ?
ISB 325
I like the cat filter idea. may do something similar. I have a 98 12 valve hangin on my small eng. stand that I`m in the process of over hauling. have every thing inside done but just can`t seem to get around to finishing the job . its been on the stand for over a year now. every time I get started something else pops up
The CAT filter has a 2 micron rating. The stock dodge filter has a 5 micron rating which is why my problems started in the first place. My original injectors were got so bad that the only way I could get the truck to fire was with a shot of starting fluid. Acceptable injector return @ 30 seconds of cranking is 180 ml. Mine were almost 320 ml which is why i went thru a starter and needed a shot of laughing gas to get it to light. I figure I got about 180,000 more miles out of the stock injectors than recommended/expected . I hope to have my replacements next week.
180 more than expected is not a bad deal ' you getting new or recon inj.? curious about the price
I have remans coming from BBI https://www.bigbanginjection.com/ About $367.00 ea. + 6 fuel tubes And a $900.00 refundable core charge for 6 injectors.
Came into this late, scary as to the incident and death any new info on it? Good luck with the Cummins, should do well when back together.
No info yet. I'd like to know exactly what happened. After all, you learn from other people's mistakes. On a positive note, I suppose the thought of OSHA snooping around must have been enough to get the company i work for to get off of the pot and do some repairs. Even pressure washing some of them... Makes me wonder if they might suddenly be for sale?
Ouch .almost as expensive as the big ones
Here's the latest on the excavator accident. This isn't official, it's just what the job superintendent shared with me. The accident happened first thing in the morning. Meaning that the bucket became detached as the operator had the machine swing to the left and into the ditch. It appears that prior to moving the machine that the operator did not check the coupler making sure that it was locked and good to go. From experience I know that a coupler just does not bleed off and detach. But somehow this particular coupler did bleed off and did detach. Why and how? It seems that the safety device that keeps that from happening must have been tampered with or removed. Not good. Anyways, like I said, this isn't in any way official, it's just what the job super told me when I asked.
My company is working on the same job, what I've been told by our owner is that OSHA came and did and investigation and determined the coupler was faulty/broken. however thats just third party information.
Ouch
At least well ventilated Will not overheat!
Who needs oil changes??? No need to pull the drain plug now!!
Oh Goody, MORE 'Burbs!!
Any chance that excavator is a rental.....
Scraper dirt?
Every now and then you come across an old classic machine that isn't all beat to crap. This old 660B is tight! Everything works on this one. And power... this one's got plenty. Foot on the diff lock, load up the B G, grab a gear and the steering gets real easy. Yeah... its got that kind of power. The retarder, cutting brakes, trans hold, diff lock, hell....its even got a working parking brake. All the gauges work too!
That is a 1 quality scraper material right there if the rocks to big just shoot it out a the can when its stuck gives the powder monkey something to do would thise machines really know what to do if they were in potato dirt it would likely make them all lay down on the job Local company here was doing a job like that had a 10 pushing 37s wedged a rock the size of the can in there after 2 days of a hammer on a 320 they let the powder monkey have it apparently he did a really good job cause 2 hours after he got there that machine was running
Look mom... No leaks!
We broke 3 yesterday and ripped the corner bits off of 2 today. I missed all of the carnage yesterday as they had me on special duty. However today... it may have looked like bombs were going off in the cut and fill but my haul roads were proper! I actually had a fun 10 hrs today
What museum did you guys snag that 660 from? TOO Clean that one, sweet old machines.
What model is the loader in the first photo ?
Looks to be a 973
I never have ran or seen a 973 with rubber tires !
The boss picked this one up along with I believe 3 others at RB a few months back. Talking with the mechanic who worked for the guy that previously owned these machines says this one went for somewhere between 10 - 12K. One of them still has the scraper bowl attached. It looks to be brand spanking new. I have yet to see it but who knows? man....I wish I had more money than brains. Pick up something like this to cruise around town in when the crap hits the fan... I could do that! stuff like this will run for ever. Unlike anything else that has a circuit board that will fail from an E. M. P.
It's a rental 973. Same place that the big hoe came from. While I'm thinking about it... Never, ever buy a machine from any rental company. These machines are used hard and put away wet. They almost take more abuse than our president!
One thing is certain working here. I never know what I'm going to be doing one day from the next. It was loader Monday Rock truck Tuesday B G Wednesday Push Cat Thursday... I Can hardly wait to see what I'll be on Friday..
