80 Acres- Eagle Creek, Oregon

[NWOutlawMX]

That sure is a serious stump remover!!!!! Your place looks great, congrats on all your progress.

Eddie

The only thing missing in the pictures is me with the chain saw. One broken shovel and 3 chains toast. I did end up getting one of those sharpeners from Harbor Freight which saved me a bunch but 3 of them could not be sharpened anymore.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

Impressive job. The before and after pictures really show how much work it took. That dozer and excavator were worth every penny I'm sure.

At first the wife didn't understand why i had to get the size of the equipment i did but now she understands. I did purchase a box blade to get the final touches on the second part of the driveway and i've used it for straightening up the places I cleared blackberries, it's also proven to be a good investment.

And of course I need something to haul all the piles around. I got tired of having piles scattered around so I purchased a 1941 Chevrolet Military dump truck. Pto dump, 4X4 with a winch on the front. I now have a designated burn area i bring it all to, open burning is done for now so I'll just pile it up until fall



So far only a couple broken hydraulic hoses, plenty of grease and fuel though.

 

[s219]

Cool truck -- I would kill for one like that.

 

[wmonroe]

Love that truck!

 

[NWOutlawMX]

Sounds like I have a little more to do on one section. The power company was out and the guy said they don't bury cable anymore, it has to be in a pipe or housing of some kind. I had in my mind to have them trench and bury the cable in the orange conduit I see on the reels and follow the driveway but he informed me that they can only bend the cable a certain amount of degrees and that the conduit is very expensive and couldn't be done they way I envisioned. There is phone cables buried in the road that make crazy turns and twists (i had them marked with a call to 811 before I started anything) so I don't quite understand why power cables can't be done the same? So my option was to go above ground which is 2,000 per pole or to put the pipe in myself and they would come and pull the wire, but they could only pull so many feet so I have to have stations (can't remember the exact term) every 700 feet or so and they have to be in a straight of line as possible. Most of it is close and should work except for one section. Luckily there are no more stumps in the way and should only take me a day. But putting the pipe in and installing the stations sounds like I'm going to have to hire somebody that is PGE certified and works with them repeatedly, that way they know exactly how everything needs to be that meets their code so there won't be any problems when they come in and pull the wire and install the transformer at the end. He also mentioned if they were already pulling the wire I might want to consider putting in 3-phase? What's 3-phase and what could I possibly use that would require it? He explained somewhat about large compressors and such. Anyone have this setup? One nice thing is once it's installed they can put temporary power so no more generator.

 

[wmonroe]

I can't remember how long of a run you are looking at but I highly recommend doing underground. When we built three years ago I faced the same situation and ended up installing the conduit myself. If I remember correctly I put in about 1300' of conduit to the transformer and then about 100' to get to the house. It was a longer process than I expected since the excavator I rented wasn't big enough ( 6,000 pound machine, biggest that rental company had) and I ran into plenty of hard packed shale and I wanted the trench about 4' deep instead of the required 3'. At the time I was thinking of going overhead since it would have made my work easier but now I'm extremely happy that we did underground. The part that made the project the worst for me was I was working 8 hours from home at the time so Friday after work I would drive home, get up early Saturday and work on it, work till about 1and then drive back to my hotel.

 

[bcp]

Some houses around here have underground service, some overhead. When the cable company finally arrived in the area, the people with overhead service were connected free. Those with underground service had to pay a huge per-foot fee to be connected.

Bruce

 

[orezok]

When I did the underground primary for my house, I added a couple of extra empty conduits for future. Conduit is cheap vs. excavation later. I brought it to the surface every 300' in a pull box which would allow me to brand off at any point.

Check with your power utility for required separation.

 

[wmonroe]

When I did the underground primary for my house, I added a couple of extra empty conduits for future. Conduit is cheap vs. excavation later. I brought it to the surface every 300' in a pull box which would allow me to brand off at any point. Check with your power utility for required separation.

When I did mine I also put in extra conduit, looking back I should have put more in but there hasn't been a need yet.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

It's looking awesome!

Have you thought about putting outdoor hydrants on the property?

