Well it wasn't my first plan, but we have been poking at this project for over a year to fill in the grease pit in my shop and have a more usable floor. The grease pit was a real headache. My son started dropping left over crushed stone from various jobs last year and this past week brought in a final load, then started asking if I could help with the mud work. Well the weather isn't great today, and karma intervened when @nybhh (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=38169) offered the loan of his mixer. SO I changed gears, ran up to Brandon's this morning and fetched the mixer, and he threw in 6 bags of sakrete that was getting 'stiff' (80% was usable Brandon). So back down to the shop, and set things up and ran through the 6 bags to test the plan, which works fine. My son is off to get the load of 30 bags we need to finish it up. Could be a very long day today. I am just taking a break after the test run.
AT least this will finally be done and I can focus on next years firewood and other stuff. We have talked about it long enough. Oh, and that coffee can in the photo hides a tool steel anchor bar that will be below grade. It will provide a winch point to pull broken trucks into the shop when needed. We will see how that comes out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2337.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1553363944)
That has to be the cleanest mixer I have ever seen!!
Quote from: Southside logger on March 23, 2019, 02:55:50 PM
That has to be the cleanest mixer I have ever seen!!
Yeah, that is just a prop for the photo shoot! :D
Man you guys are a tough crowd! OK, full disclosure: I borrowed it from NYBHH this morning and it looks like new because that is how he takes care of his stuff. I rarely borrow stuff, but when I do I return it is "as good" or better condition than when I got it. Unless I add a beer cooler to this thing there is no way to return it better, so after I finished the test dump, I washed it up before stuff got hard. Lest you think this thing is new, I know he used it to pour the forms for his bridge you can see in another thread, so it does have miles on it. I do hope I can get the water spots off of it before I bring it back. ;D :D Tomorrow we run about 30 bags thru it.
Lol. Yea, definitely not a rental. :D Its only been used a few times, maybe 40-50 bags total but it has cleaned up pretty good as long as long as it gets a good spray down at the end if the job. I'm glad it is getting some more use.
@Old Greenhorn (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103) - That toolbox is perfect BTW! A 5-gallon bucket fits great so I put in 2 of those to organize small things like wedges, saw wrenches, lumber crayons, spare chain, sharpener, tape measures, etc. Besides the saw, I was also able to fit my cables, chains, snatch block, helmet, chaps, saw fuel and a gallon of bar oil in there. Its huge! Basically everything I need for a day in the woods and i can already tell it is going to save me a ton if trips back and forth and it fits perfectly in the grapple also so I can move it around from site to site without even having to get off the tractor. I really appreciate it, thank you!
Quote from: nybhh on March 23, 2019, 05:20:33 PM@Old Greenhorn (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103) - That toolbox is perfect BTW! A 5-gallon bucket fits great so I put in 2 of those to organize small things like wedges, saw wrenches, lumber crayons, spare chain, sharpener, tape measures, etc. Besides the saw, I was also able to fit my cables, chains, snatch block, helmet, chaps, saw fuel and a gallon of bar oil in there. Its huge! Basically everything I need for a day in the woods and i can already tell it is going to save me a ton if trips back and forth and it fits perfectly in the grapple also so I can move it around from site to site without even having to get off the tractor. I really appreciate it, thank you!
Really happy it worked for you, but I think you paid too much for it. ;D :D ;D :D
Quote from: nybhh on March 23, 2019, 05:20:33 PMYea, definitely not a rental. :D
I haven't bought much of anything new. Matter of fact, I haven't
bought much! I search CL for free deals and I've picked up two old yellow mixers with the big cast gear on the drum. The first one had about a 5 gallon bucket full of hard concrete in the drum. That was a fun, noisy job to remove! The second one had a rust through that I had to weld on a plate to keep the mud inside. Soooo, mine aren't so pretty! ;) But, they do get the job done. And after having to clean them up, I take good care of them now.
OG I think you better plan on waxing that with several coats before returning it. :D
Quote from: Southside logger on March 23, 2019, 07:14:40 PM
OG I think you better plan on waxing that with several coats before returning it. :D
Actually, that thought had occurred to me. Perhaps make a custom cover for it or something. The attached beer cooler isn't a bad idea either.
I could get behind the built-in beer cooler 8)
OK, for all you doubters, we did in fact use the mixer and get it good and dirty.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2345.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1553461161)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2348.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1553461363)
But we got the job done in about 3 hours.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2357.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1553461531)
We had 3 bags left over so we formed up a quick ramp for the backdoor where I keep tripping in the dark.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2356.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1553461580)
The mixer cleaned up just fine @nybhh (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=38169) however some of the paint wore off in the bottom of the bowl, would you happen to have any touch up paint I could fix it with?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2352.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1553461824)
Thanks again Brian for the loan, it saved me some hassle. Glad to have this done after wishing on it for 20 years.