That 973 got a Rock Skeleton bucket? Separate the bigger monsters from the pile for the pans?
Correction Its a HL 780-9A
This is the "first picture "I asked about.
That be the Wondrous Antique 660
That would be my kind of job!
Today was Push Pull Friday.
Been rode hard beaten on and still producing while bruised!
This is the last 657B scheduled to be re-powered . I think to a tier 5. For now, it is used as a spare because it cant keep up with the re-powered E's or B's. I'm not exactly sure how the government incentive program works that funds part of the cost of doing a re-power. The mechanics have named this the 2 million $ machine.
I have always wondered if I was slightly schizophrenic. I like running the spreader truck....for a month or so. I like running the trackhoe....for a month or so. I like running the service truck....for a month or so. And so on... I have always known that I would be more successful if I would pick something and stick to it, but...
Variety is the spice of life!
It is. It's not uncommon for me to run 4 different machines in one day.
sounds like my kind of day
Yep, I have: A fertilizer spreader; A good backhoe, and a not-so-good one; A farm tractor; A 50,000 lb trackhoe A dozer A heavy rollback A tandem dumptruck 2 road tractors 4 dump trailers 2 lowboys A bunch of other trailers and junk And a service truck, which I use for my stuff and a few good customers It's just me and 2 guys, one of whom is part-time Oh, and one day, I am going to fix my motorgrader So, boredom is never a problem.
How busy does the fertilizer spreader keep you? I've been thinking about getting one for personal use and possibly doing some custom work with it as well.
Anymore, it could be full-time if I let it. I used to do most of it from 50-100 miles from home, because there is only 2 or 3 for-profit farmers left here. Over the last few years I've gotten the deer-farming business built up to where everything I do is for deer farmers, or the state and federal govts, not just the spreading.
Here it isn't fertilizer spreading or spreaders that has become scarce is Lime Spreading, heavier, harder on machinery, spreader gets beaten to a pulp in short order. My cousin and I own a fertilizer buggy together, bought used and rebuilt it for our use, will not spread lime as delivery system made more for pelletized material not powdered, balls up and tears it up so we do not try it. Local near here is last to do such spreading where even our farm service co-op quit due to excessive maintenance on equipment. Maybe that is where you guys should lean?
Well, mine is about 50-50, but you can make a lot more spreading fertilizer. A 10 ton load of lime will do 10 acres, a 6 ton load of fertilizer will do 30-80 acres. 90% of mine is deer farming anyway, so it is usually by the hour, point to point. Even with everything I can made of stainless, fertilizer is much harder on my machinery, from corrosion.
Here's the buggies they use here for lime
We have fairly acidic soil so a ton/acre is little use, generally end up floating 2-3t/a every few years but has to be ultra fine as that spreader above is laying down otherwise just runs off in rains or snow melt. My place was done four years back, soil samples recommend 2t/a currently.
I ended up appraising a few of those "wagons" for the dealer. The dry fertilizer has a smell that kind of makes your sinuses swell up after you get done going through the machine. One place had an old home made rig that they used for organic fish fertilizer. I felt sick after doing the inspection on that one for about two days. I met the guy who drove it late on. He looked like he was at least 80. Found out he was younger than me. The corrosion on all those rigs I thought was far worse than what I had seen on snow equipment or machines working in saltwater.
Push Pull Monday
Almost made it all day on a rental E. I ended up spitting out some gears on the rear trans. Notice that 5 of the 6 bolts are missing. Below is the rental 10R that I ran a while back. If you zoom in on the boulder behind the machine... One of their ace dozer drivers rolled over that boulder, pushed the belly pan up and wiped out an oil cooler. Apparently CAT no longer makes said oil cooler? I don't know about that but what do you expect when you slip seat operators/ tractor drivers?
Rock Truck Tuesday Hardest part of today is not eating everything in my lunch box before 9:00am.
Rock Truck Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
I take it they are burying the larger Rocks smaller boulders somewhere on site?
I had the same problem. If it was a nice lunch I would eat it by 9:00 AM so I could think about something else !
Yes. Rock fill then house pads. If the perspective buyers only knew....
And... They wonder why they have mudslides.
Rock truck Monday and Tuesday.
We got to stop for lunch it was very hard to inpossable to eat when the truck was moving.
We must have made someone some money. The company I work for took delivery of this last month. They also purchased 7 E's locally and 8 E's located in Texas. At 23K each to move from Texas to So. Cal and $1.9 mil for the G.... Makes me think that the owner either has faith in the economy or more money than brains.
