Druidic exploits of a various nature!!

[Muz]

Personally I'd like to see a zero limit on drink/drive - no grey areas then - lot of the Scandy countries have it

I can see why but I don't think its practical ,, plus .. what the hell is wrong with going to a pub with some friends and having 'a' pint .. I mean your driving could be just as impaired if you just had a fall out with your girlfriend ? .. or too busy chatting to the passenger ? or having to shout at the kids in the back seat ? .. where does it end ?

[v8druid]

I can see why but I don't think its practical ,, plus .. what the hell is wrong with going to a pub with some friends and having 'a' pint .. I mean your driving could be just as impaired if you just had a fall out with your girlfriend ? .. or too busy chatting to the passenger ? or having to shout at the kids in the back seat ? .. where does it end ?

We're gonna have to agree to disagree, I think Muz.
I've nothing against alcohol; it just retards yer reactions - scientific fact.
I have to take rhino stopping pain killers sometimes and know full well that I am not fit to drive for a good 15 hrs after, so I don't - I'm just not fit to/capable of !

Distractions are and can be just as big an issue too, as you rightly say and it only takes a moment's inattention!!

I get moaned at for being a miserable bugger, behind the wheel, for not taking part in conversation, etc., but was always taught not to - 100% on the road - the by-product of being taught by a pro and growing up with his job!

Traffic cops are taught 'The Method' and that's exactly what it is - methodical to the point it becomes second nature.
No matter what you're in, you'll never out run/out drive a proper copper, driving to the method - you'll lose it, long before he reaches his limits, which're usually those of what ever he's driving!

[Muz]

Distractions are and can be just as big an issue too, as you rightly say and it only takes a moment's inattention!!

Well I was more making the point of constant interference by the Nanny state with ill thought out legislation. I don't think we are in disagreement because

For example they've just dropped the alcohol limit to 50mg from 80, to bring us into line with Europe, now Ive no problem with that

The way it is now many people wont even be able to have one drink the way it is anyway. But there are well documented reasons why a zero limit isn't feasible. Don't know if you ever taken a swig of Beechams liquid if you have a cold before going out in the morning, as I sometimes have done, but if you check the label on the back , its 20% ABV So in essence you just had a small sherry before going to work

Of greater importance IMO was your quote above, most of us will be guilty of this at some point, but some are worse than others. Like you, my concentration is paramount, as a professional driver. I am constantly chinned by folks who have flagged, flashed or otherwise waved at me and Ive never seen them

It's mobile phones and the like that are the real headache, sitting up high in an HGV you see people doing it all the time, fiddling, texting, you name it, those are the folks causing most chances of accidents right now. I've seen people passing me at 70 on the inside holding the steering wheel with their knees, whilst pouring boiling water from a flask into a cup for some tea , its unbelievable .

Anyways .. because of what I see regularly, and the fact some idiot in a car side swiped me deliberately in my 30 tonner recently I now use one of these

http://www.blackvue.eu/Blackvue_DR600GW.php

Good tool 1080p resolution, and because its dual channel, the second camera looks out the passenger window down at my blind spot area

[v8druid]

Well I was more making the point of constant interference by the Nanny state with ill thought out legislation. I don't think we are in disagreement because



The way it is now many people wont even be able to have one drink the way it is anyway. But there are well documented reasons why a zero limit isn't feasible. Don't know if you ever taken a swig of Beechams liquid if you have a cold before going out in the morning, as I sometimes have done, but if you check the label on the back , its 20% ABV So in essence you just had a small sherry before going to work

Of greater importance IMO was your quote above, most of us will be guilty of this at some point, but some are worse than others. Like you, my concentration is paramount, as a professional driver. I am constantly chinned by folks who have flagged, flashed or otherwise waved at me and Ive never seen them

It's mobile phones and the like that are the real headache, sitting up high in an HGV you see people doing it all the time, fiddling, texting, you name it, those are the folks causing most chances of accidents right now. I've seen people passing me at 70 on the inside holding the steering wheel with their knees, whilst pouring boiling water from a flask into a cup for some tea , its unbelievable .

Anyways .. because of what I see regularly, and the fact some idiot in a car side swiped me deliberately in my 30 tonner recently I now use one of these

http://www.blackvue.eu/Blackvue_DR600GW.php

Good tool 1080p resolution, and because its dual channel, the second camera looks out the passenger window down at my blind spot area

Phone usage has to be yet another bugbear with me too Muz and I hate to say it, but truckers seem to be as guilty as anyone/everyone else.
I no longer hold an LGV - didn't try to renew it when I was ill/recovering, as didn't think I'd get past the medical in 2011 , but have had a goods all my life, up 'til then.

