AusDave's stuff

[AusDave]

Pool saga
A while ago a friend approached me about removing a fiberglass inground pool approx 6.5m long, 3.2m wide and 1.5m deep and fill in the hole. Never one to say no, I said yes, no problem, how hard could it be?

Well I did know the pool was located in a courtyard with no access for any of my machines but I thought I could be clever and float the pool out of the ground and then get a large crane in to lift it over the garage and onto my truck. First I had to make sure the pool was free from a minor restraint, the edge of the pool was embedded in concrete
I had a friend who has been a pool installer and we decided to cut the concrete away from the lip of the pool to free it up and then pump water around the pool and let physics do the rest. The pool had been previously drained by myself but the wet weather had put a few hundred gallons back in it. When it was drained I had screwed down the hydrostatic relief valve which lets water in from the outside to prevent the pool floating up.

So after some cutting and whacking with a sledge hammer we started pumping the water from in the pool down the inspection port outside the pool which would take the water down and around the pool and buoyancy would ensue, we hoped. It was all going well it seemed until it wasn't. The water which was under the pool was suddenly back in the pool and no floating had occurred We took the hose to a drain and pumped to water elsewhere to see what had happened at the bottom of the pool. As you can see in the first photo below, the curved line to the left of the pool centre was a split which had happened when the pressure from under the pool became to much for the fiberglass to handle and it failed

Bugger, what to do now. It appeared the pool was stuck fast and would need some alternative hydraulic force to shift it free from its concrete embrace. As the second picture shows, a home made spreader beam and old hydraulic jack was taken to the site and a chain was put around the beam through a spa hole in the pool and jacking commenced at one corner of the pool. There was a lot of jack pumping, and whacking the pool edge gently with a sledge hammer and some crowbarring. The more I pumped the more the chain tore through the fiberglass and it seemed only a few millimetres was gained. But as I couldn't think of anything better to do, I persisted until

I'd moved the pool about 10 to 15mm vertically at that corner. Thinking i may have a chance I moved to the next corner with more jacking, hammering and barring. Got a bit quicker response here and went to the next corner at the far end of the pool. This went went even better and with a bit more barring and hammering the final corner came free as well without the jack

So the pool was now free from the clutches of the concrete and ready for craning out. However first I have to do a Development Application to describe the pool removal and obtain approval from the local Council. Then I'll advertise the pool and see if I can find a buyer before I lift it out so it can be delivered without taking up space at my place. So the saga has a way to go yet but the hardest part I think has been done.

The pool hole will have to be filled and that will be a fair job on its own getting fill to the hole, but I have a few ideas so we'll see how that pans out in a future update.

 

[6feetdown]

After a long time reading without posting my own thread since CEF, I thought the introduction of a new machine would be a good time to kick things off.
A recent missed phone call which I rang back on was from a complete stranger on the other side of Australia, over 4,000 km away. He knew from my thread on Heavy Equipment Forums that I had JCB 1CX compact backhoes and that he was selling one. He had had it up for auction in Perth but hadn't reached his reserve and wondered if I was interested.

I was aware of the machine being auctioned and was interested in what had happened to it, and now it was being offered to me. I wasn't actually looking for another 1CX but this one was a good example with only 230 hours on the clock. Originally purchased by a construction company for road maintenance with a road planer fitted, it now had a 3rd party 4in1 bucket on the front, a 300mm toothed bucket on the hoe end and a 1m ditching bucket that was like new. It also came with a 2m spreader bar designed to be grabbed by the 4in1 bucket and was fully mining company specced with safety shutoffs, fire extinguisher, extendable dipper on the hoe, separate 100 ltr per minute high flow hydraulic circuit, hydraulic quick hitch on the backhoe, radio, UHF radio and air conditioning.

Anyway After a bit of negotiation I bought the machine. Prior to buying I did get the machine checked out by JCB who found it was as described and seemed to be good value for what I paid. Getting the machine 4,000km across the country wasn't too hard or expensive as there are b-double semi-trailers going fully loaded from my east coast location to the west but no so much coming back from west to east. So the cost to ship the 1CX and attachments was only $1800, under £1000. I had to drive 3 hours to Sydney in my truck to pick it up but that's not a big deal.

