So, despite best intentions and planning... sometimes things don't work out the way you'd like...
Friday morning @ 8:30am
So I started by spreading the 15 loads of fill I had for the yard. I was too excited to take "before" pics right away but realized maybe 1/3 of the way through
I also spread 2 tandem loads of class A on the driveway, beside the shed, and at both ends of the trail. De-stumped an area on the far end of my lot in anticipation of a garden next year. I also got to the gravel pile and started to smooth out the trail starting at the pile working my way out. 7.5 hours on day one. 90L of diesel at about $95
Day 2 started off badly. Couldn't make it up the 2nd hill heading out to the gravel pit. Tried for a while... slipped on stumps... started to dig big ruts and was getting close to getting hung up... wasn't looking good. Came inside and thought about it for a while... then it came to me that my neighbor wanted me to take a tandem load of 6"-12" stone from his place. I started shunting a couple loads... probably 6-8 before I tried making it up, and did. Off to the gravel pit! Started making trips as I intended smoothing trail as I went. Ran into a neighbor so stopped for a bit to shoot the **** and show off the machine. Next thing he's looking at it and says that one of the tracks looks funny. It's closer to the machine then the other. Huh. Sure enough, it's off. Called the rental place; no don't move it, we'll send someone out. Buddy shows up. I brought his tools with my atv and trailer.... first thing he says, and continues to say; this isn't what the machine's meant for. At thing point I'm freaking. How much are they going to charge me to have this guy come out and fix this!?!? 4-5 hours later, we get the darn thing back on. Great. Back at it I go... maybe 1/3 the way through the "connector" trail... then this;
Don't see it? How about this;
Went to turn around... and it was much steeper then I thought. Slid for a ways... scared the heck out of me. Messed around for a while... I'd set up a chain to a nearby tree, so that when I curled the bucket it would pull me ahead, but once I'd get close to out, it would slide back. Called it a day and went to dinner with my wife... but then started txting around... found two guys to come out with their jeeps.
Set them up one anchored to the other, with the lead winching with a snatch block on that tree that was across from the machine... man it didn't even stress at all. Just popped right up. I parked it and contemplated returning it monday morning. Probably put in 2.5 hours.
Day 3 started very well! Made it up the hill no prob. With returning it early in mind I decided to loosen up the gravel pile so that hand shoveling it later will be that much easier. As you can imagine, having to pick axe before shoveling adds 50% difficulty to the process. Here what I did;
Straight down the middle!
Made piles off to the sides
Funny to have trees falling off the top
Once I ran out of room to pile loose gravel I started shunting to the trail again. Things are going great and I'm 2/3 the way though the connector trail. I'm thinking I'll make my trail (which was the goal) by day 4 and have 4 days to build it... although I probably won't have enough time to finish it all. I txted my buddy to come take some video of me at the pit for my friends on TBN... but nope... went to turn around and; clunk clunk clunk. Threw the other track. That decided it! She's going back early. Called the rental place, but the tech on call was already somewhere and wouldn't be able to make it at all that day (sunday). They didn't want me to drive it out for fear it could completely come off. Got 4.9 hours in.
Monday morning around 10 (They open at 7) I called and convinced the guy I normally deal with that I could drive it to my house. I did, no prob. Come get it and fix it there. Today I went first thing to square up with them. Lucky for me I got buddy that I normally deal with... now keep in mind that I'm not sure if I'll be getting charged with the repairs... or for multiple days... or what. Long story short; I got charged for the single day rental. Still ended up being $600, but could have been alot worse.
Here she is after day one;
Pics of the track off before they came to get it;
Both sets of teeth should be inside the bogey wheel
Pics of the yard from the 2nd floor
So, that's it. I've been saving and dreaming about this for over a year... I must say I was pretty devastated... but I'm just gonna pull up my boot straps and carry on. I tried to take and short cut and it didn't work out. My little dump trailer and shovel shall carry on.