The number of drivers you see trying to wrestle their rigs, one handed, is appalling and car drivers are far worse still.
Even hands free is a massive distraction and on the odd occasions I might answer it, it's with "I'm driving - I'll ring you back shortly", click!

I've long held the opinion that experienced, professional drivers, of an established calibre, should have the capacity and ability to report any and all dick heads they see and that their evidence should be enough to convict on. Might make a lot of idiots think twice, out there.

TBH I'm glad that I no longer have to use the roads for anything other than getting about when I have to - they're a nightmare!

[ianoz]

Here in OZ it has been .05 for prbably 30 years .Young drivers on their first year are zerro , second year are .02 .
Truck drivers are zerro .

[v8druid]

Here in OZ it has been .05 for prbably 30 years .Young drivers on their first year are zerro , second year are .02 .
Truck drivers are zerro .

As it should be - not sure if it is here though - doubt the ministry'd be too happy pulling an LGV over with 80mg in him, but it ain't a fail on the old breathaliser, least not for cars/bikes/etc.?? interesting Q that - Muz'd know I'd have thought

[v8druid]

Druid's tool/toy boxes come home - part deux - let there be light !!!!

Having gotten the boxes home, I decided I needed to get myself cloned!!!!!!


I could then put myself where I want to be!! (and get twice as much done in a day!!)


Had to put up a cable feed pole for my boxes and added some bracketry to it, for some new lighting, as the balmy summer evenings, of last year weren't gonna last forever LOL (could see yer breff most nights at eight o'clock) and it's 'kin dark here, once the big yellow thing in the sky, that we see occasionally, goes down behind the hills.


'Drema and basket are a great combination, just that I can't be in both!!
So it was a case of put basket where required and get out the trusty ladder to get to where I wanted to be!!





T'other end was gonna be 'got at' courtesy of my trusty tower scaffold (but would be a damned sight easier out the basket - if only there was two of me)!!


Catenary wire and cable was next.
As usual, the coil of cable I wanted was right at the bottom of the pile of cable that didn't get left in my workshop

[Muz]

As it should be - not sure if it is here though - doubt the ministry'd be too happy pulling an LGV over with 80mg in him, but it ain't a fail on the old breathaliser, least not for cars/bikes/etc.?? interesting Q that - Muz'd know I'd have thought

I would be pretty certain the law takes a dimmer view of any LGV driver caught over the limit than that a car driver ... Whilst the limit is the same for all .. The circumstances would be taken into account.... PCV drivers even more so

[v8druid]

The forecast said dry, sunny and warm -
well they were right on the money with the first two, but the wind was a tad 'cool' the day this got did.
Dry was the best bit, so, as Mrs. D actually volunteered some time, to 'assist', even though she hates heights, it was wire stringing time !!


Up 'til then I'd been running power to my boxes on an extension trailing across the drive and patch, which is far from ideal and with the RCCB in the consumer unit prone to 'surrendering' if you as much as look at it, or a socket, the wrong way, its a total PITA .


A dedicated supply, avoiding the house's RCCB/MCCB, had been on the cards, since the boxes landed.


I'd gotten a pole up on the boxes a while back, and then completed it with 4 floods, for the darker evenings and an eye bolt in the pine end of the barn, ready for a catenary.
The catenary wire went up shortly before this little escapade and everything was ready to put the SY cable up, apart from the usual issue of me not yet having managed to get myself cloned, so I'm reliant on a bit of help from Pam !!


As she still steadfastly refuses to even climb in the cab, let alone have a go, she's the one that ends up aloft.


I got the pole end sorted and secured with a bit of clambering about and a ladder to get into the basket with - again,
so then it was down to 'the boss' to get it strung out and secured - and a fine job she did too, (with a bit of supervision!!)





Could only reach so far from 'the patch' and did not want to hang 20 odd feet of cable from the centre of the catenary,
so the cable coil was parked on the tower scaff.(which I'd used, previously, to get the eye bolt up in the pine end with and shuffled it across the drive, that morning), whilst I relocated the 'Drema to the drive way, then clambered up and put it back in the basket, to finish off running it out and securing it.