So here's some pics below. Had to do a few minor repairs, the aircon compressor mount was poorly done and hanging by one bolt so I improved the mount area, threaded it for larger bolts and rebolted it. Replaced one broken side mirror, removed the roof tank which was used for road planer dust suppression and fixed the backhoe boom lock.
Have used it for a couple of hours and all seems good. A few surface rust areas to fix courtesy of JCB's attention to paint quality ... Not
Apart from that I hope to get a good many years of trouble free usage out of such a low hour machine. Though I'll be doing all the tight work in the bush and shrubbery with my open cab 1CX, don't want to break glass or take out any of the many lights on this machine

View attachment 25602
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Looks a cracker

 

[V8Druid]

Pool saga
A while ago a friend approached me about removing a fiberglass inground pool approx 6.5m long, 3.2m wide and 1.5m deep and fill in the hole. Never one to say no, I said yes, no problem, how hard could it be?

Well I did know the pool was located in a courtyard with no access for any of my machines but I thought I could be clever and float the pool out of the ground and then get a large crane in to lift it over the garage and onto my truck. First I had to make sure the pool was free from a minor restraint, the edge of the pool was embedded in concrete
I had a friend who has been a pool installer and we decided to cut the concrete away from the lip of the pool to free it up and then pump water around the pool and let physics do the rest. The pool had been previously drained by myself but the wet weather had put a few hundred gallons back in it. When it was drained I had screwed down the hydrostatic relief valve which lets water in from the outside to prevent the pool floating up.

So after some cutting and whacking with a sledge hammer we started pumping the water from in the pool down the inspection port outside the pool which would take the water down and around the pool and buoyancy would ensue, we hoped. It was all going well it seemed until it wasn't. The water which was under the pool was suddenly back in the pool and no floating had occurred We took the hose to a drain and pumped to water elsewhere to see what had happened at the bottom of the pool. As you can see in the first photo below, the curved line to the left of the pool centre was a split which had happened when the pressure from under the pool became to much for the fiberglass to handle and it failed

Bugger, what to do now. It appeared the pool was stuck fast and would need some alternative hydraulic force to shift it free from its concrete embrace. As the second picture shows, a home made spreader beam and old hydraulic jack was taken to the site and a chain was put around the beam through a spa hole in the pool and jacking commenced at one corner of the pool. There was a lot of jack pumping, and whacking the pool edge gently with a sledge hammer and some crowbarring. The more I pumped the more the chain tore through the fiberglass and it seemed only a few millimetres was gained. But as I couldn't think of anything better to do, I persisted until

I'd moved the pool about 10 to 15mm vertically at that corner. Thinking i may have a chance I moved to the next corner with more jacking, hammering and barring. Got a bit quicker response here and went to the next corner at the far end of the pool. This went went even better and with a bit more barring and hammering the final corner came free as well without the jack

So the pool was now free from the clutches of the concrete and ready for craning out. However first I have to do a Development Application to describe the pool removal and obtain approval from the local Council. Then I'll advertise the pool and see if I can find a buyer before I lift it out so it can be delivered without taking up space at my place. So the saga has a way to go yet but the hardest part I think has been done.

The pool hole will have to be filled and that will be a fair job on its own getting fill to the hole, but I have a few ideas so we'll see how that pans out in a future update.

View attachment 39561

View attachment 39562

is that liner of sufficient s/h value to warrant the effort and expense of removing it intact Dave (craning it out, transporting it, etc.) ....... would've thought an air chisel and a panel cutting bit'd've made short work of turning it into handle-able lumps?

 

[Monkeybusiness]

is that liner of sufficient s/h value to warrant the effort and expense of removing it intact Dave (craning it out, transporting it, etc.) ....... would've thought an air chisel and a panel cutting bit'd've made short work of turning it into handle-able lumps?

Or just bury it where it is?!……

 

[AusDave]

Hi Druid & Monkey.
I figure the fibreglass pool shell intact is worth something considering a new fibreglass pool shell around the same size is over $10,000. I'll put it on the market before removal and see what response I get. Summer is coming up and a cheaper pool may be attractive to our local property owners who have no pool. It will need a little bit of repair around the edge and the split on the bottom but being fibreglass it's not hard to do. The edges are only damaged where they are covered by tiles anyway. The internal pool skin is in good condition. Hopefully the crane will put it on the truck and I'll take it to its new location/owner same day

As for other removal options, it weighs nearly a tonne and would be a right bastard to cut up and remove by hand. The fibreglass construction is quite thick and would need a demolition saw to cut up creating a lot of nasty dust. Then the pieces would have to be carried out by hand, loaded on the truck and taken to landfill for disposal @ over $400 a tonne.

