Routy56 - can you just....

[Routy56]

Been an interesting 2 days on a site where the site manager fcuked off after a row with the boss
This is a serious Grade 2 listed Farmhouse and Barns Conversions
We were called in by the boss to sort out some trenches for electricity ducts.
UKPowerNetworks are due in soon to drop all the power off the poles to underground feeds.
The trouble is that we have had to go behind the 'cock ups' made by the previous cowboy builders in many areas.......

This was in the wrong place! So our first task was the carefully dig out the 6" duct and tape back about 10m to divert it........

........about 50m across this nice meadow. Now I like straight trenches, but was told that sweeping bends are OK

Ryan is now well acquainted with the difference between a spade and a shovel

THIS is an example of the tricks that the cowboys were pulling.
Yes a whole roll of marker tape buried under a 6" duct - WTF

Another sweeping bend, this time with my skinny 9", with teeth to deal with the flint and s**t on this site
This trench was at 700mm and at the far end 1200mm to deal with the ground level changes.....

Main access track to the Farm Yard - quick dig out helped by the boys, before the next lorry arrived.
Ryan was taking lessons from Lewis sporting his new lockdown Mohican

Then the boss rocked up and asked can you just pull out some foundations for a porch........
.......but only if you have time. We didn't

Make it a bit deeper by the entrance

Ryan learning about marker tape
Quick backfill, basic grading off then home for an ice cream and swim
A great few days work - looks like we'll be back again soon. Loads more to be done.......

 

[JD450A]

Bends are better for pipe and cable trenches

 

[Routy56]

Bends are better for pipe and cable trenches

Yep got me being all creative working out the sweeping bends and ground levels all over the place

 

[Routy56]

Yesterday we worked our magic for a 2 day job in one day
In the village just a mile away, Bev and Mark wanted their stumps removed and a corner of a very large garden turned to a blank canvas......


Can you just pull out the old hedge and tree stumps.....


Ryan checking this job over.....


The teeth on my skinny bucket made short work of the roots. Wish I had a ripper
The trouble with getting in close to vegetation is that it tugs out yer Lynch pins - lost 2 on this job


Logs stacked and roots ready for burning up.....


Blank canvas ready for new fences and gardening
They were absolutely delighted with the work we completed in a day.
Mark is a local plumber and Bev is a local Community Volunteer who we got to know last year at a local Music Festival.
The goodwill generated from this job will pay dividends.
Mark is talking about having us back to do foundations for their extension soon....
.....and the there will no doubt be other referrals from this networking.
The point is that I have never advertised and not about to start

 

[fred]

bmc ripper are pretty cheap and nice bit of kit with a CAT style replacable tooth.

 

[Shovelhands]

Yesterday we worked our magic for a 2 day job in one day
In the village just a mile away, Bev and Mark wanted their stumps removed and a corner of a very large garden turned to a blank canvas......

View attachment 15501
Can you just pull out the old hedge and tree stumps.....

View attachment 15502
Ryan checking this job over.....

View attachment 15527
The teeth on my skinny bucket made short work of the roots. Wish I had a ripper
The trouble with getting in close to vegetation is that it tugs out yer Lynch pins - lost 2 on this job

View attachment 15529
Logs stacked and roots ready for burning up.....

View attachment 15530
Blank canvas ready for new fences and gardening
They were absolutely delighted with the work we completed in a day.
Mark is a local plumber and Bev is a local Community Volunteer who we got to know last year at a local Music Festival.
The goodwill generated from this job will pay dividends.
Mark is talking about having us back to do foundations for their extension soon....
.....and the there will no doubt be other referrals from this networking.
The point is that I have never advertised and not about to start

I use a couple of M8 bolts and nylock nuts instead of the tractor clips, saves loosing the clip on jobs like that, usually trenching with the 9” bucket on the 803, the retainers sickout past the width of the bucket

 

[TiltyShaun]

Can beat an onion stabber!

 

[Routy56]

I use a couple of M8 bolts and nylock nuts instead of the tractor clips, saves loosing the clip on jobs like that, usually trenching with the 9” bucket on the 803, the retainers sickout past the width of the bucket

Thanks James - another great piece of advice
I'll do it this morning before I forget

 

[Routy56]

Quiet last week so relaid my daughters patio. It's at the rear of her modern house BUT it is on a steep sloping site.
So is raised and bordered by 4 foot high retaining walls
NO access whatsoever for my digger and can't even lift my Wacker up the step on my own.
So it was a handball job all the way......

The 600x600x50 came up easy being bedded on a crappy weak mix....


Didn't bother measuring but here's an idea how much it had such.
Turned the whole thing into a concrete basin


Bought up about 2 x 1 ton baggies of sharp handballed using buckets from my trailer.
Rammed and levelled with turn of a bubble from 2 below


So there you have it. A few days of graft. Slight backache for a few days lifting and laying the slabs. Over that now.
Even had time to stand on my head for a selfie afterwards

This week is picking up - out the door shortly to do trenches for SWA........

 

[Routy56]

Yesterday was half a day crammed into a full day doing a nice trench for SWA The sparky is my ex-brother-in-law who is extremely busy
So side of garage to new mobile home on a 7 acre site

Ground was absolute s**t - large stones, gravels and tree roots. So after marking out all the services with the CAT and Genny we cracked on...

Bugger
Sliced right through a SWA with no marker tape etc
Checked it was dead with Sparky and traced it tried off each end hanging not connected on a fence
“That shouldn’t be there! Previous owner stuck it in for a garage he was gonna build.”

