Big Multi Year Project About to Begin...help!

[dave1949]

Wow, I'd say you are having an adventure. Take time to be safe with all that equipment. One close call per year is plenty.

Glad to hear you are making progress, I figured you were hard at work. If you are putting trusses on the pole building, think about plenty of clearance for the truck on turns with trusses hanging out over the bed probably, and a place to turn the truck around at your clearing.

Dave.

 

[Sulla]

Fabric or gravel? Meet the neighbors? Fully lined PR just a few breaks? PTO Genie or Stand-a-Lone? David gets a new tractor!

Well tress are cut for two feet back on both sides of the road. Firewood cut in 8' ft lengths and stacked for cutting and splitting. Saplings and garbage wood chipped and neighbors well met.

Now comes the fun part preparing the road for delivery of the barn. We'll stake it out this Monday begin grading and digging. Gravel needs may be reduced by a couple of solid sections. Pictures to come.

For what it's worth I am thinking of using temporary water breaks at 10' intervals along the swales/trenches rather than lining them with rocks. I can through some mixed seed in there and let the vegetation grow into slow the water. Any thoughts?

Culverts look like five 18" and one 24".

The Forster Service suggested that we not dig out the soft areas. Instead they suggested we grade and cover with fabric then cover with 4" to 6" of three quarter gravel on top. Apparently this is a technique they use in bogs. Any thoughts? Will it work?

The pole barn arrives in two weeks so we've got a lot to do and little time to do it in.

The rain caused a few days delay as every thing, truck, tractor and chipper kept getting stuck in the mud.

I traded my Kioti DK45 for a New Holland Work Master 55. Nothing against the Kioti, it was a good tractor it just wasn't made for this kind of work. Too many things that can and did get broken sticking out all over the place. The frame also was not up to the job. While more than tough enough for farm and yard working the frame twisted and flexed to much when under heavy load on uneven ground. I figured better to do something now while the tractor was still in pretty good shape then wait a year or two and have it be completely destroyed.

The NH is a geared tractor with a much bigger and stiffer frame. Very much a stripped down work tractor. Ground clearance is almost 20" with nothing stick out, even the drive shaft is covered. Hopefully she'll be more suited to this work. It's strange how big a tractor can look in the dealers lot and how small it seems in the woods.

I am going to have to buy a generator. If I go with a PTO unit I can get a lot of KW for the money, but I can't use the tractor and the generator at the same time. Anyone who has had a PTO generator care to comment? I have to decide soon we need for erecting the building in two weeks.

More pictures coming. Thanks for tuning into this installment of "building with Dave"

 

[flusher]

Great comments thanks.

We are quite literally surrounded on all four sides by national forest. Seems everybody except the folks with this property gave the land to the government. This road actually runs through the North Eastern third of the property. It intersects with another town road, not much better than this one at the Western terminus of the property.

There is another, better road parallel to mine that is maintained by the Forest service in the summer time. The only problem is that from the forest service road to my property the road is used as a snowmobile trail in the Winter. It is the primary North/South corridor so I don't want to mess with it. Plus we like to snowmobile and having the trail here is nice.

No one uses these roads other than for snowmobiling and hiking, they don't go anywhere. All three just kinda stop in the woods and turn into deliverance country. I'm not too worried about increased traffic, though I suppose anything is possible.

The town is very small, 300 people, and they are very cooperative so far. Whatever I want to do with the road is fine with them as long as they don't have to pay for it.

I don't think there is any road bed underneath the mud. I think it was simply a hastily built logging road that was turned over to the town when the logging company finished, what looks like thirty years ago. With any luck I'll find some gravel on the property. I scouted out a couple of dry river beds, I'm hoping to dig a few test pits in the next few weeks to see what's what.

I don't need to be in for five years, though I'd like to be all set up in three. My goals for this year are to bring the road up to a reasonable standard, though certainly not town specs. Establish base camp and put up a kit barn or some other building to store my equipment. And clear a couple of acres to prepare for next years growing season.

As for the road I'm thinking about putting in 18" inch culverts at the four water breaks,maybe adding a fifth. Dig out the mud to get down to what is most likely clay. Putting down a layer of rough gravel roll it and then bring in the good stuff for the road surface. I think it's going to cost more than I'd hoped. But better to do it right the first time.

Or I could just steal the forest service's gravel!

Any additional ideas would be welcomed.

