Post by grumpynorthener on Sept 19, 2020 18:59:26 GMT
Spent the afternoon helping my neighbour out at the bottom of the lane - he has 2 really polite & likable teenage boys - obviously full of energy - and he wants to use the lower paddock to build a BMX track for them
But the paddock gets very boggy to one side of it with the run off from the upper field - obviously has a belt of clay running through it
So a plan was hatched to install French drains into the paddock and reuse all the excavated soils to form the bunds / banks / berms (whatever they are called) for the track
We have a a very good local ground worker who's a top chap - he's gone on holiday so he loaned us the 5 ton excavator & 2 ton dumper whilst he's a way - both of classic status but in full working order - the boys mastered the ever so fierce & heavily growly clutch on the dumper and I operated the excavator (done loads with these machines before today)
Even his JCB Fastrac & trailer are on the cusp of classic status
So half a day spent trenching for the drains and has predicted clay and plenty of it
The trenches will be lined with a geotextile prior to being backfilled with gravel
With weather on our side we got half the trenches excavated this afternoon
Whilst the boys tipped the excavated material in the areas that they had planned to place the berms - no made up design as you go either - they have done all their own research at few public tracks - taken measurements and plotted everything out to a design - then marked the field out - I had a great time working with such ambitious young minds - more updates as we make progress
Post by grumpynorthener on Sept 20, 2020 21:28:36 GMT
So a full day of ditching
Main run to the bottom of the paddock
And the out fall to the ditch through the hedgerow
With water already appearing in the bottom of some of the ditches
Fab views of the sun setting on the South downs
Gravel arrives on Tuesday so then we can make a start on the backfilling but I may find the time to start forming some of the track berms in the interim
Nice work, and good on the lads for being interested/involved.
Recently learnt to drive a 3 ton mini-digger as we had 90 tons of topsoil delivered for some garden work - my OH had great fun driving the dumper (modern hydrostatic job though so no clutch).
Hope you get things buttoned up soon Chris - we're due a turn in the weather later this week as you likely know.
I've 11 tons of gravel coming Thursday that I'll need to barrow round for the new paths - squelch, squelch, curseword, mumble, splat! Steve
Post by grumpynorthener on Sept 27, 2020 21:13:11 GMT
Another busy weekend has seen the all the drains back filled with gravel and topped off with soil
Then a earth embankment in the corner of the paddock removed - apparently this was all the excavated material from when the house was extended several years ago
This was placed around the paddock in strategic locations and shall be shaped to form the berms & jumps for the track
So just the jumps & berms to shape up then compact with the excavator - I'll try and put a hour or so in each evening to keep the progress heading in the right direction over the coming week
It always amazes me how much time you manage to find to do things for other people . Hat off to you sir👍🏻😃 .....either that or it’s a fiendishly clever way of getting fed whilst the lovely Sharon is away 🤣🤣🤣
Its great working with them TBH - the younger one picked up the hand - eye coordination skills required for the excavator more or less instantly - whilst the parents think it might just be worth going to purchase a cheap excavator to get both boys away from the X Box disease (which no doubt is where the hand - eye coordination skills have stemmed from)
Reminds me of being about 12 and the local park had a bmx track put in it. I was warned in no uncertain terms by my parents I was not to take my racer down there. I did have cow horns on it though in my defence. So of course the first thing we did when the mates and I got together was go down the park. After an hour or so some kid says ‘hey there’s someone down the bottom taking pictures’ so we all shot off and gave it our best over the table top trying to style it out for him. A great time was had and my parents were non the wiser. Result.
Until Thursday that is when the Derbyshire Times came out and who is there on the front page flying through the air on his racer on the bmx track with the headline ‘How not to do it’. Yep busted!
Reminds me of being about 12 and the local park had a bmx track put in it. I was warned in no uncertain terms by my parents I was not to take my racer down there. I did have cow horns on it though in my defence. So of course the first thing we did when the mates and I got together was go down the park. After an hour or so some kid says ‘hey there’s someone down the bottom taking pictures’ so we all shot off and gave it our best over the table top trying to style it out for him. A great time was had and my parents were non the wiser. Result.
Until Thursday that is when the Derbyshire Times came out and who is there on the front page flying through the air on his racer on the bmx track with the headline ‘How not to do it’. Yep busted!
John - You are very welcome to come & test this one out once you are back in Blighty land - I need to finish it first though but it looks like I have a load of time before you head back this way !