Burying a pool of any type onsite is definitely forbidden. All pools are on a register and need a Development Application to install and a Development Application to remove, even a simple above ground pool. Don't ask me how I know what happens if you don't follow these requirements

 

[V8Druid]

As if 3 JCB 1CX's is not enough, here's some pics of my Haulotte Multijob doing what only a machine as unique as this can do. First couple building a dam for my accountant.
View attachment 25604View attachment 25603

Now for some rock work. A customer needed some rocks carted from a pile deep in the Australian bush a few kilometres to his place where ultimately they will become part of a retaining wall for his swimming pool when it's built. Not quite sure what the rocks weigh but the bucket is 8 foot wide
No trouble for the Haulotte though. Just rolled the rocks into the loader bucket with the backhoe and carried them around. To use a truck to do this may be possible but the the damage to the tipper body would be nasty with these rocks.

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That Haulotte looks like a super versatile machine. I've never seen one before, are they available in the UK?

well it took 'em a while but the slant eyes have cottoned on to the Haulotte theme ... don't think Haulotte have any serious worries though

no tele front end though and the 360 doesn't look as manly as the Haulotte's
"The machine doesn’t feature on the company’s website at the moment, but according to their Facebook page, the machines maximum boom lifting height is 4300mm, with a maximum unloading height of 3200mm. Maximum reach at ground level is 4800mm."

https://detail.en.china.cn/provide/p172186833.html

Laizhou Lida Machinery Co., Ltd. - Backhoe Loader & Loader from China Suppliers

Quality Backhoe Loader for sale, Backhoe Loader & Loader provided by China Suppliers - Laizhou Lida Machinery Co., Ltd..

leadar.en.china.cn

 

[AusDave]

Hah! Not a patch on the real thing.
So handy on any job you can fit it.

Otherwise I've got the JCB 1CX. It removed a massive stump below, with long taproots last week. Would have been easier with the Haulotte but I needed the truck to take it away. With both these machines and my truck I can do jobs easier than any other single machine. It's rare to do a job where I don't use both ends of both machines.

 

[V8Druid]

Hah! Not a patch on the real thing.
So handy on any job you can fit it.
View attachment 53047

Otherwise I've got the JCB 1CX. It removed a massive stump below, with long taproots last week. Would have been easier with the Haulotte but I needed the truck to take it away. With both these machines and my truck I can do jobs easier than any other single machine. It's rare to do a job where I don't use both ends of both machines.
View attachment 53050View attachment 53051View attachment 53052

looks like some seriously 'nice' digging there Dave...... THAT is what you call a stump

like a terrier with a rat in its mouth

 

[Stroppymonkey]

looks like some seriously 'nice' digging there Dave...... THAT is what you call a stump

like a terrier with a rat in its mouth
View attachment 53063

Presumably it’s just too wet here in UK for 1CX to be viable for anything that’s off hard ground ?

 

[JD450A]

Presumably it’s just too wet here in UK for 1CX to be viable for anything that’s off hard ground ?

They weigh about 4 tons which kills it on the transport front.

 

[Lancs Lad]

Presumably it’s just too wet here in UK for 1CX to be viable for anything that’s off hard ground ?

I'll have a 1CXT one day when they lift the trailer weight to 5t and the gtw to 10....oh yeah and pork is capable of levitation.

 

[Stroppymonkey]

I'll have a 1CXT one day when they lift the trailer weight to 5t and the gtw to 10....oh yeah and pork is capable of levitation.

Is the C1 license upgrade still out on review?

 

[6feetdown]

They weigh about 4 tons which kills it on the transport front.

When I was looking at the avant I looked into them they weren't listed on jcb uk website then but were on USA site

 

[AusDave]

Unfortunately it seems until you can make it easy to buy and utilise trucks like this https://www.trucksales.com.au/editorial/details/isuzu-45-155-tradepack-2021-review-133240/ and bigger without fuss in the UK you are stuck with vans and Hilux/Rangers and tiny excavators and no decent skid steers, tracked or wheeled.
The trucks with a Gross Vehicle Mass of 4.5 tonne can be driven by anyone with a car license and bigger single axle trucks just need a license endorsement. You can hire these trucks as a person off the street from any number of equipment hire places to do a bit of work in your backyard on the weekend.
Plumbers, builders, landscapers and other trades get around in these trucks with materials, machines and more in the back. Many are tippers as well and some with cranes. Tools are usually in locked trailers https://trailertechau.com.au/collections/tradietrailers

If your country wants to improve productivity you guys need to get together and lobby your Government to change the regulations which confine you to overloading your vans, trailers and utility vehicles with tiny machines. It's no wonder there are no 1CX size machines appearing in this forum, you're struggling to deal with anything over 1 tonne. In Australia you will hardly ever see a 1 tonne or less mini excavator. A mini excavator here starts at about 1.7 tonnes and goes up from there. Yes, Australia is a big country but actually it's more urbanised than the UK with most people jammed into the cities. A cab over truck with a high seating position certainly makes driving in these cities a lot easier. (I avoid the cities like the plague, the traffic does my head in.)

