RDrancher's Photo Thread

[kf4uda]

Great looking work as usual John. Here is something that I have been using for years that might help your back:

Biofreeze Pain Reliever

You can get it from Amazon and others. Some Chiropractors carry it. Not the cheapest out there but it really helps. For some reason the older I get the more of it I use.

 

[RDrancher]

I had back surgery in 1999 which relieved my sciatic pain, but I still have a couple of disc-on-disc spot that bother me from time to time. Right now it's the muscles hip to hip across the back. Much better so far today.

I only got a couple hours on the job today. I started roughing in a swale down the fence line and depositing it on the driveway area. Since the driveway had dried out quite a bit since I exposed it yesterday I wanted to get it covered up quick. All of the soil in the backyard is sandy clay...the front yard is black nasty clay. I got rained on early a couple of times, but not too bad. Then, while I was unloading the tractor it started to hail, followed by a bucket-dumping down pour. It's Soup City now, so I called it a day.


Eddie - I'll use rock if the job needs it, or the road will get exposed to heavy vehicles. These guys only have a couple pickups and small chippers so I'm not too worried about that. I'm using 1.5" road base for the job (which usually firms up pretty well), but I'll still have to see if sub-base has firmed up enough once I get back to the job. If it hasn't, I may have to put some 3" rock down before the road base.

Chris - Thanks, I'll have to try some of that Biofreeze.

 

[RDrancher]

A man's got to know when to say when.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My buddy just bought some massage chair for over $6000.

He was swearing by it after his demo. When he gets it, we'll see how it works out long term. He usually goes to the chiropractor once or twice a month now.

 

[RDrancher]

My buddy just bought some massage chair for over $6000.

He was swearing by it after his demo. When he gets it, we'll see how it works out long term. He usually goes to the chiropractor once or twice a month now.

My back did what it always does...I woke up this morning with zero pain. Like it never happened. I think it's been too much inactivity and then hitting work like I always do. I took six weeks off to hang out with my wife and the new baby and then the rain started, so work has been sporadic. Maybe I'll try doing a pushup once in awhile.

 

[Pixguy]

My back did what it always does...I woke up this morning with zero pain. Like it never happened. I think it's been too much inactivity and then hitting work like I always do. I took six weeks off to hang out with my wife and the new baby and then the rain started, so work has been sporadic. Maybe I'll try doing a pushup once in awhile.

Isn't that how you got that little package that's 6 weeks old ??

 

[RDrancher]

Isn't that how you got that little package that's 6 weeks old ??

My wife had a giggle over that comment!

 

[Pixguy]

My wife had a giggle over that comment!

Good, no disrespect intended.

I also, subscribe to this thread so I can see your handy work and the pride you take in it. Keep up the good work!

 

[RDrancher]

Thank you Pixguy.

I woke up earlier this morning to the sound of thunder, hail and then heavy rain. It's good for business but it's really getting old. Our pond is full though!

 

[murphy1244]

Thank you Pixguy.

I woke up earlier this morning to the sound of thunder, hail and then heavy rain. It's good for business but it's really getting old. Our pond is full though!

Be Glad, it snowed here.

 

[RDrancher]

Be Glad, it snowed here.

 

[RDrancher]

The weather guru said we "might" get a couple of showers before 2PM today. Well, I'd say more than a couple of showers. I have two 40" deep x six foot wide drainage ditches that feed my pond. One of the ditches has completely overflowed the 18" leftover culvert pipe I put in under the crossing to our side pasture. Our pond is now twice it's normal size and even the huge overflow can't handle the runoff. I stocked the pond with 100 bluegill a few weeks ago. I doubt if there will be any left, but I bet we have a more than a few new herds of fire ants!

 

[RDrancher]

I thought I'd share a tip for fixing a squashed corrugated steel culvert pipe. I have a lot of customers this year that have purchased RV's and need their driveways widened. This particular pipe was squished down so far that I could only get my smallest bottle jack in there sideways until I got it past the end to stand it up. It was also no longer round but flat on top. I jacked it up as far as it would go and then started using pipe wrenches to slowly bend the edge back up for a little room. Once I had room for the larger jack I continued to jack it up with a piece of 2x4 on top of the jack. Since a squished pipe doesn't like to stay round, I leave the jack inside while I get the bolt started on the band and then tighten up the bolt a bit to help the pipe hold it's shape and remove the jack. Once the pipe extension is inserted and the bolts on the band fully tightened up, the old pipe will hold it's new (old?) shape.

 

[RDrancher]

Here's the rest of job from the last post. I installed the culvert pipe extensions, graded out a flat parking pad for an RV cover then spread new gravel to it and over the remainder of the driveway.

 

[RDrancher]

Back at the tree guy's place. So far these folks haven't made anything straightforward and easy. After grading and cutting a swale up to and around a fence, I get back there and the fence is gone. In the back I had completed the main swale, then they decided to take out all of the trees along the fence line, so I removed the stumps and moved the swale.

First thing...I hit an old concrete fencepost base and threw a track. My dunnage block, pipes and electric grease gun were on my trailer...which was sitting at my house. I used a bit of McGuyver-Fu and got it back on with some short wood and a stump. It actually took longer to pump the track adjuster full of grease then to get the track back on.


Like I said, they haven't made anything easy.


The old culvert...corrugated steel with asbestos pipe extensions.


Here you go Eddie. A bit of surge rock to firm up the base.


The customer also added on two building pads (so I need a to import dirt), more gravel and even more drainage grading. And it rained another 1/2"+ last night. I don't suspect I'll hear the fat lady singing anytime soon on this one.

 

[greenmojo]

These driveway threads are inspiring... I just can't get the hang of making a decent driveway. I have about 2000' of driveway up to the house from the main road, and every time I take the dozer and tractor out, its almost like I just make it worse!

Great work, and awesome pictures!

~Moses

 

[RDrancher]

These driveway threads are inspiring... I just can't get the hang of making a decent driveway. I have about 2000' of driveway up to the house from the main road, and every time I take the dozer and tractor out, its almost like I just make it worse!

Great work, and awesome pictures!

~Moses

Thanks!

 

[kevin37b]

Waiting to here the rest of the story in the Bloopers thread .

 

[EddieWalker]

First time I ever heard of an extenstion for culverts. I've broken a few plastic culvert trying to take them out and used them for extensions, but never thought to see if I could buy them.

Eddie

 

[RDrancher]

Kevin - I updated the other thread for your enjoyment. :thumbsup:

Eddie - I pick up long pipes and cut them myself with a worm drive saw and abrasive blade. Most extensions are in the 3'-5' range, so I usually get 20' pipe so I have at least 10' left over to use. The connection bands are available to fit either straight or angled corrugations. I did use the straight bands on the last extensions since the existing pipe had a different measurement between the angled corrugations and the straight version seems to tighten up tighter. I used a ball peen hammer to bend the ends of the bands into the corrugations for a better seal. The angled bands have nubs that fit into the angled corrugations to act as a seal. This is the first time I've seen the corrugation measurements this far off so it's not the norm.