3 bags is dam good estimating! I'm glad the paint is finally starting to wear off - spares me the humiliation of having too clean a mixer ;). Looks great. Now that you've got the hammer, find some more nails to pound.
Made saw dust today 8)
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on March 23, 2019, 01:59:51 PMOh, and that coffee can in the photo hides a tool steel anchor bar that will be below grade. It will provide a winch point to pull broken trucks into the shop when needed.
....place for the creeper to hang up.
:)
Alan
Quote from: nybhh on March 24, 2019, 06:23:48 PM
3 bags is dam good estimating! I'm glad the paint is finally starting to wear off - spares me the humiliation of having too clean a mixer ;). Looks great. Now that you've got the hammer, find some more nails to pound.
Made saw dust today 8)
We were halfway through and my son wanted to bet how many bags we'd have left over, loser buys lunch, he guessed 2 bags. I had a nice thick cheddar cheese burger with fries and 2 nice craft beers. ;D ;D ;D
I think I will run this back to you next weekend. Yeah, I have other stuff to pour (didn't expect to do that back ramp), but I have to get on the firewood and get it done before it gets too hot out. Should have started that this afternoon, but I had slides to prepare for a class I start teaching this week. Just got those done. Wish I had made sawdust today, but my back was just a tad tired to push too much.
@alan gage (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=36602) I had thought of that, but the plan here is to shape a plug to just fit the hole, maybe 8/4 thick. If it turns out to be a real pain, or a hazard I can always fill it in. I have been stepping up and over the plywood that cover the pit for 30 years now. I think I can deal with a little hole. :)
Looking at the first photo I would say the paint wore off because of the cinder block you have rolling around in there. ;D
Quote from: Southside logger on March 24, 2019, 08:37:34 PM
Looking at the first photo I would say the paint wore off because of the cinder block you have rolling around in there. ;D
It took FOREVER to get that to break down!
If anyone ever goes missing from your town, I'm pretty sure I know the first place they're gonna dig up :o
You are not the first one to suggest this. :D ;D
cool, gotta love checking those long overdue items off the list. nice job fellas
Quote from: nybhh on March 24, 2019, 06:23:48 PM3 bags is DanG good estimating!
Better a little too much then not enough.
I did 4 pours on my cabin -
1) footing - 180' of 1'x2' I think I had a 1/2 yard left over.
2) first lift filling the FasWall blocks - 180' 8"x5" cores varying height from 6' to 8'. Used about 12 yards. WAY missed the estimate - 3.5 yards left over!
3) second lift about 1 yard left over. But found the pumper hadn't filled all the cores all the way down so I had to carry about a 1/2 yard by the 5 gallon bucket load >:(
4) slab pour - precisely leveled the gravel and estimated 12.5 yards - ordered 14. The finish crew ran it a little thick in the middle. Had 1 shovel full left over! :o
Quote from: ljohnsaw on March 25, 2019, 04:17:10 PM
Quote from: nybhh on March 24, 2019, 06:23:48 PM3 bags is DanG good estimating!
Better a little too much then not enough.
You think I would learn by now. I don't do a lot of concrete work, but when I do after I am finished I say "next time I do this, I should have something formed up in case I have extra mud. I never seem to remember that BEFORE I start the job. But this time my son thought of the ramp by the back door and whipped up those couple of boards while I finished up the main job and started cleanup. Of course later that night I thought of 5 places I could have done.
When I estimated the job, I calculated 35 bags. NYBHH gave me 6 bags he had which I used about 85% of (these rest had hardened up). So my son picked up 30 bags (he wanted to get 40 to hit the discount, but I stood firm). Both of us are glad he didn't get 40. But I really only was 2 bags off, which is about where I like to be.
SO as promised early in this thread (I nearly forgot), here is a shot of that pocket with the cross bar I anchor below grade before we poured. I didn't expect to need it in just 3 weeks, still a tad green down there. We had to pull a dead flat bed dump into the shop to remove the engine and this was a chance to try it out. My son's receiver winch was chained to the bar for a quick and dirty solution. It worked like a charm even though the concrete still needs some time.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2384.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1554768722)
Closing out the thread, I finally got a chance to upload the time lapse of the work. Thought some my find it interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wospxmx7Aas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wospxmx7Aas)
Now that you put in the ramp at the door you will trip before the step up at the door! ;D
Great project!
I am still getting used to the ramp, but I like it. The floor pocket is very handy.