It's Dozer week. D9L.
It was only 106* in Riverside today. I have herd a selected few prima donnas say, " A real man don't need no A.C. bla bla bla..." I chose to track into the flight path of a H20 truck front cannon today. Scared the crap out of the H20 truck driver until I finally convinced him that the shower I just walked into was 100% intentional. By the end of the day I had 3 full frontal rinses and a slightly cleaner machine. It's supposed to be 111* tomorrow. Should I wear my 1 or 2 piece?
Fixed.
Its water truck Thursday!
Its water pull week!
Lenarr homes. Winchester Ca.
I thought about if for a split second.....but it's a long walk home.
if you guys find the right rock seam you`re gonna fill that hole back up with salt water
Got bored today ...so I printed up some targets and thought I'd go squeeze off a few rounds. Below... target to my truck = 300 yds. 25-0-6 shot from an Interarms MarkX
Only 2 mechanics and myself working today.
The calm before the storm. Corona CA.
Phase II at Terramor
Terramor...phase III
that stuff looks to be hard on tires of any kind
That guy in the backhoe is working a pretty good slope. Its neat to see all the scrapers at work, they are rarely used in my area.
I made it until noon...taken out by a hose.
3 of Peed's 777's. The beds should be delivered tonight. The job is shut down till sometime next week. I guess there's a storm headed this way.
Friday at Terramor
Least not raining and a slophole!!
BANG and Off to the Races!!!
They have been setting a shot off every other day for the 4 weeks that I've been there. 3 rigs drilling 10 hrs a day. Blasted 4 times last week. We will soon be out of dirt so I guess the 51's will be parked.
I love to watch a well laid out and properly stemmed shot.
Spent a few days in CAT 777F. It only had about 2 hrs on a fresh C32 repower.
It's a nice day outside...
new boots to
A friend sent me this yesterday. He had just unloaded some river rock when a huge gust of wind happened. Believe it or not, the only damage was 2 fenders and the tarp system on the trailer and, two air bags, some air lines and a bent battery box step on the truck. He was back on the road and headed to the yard by 4:00 pm. It went to the alignment shop today and everything including the frame is fine. Oh....the breakaways on the 5th wheel obviously didn't do their job. Hansen will be redesigning them soon.
Wow. Amazing. Looks bent for sure.
Last one I saw do that unloading corn both truck and trailer were totaled.
Was it a corn binder?
Correction.. Corn bender.
Pete, do you guys do anything special with the equipment when you blast? Long ago when I worked a coal strip mine, at blasting time all equipment was parked on level ground, engines off, park brakes released. Something about shock loads thru drivelines...
Special? Um....when you push scrapers thru the kind of material that we do, shock loads thru drivelines is the last thing on anyone's mind
wow move it or tear it up
It's a party when you have to shoot a boulder stuck in the bowl not to many people left know how to do it these days
The beatings that these machines take is amazing.
From Tuesday... Tilt cylinder on a D8T. It's amazing what you can break at an idle. The foreman said it broke because I was working in rock. I told him that it was from ..... being abused by every top hand wanna be dozer driver..... lack of grease..... then I told him that he was an idiot. I had the next 3 days off.......rain. I go back to work for the idiot Monday.
yes that is stupid dry. Not that it caused the fracture per se, but the fracture revealed the lack of grease for sure.
I caused it.. It failed on my on my watch. I'll bet that the rod wasn't a genuine CAT part. I've cornered out a lot of big rock and never had any problems. This broke at an idle. Oh well.....
Had a hard time staying awake yesterday. 15 loads in 8 hrs... I believe we broke some kind of record yesterday.
I worked a job many years ago where my PC200lc6 was the smallest piece on the project. Lots of 40 ton 6x6 trucks, double engine scrapers and big hoes. It was a landfill expansion between Louisville and Cincinnati. When they would shoot a charge, they had all of the equipment parked and shut off and suggested that I do the same with mine. It was explained to me that Cat engineers had determined that the shock wave from the blast, travelling through the ground and into the frame of the equipment had, at times, cause the driveshafts of the engines to snap in half while running during a blast. This was most likely with the largest of engines but it was standard protocol to shut everything down for the shot. It also gave me time to watch the process. I do remember hiding behind/under one of those big dumps when a miscalculated shot blew material several hundred feet into the air and blew rocks very close to our location.