The cable ties were left full length for 'the birds' - lots of Swallows and House Martins, etc. - so's they can spot the cable!!!!!
(and the bats are all getting fitted with head torches - when we catch 'em !!!).


Having secured the cable with my 'best' 10 mm cable ties -
(really wanted some ali 'belt buckle' type ties, but've failed to find anyone still selling 'em),
an executive decision was made that we needed some more between 'em for extra support and to 'catch the sag'!


So we then had to make the return 'journey' ,back across with some 5/6 mils, which did get trimmed, or it'd have looked like a 70 foot comb!!!!
Fair play though, Pam did a great job and saved me the stress of being 'in the basket', with Pam at the controls!!!!!!!!!!!


On the home stretch with the 5/6 mils- back to the pole!!


And yes, the legs are down there guys - it's a full stretch out to the centre of that cable from there, downhill, over the arse !!
With Pam in the basket I did not want to have to be putting the thing down in a hurry!!




Tomorrow's job is to get it down the barge board and into the utility ceiling to pick up the feed from the bus bar in the back of the consumer unit.
That'll be great fun, but at least I can see where I can get from outside to inside, with minimum faff, I hope!!!!!


Will be great to be able to turn on a switch/socket without the trepidation of whether the damned leccy's gonna go off or not - the RCCB hates grinders, with a passion!!!!!
(an' I hate IT with a vengeance - it's gonna get replaced shortly, as I'm sure it should not be THAT bloody sensitive!!!!!!!)

As you can see, Pam took quite a few of these and there're quite a few more here,

http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/v8...ow/Cable%20day

if you'd like to have a further butchers

[v8druid]

I would be pretty certain the law takes a dimmer view of any LGV driver caught over the limit than that a car driver ... Whilst the limit is the same for all .. The circumstances would be taken into account.... PCV drivers even more so

Oh Aye - bye bye LGV/PCV license without exceptions and very unusual to get it back !!
Just wasn't sure if the 80mgs was the same ?

[ianoz]

Huuummm, Sounds like you need a remote lever control ,like some of the crane trucks have . Cat now have remote control for machines on dangerous sites .

[v8druid]

101 uses for the Druids 'Drema - a.n.other one

Stepson home from Oz last August, after nearly a year over there with his wife having 'a look around'!
His sister'd been driving his motor whilst he was away, keeping it warm, rather than leaving it sat/only used occasionally.


He got it back/re-possessed it and noticed, whilst giving it its annual clean that there was a bit missing - the tail box off the exhaust!!!


It was the only box on the car and I couldn't believe it was totally unnoticeable, noise wise!!


Anyway after an 'inquest' into how/when it might have escaped - without leaving a mark on the car (!!) a new one was acquired and brought home for a fitting session.


Now you're all wondering WTF has this got to do with the 'Drema thread


Well I wasn't keen on grovelling under the car, so I brought an old 'trick' into play and got the job sorted in comfort!!



"Now let that be a lesson to you Josh -don't park in the Druid's way!!!!!"









For the eagle eyed amongst you, the safety pin went into the Quickie about two minutes after I took these and noticed it wasn't in place!


Used to use my 4 or 7 ton FLTs for this sort of task, in work, but the 'Drema makes a very nice substitute, with two lengths of 160 x 80 x 10 mm RHS as 6ft fork extensions


Did consider leaving it on the roof of one of the twistlocks and telling him it was time to learn to drive the 'Drema, but if he'd dropped the bugger, I'd have only have had to either fix it, or find him a.n.other one!!!!!


I did put him in the seat afterwards though, to let him get a feel and then got him to pick up the extensions, onto the forks and back off.
He did alright too, considering he'd never sat in a 360 before - playstation generation though - comes natural, playing with joysticks!!!!


Pity he went off to the in-laws that night, or I might have had him op the basket for me the next day, after a bit more practice !!!






Here's one of my 'old' SD1 Vitesses on my 7 ton Hyster getting a pre-MOT going over, in the sunshine - wonder what day 'summer' was that year!!





Also noticed the bucket in the background, with what looks like a couple of 'Vee' wings attached to it!!




Used to do a lot of bucket repairs and alterations for all the local m/c guys!!

[v8druid]

Huuummm, Sounds like you need a remote lever control ,like some of the crane trucks have . Cat now have remote control for machines on dangerous sites .

Can't even begin to imagine the cost though Ian
As a friend of mine used to say "Be cheaper to fly in an op. from New York on Concorde "

[v8druid]

right - in between the deluges, (and as I've mentioned previously), the earache has become too much and I've had to start on a shed for the mowers, etc. (and maybe the odd bike might get snuck in).


