Got asked to bid a very unusual project

[Hay Dude]

It was going down straem when it got hung up there.

I literally stood on the Route 1 bridge and watched 100’ trees wash down the river like matchsticks and smash into those RR bridge piers.
Kind of amazed at how those RR engineers in 1900 were able to design such strong structures.
I lost about 130 round bales in that flood. They were stored on ground that has never been underwater in recorded weather/flooding history. A few of them are still in the flood plane rotting away.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think we are finally coming back around to dynamite as the solution here.

Yep, blow it up while firewood size chunks of wood fly through those giant windows LOL

 

[two_bit_score]

Yep, blow it up while firewood size chunks of wood fly through those giant windows LOL

Small charges, placed right and in a controlled detonation.

 

[two_bit_score]

I literally stood on the Route 1 bridge and watched 100’ trees wash down the river like matchsticks and smash into those RR bridge piers.
Kind of amazed at how those RR engineers in 1900 were able to design such strong structures.
I lost about 130 round bales in that flood. They were stored on ground that has never been underwater in recorded weather/flooding history. A few of them are still in the flood plane rotting away.

I never underestimate what the weather and nature can do, especially working in tandem.

Sorry that you lost your hay.

 

[dodge man]

Haydude, the trick is to find a guy with a long reach excavator and ask him if it would work. They would know. I assume you’re not going to go out a buy something for this project.

 

[airbiscuit]

I'm not all that convinced that everything is going to break loose in a gob. It looks like a lot of it is stuck in the mud. Cut the top portion up in chunks with a chainsaw - winch the rest.

 

[Hay Dude]

Haydude, the trick is to find a guy with a long reach excavator and ask him if it would work. They would know. I assume you’re not going to go out a buy something for this project.

dodge man,,,,,it’s TOO FAR from the rivers banks to reach with an excavator!!!
I just ran a 18 ton CAT excavator and it wouldn’t reach 1/2 way out there.
Please stop.

I will be using an excavator for the trees up against the other piers.

 

[Sportsman762]

It depends on how far it is on how far a long reach would work. An Cat 317 has a reach of 29.5 ft. A long reach will have a 50' or longer boom.
C. Norris Manfacturing | Canton, OH | Commercial & Industrial Equipment Supplier is an example of a manufacture of long reach with products 50-100'. Sunbelt rents 60' units. 60-70K Long Reach Excavator 60' | Sunbelt Rentals

Most clamshell work is done with lattice boom cranes. Those are becoming less and less common and finding an operator who would do this sort of work might be a challenge.

I think the most economical way would be to buy a logging winch like a Fermi W35R that has 213 ft of cable with a 3.5 ton pull on a tractor on the bank. Go out in a jon boat and hook the winch cable up. Then have a guy on the tractor pull the logs to the bank. The jon boat guy would then take the cable back and repeat the process. Once you get a nice pile use the tractor to grapple them into a truck. This would be time consuming but it would be more cost effective.

dodge man,,,,,it’s TOO FAR from the rivers banks to reach with an excavator!!!
I just ran a 18 ton CAT excavator and it wouldn’t reach 1/2 way out there.

 

[MossRoad]

$115,000... amphibious long reach excavator. In NJ.

Never say never.

2008 CATERPILLAR 320D For Sale in Ocean Township, New Jersey

2008 CATERPILLAR 320D For Sale in Ocean Township, New Jersey at MachineryTrader.com. Caterpillar Amphibious 50 foot Long Reach Excavator on Wetlands Pontoons, good condition, aux fuel tank. The excavator is located in Pennsville, NJ

www.machinerytrader.com

But seriously, if the water level drops to a trickle in summer and you can walk out to it, as long as the current isn't so strong, you should probably be able to do like you say and nibble off a bit at a time and pull the pieces to the side.

 

[4570Man]

dodge man,,,,,it’s TOO FAR from the rivers banks to reach with an excavator!!!
I just ran a 18 ton CAT excavator and it wouldn’t reach 1/2 way out there.
Please stop.
View attachment 848511

I will be using an excavator for the trees up against the other piers.

You just need to get a barge to park that 18 ton cat on.