When do you go back to fish? I'd sure miss my tractor :laughing:

I had planned on putting a watering system in and running it off the spring. But this would be for the natural MX track (as my screen name reveals). More than likely i will have to put in some sort of storage tank so i have something like 1000 gals on hand. I haven't timed it yet but the spring is pumping out at least 100 gallons a minute.

I'll be headed back fishing probably next week, and I do miss my tractors.

 

[ultrarunner]

Some houses around here have underground service, some overhead. When the cable company finally arrived in the area, the people with overhead service were connected free. Those with underground service had to pay a huge per-foot fee to be connected.

Bruce

Exactly what I faced in outside Olympia... neighbors got cable for free and they wanted 14k to run cable to me and we are both about the same distance from the pole... only they have poles and I don't.

and this is why no cable at my place.

 

[dave1949]

Three phase power is for heavy duty commercial-type stuff. If the cost difference is low (compared to standard single phase) it would be there if you ever needed it. Maybe you would run across a good deal someday on used commercial/industrial equipment that requires three phase, for example.

Here is an air compressor example that runs on three phase:
FREE SHIPPING — Campbell Hausfeld Fully Packaged Air Compressor — 7.5 HP, 24.3 CFM @ 175 PSI, 208-230/460 Volt Three Phase, Model# CE7006FP | 20 - 29 CFM Air Compressors| Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[SPIKER]

What do you plan on using the place for later, just a HOME or going to put in some commercial type equipment for welding wood working or grand public race track??? If not doing any of that then single phase is fine.

Rent a BIG trencher and put in the conduit yourself, with the pull boxes at equal distance and in a straight as line as you can. Even if you have to cut thru some switch backs and trench DOWN HILL in steep spots it is better than having to put in a LOT MORE pull boxes and bends. Conduit and Cable is getting expensive as raw materials are up still... Under ground is best way tho as fire, flood, storms etc will not interrupt the wires... Once done keep trail marked where it is at & keep trees from growing up on it as those roots can wrap up and pull it out if tips over.

The underground cable is HIGH VOLTAGE too and as such will require special marking tape to keep people from digging it up later. Use RED (or Yellow) High Voltage Tape (or if local codes require something different ask power company) 1 foot under surface and 1 foot above the conduit. Mark all locations ahead of time for the pull boxes too! that way you can plan out best rout thru/to the transformer pad.

Use SWEEPS for any 90 degrees and ONLY use 3 per run into each pull box at most 45 degrees are better or heat and bend to the desired offset. MAX of 360 degrees worth of bends that includes the 3 to 5 degree bends that are natural when the conduit bends around underground. that is why only use 3 90's in a 300 foot pull they said they can pull 700 feet? if so only use 2ea 90 degree sweeps one for each pull box coming up. OR some are made to mount deep under ground but require above ground access. See what the power company recommends they may prefer something specific for their equipment.

Mark

 

[zing]

Three phase is also used for larger welders. You up-sized your machinery because of the large scale of the landscaping you had to do, you should also consider the size of the equipment you plan to put in your shop before you decide on what power to run.

Miller - MIG Welders - Three-Phase

Advanced Process Welders | Lincoln Electric

 

[GLyford]

You can often get deals on machinist tools like milling machines, drill presses, and lathes that run on 3-phase because the other hobbyists can't run them, or would have to swap out a motor. Pumps and air compressors, too.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

Exactly what I faced in outside Olympia... neighbors got cable for free and they wanted 14k to run cable to me and we are both about the same distance from the pole... only they have poles and I don't.

and this is why no cable at my place.

Three phase power is for heavy duty commercial-type stuff. If the cost difference is low (compared to standard single phase) it would be there if you ever needed it. Maybe you would run across a good deal someday on used commercial/industrial equipment that requires three phase, for example.


Here is an air compressor example that runs on three phase:
FREE SHIPPING — Campbell Hausfeld Fully Packaged Air Compressor — 7.5 HP, 24.3 CFM @ 175 PSI, 208-230/460 Volt Three Phase, Model# CE7006FP | 20 - 29 CFM Air Compressors| Northern Tool + Equipment

I've decided to put in 3 phase and run extra conduit for future use. Seems like when you do extra stuff you don't end up needing it but if you think you won't need it, then you end up needing it later. Better safe then sorry.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

What do you plan on using the place for later, just a HOME or going to put in some commercial type equipment for welding wood working or grand public race track??? If not doing any of that then single phase is fine.

