Posts Tagged ‘skid loader’
Helping Hands
We are feeling a new level of satisfaction today, after an afternoon of long sought progress yesterday. Sure, it was Sunday, but our fence contractor showed up and made quick work of removing the old section of fence on the south side of our hay-field. At the same time, Cyndie and I worked together on clearing overgrowth in the main ditch just beyond that fence line.
With the advantage of having more people than just me out there toiling away, a lot more was accomplished in a short amount of time than I ever achieve on one of my home-alone days. While Cyndie was using the power trimmer to clear some brush, I cut out some small trees with a hand saw. After a short amount of time, I switched to the chainsaw and went after one of the large trees.
It was already dead, and there was nothing around it to worry about, so I may have been a little casual in my attempt to bring it down. My wedge cut wasn’t deep enough and the tree leaned back away from it. Luckily, I pulled the saw in the nick of time to avoid the pinch. On my own, I would have started devising some laborious attempt to pull or push it over, but with the fence contractor right there in a skid loader tractor, the solution was a breeze.
After he pushed it down, he asked me where I wanted it. I would have needed to cut it into small pieces and drag it away. He scooped up the entire tree with the forks of the skid loader and placed it on top of my brush pile. Done! I asked him to push over two other trees.
If I cut down a tree with the chainsaw, there is a stump left over. Tom would push a tree down, drive the forks under the roots, and pop the whole thing out of the ground. After he carried the entire tree to the pile, he returned to fill the hole and drive over it to pack it down. It was magical. It was incredibly quick. Tree gone, in an instant.
With obstructions out of the way, Cyndie encouraged me to go get the diesel tractor and mow the ditch with the brush cutter. I hesitated, not used to moving this fast, then allowed the momentum to carry me away. By the time we wrapped up our afternoon efforts, the majority of the ditch was cleared and mowed.
It was wonderfully satisfying. For me, it was a great chance to enjoy a day’s work with the support of helping hands.
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Perfectly Annoying
Suffering under my tendency towards perfectionism, I am experiencing some frustration with a few features of the swale that the excavator created. I am able to see some undulations that I anticipate could interfere with optimal flow, and his final path has a bend to it. I was hoping for a straight shot.
The guy who did the work on Monday was back again yesterday, bringing more loads of lime screenings for our paddocks. Lime screenings are similar to, if not exactly the same as, what is used for the infield of a baseball diamond.
I asked him if it was possible to eliminate the undulations in the swale by grading it more, or if trying to do so would actually make them worse. He indicated the latter. He assured me the slope is good and that, over time, the flow of water will smooth it out.
Too bad I couldn’t help finding out for myself. Late yesterday, I tried dragging our rake attachment behind the ATV, and then went and got the diesel tractor with the front loader to see if I could reduce the curve he had created. Daylight faded before I could make it too much worse than when I started. We’ll see what this morning’s light reveals. The low light from the east in the early morning does wonders to reveal high spots.
Meanwhile, I am very pleased with the new footing for the horses. I think they like it, too. Dezirea wasted no time in laying down and rolling in it. I hope they get plenty of time to pack it down before the next significant rainfall. It should make a solid base to keep them up out of the mud.
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In classic project form, halfway through spreading the piles, an oil leak was discovered in their skid loader tractor. Progress came to a halt while they tore it apart to deduce the cause. Of course, the replacement part was not available and would need to be shipped overnight. They were able to limp the loader back onto a trailer and take it back to their shop for repairs. Better the oil leaks at their place than into our paddock dirt. As it was, they needed to dig out a small section of oily top soil and put it in a pail for proper disposal.
Later in the afternoon, the driver came back with a different tractor and was able to finish spreading the second pile.
After he was gone, I felt free to start messing with the swale to enact my attempts at tweaking it toward perfect. I already know this much: He made it look a lot easier than it truly is.
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Relative Something 