Terramor video by Kenny from SoCal Earth Movers
For me, work continues to be non stop. It helps to be versatile and have an open mind. Working with our mechanics keeps the hrs coming in. I'll operate anything from a 1200 loading trucks to a shovel potholing for utilities. I'm not to proud to do labor work and will run circles around this newer generation of entitled tractor drivers. At times it seems like I get passed around like a red headed step child but I don't care. It pays the bills. The only down side is the miles I drive and the price I'm paying for fuel. With every gallon I buy, I hate 46 and the a$$holes that voted for him a little bit more. Diesel from $3 .75 -$4.39.... 46 is the enemy and those who voted him in are the cancer that's killing this world.. But for now, work goes on....
An D9L uc we finished up last week . This machine will be turned in for a 9T in 2 years.
Impressive Jack Stands, what beast donated those?
in addition to the above question what do you use to move those things around?
I think from a 651/657... but im not 100% sure. I'll find out and let you know.
The little red forklift in the pic.
that works did`nt notice it. looks to have long enough forks.
someone else was talking about jack stands handling 15k I think those would do the job
657B front and rear spindles.
I presume you also have a custom insert for the Custom slotted and pinned unit.
We do. I've never used them but they are in one of the parts trailers.
Diesel at 0.82p per liter, we could only wish for that this side of the water, its not been that price over here since the early 2000's we are currently at an average of £1.32 a liter
On a new site grabbing and getting things ready for the rest of the equipment when it shows. Since this site sets on Indian land, we have an Indian artifacts saver guy, a biologists an a geologist working with me. It's interesting what they find and flag off for further inspection. This interesting little specimen......I'm not sure what if any historical, biological or geological significance it has......but I went around it anyways . Figured I'd leave it for the grade checker to deal with
It looks like a toy from sex shop. Sorry)))
Its been a while, but little seems to change. Keep in mind that I'm thankful for my job. I mean I thank God every day. I jump around between wrenching and running anything and everything this company has. But damnit! This is the **** that I put up with. This particular H20 trk driver... I could give a rats @$$ if you are related to the owner or not. If this were my truck, you'd be down the road a month ago. You worthless filthy slob! Yep, I took a pic and yep, I sent it to the owner. I'm sure that he has no clue as to how you take advantage of the fact that you being related to him means that you can get away with this. I hope he fires your entitled ***. I'm fairly certain that he wont. Blood is thicker than water. But still... I had to vent. That is all for now.
Hopefully boss don't fire you for littering
I jumped on a 51 after another driver showed up. All that garbage has 20' of fill on top of it now.
Have several at the yard I work out of do same, Boss makes a point to walk around yard and Survey HIS equipment, makes lists of what needs to be attended or get out.
Management's nephews are the company's biggest problem.
Amen
I just can't understand the mentality of it, you spend more hours a day in a cab whether it be a truck/tractor/plant equipment than you do in your own bed, yet you won't go to their home and find the bed like that? One of my previous jobs was driving a tractor for a farm contractor spreading manure, day in day out in manure, but my cab was spotless, to a point of I had a boot box outside my cab, so boots off and trainers on to drive, a dust pan and brush to keep it clean, and a rubbish bag for any rubbish accumulated that day. My tractor cab was sat in for 12-15hrs a day 6 days a week 70% of the year. So I treated it like a second home.
Problem is YES you will find their home as bad. Been to a couple of them, **** EVERYWHERE!!. If my wife had her way, the house would be a Dumpster of junk and trash, her 2017 exploder is a rolling dumpster.
In the 90's I managed the road maintenance department in our county. 125 employees 85+ single axle dumps for snow removal.Got into an interesting "discussion" with my boss about adding air conditioning to our dump trucks. He says nope, they won't get out of the trucks in the summer. I told him I don't have any problem getting out and sweating but it sure feels good driving back to the yard with AC. His next argument was they don't care of their trucks, they are pig styes. I interacted with the guys in the garage attached to the admin building so I challenged him to go for a walk with me. Up one isle and back the other isle. Probably 20 plus trucks (had to have them for winter, sure didn't need the all in the summer ). 1 shop towel on the passenger side floor in one truck. That was it, I figured the trucks would be in ok shape but the guys made me proud that day So, then it was AC's too expensive. I was kinda teed off. His car had air, the supervisors pickups had air, we all had air in our offices and many had it in their homes but we wouldn't put it in our big trucks. So we put out our annual bid for 6 new dumps- 90 % of our fleet were L8000 Fords in those days. The local Ford dealer got the bid. Now we didn't spec AC but the bid submission had a notation. "AC is now standard equipment on all L8000 series trucks. There will be a $1000 delete charge added if a vehicle is spec'ed without AC." Guess what, the new trucks came with AC. I'd have to say 95% of our employees take good care of their trucks especially the insides. We're starting to slack on the exteriors. We have a wash bay with a good power washer and 10 minutes in the wash bay spiffs them up nicely. It bugs me when I see one of our trucks with mud up the sides and it hasn't rained in 10 days.