I'm just catching up with this thread--got to the part about your gravel road issues. My driveway is 20 ft wide x 330 ft long, road gravel (crusher run, 3/4" or less). Excavated to 6" depth and filled with gravel--three 2" thick lifts, each lift watered and rolled. Installed in summer 2005. I've had concrete delivery trucks, the propane guy's truck, Home Depot flat bed semis making deliveries, Conway freight line trucks on it. It's still looks like the day it was laid.

 

[Piston]

Just catching up on your thread! That is quite an adventure and I'll be following along, you sure have a lot of good equipment with that excavator now, it will make life a lot easier.....

I love cutting down trees, but if you also want the stumps out it is WAY easier to push them over with the tractor, then cut the root ball off. This method is frowned upon here

Why is it frowned upon?

 

[ocaj11]

I just finished reading the thread. I'm sure you're busy getting a road put in. I'll be following along, so keep the pictures and commentary coming....

 

[Sulla]

I have now broken two tractors, Kioti DK45 (front tire, deck, fender, backhoe) New Holland Workmaster 55 ( just flat rear tire and a PTO with a Wallenstein winching shaft stuck on it) timbering this land. Anybody got a good cheap skidder you're selling?

 

[DAY]

Ah, the joys of waging war: machine vs nature!:thumbsup:

I think too many of the "homeowner tractors" being sold are Boy's Toys not designed for Men's Work.

"good cheap" is an oxymoron!

 

[Sulla]

I have now broken two tractors, Kioti DK45 (front tire, deck, fender, backhoe) New Holland Workmaster 55 ( just flat rear tire and a PTO with a Wallenstein winching shaft stuck on it) timbering this land. Anybody got a good cheap skidder you're selling?

Add leaking hydraulic line...

Does anybody actually make these things for serious work? All I am doing is moving, dirt, rocks, stumps and skidding logs. I spend more time fixing the machines then I actually do working. Last week a track came of the excavator, ever put a track back on a 40,000 lb excavator? The week before the Brush Bandit 12" chipper clogged five times a day for three days and then just stopped clogging. The boards on the flat bed trailer crumpled. Turns out the nice grey color of the wood was rot. Who puts pine on a 10 ton three axle trailer. The trailer also had two flats in one day. My Dodge one ton seems to have finally blown the piston ring as all the compression just went. At 235k though I can't complain.

So far the best tools we have are two Husquvana chain saws, tough and strong.

The woods are tough on man and machine.

Tree just missed falling on the ROPs ( with me under it) and my foreman got his legs pinned between two trees. I had to cut the tree to lift it off him, and he has thirty years logging experience.

I love this!

Feels real, especially compared to sitting at a desk moving money around.

Now if I can just sell some of the wood.

 

[Sulla]

I have been very remiss updating this thread. I have good reason. I start the day at 4:30. Work on the land until
2 or so and then had to the office to do my real job. Not complaining just explaining

The second reason is that my phone was destroyed when I spilled DEET on it, the DEET melted the phone. And I bath on this stuff.

I have a new phone and new pics, some are attached

We haven't finished the road yet and have already spread a thousand yards of 6" gravel. A couple more days and we'll be done.

The pole barn arrived before we were ready so we've store it the gravel provide, they deliver when we are ready/

Th project remains challenging and fun. I keep trying to save money by using equipment for jobs they weren't designed for.

Most recent its trying to use a tractor as a dozer/ grader. I actual broke a land pride haft duty grader blade. Now I need to bit the bullet and buy a dozer.

So what I have learned so far is, everything takes longer than planned. Use the right tool for the job. Broken equipment coat money and time, so slow down and take care of the equipment. Lastly the woods are hard on men and equipment.

More to come.

 

[DAY]

Well, no wonder you are behind schedule! Why are those kids just standing around?:laughing:

(If they are anything like mine were, they already learned how to use a 'dozer and a dump truck, in their sand box. The big ones ain't no differ'nt- just bigger toys!)

 

[scoutcub]

So what I have learned so far is, everything takes longer than planned. Use the right tool for the job. Broken equipment coat money and time, so slow down and take care of the equipment. Lastly the woods are hard on men and equipment.

Amen. (X4)



Road is looking good.

Have fun dozer shopping!!

 

[dave1949]

Thanks for the update and pics. Glad to hear you are making progress. Yes, the woods are tough on everything.