Nice tidy site and new cable covered with soft

some nice marker tape added

Then the customer said those lovely words, “Can you just pull out this tree stump?”
“Yep if it’s easy then it will be only £40”

“Stick it in my trailer and I’ll take it away to the bonfire”
Trailer just gave up when I gently dropped about 300kgs of tree on it. Whoops
Still a nice successful day all round. Happy customer who said, “Thanks it’s now like you haven’t been here”
He now has my card for the other stuff he wants done

 

[Routy56]

Last week, we went to the seaside - Clacton-on-Sea to break out concrete and tidy up a rear garden.
The owner, had pulled up a load of rotten old decking revealing tons of concrete strip footings and crappy concrete
So we set about using the Arrowhead to smash it and garden it off for
1. topsoil and new turf
2. new block paving yard

View From the rear gates on arrival......

Peck peck peck

Peck peck peck

Get in that tipper - free hardcore tip just up the road

Job done ready for landscapers to work their magic.
Buddy of mine runs "Best Gardens of Colchester" and has been asked to come up with a nice plan
We shall see......

 

[Routy56]

Last week popped in to see my brother who collects old stuff
Guess what I cranked up?

Digger/dumper thingy ma bob

PH2 started first time without laughing gas. Boy does it bark

See 2 x PH1 - bit like a Stag V8 engine really

Some pussy for Graham @V8Druid

So there you have it. A PH2 digger dumper.
Engine and hydraulics are all good. Tinwork needs some fettling.
Keep telling him to take it to shows

 

[Grahams]

Last week, we went to the seaside - Clacton-on-Sea to break out concrete and tidy up a rear garden.
The owner, had pulled up a load of rotten old decking revealing tons of concrete strip footings and crappy concrete
So we set about using the Arrowhead to smash it and garden it off for
1. topsoil and new turf
2. new block paving
Job done ready for landscapers to work their magic.
Buddy of mine runs "Best Gardens of Colchester" and has been asked to come up with a nice plan
We shall see......

Great work as always. I can see why you get a steady flow of recommendations.

 

[Stubota86]

Last week, we went to the seaside - Clacton-on-Sea to break out concrete and tidy up a rear garden.
The owner, had pulled up a load of rotten old decking revealing tons of concrete strip footings and crappy concrete
So we set about using the Arrowhead to smash it and garden it off for
1. topsoil and new turf
2. new block paving yard
View attachment 16343
View From the rear gates on arrival......
View attachment 16344
Peck peck peck
View attachment 16345
Peck peck peck
View attachment 16346
Get in that tipper - free hardcore tip just up the road

View attachment 16347
Job done ready for landscapers to work their magic.
Buddy of mine runs "Best Gardens of Colchester" and has been asked to come up with a nice plan
We shall see......

tidy work as usual Routy, S20 looks a good fit for the Neuson?

 

[craig]

Last week popped in to see my brother who collects old stuff
Guess what I cranked up?
View attachment 16348
Digger/dumper thingy ma bob
View attachment 16349
PH2 started first time without laughing gas. Boy does it bark
View attachment 16350
See 2 x PH1 - bit like a Stag V8 engine really
View attachment 16351
Some pussy for Graham @V8Druid

So there you have it. A PH2 digger dumper.
Engine and hydraulics are all good. Tinwork needs some fettling.
Keep telling him to take it to shows

A thwaites tusker I think, (or tasker?)

 

[Routy56]

tidy work as usual Routy, S20 looks a good fit for the Neuson?

Thanks
Yes it seems to cope with it quite well. But it takes some getting used to with over 165kg swinging around
Since that job I have obtained some metric to bsp adapters. This has enabled me to fit the QCs directly to the dipper hydraulic blocks

 

[V8Druid]

See 2 x PH1 - bit like a Stag V8 engine really

Some pussy for Graham @V8Druid

So there you have it. A PH2 digger dumper.
Engine and hydraulics are all good. Tinwork needs some fettling.
Keep telling him to take it to shows

A thwaites tusker I think, (or tasker?)

yeh, spot on ..... also came with a skip too ... digger demounts, but never did see HTF you were supposed to mount the skip
aye two Dolly engines grafted together
Fair size moggy @Routy56

 

[Routy56]

Another interesting week for me and Ryan. A neighbour has about 6 trades doing a makeover of his garden BBQ and Hot Tub Complex
We were asked by him to dig out footings for a new Victorian Potting Shed.
It's more like a mini Kew Gardens

Sub soil is bone dry clay and was like rock. Rear pull was at 600mm which made my mini jump about a bit

Ryan was on the laser staff and trimming

Complex footings-600mm then 450mm and finally 300mm to stick it all together by the doors
Rebar set ready to pour

Mix on site used

Into a concrete pump

The price doubled for the pump over 80m Ryan measured with the wheel at 80.1m and "It will be less if they move their vans out of the way"

"Can you just dig off the over site in the middle" Ryan cleared up the crumbs on the new concrete

Brickies rocked up to set out. On checking with their Dumpy Level, "It's within a few millimetres of level"
Yesterday we had loads of rain - it's now a bit slippery

Been going up with my old Hyster moving packs of bricks and baggies the 80m to site.
Todays 'Can you just' is likely to be...
"We have some more bricks and baggies coming. And we are gonna need some bags of Type 1 moving up to cover the oversite"

 

[diggerjones]

Why didn't you dumper the concrete in

 

[Routy56]

Good point but it’s not how I do things
1. It’s not my job, I’m just a subbie
2. We would probably exceed the waiting time for the lorry
3. It fucks my little dumper up and splashes everywhere