There is a huge difference between a municipality and a private business. I'm sure it was nice to have what appears to be a higher caliber of employee in a stabile employment situation knowing where they are going to be each day. A fair share of the time people working out of the hall or those working at will usually don't have reason to care about anything other than their pay checks making it through the bank with out having rubber cushions. I'm of the mind and have witnessed that if one piece of iron has AC, then all need to have it.
On the job in Homeland, CA. https://youtube.com/shorts/88QORT98tZw?feature=share
That old 657B that I ran earlier this year... it and a few more finally cut up. CAT took those old parts, gave them some new paint and here is the results. Two virgin, never before in the dirt 657's. Notice that there is no letter behind the 657. I don't know why?
What power in them?
Got any S/N on them tried looking for 657 on SIS but not really seeing much?
I'm not sure what the actual C#'s are. I'll check tomorrow. I think both total right at 1000hp.
I'll see about s/n's also.
You can see in this pic the rear tire was removed. The new rears on both machines get pulled and replaced with good used tires. New tires are hard to come by today so I suppose this move makes financial sense .
Still no rock guards above the draft arms as seen on the E.
From our Norco job, a shot of the original "Hotel California ".
One thing that is interesting or I'm reading SIS wrong. The build date on the machine is 11/24/2020 but the build date on the engine is 5/19/2021. Did the machine sit waiting for six months for the engine to be built?
Quite possibly, yes. I worked at the Decatur CAT facility and it wasn't uncommon to park incomplete machines outside on the lot until the necessary component arrived. Then they would bring it in to a rework area and install the missing components to complete a build for shipment. Not 100's of machines, but a few here and there. CAT believes heart and soul in lean manufacturing and does not stock anything beyond what is scheduled to be consumed. This means if a component gets dropped, scratched, broken during transit, etc, it can't be used in a new build. From my experience, the machine was usually on the line being built when the damaged component was found. I worked in the Supply Chain Planning group and our worst scenarios were late delivery trucks, or unsecured loads arriving on trucks. That would ruin a production schedule real fast. Occasionally, an over eager forklift driver would ding something, but that wasn't the norm from what I dealt with.
I can dig it....
Doesn't seem very big for a 1200 size machine. It appears to need lots of cooling capacity. That bucket is interesting. What good do the bottom pieces do for the digging process?
A question for the forum... Why is the tow loop painted black on one side with the other side yellow ?
Black on Drivers side so can see it as hooks up? Contrast to the hooked to unit Yellow hook and tail.
So the headlight doesn’t reflect back so badly when the bail is raised in low light operations ? Thinking about the cylinders on a grader and how they went from yellow to black or gray as time progressed.
I load 50 ton tucks in 3 passes. I don't know if that's good or bad but I usually have enough time to eat a sandwich or smoke a cigarette. The bucket has replaceable wear blocks. They extend the life of the bucket floor by wearing out first. Much easier and cheaper to replace instead of replacing the entire floor.
Finally working close to the house. On a rental JD 1050J dozer. Below is a link with details of the project. https://sports.yahoo.com/proposed-exclusive-thermal-golf-course-200516454.html
This 1050 is a nice machine. However, I would not want to be the one wrenching on it.
Our companies in Russia don't buy these dozers. Are there any differences from Liebherr? Sorry for my ignorance
The pictures show warm weather and we had -28 Celsius. I'm jealous)))
I'm not sure? It is hydrostatic and seems to run fine.....for now.
From the article: “ With a membership proposed at just 50, and a daily maximum of just 25 people playing the course on any given day” now that’s $$$$
Yeah.. Poverty sucks.
Really? Actually has a Work lamp IN the engine compartment?
From the Menifee job. 2 10's and an 8 ripping for me.
Yep... That could be good or bad. Good if making life easier for the mechanic is what Deere had in mind.. Or bad if the mechanic is working day and night to keep the thing running...
