AusDave's stuff

[AusDave]

I transport equipment and formwork for one of my customers who does rammed earth construction. This trip had most of the forms in the trailer for the 300km back to my place. As you can see by the drawbar pic, another 10km and it may have taken an alternative route
Had to weld and reinforce this before further use. Towing behind a truck which has no give puts a lot of stress on the drawbar with a full load.

Some of the rammed earth projects are massive as in the pics below. Would need an aerial drone pic to see all of this job

PS. Note the simple container mounted shed Druid! Made out of scrap and used materials I scrounged for very few $$

 

[V8Druid]

severe lack of re-enforcing / stiffening plates on that draw bar Dave ... serious stress point at the intersect point, between the body and draw bar and weakened by a cross weld across it ... lucky to get away with that
as for the 'shed' ... you obviously don't have the draconian planning problems we get here .... or a complete tw*t for a neighbour

hell of a rammed earth structure that

 

[AusDave]

Trailer was over 20 years old with no problems up 'til this break, as it was used behind vehicles that were light in weight and had relatively soft rear suspensions. However put it behind a 15 tonne truck and the weak spots become very apparent. Welded up the cracks and reinforced the area top and bottom removing any single stress point. Have used it since behind the truck with no problems.

No excuses for the "shed". You could easy do something like this http://www.siteshelter.com/hard-top-shelters/ as a "temporary" protection for your equipment while you pursue your "proper" shed. Sometimes you've just go to do something and deal with the consequences later. Leaving equipment out in all weather would keep me awake at night

Client has been doing a lot of rammed earth structures all over Australia. Latest one is an auditorium with 9m high curved rammed earth walls! They look impressive from a distance and close up, and are fast to build.

 

[Bri963]

Rammed earth? New one on me, how is it done?

 

[DaveDCB]

I assume it’s like building a sand castle….?
seen them do it on grand designs with mud and horse hair and tyres etc but your mates work is so much neater and better, looks like cast concrete!

 

[V8Druid]

Rammed earth? New one on me, how is it done?

as it would sound Bri .... soggy dirt rammed hard - in this case in form work .... looks the bollox TBF

 

[Monkeybusiness]

as it would sound Bri .... soggy dirt rammed hard - in this case in form work .... looks the bollox TBF

Until it rains!……

 

[Hg2702]

Just a posh Mans cob ain’t it ?

 

[JD450A]

Rammed earth? New one on me, how is it done?

In the UK? Forms like concrete.... then fill with a mixture of locally won clay type material with either lime or cement dust to stabilize. Then pack it in with either a trench rammer or a hydraulic pole tamp. Do a lift and repeat.

It works well provided you waterproof it..... same as cob.

 

[doobin]

In the UK? Forms like concrete.... then fill with a mixture of locally won clay type material with either lime or cement dust to stabilize. Then pack it in with either a trench rammer or a hydraulic pole tamp. Do a lift and repeat.

It works well provided you waterproof it..... same as cob.

So basically concrete with clay rather than aggregate? What sort of ratio?

 

[AusDave]

To answer your rammed earth questions, the material used is usually a crushed rock base either crushed from a quarry or raw material that's been run through a screen to get a consistent flowing material. This enables a variety or textures and colours to be created for customer choice and oxides can be added for additional colour choices as well. This is mixed with approx. 10% grey or white cement, depending on customer colour requirements. It is mixed either on a compacted earth pad with a bobcat bucket or with a large mixer bucket on a telehandler, adding water for the right compaction result.

The mixed material is then carried by the bobcat or telehandler, poured into heavy duty forms, which can be straight or curved, and rammed with pneumatic rammers. The Rammed earth guys have a kubota diesel powered screw compressor which will run two rammers simultaneously which packs the material down fast and hard. The finished result is weather proof in a day or so and will last virtually indefinitely. The results look spectacularly good and the material has very good structural properties enabling some very creative building. When the team is hard at it the walls go up very fast

You can see more details and lots of pics at these websites https://www.murchisonrammedearth.com.au/ and https://shoalhavenrammedearth.com.au/

 

[AusDave]

Had to move a lighthouse the other day. It used to be here https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/crookhaven-heads-lighthouse/
But it fell into disrepair and was unused, being over 100 years old. The functional bits of the lighthouse, the glass paned mantle and cast iron plate ring it sat on were removed from Crookhaven Heads quite a few years ago and were taken away to be refurbished. They were then wrapped in plastic and sat in a yard for years until I was asked to move it to a local maritime museum where it will ultimately be reassembled on a small tower and put on display.
Below are pics of the move.

The two parts ready to load

Loading or unloading?

Ready to roll.

Unloading the heavy bit.

