Routy56 - can you just....

[Routy56]

Here goes my first attempt at a blog on the new forum
Been an owner operator for several years now

Dave Rout is the name and I have a mini digger....
....that’s what told them at a recent BMI breakfast.
Are you going to join us then because yours was the best 1 minute presentation?
Nah, half the day has gone messing around networking with you guys
But, do you know what, I am still getting work from that one meeting.
Don’t advertise just do a good job and word gets around
Only concession is I have a bundle of business cards from Vistaptint

So, yesterday, my mate sends me a text - can you just pop round and dig of the oversite ASAP please?
Turns out after we poured his foundations the brickie wants to start on Monday

...so all loaded up ready for a 7am start tomorrow
Simple little job and we will have 2 wheelbarrows on the go to the grab heap about 10m away
Bloody gas main right through the middle of the dig - what can possibly go wrong?
Gotta finish before lunchtime because it’s POETS day

 

[Mogman]

Good look

 

[Regy53]

Welcome

How do you find the Neuson you don’t see to many about

 

[Routy56]

Job done with no drama

All the time I was watched by my mascot

 

[Routy56]

Welcome

How do you find the Neuson you don’t see to many about

Hi Ross,
it's a fantastic small machine. Had it over 8 years now with all the buckets and landscape rake etc.
Bought it low hours and has still only done 1600 odd hours
Do all the spanner work myself and it's never let me down.
Local Wacker Neuson dealer is Cautrac just 20 miles away.
Down down is now tilting and expanding undercarriage and no quick hitch.
But, compared with new machines I have hired in - it is smoother, longer reach, smoother and more comfortable....
You never know - I may upgrade soon.......

 

[doobin]

As regards the thread title- I always like to say to customers- 'Can you just?' starts at £40 plus VAT

 

[Routy56]

As regards the thread title- I always like to say to customers- 'Can you just?' starts at £40 plus VAT

of course if you are on site and it’s all going well then the answer is always yes of course I can
However, usually find that the ‘can you just’ requests come to ways the end of a busy day
I always tell them that the ‘snags’ will take extra time....
....so often have a factor in an extra day or so

 

[Routy56]

When not out on my mini digger I also drive bulk grain wagons a few days a week

Local farmer has 5 and subcontractors hauling grain. Lovely part time job a few days a week
Cover for holidays etc when the full timers and subbies are off

This week doing Monday and Wednesday on the above wagon
Friday out with the digger

 

[Routy56]

So the last few weeks or so have been taken up changed my 4x4 transport.
Have been using various Land Rovers to tow the caravan and my machine to local jobs
So after loads of advice settled on a new Nissan Navara NP300
Actually worked out cheaper than a one year old one

It came naked after the our local main stealer ran out of time before the agreed collection time

So I fitted a soft top to keep me stuff dry for a few weeks...

Then fitted a Witter towbar with height adjustable ball
Went for the full 13 pin ISO electrics with Nissan electrics - pit came in useful running cables along the chassis

Then back to the dealers to finish the job fitted the ‘protection pack’. I managed the rubber mats .....

Decided to get them fit a very nice Truckman hard top. Bit of a lifestyle choice

So that’s the new dual purpose 4x4 sorted ready for work next week

 

[Mogman]

Looks a grand truck, I thick the Nissan is the best looking truck out there

 

[Routy56]

Looks a grand truck, I thick the Nissan is the best looking truck out there

Yes I think so too
Looked at loads of others - specs and test drives etc.
This one ticks the boxes for spec, comfort and value for money.
So far economy seem excellent compared with the old TD5

 

[Routy56]

So you guys will know that I also drive grain lorries to help pay for my big boys toys and holidays.....
......well I've been driving this great Volvo a few days a week over the last few months after the full timer fell through his garage roof.
He broke his leg requiring a new hip joint and probably won't work again

So the boss says "Can you just take out a new young driver this week and see how he goes".....
.....this 21 year old has been driving LGVs for a few years having been trained by Goldstar on the young driver scheme.
He openly states that his end game is 'Heavy Haulage' - you know dragging big excavators around for us guys
So, Tuesday we had a great day with him doing all the driving - he is very capable and loves driving.
Told the boss that that he is good enough to go solo with support from the rest of the team.....
....boss said that he doesn't have a lorry for me to drive for a few weeks - doh
Never mind, at 62 and being semi-retired I can take it or leave it.....