Had to look twice, makes it easy to check oil before starting!
My Lamtrac came standard with at least 3 compartment lamps. If you're working year round in the northern bush with short days, it really makes sense. It's built in Canada and that's my guess for the reasoning. It also came with an Eberspacher pre-heater which is one of the greatest things ever for cold weather operations. The hydraulic oil heat exchanger is the best thing for getting to operational temps quickly.
When my dad saw the light in the engine compartment of a new to us Deere grader he just shook his head. He spent most of his life as a Cat field service tech before starting out on his own.
Many high-end cars have an engine compartment light. I would hope something that cost more than several combined, would have a similar convenience.
It's amazing how an 8-9 hr day always seems to turn into a 12 hr day. Thank God it's only a 15 minute drive home for me. The other guys, 2 hrs +.
Did you disturb Mr. No Shoulders enough for him to move somewhere else?
I left him just as i found him. I would have moved him but something about fangs, poison, hospitals and being labeled a "dumb ass" made me think differently. Hopefully, he will have relocated himself come Mondy. I have however been able to save two. I walked both outside the job property line. The King snake was obviously a baby. The egg was about the size of my thumb nail. Who knows if the two were related?
I know a couple guys here local that would have had no shoulders on the grill had they came across him
Pete, I look at the rocks on your jobs and think I'd be 6 inches shorter if it weren't for Mid Western dirt
Sorry but that rattle headed timber moccasin would've met its maker. However the king snake would've made it out safely.
I hate it when that happens.
Looks kind of spendy.
Wish we could see the rest of the broken shaft. Looks like a fatigue break. Wonder what started the break.
Well... since you asked, I feel extremely compelled to reply. Be aware that my reroly is only my opinion . It may be right, it might be wrong. It's only my opinion and for the sake of this conversation, that's all that matters. Here we go... The break broke thanks to todays new generation of tractor drivers. Notice that I used "tractor driver" instead of operator. These kids are young, limber and they really don't give a **** about the equipment they run or their health. They hammer down everywhere they go. They use speed to make up for a lack of skill and lack of experience. Have you ever noticed how everything comes to a screeching halt when the GPS goes out? Grade checkers who don't know how to use a hand level, a prism or carry a 100' tape. Operators who have never relied on the "bubble in their ass" . That's the majority of todays workforce. Raised on the internet and trained on their "play station". What once was a skilled trade, isn't anymore. They run as if they are getting paid by the load instead of by the hour. Take that and add in the lack of support equipment.. you get broken bales, cut tires, cracked hitches , broken glass and broken spindles. Oh yeah... they saved a buttload of money by not having any support equipment... Either way, I get paid to run them and I get paid to fix them. The overtime I get every week would make your head spin. Bottom line, it's all money in the bank. If someone is willing to throw their $ at me, I'm more than willing to take it. you had to ask ....
Technology has really put my generation at a disadvantage of being efficient ask most concrete guys if they have a chain tape and they dont know what your talking about The real problem is people learned the tech and never mastered the basics so when things get out of the box they cant adapt and the tech allowed for a serious amount of a lack of theory and concept understanding it's why achetects design things that cant be physically built I have really noticed in the last 2 years the number of college degree construction managers and not that it's bad that they went to school but that degree is being treated like job experience The next slow down will sort this out a lot there wont be money to pay for the lost time with screwing around with tech for 5 minute layout I have one customer especially handiedcaped by there total station and lasers cause batterys are always dead and something is always blocking line of sight and they have no clue how to use an offset because no one taught them It boils down to this the construction industry has had a real vacume in leadership not bosses or managers but actual leaders that build people not jobs that changed probably 20 years ago in my opinion and the full effect of that trend is on display
It looks like a flaw in the metal on the break at about 6 o'clock. That would come under "defects in design or materials." Were was the machine built.
I was guessing the push Cat ran into it. . (ducks for cover)
Peoria Illinois. I'm pretty sure that the constant bouncing over boulders had something to do with it.
The parts will come from this machine. #86 was traded in (cut up) last year for a new K. Front and rear blocks had holes burned in them and the frame was cut. Anything and everything else is used as needed to keep the older machines running. That includes fuel systems, pumps, diffs etc...
Think that repair might need this : https://www.jbweld.com/product/j-b-weld-professional-size Don't think the 2 ounce size will be enough!
The latest from Thermal.
Ummm.... Broke the tree right in half.
That's going to take more than $5.00 and Five minutes to fix right there!
