I used a 12 inch bucket mini-excavator and like Steve said, it was easy and
fun to operate it (my son actually let me try it a few times). These
excavators may only go 8 ft. deep though. We just had enough length of the
arms to get there. It was in the $350 to $3475 for the weekend, pick up mid
Friday and take back Monday. We had it delivered on its own trailer. We
hauled it back.
As far as soil collapsing, that is always a problem. Fortunately (or
unfortunately whichever way you look at it), here in our area of DFW, we
have soil called black gumbo. Like digging in black concrete. When a hole
is that deep, after 4-5 feet, you also need a ladder to get out. No way you
could hand dig a eight ft. hole into this dirt in one day.
We had the rebar bent and cut to length for our cage, so we easily built it
in the hole in a short time. I have some pics for anyone interested in the
excavator picture and the rebar cage.
Roger W5RD
----- Original Message -----
From: <K7LXC@aol.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>; <kc2pih@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Digging a 5'x5'x8' tower footing
> Yep. Option 2: dig it yourself. I used to hire backhoes with operators
> until the day came when I couldn't get one when I needed it so I decided
> to
> try it myself. Guess what? It's not that bad. Call your local rental yard
> and
> they'll deliver one and show you how to operate it. Get it with a 12"
> bucket
> (as opposed to a bigger one) and it'll dig into hard earth relatively
> easily.
> I mean - how badly can you screw up a hole? In reality, not much. It
> won't
> take you very long to learn how to operate it and then the rest is
> straightforward.
>
>> I was told that if the hole is deeper than 4', that no person can enter
> it unless walls are built up.
>
> Yes. OSHA rules state that anything deeper than that needs to be
> shored.
> Since you're not subject to OSHA rules, you could dig it by hand yourself
> or
> go into the hole. Potentially dangerous but possible.
>
> Try doing it yourself. It's actually kind of fun. You'll need the
> piece
> of equipment to pick up the rebar cage and drop it in the hole anyway.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve K7LXC
> TOWER TECH -
> Professional tower services for hams
> Cell: 206-890-4188
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on
> family
> favorites at AOL Food.
> (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|