Rent a BIG trencher and put in the conduit yourself, with the pull boxes at equal distance and in a straight as line as you can. Even if you have to cut thru some switch backs and trench DOWN HILL in steep spots it is better than having to put in a LOT MORE pull boxes and bends. Conduit and Cable is getting expensive as raw materials are up still... Under ground is best way tho as fire, flood, storms etc will not interrupt the wires... Once done keep trail marked where it is at & keep trees from growing up on it as those roots can wrap up and pull it out if tips over.

The underground cable is HIGH VOLTAGE too and as such will require special marking tape to keep people from digging it up later. Use RED (or Yellow) High Voltage Tape (or if local codes require something different ask power company) 1 foot under surface and 1 foot above the conduit. Mark all locations ahead of time for the pull boxes too! that way you can plan out best rout thru/to the transformer pad.

Use SWEEPS for any 90 degrees and ONLY use 3 per run into each pull box at most 45 degrees are better or heat and bend to the desired offset. MAX of 360 degrees worth of bends that includes the 3 to 5 degree bends that are natural when the conduit bends around underground. that is why only use 3 90's in a 300 foot pull they said they can pull 700 feet? if so only use 2ea 90 degree sweeps one for each pull box coming up. OR some are made to mount deep under ground but require above ground access. See what the power company recommends they may prefer something specific for their equipment.

Mark

When I had the guy out from PGE (portland general electric) he was explaining some of the things you describe and it got to be confusing. If I had more time to investigate everything I'd probably do it myself but I'm going to have to head back to work next week and will be gone for a few months. By the time I get back it will be the rainy season and without gravel on the driveway it will be unusable. I'm trying to get the power back there now because there will be 2-3 day windows in the weather that it will dry out enough to put gravel down.

I'm amazed of the lack of interest the company's that I have contacted that were PGE certified have exhibited in giving me an estimate. Took 4 business days for one guy to even call me back and the other business, which appears to be quite large by their website, keeps telling me "we'll be there tomorrow" and they never show. That company has directional drilling capabilities. One of the things PGE stated is it has to be next to the driveway so they have easy access, so tree roots shouldn't be an issue but it's going to add quite a bit to the price.

 

[SPIKER]

I've decided to put in 3 phase and run extra conduit for future use. Seems like when you do extra stuff you don't end up needing it but if you think you won't need it, then you end up needing it later. Better safe then sorry.

When you talked to them did you ask them the cost difference or if there is a MIN use clause as in most cases there is to get 3 phase. It does add costs to both INSTALL BILL and to the MONTHLY BILL for rest of the time you are hooked to it. THEN there is the costs to install 3 phase main power boxes as those are a good bit more than residential single phase equipment on home construction costs.

Since you said yes to it be aware of the above.

Mark

 

[MacLawn]

Oh me, ye done got me sidetracked on ye '41 truck! Now, I need one of those.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

When you talked to them did you ask them the cost difference or if there is a MIN use clause as in most cases there is to get 3 phase. It does add costs to both INSTALL BILL and to the MONTHLY BILL for rest of the time you are hooked to it. THEN there is the costs to install 3 phase main power boxes as those are a good bit more than residential single phase equipment on home construction costs.

Since you said yes to it be aware of the above.

Mark

I actually had decided in my mind. I've tried to get ahold of the project manager of PGE by phone and e-mail bringing up these points but have yet to hear back from him. Originally all I got from him was "a little bit" and "not much more." The PGE guy directed me towards a contractor that doesn't have a website and takes a week to call me back. I found another certified contractor and they came out and took a look and he confirmed what you said "a lot more" so it will be just single phase. I'm starting to get extremely upset, It's been a month since I've tried to get this going and have made little progress. I wanted to get it done before it started raining and now I'm in the middle of the Bering Sea so it makes it that much harder (satellite phone and internet).

Enough rant, thanks for the heads up.

Rick