It was a bit heavy and the ground under the stabiliser was a bit soft but I was able to put it in the right spot. These trucks are so f***ing handy with the crane

 

[craig]

Had to move a lighthouse the other day. It used to be here https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/crookhaven-heads-lighthouse/
But it fell into disrepair and was unused, being over 100 years old. The functional bits of the lighthouse, the glass paned mantle and cast iron plate ring it sat on were removed from Crookhaven Heads quite a few years ago and were taken away to be refurbished. They were then wrapped in plastic and sat in a yard for years until I was asked to move it to a local maritime museum where it will ultimately be reassembled on a small tower and put on display.
Below are pics of the move.

The two parts ready to load
View attachment 29982

Loading or unloading?

View attachment 29983

Ready to roll.
View attachment 29984
Unloading the heavy bit.
View attachment 29985
It was a bit heavy and the ground under the stabiliser was a bit soft but I was able to put it in the right spot. These trucks are so f***ing handy with the crane
View attachment 29986

Think it needs the leg out a bit more

 

[AusDave]

Naah, she'll be right!

 

[V8Druid]

Had to move a lighthouse the other day. It used to be here https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/crookhaven-heads-lighthouse/
But it fell into disrepair and was unused, being over 100 years old. The functional bits of the lighthouse, the glass paned mantle and cast iron plate ring it sat on were removed from Crookhaven Heads quite a few years ago and were taken away to be refurbished. They were then wrapped in plastic and sat in a yard for years until I was asked to move it to a local maritime museum where it will ultimately be reassembled on a small tower and put on display.
Below are pics of the move.

The two parts ready to load
View attachment 29982

Loading or unloading?

View attachment 29983

Ready to roll.
View attachment 29984
Unloading the heavy bit.
View attachment 29985
It was a bit heavy and the ground under the stabiliser was a bit soft but I was able to put it in the right spot. These trucks are so f***ing handy with the crane
View attachment 29986

looks like GRP panels, bolted together? ... bit like water tank panels ... interesting little number ...... the ability to lift heavy weights can never be over rated

Think it needs the leg out a bit more

think he may be right

 

[Mogman]

Had to move a lighthouse the other day. It used to be here https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/crookhaven-heads-lighthouse/
But it fell into disrepair and was unused, being over 100 years old. The functional bits of the lighthouse, the glass paned mantle and cast iron plate ring it sat on were removed from Crookhaven Heads quite a few years ago and were taken away to be refurbished. They were then wrapped in plastic and sat in a yard for years until I was asked to move it to a local maritime museum where it will ultimately be reassembled on a small tower and put on display.
Below are pics of the move.

The two parts ready to load
View attachment 29982

Loading or unloading?

View attachment 29983

Ready to roll.
View attachment 29984
Unloading the heavy bit.
View attachment 29985
It was a bit heavy and the ground under the stabiliser was a bit soft but I was able to put it in the right spot. These trucks are so f***ing handy with the crane
View attachment 29986

My kind of lifting

 

[AusDave]

Screening a pile of stuff ending up with bricks and concrete for crushing and some nice soil for whatever I need it for

 

[Left hooker]

To answer your rammed earth questions, the material used is usually a crushed rock base either crushed from a quarry or raw material that's been run through a screen to get a consistent flowing material. This enables a variety or textures and colours to be created for customer choice and oxides can be added for additional colour choices as well. This is mixed with approx. 10% grey or white cement, depending on customer colour requirements. It is mixed either on a compacted earth pad with a bobcat bucket or with a large mixer bucket on a telehandler, adding water for the right compaction result.

The mixed material is then carried by the bobcat or telehandler, poured into heavy duty forms, which can be straight or curved, and rammed with pneumatic rammers. The Rammed earth guys have a kubota diesel powered screw compressor which will run two rammers simultaneously which packs the material down fast and hard. The finished result is weather proof in a day or so and will last virtually indefinitely. The results look spectacularly good and the material has very good structural properties enabling some very creative building. When the team is hard at it the walls go up very fast

You can see more details and lots of pics at these websites https://www.murchisonrammedearth.com.au/ and https://shoalhavenrammedearth.com.au/

The Eden project has rammed earth walls in the entrance

Rammed earth at the Eden Project

90m of rammed earth wall make up one side of the Eden Project visitor centre, about 270 tonnes

rammedearthconsulting.com

 

[AusDave]

Finally it's dried up enough to get out on the machines. Had a couple of jobs for the Haulotte. One in town to remove some palm trees just using the grab, then off to clear a site on a rural block for a new house. The stump was attached to a tree approx 35m high and weighed over 4 tonnes. Too heavy to lift with the front bucket I had to roll it to the burn pile.

 

[V8Druid]

you digging it out there Dave, or burying the lil' sod ?
Haulotte still looking good boyo