Progress happens

[Dave]

I finished the loading alley this morning. 10 posts, 60 rails, and two gates. Got to celebrate the milestones when they occur. Only about 20 RR ties to set to get finished. And I am about 90 rails short of what I will need to finish so I will have to go cut them to get finished. One of the issues with having to dig post holes with an excavator is setting the posts. It takes me about an hour per post. Post hung off the front of the loader bucket. Is it lined up right? Off the tractor, back on the tractor, repeat. Then getting enough fill around the post to hold it. I am sure that two guys would be three times faster. And being 68 doesn't speed up the process.

 

[A.J.]

Nice work! That's a lot of hours right there, but will be well worth it once you're finished. That should hold up for a long time . It's a good feeling to see the fruits of your labor.

 

[76 Bar]

Looks good! What species are the poles? Apparently don't need to be peeled?

 

[_H Ranch]

Looking good.

 

[Dave]

Looks good! What species are the poles? Apparently don't need to be peeled?

Lodge Pole Pine. No peeling needed. Some of the old poles that were put up 35 years ago still have a little bark left on them. And these poles were cut last summer and some of them have about half the bark falling off already.

 

[76 Bar]

Wow... having ranched in Doug Fir country for eons would never have guessed Pine of any sort wouldn't require peeling nor the longevity/suitability of Lodge Pole for corrals as I discovered with a bit of web sleuthing. Lucky you to have that resource nearby. :nod:

 

[Dave]

Wow... having ranched in Doug Fir country for eons would never have guessed Pine of any sort wouldn't require peeling nor the longevity/suitability of Lodge Pole for corrals as I discovered with a bit of web sleuthing. Lucky you to have that resource nearby. :nod:

I would question the "resource nearby". The permit from the forest service cost 3 cents a foot. Last year I got a permit and then asked where to go to cut them. They said you have to go find them. A good pole patch is not easy to find. I cut 275 poles last summer. It was 60 miles each way.

 

[76 Bar]

;-) Look at the bright side. The other option is 3rd growth pi$$ poor retail lumber. :frowns:

 

[Dave]

;-) Look at the bright side. The other option is 3rd growth pi$$ poor retail lumber. :frowns:

Yep, The forest circus only charges 3 cents a foot. 30 cents for a 10 foot pole. I figure by the time I had fuel etc into them that they cost me about $1 a pole. Going 6 high it cost me $6 for each section and $15 for a #1 9 foot RR tie. That is a whole lot cheaper than any of the other options. Now if someone would show up and install them for me..... Summer has arrived and it is heating up. I get out there about 5:30 in the morning and quit around 9:30 when it starts heating up. I have always said there is nothing about my Scandinavian ancestry and being raised on the north Washington coast that prepared me for hot weather.

 

[farmerjan]

:clap: Nice looking job. Oh to find an available man with that kind of attention to doing things right..... I have cattle experience, driving truck/trailer/tractor experience.... have cattle as a dowry....... :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[76 Bar]

The forest circus

Be forewarned I'm stealing your terminology. :nod: 8)
I grew up just north of Sacramento CA and thank my lucky stars that I've lived the majority of my life in the Pacific Northwest. Obviously you Scandinavians are gluttons for punishment.... :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:
Cute old classic vintage farm house in the back ground. :nod:

 

[Dave]

The forest circus

Be forewarned I'm stealing your terminology. :nod: 8)
I grew up just north of Sacramento CA and thank my lucky stars that I've lived the majority of my life in the Pacific Northwest. Obviously you Scandinavians are gluttons for punishment.... :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:
Cute old classic vintage farm house in the back ground. :nod:

I fell timber for 20 years. I have been using that term to describe our wonderful public servants for a lot of years.
I never even realized that the house was in the back ground until you mentioned it. We sure like it. Not certain when it was built. All the people who would have known are gone now. I do know that the irrigation rights here date back to 1871 and 1873. Who ever was here back then was raising food to feed the gold miners upstream of here.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Awesome job.
Jan - I think he's taken - darn!

 

[Dave]

Awesome job.
Jan - I think he's taken - darn!

I am taken and very happy about it. I am also clear on the other side of the country from the two of you. I was on the east coast for a week in August of '03. I left lost anything or left anything there, so I never felt a need to go back.

 

[gcreekrch]

Nice job Dave, even though more time consuming there is more pleasure in a job well done when completed by yourself.

Disclaimer.... You could have gotten Mother out to give directions..........

 

[Dave]

Nice job Dave, even though more time consuming there is more pleasure in a job well done when completed by yourself.

Disclaimer.... You could have gotten Mother out to give directions..........

She does come out to help occasionally. She is actually a pretty good hand. I use pieces of 2x6 as spacers. The poles especially the bigger ones want to roll out on me. I have to keep pressure on them with my left hand while drilling pilot holes and driving lag bolts with my right hand. This gets to be a real juggling act on the top pole or two. This is where the wife comes in real handy. She leans against the pole while I get it fastened into place. Trouble is she works in the mornings and with the weather we have been having I get most of my work done during the cooler morning hours.