The previous owners here had installed a new oil tank not long before we bought the place and had had a slab put down for it in the most awkward of spots, slap bang where it shouldn't have gone really !!


So I laid several other additional slabs around the original one and have now got a nice flat 25' x 12' surface on which to put a 'garden shed' that'll cover all the garden gear, mowers, sweeper, etc. - and some !!


It all got laid by 'Druid's eye' and a 5ft level, with the aid of the odd bit of shuttering, to keep it put, in stages. Basically as much as I could cope with mixing in a go, at 6-8" thick !! The one nearly creased me - bit ambitious with the shuttering set out on that one!!




But what about the tank I hear you say - well it'll end up inside said shed, secure from the thieving bar-stewards round here, that continually liberate fuel from folks' tanks on a regular basis. It'll also extend its life significantly by getting it into the dark. These poly tanks are not the best at standing sun tans.


So that's the story and here's a bit of what's gotten done (slowly) so far.



first off I had to get a suss on the levels around the perimeter and get a level sole plate to work off.
So I awoke my ol' mate 'Stanley' from his slumbers .......





No smurking - we've been mates a long time - him an' me and have set out some serious sh*t in our time together!! Properly set up he's lethally accurate and I've had plenty of practice !!





Anyway we had a bit of a suss, ably assisted by my partner in crime .....





........ and got some levels to work with - not bad either - only 10mm low, in the lowest point from datum - can live with that !!


Got some sole plates measured and cut, then gave 'em a good coat of 80% bituminous/20% thinners - soaks in a treat - better than just straight bituminous





As you can tell, this got done on one of the slightly better days, weather wise, a couple of weeks ago.




And no .................... the cat's not dead ...... just sun-bathing !!

[v8druid]

Having set out the sole plate’s position on the slab and laid it all out, I got it fixed down, after persuading it over two water pipes that I’d set into the concrete – just right too, even if I do say so meself !! Comes up in what will be the stud-work, just right !!





Coat of bit. mix on the top surface and then a second over lapping plate well and truly screwed to the first.



You’ll notice the 100RS Beemer has scarpered – I’d not been able to find the damned keys to the gert chain round its saddle/back wheel to shift it ....... ‘til I remembered where they were !!

Next thing required a bit of Handraulics on the ol’ 1RB, due to the fact that (a) I ain’t got a 12” bucket, for the ‘Drema, (b) I couldn’t get at it with the jake’s toothed 12” and (c) I wasn’t keen on using either.

The ground there is a bit so so, as in pretty solid and undisturbed. I didn’t wanna go finding any large lumps with a tooth and disturbing it all, for the sake of 8” of ‘manual’.

It all went straight into the ‘Drema’s bucket – beats the hell out of a wheel barrow!!



There’s a land drain at either end of the slab, which runs under it, to a collection sump, under the wooden deck board in the slab, which collects several drains and then pipes it all off, further down the ‘system’ !!

The 8” trench is for a dose of 40mm clean to capture anything coming off the bank and route it to either end and into the land drains, to keep it away from the new ‘mower stable’. The ground there is pretty damned solid stuff, but I might put a bucket on’t VA-r and just shave a lil’ bit off the ‘intersect’, but as I say, it’s all very stable/solid and can’t see it going anywhere. Can also always re-profile it a tad, with the 40mm against it too.


Job done – now I need to re-stock on some 40mm clean after using up what little I had left to just top up the end closest in this one. pic to follow again !!



Fast forward to today ......
It’s actually been dry enough ....... after lunch anyway ...... to get the saw out and start hacking up some CLS. Longest available locally is 4,800mm, which is a total PITA length !!

Due to the lengths required for what is essentially the last bits required really, they had to be the first done, so’s I can use up the off cuts in the panel building process !

So ..... one small pile of bits later .... in the dry for tonight .....



.... which’ll end up as few of these tomorrow, if it doesn’t lash it down again .....





Had to loose assemble one before chopping all of it – been a while since I sat and calc.-ed a truss cut list, but it all went together sweet as !!

My apprentice, holding the ‘dull ends’ today was suitably impressed ............ and getting excited, to see progress.
As I keep telling her ...... 90% of the job’s in the planning and design ...... the rest’s just graft to make it happen !!

Usual story – a few others here for anyone who isn’t already bored
http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/v8...lideshow/sheds