 

[Lancs Lad]

Unfortunately it seems until you can make it easy to buy and utilise trucks like this https://www.trucksales.com.au/editorial/details/isuzu-45-155-tradepack-2021-review-133240/ and bigger without fuss in the UK you are stuck with vans and Hilux/Rangers and tiny excavators and no decent skid steers, tracked or wheeled.
The trucks with a Gross Vehicle Mass of 4.5 tonne can be driven by anyone with a car license and bigger single axle trucks just need a license endorsement. You can hire these trucks as a person off the street from any number of equipment hire places to do a bit of work in your backyard on the weekend.
Plumbers, builders, landscapers and other trades get around in these trucks with materials, machines and more in the back. Many are tippers as well and some with cranes. Tools are usually in locked trailers https://trailertechau.com.au/collections/tradietrailers

If your country wants to improve productivity you guys need to get together and lobby your Government to change the regulations which confine you to overloading your vans, trailers and utility vehicles with tiny machines. It's no wonder there are no 1CX size machines appearing in this forum, you're struggling to deal with anything over 1 tonne. In Australia you will hardly ever see a 1 tonne or less mini excavator. A mini excavator here starts at about 1.7 tonnes and goes up from there. Yes, Australia is a big country but actually it's more urbanised than the UK with most people jammed into the cities. A cab over truck with a high seating position certainly makes driving in these cities a lot easier. (I avoid the cities like the plague, the traffic does my head in.)

Dont rub it in...

 

[Stroppymonkey]

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1161186/driving-licensing-review-summary-responses.pdf

 

[6feetdown]

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1161186/driving-licensing-review-summary-responses.pdf

C1e would be a good upgrade id get a 7.5t I think then

 

[V8Druid]

Unfortunately it seems until you can make it easy to buy and utilise trucks like this https://www.trucksales.com.au/editorial/details/isuzu-45-155-tradepack-2021-review-133240/ and bigger without fuss in the UK you are stuck with vans and Hilux/Rangers and tiny excavators and no decent skid steers, tracked or wheeled.
The trucks with a Gross Vehicle Mass of 4.5 tonne can be driven by anyone with a car license and bigger single axle trucks just need a license endorsement. You can hire these trucks as a person off the street from any number of equipment hire places to do a bit of work in your backyard on the weekend.
Plumbers, builders, landscapers and other trades get around in these trucks with materials, machines and more in the back. Many are tippers as well and some with cranes. Tools are usually in locked trailers https://trailertechau.com.au/collections/tradietrailers

If your country wants to improve productivity you guys need to get together and lobby your Government to change the regulations which confine you to overloading your vans, trailers and utility vehicles with tiny machines. It's no wonder there are no 1CX size machines appearing in this forum, you're struggling to deal with anything over 1 tonne. In Australia you will hardly ever see a 1 tonne or less mini excavator. A mini excavator here starts at about 1.7 tonnes and goes up from there. Yes, Australia is a big country but actually it's more urbanised than the UK with most people jammed into the cities. A cab over truck with a high seating position certainly makes driving in these cities a lot easier. (I avoid the cities like the plague, the traffic does my head in.)

https://trailertechau.com.au/collections/tradietrailers .... at £14+k there wouldn't be many sales ... plus it's bad enough keeping an Ifor at half that price, let alone a 'tradie' full of gear ... if yer average tea leaf didn't hack their way in the 'tin tent' brigade'd just hiab 'em away

 

[Smiffy]

C1e would be a good upgrade id get a 7.5t I think then

Tbh 7.5s are now out dated. The emission kit on modern lorry means a dad lf45 with an insulated drop side body Carey's the same weight legally as an ifor Williams tt3017.
Isuzu holds marginally more and a 7.2t iveco daily holds 4t but not in the same league as a full blown lorry build wise

 

[hiluxman]

In licence terms I think they should give 'c' category holders towing of upto 3.5t. Rather than the stupid 750kg.

I'm prity sure 3.5t behind a hgv is lot better than it behind a 4x4 or 3.5t truck.

I really dispise having to pay to do ce when I only want to put digger behind the lorry.

As with all our rules, there's no actual logic to them.