The road looks to be taking shape pretty well. Thinking ahead to snow season, in your pics of the road, you could be a little hemmed-in in sections where the sides are close and don't fall away. One fix for that could be to clear out some snow dumping areas along those sections. Something like a fairly level 40' X 40' opening next to the road where you can push excess snow too, or bucket it with the tractor if you have to.

That can be less work than trying to clear away the road sides over long distances and easier to maintain over the long run. Just bush hog those pads once a year to keep the trees out. As long as it is not wet/soft ground, you don't need to put stone on it; it will be frozen up when you need it most likely.

Or, you could use a heavy duty PTO-driven blower as needed if those areas start to plug up. The worst would be a snow that was wet when it was plowed and then freezes up, that's not very blower friendly snow.

Hope you can start on your building soon.
Dave.

 

[scoutcub]

Dave-

How's it going up there?

 

[Sulla]

Finished the road yesterday. It took twice as long and cost almost
twice what I expected. The result is pretty good. We used six inch gravel spread at a thickness of 8" to 24" depending on grade. In the wet area we first put down road fabric. We also put in six culverts four 18" and two 24".

I started out planning on using the excavator and Kioti dk45. After upgrading to New Holland work master I ended up shelving that and buying John Deere 450 C dozer. I should have bought the dozer to start with, we flew after that.

At first we could only handle one 17 yard truck an hour. By the end we were waiting on three an hour. Lesson: right equipment for the job saves time which saves money.

Some pictures are attached I hope.

Taking a week off and then on to clearing the land,'selling the wood, putting up the pole barn, setting up the electric fence and getting some pigs in.

Total spent so far including land purchase, equipment, road materials and wages to my foreman about $200,000. I will be taking up a collection next week!

I am going to try to get an aerial shot of the road for perspective.

The adventure continues.


More to come.

 

[scoutcub]

Looking great!
Hard to beat a dozer & hoe combination!

 

[DAY]

Looks like a good start! Keep the pix coming.

Are the pigs and the electric fence a duet? Because I not so fondly remember my pigs quickly learning to roll rocks against the fence, shorting it out, and going on an "adventure"!

 

[Chef Pa]

Looks like a good start! Keep the pix coming.

Are the pigs and the electric fence a duet? Because I not so fondly remember my pigs quickly learning to roll rocks against the fence, shorting it out, and going on an "adventure"!

What Day said on the electric fence for piggies. Unless there's new stuff out there (quite possible, been a few years fo me) that could be problematic. You may have all bases covered, and don't intend to offend if so, but you'll want to ring the porkers ASAP or they'll root up the place before you know it.

Have fun
Greg

 

[turnkey4099]

That road will take a lot of maintenance for the next many years until it is 'finished' project. You will need to keep working it, leveling, filling holes, etc until it has a solid botom and then finish off with 3/4 or 1/2" minus "with lots of fines" for the top. When I bought my shack it came with a 3 car, 100'long drive that had been in use for at least 30 years. It still cost me a full dump from one of those tandem bottom dumpers (?30? yards) and then about 5 years later a 'blading' and antoher dump of the same. It is now almost concrete solid but still has 'weed problems' I look at them as part of my ?landscaping?.

Harry K

 

[Sulla]

The plan is to but down some 3/4 inch next summer after we see what the spring does to the road. Winters are hard in this part of the state and I expect a verdict on the job we did by spring. I expect some maintenance every year.

The pigs have a job to do, root up the ground and crap all over the place. This land hasn't been farmed on 100 years or more. I've got work todo just to get the soil ready.

I'm figuring a nine thousand volt electric fence will keep them in. If not they be eaten by bear before they get to anyones property. Our closet neighbor is a mile away.

Might get me a donkey or two to stand guard with.'if the electric fence doesn't work I'll build a stockade,

Well see,

 

[cycle_gator]

Great thread! I just stated reading. I have lots in common, just on the opposite coast and not nearly as adventuresome. I admire your courage and desire to share.

While it is a bit before the snow flies, if you don't have'em already, equip yourself and any willing hands with snowshoes. Don't ask me how I know. With that distance in you might also consider a snowmobile bi have not pulled the trigger on that yet, but I may this winter. I try to burn all my slash in winter, if it is not covered in snow, that is

I have 9 acres in northeastern Washington, from reading your posts, however, I can tell the challenges and costs are not proportional to the size of property. While I am about 20% of your size, I would say your challenges are at least 10 times greater.

Anyway, keep up the posts and the great work. One thing we share in common, hard work is very cathartic.