Utility related work...

[245dlc]

So after trying to make some money out west for two months and not having much success as the job sites I was working on were being constantly inundated by rain and working for people that don't know anything about dewatering. I decided to pack up and go home, however a former employer of mine had called me up and said that business was picking up and he could use a guy that doesn't mind doing a bit of everything. So a few days after arriving home they put me on a Case 580M backhoe loader a fairly popular machine over here. They have a 3 year contract with our only electricity supplier in this province to supply up to three or four backhoe's for whatever type of construction project that they may have along with a concrete breaker. I haven't spent much time in the last ten or so years on a backhoe but have been around them LOTS since I was a kid and actually had some decent formal training in my early years so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing. So my first day back though it started at 8 a.m. the pole crew didn't show up until 10 a.m. and they didn't get the first pole in till about 11:30 a.m. and backfilled about 12 p.m. by which time it was lunch. So all I did during this whole day I was there was move two loader buckets of gravel for backfill around the poles...I didn't even touch the backhoe part. lol I do have to say Case makes a very nice machine and I like it a lot more than the John Deere machine I had to run on Friday where all I did all day was move one pad mount transformer, two buckets of gravel, and four buckets of topsoil......I hope this coming week isn't as stressful.

[d4c24a]

tyres

nice pictures mate ,welcome to the backhoe world quite like the look of those front tyre tread pattern ,what make are they ,as i would think they would suit my work just fine

cheers graham

[245dlc]

nice pictures mate ,welcome to the backhoe world quite like the look of those front tyre tread pattern ,what make are they ,as i would think they would suit my work just fine

cheers graham

Thanks Graham not sure what make could be Michelin I'll have a look tomorrow, the boss says I'm suppose to be working on a tough crew so we'll see what happens. I think I almost enjoy bouncing around the city looking important more than actually doing anything.

[ianoz]

Good to see you back in the saddle again Bert .
Looks like a different set up to here with the pole trailer .
Most of the borer/lifters here ,have the borer /crane set up closer to the truck cab. They have a bolster mounted at the back for the poles to sit on , then tow a single axle jinker to carry the other end of the pole .

[Wee Jim]

They look like grass tyres to me! So you don't make a mess of a lawn etc.

[245dlc]

Graham those tires say 'Lifemaster' on the sidewalls so not Michelin like I had thought.
Hi Ian most of the trucks I've been around have the derrick on the back but there are a few variations I'll have to post pictures of when I get home.
Jim they do look like some kind of turf tire but they are pretty heavy duty with thick sidewalls.

[d4c24a]

solideal

i see they are made by solideal ,mainly for skid steers and only in that one size by the looks of it
would be a good pattern for all the road work i do ,i have found a similar tyre made by BKT
thanks for the picture mate

http://solidealtires.com/products/7-...ires-only.aspx

[245dlc]

No problem Graham! Here are a few pictures from today which was also pretty slow but I got to play with the machine a little more, sorting some concrete rubble from dirt and gravel and just basically tinker around till the dump truck returned for another load.

[245dlc]

And here's some pictures Ian of what they use to put up poles when ground conditions aren't favourable for trucks. The track machine I took pictures of last year and the big wheely thing I took several years ago with my two youngest brothers....Tom is still that skinny. lol

[ianoz]

This is a fairly typical set up for over here Bert .
http://www.ozzycranes.com.au/pole-jinker-trailers.htm

[Stock]

Our version of a pole truck..............

http://www.roco.ie/Pole_Lifters/Pole_Lifters.htm these boys make some attachments for pole erection..........................

[245dlc]

That's interesting guys, these guys I think are still pretty popular over here. http://www.altec.com/

[245dlc]

I've seen them use one of these little guys in back alleys where it's too tight for a truck mounted unit.

http://www.altec.com/products/digger-derrick/db37/

[245dlc]

Well another week gone by and some more pictures to upload. I started the week off in a tandem (short for tandem axle dump truck) and pretty much spent the whole week in one. The first job I was involved in was a substation construction project, it was a very tight jobsite and I had an airbag blow up on the truck so I had to trade the Kenworth for an old International that had the turning radius of an American Nimitz Class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier which really made things frustrating especially with the brickies and various sub-trades walking around. But I completed the task like a true professional but does make me wonder why nobody has acquired any of those little tippers like you guys have on your side of the pond.....maybe some day when I get my own Plant I'll have to break that mold.
When the boss told me that I had to haul for this company I was a little 'peeved' as I had worked for this company several years ago and like several other before me found this guy impossible to work for as he likes to offer these big 'wages' and try to tell you that your not doing your part and cut you down to something pitiful, well when I showed up an old accomplice of mine from my basement digging days was working there and I know he himself if somebody tries to rip him off will go completely ballistic and no matter the circumstances will make him wear his ass for a hat so to speak. So I knew I was in good hands.

[245dlc]

I also spent a day hauling fill from a sewer and water job for which I didn't get any photos until I saw this piling crew on the jobsite can you tell me what this attachment is?

IMG_1317.jpg