Ladnscaping around the shop

[SnoFalls]

Figured I'd start a thread about what I wa sup to this weekend ...

Once the stump was out on the north side of the shop, I got the crater filled ...

I'm going to level here (well, nearly ... 1/4" per foot slope), and lay down 4-6" of 3/8" minus gravel base.

I'm using the south side slope for the "cut" to fill on the north side ... here's 3/4" of the first pass there.

The 'ole JD crawler is there on the right ... it still gets put to work, but being 50 years old, it's not the workhorse it once was ... makes a nice "final grade" machine tho!

The "pad" on the north will have a 3' retaining wall that I'm making "log crib" style for now. (this is about half done).

I've done these before and last 10 years or so ... I figure to come back and do block wall at some point ... (aka I can afford it).

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting use of logs for a retaining wall. Do you have termites in your area? How long should that log last?? Here it would be rotting in a few months!!!!

I'm looking forward to your project and seeing how it turns out.

Eddie

 

[RonR]

What model JD dozer do you have? Looks like fun!

ron

 

[SnoFalls]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Interesting use of logs for a retaining wall. Do you have termites in your area? How long should that log last?? Here it would be rotting in a few months!!!!

I'm looking forward to your project and seeing how it turns out.

Eddie


)</font>

I've got another similar wall I built about 5 years ago (wood is western red cedar perhaps a doug fir or 2). No signs of rot getting bad yet. I'll get a pic sometime today of that wall.

Around here, carpenter ants can be a problem, but they really prefer the wood to be wet. These walls dry fairly soon (only half the log in in contact with the very sandy soil).

As long as I can get it to work for 5-10 years, then I'll comeback and make a more permanent solution. Nothing "heavy" will get withing 5' of the top side of the wall (the pad up there is 24' wide), so it's only holding back soil ...

 

[SnoFalls]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What model JD dozer do you have? Looks like fun!

ron )</font>
It's a '57 JD 420C 5 roller with snow tracks ... holt blade, 3 position angling (manual) and NO tilt. My step father bought it new, so I'm a second owner /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RonR]

Wow that is a KEEPER then.

Love those old JD units.

ron

 

[SnoFalls]

here's a few more pics ... (click for BIG versions)

the "wall"


the "pad"


I'm gunna spread some more soil around on the pad, and then bring in the crushed gravel. The old 6x6's stacked there will be used for a set of steps coming down (the wall is only about 3' tall).

And yup, not much is "level", but the fill and gravel will have a gentle compound slope to keep the surface free of standing water yet be "nearly" level for the parking on the pad ...

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm loving all the trees you have. It looks like your in the middle of the forest and totally isolated!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

How about a picture further back showing the buildings and how they fit into the land???

Eddie

 

[SnoFalls]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm loving all the trees you have. It looks like your in the middle of the forest and totally isolated!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

How about a picture further back showing the buildings and how they fit into the land???

Eddie


)</font>

kinda hard ... all you'd see are trees /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ... I'll get a few tho ...

When I had the "logger" in, I kept plenty to preserve the canopy (but eliminate the problem trees). We took out $10K of lumber, my take was only $4K (tight quarters, so they got a GOOD percentage), but that paid for most stumps being pulled ($2k from me), and I still have slash/trash to dispose of (plus $2K in my pocket).

 

[theonlybull]

wow. that's a lotta blade fer a lil' dozor
we've got a '56 420, with a 430 center section ( 5 speed,and shuttle shift) and a way hydrulic blade.... she works some nice. but i can't see pushing a blade that big in our clay soil

gotta love the sound of those johnny poppers when thier working though.

 

[RonR]

I used to have a JD M tractor, which I THINK is the same motor as the 420. When I would pull it hard at dusk, you could see the muffler glowing red! You could tell when you had pushed it enough as the radiator would start to boil over...........

It was a pulling tractor that I just loved. Hated to part with it, but lost the need for it.

ron

 

[SnoFalls]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( wow. that's a lotta blade fer a lil' dozor
we've got a '56 420, with a 430 center section ( 5 speed,and shuttle shift) and a way hydrulic blade.... she works some nice. but i can't see pushing a blade that big in our clay soil

gotta love the sound of those johnny poppers when thier working though. )</font>

The 'ol deere was a snow pusher (in AK). I actually learned tractoring on her. I could maintain a nice sloped pile (up to around 25' tall), and still push off the back side. But snow is easy compared to soil /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[theonlybull]

ron, the 420 is about 5 more hp then the m, we've got a '52 mt, she's 4" bore, and the 420 is 4 1/2" bore, same stroke ( if i remember correctly) either way, they'll really pull. we use the MT on a 4 horse road grader.

snow is a good reason for the big blade. she looks to be in nice shape though, was it green, or industrial yellow orginally?? looks like cat yellow now

 

[SnoFalls]

originally was indy yellow ... I think it got a rattle can cat yellow done a few years ago.

 

[SnoFalls]

here's some progress of the area pics ...


a "before" pic ... (you can see the crib wall I put up to extend the lawn ... used to be 45* of briar going down from the fruit trees). that wall has been up about 4 years in this pic.



In this the trees had been cut and skidded away.



Here's the results today ...


And a pic from the house ...