That leave a mark on the Forehead??
Ouch!
does the cab seat also need replacing? or just a good wash off lol
I saved the seat. Simply pounded the pinch mark down with a small hammer.
This is the first time I've ever seen one of these break completely in half.
This hitch has obviously had a crack running around the front for quite some time. We've had the machine about 2 years. So...the plan. glue everything back together, put it on a lowbed and send it to the yard.
With only a 210 JD skip loader and another 57, we made it happen.
A pass or two of 7018 and it's good to go!
Is it repairable or to be scrapped / parted out?
Be ready for a lowbed this afternoon. Everything is repairable.
s Looks like a mighty big casting. I assume a steel casting since a welder is at it.. Any pre heat going on ? Or is the welding just to get it back to the shop for proper tear down ?
I would hope welded just enough to move it to a disassemble location and either fix the break or swap the Neck Castings.
Exactly what is going on. There is a spare hitch at the shop that will be swapped out with this one. This one will be a spare after it is rebuilt.
This here is what you call a "Stinger clinger ". It's what happens when your push block climbs up and gets hung up on the lead machines stinger. These things happen when you try to hook up when you shouldn't be trying to hook up. The result is the second machine being left high and dry with one or both tires spinning. Sometimes you get lucky and break free...maybe bighting your tongue as your head hits the inside of the cab. Sometimes you rip the push block off. But not these two clowns. Like 2 horney dogs, they squirmed, tugged and pulled for almost 1 hr before they finally broke free. Personally, I would have sprayed them down with a water truck.
Hmmm
Just finishing up here in Thermal. The next job is about 30 miles away. The first phase should last about 3-4 months and be good for around 1.5 - 2 million yards of dirt. Disney? Yep. Go figure.. https://ew.com/events/disney-residential-community-cotino-to-open/
looks great! I have not worked with scrapers, but what is the fuel consumption per shift?
That's quite the line of scrapers. Will they haul each one over to the next project, or road them the 30 miles?
The repowered 657E's burn right at 180 gallons in 8 hrs. Our 2 non repowered E's with the 3412 in the front and 3408 in the rear burn 210-220 gallons in 8 hrs.
How does production compare ?
We've sent 12 over so far. I'm watching over the 2 finishing up in Thermal. Apparently the boss would rather have me on the ground to take care of any repairs / servicing as needed. If an operator is late, doesn't show or needs time off, I'll jump in the seat. Anyways..... back on topic.. We've sent 12 . The last two will go in a week or so. All 9 axel loads. Here is one of our K's leaving the Cat dealer.
Basically... the same.
Found this guy this morning while checking cutting edges. This Western Diamondback had 13 rattles and looked to be around 5 ft.
Yeah- old no shoulders looks like he's been eating well, he's pretty thick in the middle. So are you warm enough year round that they don't hibernate? I also didn't know that the western diamondback had black and white stripes just before the rattle. That's a great video. I think I'd need a little more of a zoom lens, so I could have plenty of distance.
Now I don't know much about snakes. But I do know that getting bit by a rattler will likely ruin your day. I followed his tracks up and out of the job...he did indeed get the hell out of here. Being as old as he is and surviving 20 scrapers moving 2 million yards, I certainly wasn't going to end it for him with a shovel.
Had a Timber rattler back in '82 take up residence in a scrapped out 755 deere frame at the garage I had just started at. Kid of previous owner(St Charles Tractor Service) had come a running in yelling SNAKE!! Multiple Times so I DID grab a shovel and went out to where the beast was making noise. Pissed it off enough to get it to try to slip away as was getting nowhere rattling and striking at the shovel handle. Caught it in the open and SLAM came off the head.. Just under 6' long, made a excellent meal for us garage Coolies. Boss ended up with a SWEET looking Belt and Hat Band from it. His yard HIS Prize.
Run up on this jewel breaking in the new truck out on the Cahaba River. 13 rattles - didn't get close enough to see if there was a button.
Asphalt pavement must be warmer than the brush. Healthy looking critter.
Neat video Pete, that's really impressive. Any idea how many yards an hour are getting moved there?
Highs in the 70's yesterday. Since it was out in a Wildlife Management we both went our separate ways.
And......they're off.
Let's see.. We have 10 machines hauling 14 loads per hr= 1120 loads in 8 hrs. That at 44yds avg = almost 50000yds at the end of the day. That's only our 57's. There are 10 637' running also so I don't know.. Maybe 80000-90000 yds a day?
