This Year's Pictures.

[245dlc]

After that job was finished we moved on to doing some pipeline related work where we had to clean out some containment cells that were used as a place for vac trucks to dump. We had quite a bit of this work to do and it took us all over the country. Since the material in the cells was pretty much slurry we mixed it with sawdust after we got the results of whether or not it was contaminated with any kinda hydrocarbon related material. I took some pictures of the jobsites we were on but I can't disclose the locations in case it's any kind of conflict of interest.

 

[245dlc]

We didn't have anything to do with the actual pipeline work but they had some pretty neat equipment.

 

[245dlc]

Well kinda hard to tell if anybody is actually interested in this thread but I've got some pictures from working in Saskatchewan the first place we had to set up a second cell due to a manpower shortage. It only took us a couple days to set up and the most difficult part was placing the liner and even that didn't take all that long with three guys working.

 

[245dlc]

Our next place had us mixing what was basically bentonite slurry (that's the natural clay in the area) with sawdust and took I think four big trailer loads of sawdust to 'dry it up'. Some of it was still pretty sloppy and after some logistical issues were resolved we got it cleaned up and cells dismantled and we were headed for home. The slurry had a deceiving crust on the top but even after mixing it up a lot it was still quite sloppy the saw dust came from a number of sources like furniture factories and a place that recycled wood products like pallets and lumber etc. They hauled it in 53' walking floor trailers that were about 75-80% full to give you and idea on how much sawdust we needed.

 

[245dlc]

The pipeline company that was also working on site was kind enough to help move some rig mats around so it was easier to maneuver our trucks in and out. I was surprised that their skid-steer could handle the mats as well as it did as I had a little bit of experience moving them with a Volvo L-70 loader last fall and they weren't light.

 

[245dlc]

Our stay was extended a week as they weren't really done all the hydrovacing which was kinda frustrating as my wife had just delivered a baby girl a few weeks prior and I had been told the job was only going to take a week. lol But the vac guys were kind enough to use their pressure washer to hose out my rad as some of the sawdust was quite fine and became airborne quite quickly and the warm weather was starting to make the machine overheat.

 

[245dlc]

The fancy chromed Peterbuilt with the equally shiny aluminum trailer only hauled a couple loads of muck....I was surprised he even hauled one. lol
After returning home I had a nice little demolition job tearing down an old community centre which didn't take me long but was an enjoyable job and something I wish I got to do more of. I documented most of it with my video camera (gopro) the little Case dozer was fun to play with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Yalfyre4U&list=UUV3su6TSJuHdVybDvAeZg_w&spfreload=10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE1Kko_LueA&list=UUV3su6TSJuHdVybDvAeZg_w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg_K6tB2Fjc&list=UUV3su6TSJuHdVybDvAeZg_w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgqv4KOrCA8&list=UUV3su6TSJuHdVybDvAeZg_w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9lpfVtN_sc&list=UUV3su6TSJuHdVybDvAeZg_w

 

[245dlc]

I tried using a piece of the footing to clean things up but didn't have much luck as the concrete was in such poor condition it crumbled away in to gravel so I got to use the little Case dozer which worked quite nicely. The town had also hauled a lot of clean fill hauled in that they were going to use but there really wasn't much of a hole left as the community centre didn't have a basement.

 

[245dlc]

I worked on a couple of little brushing jobs with the Pro-Mac mulcher, at first I was suppose to mulch about a 1/4 mile of overgrown poplars and willows but the municipality changed their minds (typical) and I did about half. It was my first time using one but it was fun and I sure appreciated the safety of the thick lexan shield to keep me safe. lol

 

[245dlc]

I have some videos of the mulcher in action that I meant to edit and upload but haven't gotten around to it yet and our computer has been giving us some grief the last little while so eventually I'll get it done.

 

[CM1995]

Interesting work with the containment cells. They look to be portable. Do they follow the pipeline and staged as needed?

I am assuming the brush cutter works off standard hydraulics?

 

[245dlc]

Yeah the sheet metal panels and legs can be dismantled and are staged wherever there is hydrovac work needed. The liner and the geotextile underneath however are disposed of as they get pretty torn up.
Yeah the mulcher is run off a separate pump that they had installed as the existing pumps can't really supply enough oil to run the mulcher efficiently.

 

[JNB]

I just discovered your thread and checked out a few videos. Very nice finish work with the Kobelco. :drinkup

 

[245dlc]

Thanks JNB I try hard this is a tough province to make a decent living in and most of the jobs are hourly, so you often hear the phrase 'take your time'. lol

 

[245dlc]

One of my last jobs before the snow landed was to do some culvert installation work and apply geotextile and rip rap to the outfall side as well repair some outfalls that were washed out as they were improperly done the year before. This project was part of a larger project to alleviate spring flooding but the budget is pretty tight so a lot of things were done on the cheap hence the washouts.

 

[245dlc]

The rock used for rip rap is in the 18-24" size and is limestone, placing the geotextile was fun as it was often windy while I worked on this project and sometimes like playing twister as I was trying to hold it down with my feet or hands while reaching for a lump of clay or rock so the wind wouldn't blow it away. lol

 

[245dlc]

I tried to recycle some of the rip rap from the washed out areas but because so much material was washed out in spots and was saturated I ended up using much of the old rip rap to fill in the holes and then dragged the slop up the slope and smeared it into the slope on the backside of the ditch.

 

[245dlc]

The guys that did the work last year also didn't put very much rip rap down nor did they put any geotextile or shape a proper spillway and it was still signed by an engineer amazingly.

 

[245dlc]

Finally I did a small side job for my sister who lives in the city and had a new garage built this fall. I was contemplating renting a walk-behind ditchwitch type chain trencher but my brother who is an electrician told me that the city inspectors require that a sand bed be put down and 12" of sand be put on the cable! as well some caution tape. Which we found kinda ridiculous as Manitoba Hydro (The electrical and gas utility here) doesn't put any sand whatsoever on their cables or gas lines. So I rented a Bobcat 324 mini-excavator with a 12" bucket, ordered 2 yards of fill sand, and a load of washed rock so I could put a piece of weeping tile at the back window of the house as it's a bit of a wet area in the spring. I also let my brother try running the mini.

 

[245dlc]

We also took pictures to show the inspectors....I sure as heck wasn't going to dig it up again. The size of the Bobcat mini was good but that long boom and stick sure didn't give it much breakout force and the little dozer blade with it's pin-on extensions was kinda useless as they were too bent up to slide back on to the blade as intended. I think we got pretty lucky that we were able to rough grade everything after as the rain started and turned to snow and ice overnight and now it's all frozen. But at least in the spring when the frost comes out I'll see if I can rent a walk-behind skid-steer and properly grade her yard and put some nicely screened topsoil and grass seed on it.
And despite the lack of power and a decent dozer blade setup that little machine was just the right size for that job maybe after my wife and I move next year (I hope) I might find myself a Kubota for doing little jobs like that.