Got asked to bid a very unusual project

[bcp]

I used to see lots of Caterpillar tractors with a large winch on back.

Have one on shore to pull logs. and a smaller line to another winch or vehicle to haul back the Cat's cable to the log jam after each pull.

Bruce

 

[two_bit_score]

explosives, just enough breaking it loose, it would simply float downstream which it would anyway if it hadn't clumped up.

I agree. Small charges, carefully placed under water, properly timed.

 

[dodge man]

I’ve seen blasting done, rock for a sanitary sewer install. With blasting you expect a geyser of rock and flame, it’s actually anticlimactic, just kind of a muffled whump and nothing flying around. I’m pretty sure explosives aren’t going to be used or an option for hay dude on this one.

 

[Streetcar]

How is the project bid, lump sum , clear each pier, cy of debris removed.
do you need to do anything with sand and gravel build up
can you grind and leave debris on site
what is depth and current of stream in summer

 

[Hay Dude]

This would help those of us in the peanut gallery.

• Distance from Bridge to pile (Length of ladder).

Maybe 15’

• Diameter of largest logs?

Maybe 24”.

• Depth of River (3ft?)

right now 5 feet. during drought, 3 feet give or take.

• Strength of current during dry season?

Dude, do I look like an engineer from the Coast Guard to you? Or some kind of hydraulic engineer. I have no idea. It ain’t very fast.

• Also, what do you estimate the total length and width of the pile to be (hard to tell perspective from photo)

I dunno…maybe 30’ wide and 100’ long at longest point.

 

[4570Man]

Actually, (and seriously ) so many good ideas. If someone was really good with explosives, just enough breaking it loose, it would simply float downstream which it would anyway if it hadn't clumped up.
This stuff really fixed the commode downstairs. Maybe 55 gallons or so?View attachment 849487

The only way you could reasonably blast would be covering the charge with literally tons of blasting mats and dirt. Getting all that back out of the creek would be more work than clearing the logs. I can only assume that pouring 55 gallons of toxic acid in the river is a joke.

 

[Hay Dude]

As I understand it, your plan is:

1. Worker on Bridge - Handle rope, hand down saws, sharpen chains

Yeah, like a helper.

1. You on Pile - cutting logs into small chunks, attaching rope to logs

probably cuting into small chunks and letting the current carry them away.

1. Operator in Excavator - Or is that you later?

The excavator will be there to clean up all the mess in the lowlands, which nobody seems to understand, is a MUCH larger part of the project going largely ignored
But we could use the excavator and rope to pull logs to shore. Seems to be unnecessary as it’s way easier & faster to cut & release smaller pieces in the water.

This job will cost a bunch. I would recommend having another hand on the shore or in a boat to help and or for safety (small cost in the scheme of things) They can help in ways that are not foreseen in advance.

Why would it “cost a bunch”? An excavator has always been a line item of cost to remove logs/trees on the flood plane. My tractor/forks will load truck and dump truck will truck haul the logs away.

I rent the excavator from the same company for tree clean up all the time. Its a known cost.

There will be 1 or 2 helpers there every day, so that’s not an issue.

• So is our plan to cut off all the tops on the pile (and let them float away)?
• Then winch/pull the logs stuck in the mud with the excavator?
• Then hope the current scours the rest of the silt/mud away?

It will be a plan & adjust accordingly task. Nobody knows what will happen. I hope all the logs just float away in small pieces. If something is jammed in the river, I will cable/rope it and pull it free.

PS: Worst case scenario - If the pile does break away while you are working on it -
Can't you just stand up in the 3 feet of water as long as you are on the back side of the pile?

Yes, but I will start at front of pile and cut at it releasing pieces one at a time.

PSS: I don't think it is going to break away with all the logs stuck in the mud. Dislodging them from the mud will be the greater task.

Neither do I. Especially if I go slow and careful.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve seen blasting done, rock for a sanitary sewer install. With blasting you expect a geyser of rock and flame, it’s actually anticlimactic, just kind of a muffled whump and nothing flying around. I’m pretty sure explosives aren’t going to be used or an option for hay dude on this one.

It’s pretty anticlimactic because they use a lot of material to cover the explosion. Probably hundreds of tons. They also only fracture the rock. If you used enough explosive to blow a crater like you want to happen to the log jam it would throw shrapnel for miles.

 

[Hay Dude]

The only way you could reasonably blast would be covering the charge with literally tons of blasting mats and dirt. Getting all that back out of the creek would be more work than clearing the logs. I can only assume that pouring 55 gallons of toxic acid in the river is a joke.

We aint blasting anything.
Just stop.

 

[Hay Dude]

So withstanding the blasting, sky cranes, navy seals and other fantasies, I spoke with the Conservancy people a bit while clearing some other downed trees for them.

One of the guys that’s been on the Conservancy staff a long time said they had a similar log jam like 15 years ago in the same place in the River, and the guys that cleared it worked off a floating platform with outboard motors. He said it went well.

As I posted previously, I know a guy with such a platform. I may be looking into this method along with working in the water on the pile.