Its *Crack in the fuel tank Tuesday ". .
Love the action shots. Looks like there a patch there previously?
Yep. There's another patch on the bottom also. Looks like someone tried to smuggle some drugs across the border.
Bombing the fill.
What is that fill, looks more like sand than dirt.
Looks like desert dirt to me.
It is sand. Blow sand. The kind of sand you find at the beach or Sahara Desert. No water and you sink. Lots of water and it compacts....enough to build a house on.
Correction... I was wrong on the yardage. 44 yds is dirt. Blow sand is an entirely different material. 35 yds avg is what a 57 will haul when in blow sand. That drops my numbers from 49000 to 39000 yds hauled by 10 machines in 8 hrs.
It is.....kind of.
Thanks, looked like what I had seen around Phoenix as a kid.
When dad and uncle got the 307ssr nearly half the bottom of the black was torched off thats what they think happened
57 G rear. Never a dull moment.
Zowie!!
Thats a interesting one
This happened sometime between 5:00am and 2:00pm. Not sure when but she ran all day. I spotted it doing my walk around after they parked.. engine still running. Shut her down, removed the hot were, hit it with the solvent gun when I suddenly thought to myself, "self....I'm tired, it's 105° in the shade and I'm coming up on 12 hrs... Screw this place... I'm going home". Naturally, the other mechanic agreed. We'll deal with it early Monday.
Appears locked in and spun to exploding
Never saw one do that! Had a 988H Cat that ran all morning but after lunch break would not start. Remover starter to find the nose of the starter was missing. Took some fishing around after removing the plat on the other side of the flywheel housing but finally managed to get the broken nose out. Matched it up with the rest of starter and only a few small chips were missing. Tossed in new starter and put it back to work. Could have been real bad if the engine had started then the piece fell off!
110°.....but it's Friday . I love my job...
First Thought: "HELLO Rabbit"
Changing the front driveline on a hot 657E is one thing. Add 100°+ outside temps makes it all that more miserable. On the plus side...at least we're working in the shade.
Lucky boy!! NOT!
Pucks destroyed? or bolts shear? Either should do alignment checks.
The pucks are brittle and wasted. Got lucky with the bolts. As soon as the operator saw smoke, he shut it off and called me. We towed it in with a spare 57. I agréé with the alignment check but headquarters won't go for that . This is a perfect time to do rear motormounts and be done with it. But you know how the old saying goes, " crap in one hand and wish in the other and see which one you get first ". We'll rebuild the yoke. The cage and bearings are fine. The driveshaft will go to the shop to be rebuilt. We normally have spares but for some reason, parts go to the shop and never return. If the parts were in the trailer, it would have been running before quitting time. But....oh well. I'm out of here until Monday. Not my problem anymore.
Look at what just showed up!
Damn pucks get hard and brittle Make a helluva vibration and noise at times
I (don't) wonder what's happening at work today .
A little vacation time ROP??
I wouldn't call it a vacation... More of an intervention.. No....that's not right or fair. My son is getting married. Um....yeah. Ps..... The margaritas are pretty tasty down stairs
Two out of three ain't bad....right ? Yep. 2 out if 3 of our politically correct, low emission, green pieces of crap are parked. Why? Parts that are either on nationwide backorder, only found in Europe or Australia or software issues. Brother....CAT struck out with this abomination. Who ever designed these machines obviously has never had to work on them. This particular machine waits for a lower coolant hose.....coming from Australia. Really? Thats the closest one? Apparently so. Amazing... sell a machine without any kind of spare parts/service.. What a concept...
657K ser# WSJ00182 with 1200 hrs. Still under warranty. CAT has been out here 3 times for this turd and now the DEF pump is out. But wait...it gets better. These DEF pumps which were shoved down our throats......nation wide back order.. 60 days out! ps...... I'd like to thank CARB and the EPA for turning our industry into a total **** show.
Since the EPA has been handed their own butt, PERHAPS there can come an end to the cycle of garbage mechanisms No Central/SE Asian or Eastern Europe country uses, they just somewhat produce them for us 'More Sensitive Nations'.
Another $ 2400.00 down the toilet.
Yabutt ! No emissions from your machine for at least 60 days....they have won.
Its been a while.. Finishing up a 10R.
Pete, is that your same Dodge from page 1? Curious how many miles you have on it now? I know you said you had 50k miles in the first 12 months. Can't imagine how many it has now.