 

[Gunners]

Ive just bought a Navara in exactly the same circumstances - practically giving them away. A few things I miss from my older D40 but otherwise an excellent truck. Hope yours serves you well, that camera system is the bollocks.

 

[Routy56]

Yes it’s actually been performing rather well as a work horse. Did a week before Christmas to/from site each day. Then a few days this week. Couldn’t leave digger on site because the pikeys stole the last one on this site
Round trip of 56 miles each day. Big car comfort and much more economical than the old Disco.
Showing 24-26mpg towing about 3 Tonnes all up

 

[Routy56]

So this last weeks have been fun with loads of ‘can you just’ from the site agent and other trades on site
Basically a restoration of a 400yr old grade 2 listed with conversion of an old oak framed barn and old red bricked shed into residential. We got the new foundations done. Loads of work still to be done

The main farmhouse - the whole site is a sea of mud. Removed 3 x 3 tonne dumper loads of slop from this area

Reduction of levels ready to pull foundation trenches

So glad I wasn’t on the pecker

More level reduction of about 200 years of crap. That old red brick wall is listed. To be repaired and converted into a bungalow. The existing foundations are about 6” of crappy mortar about 12” below level. The new foundations are 1.6 metres - spotted the old oak tree with TPO

The brickies were busy doing some very nice flint walls with lime mortar while I was grading off the other side
Was politely told not to touch the wall or it will all fall down until the mortar has gone off

So next thing will be to go back to pull a few more foundations and services trenches when they are ready

 

[Routy56]

So my little job yesterday was to move some big f**k off logs that I'd cut down the previous week.
They looked too good to simply cut up for firewood.....

Neuson loaded them into Ifor ......

Which got me thinking about more new boys toys
So ordered one of these:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24-Chain...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Should be able to rip a few 6"x6" posts ready for my barn extension
Mind you SWMBO obeyed was saying silly things like when you gonna do my kitchen refit

 

[Routy56]

So last week was another busy week
With my mini - "Can you just just.....add a gravel parking space beside my drive"
There followed 2 days of fun in the sunshine

Below shows drive way and muddy grass beforehand....

......and the finish afterwards

Rocked up with the Neuson mini and new quick hitch and refurbed buckets

Dirt straight onto my tipper trailer and back to my heap an few miles away
Note the board over the manhole covers.
Skip lorry last year put some nice bows in them
Can you spot the extra concrete edging installed with the usual haunching (mixed in the barrow!)?

Some call it Terram - I call it woven geotextile which I buy on 4.5m rolls from my local supplier

MOT Type 1 delivered to site.
Calc come out at just under 3T so I ordered 4T
Didn't want to come up short and gives me about 1T to go back to my yard.
This then goes in a baggy for the next job

20mm gravel collected personally from local supplier.
This was so I could 'have a look at it' before loading.
Customer (a very good friend) was offered all sorts of 'decorative gravels' and shown samples beforehand.
Funny how he wanted simple 'river gravel' because it looked attractive.
Personally, I would have opted for the nice grey crushed granite to blend in with his existing driveway......
Again over ordered to get a some baggies filled at my yard

Mini does the hard work of spreading it out neatly to depth. Then a quick rake over to give finish as shown above
Can you see my mascot checking that I had done a proper job

My friend and his wife were out for a Valentines Day lunch and it was 'wow' when they come back.
"Blimey, I could have done it, but it would have taken me weeks. And would be half as good"
This was a days work crammed into 2 short days! All in all another good week

 

[Routy56]

Today's "Can you just....." involved a bit of maintenance of my trusty old yard Hyster Forklift truck.
This is the H50H model with a nice Perkins engine
Anyway the brakes on the left side have been 'grabbing' and getting worse.
The workshop manual stated that the brakes shoes are primary and secondary, with an ingenious self servo action.
Investigation revealed that the self adjusted pawl was way out of alignment.
So stripped down, backed it off and gave it all a good clean up.
Loads of meat on the shoes
While I was there, I gave the wheel and hub and clean up and lick of paint.
Post Office Red and Ferguson Grey - no doubt someone will call me a tart

All working fine now and tested moving pallets of roof tiles around.
Note the crushed that I'm running it on...........
.......this yard now has to be made much bigger
Probably wait for SWMBO obeyed to go out

 

[Mogman]

Tart

 

[Routy56]

Tart

You gotta love my sexy red hubs - bet your old DAF has red hubs
This could be the year that the old Hyster gets it's new paint job.....
.......looking to restore it back to original colours