Hi TTers,
I agreee with Steve that digging such a hole is dangerous due to side
sloughing. Several years ago I was nearly burried while 6' * 6' * 6' hole
sloughed - fortunatelly I climbed out just minute before that happened...
Besides tha, hiring a backhoe is less expensive than digging manually.
Our local club hired four men to dig four 4' * 4' * 6* holes, it took a
whole weekend (Saturday & Sunday) to be finished, and people asked $ 600 for
the job, besides food and drink (in Slovenia, it is usual to offer food and
drink beside payment for the job). Few weeks after that job was done, I
chatted over beer with a friend who owes backhoe and asked how much it would
cost to do such a job. He told he asks $ 100/hour - one hour drive to the
location (10 miles) and one hour back, and four holes could be diggen within
an hour, so alltogether it wouldn't cost more than $ 300! (Of course, hour
rates in the States are different than here)...
73 Mirko S57AD
----- Original Message -----
From: <K7LXC@aol.com>
To: <va3pl@cuic.ca>; <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:54 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Digging the hole - WARNING
> In a message dated 2/20/03 5:03:38 AM Pacific Standard Time, va3pl@cuic.ca
> writes:
>
> > Just wandering how long (in hours perhaps) it will take to dig 4 X 4 X 6
> > feet deep hole in medium to heavy clay using just hand tools like a
> > shovel and stuff by one person.
>
> Just wanted to mention that digging a hole like this is potentially
> DANGEROUS due to side sloughing. OSHA rules (that don't apply to
> non-professionals like TowerTalkians but are pretty good rules to observe)
> stipulate that any hole deeper than four-feet be shored up.
>
> Personally I prefer wider, shallower holes that are easier to deal
with,
> are safer, and request my engineering plans accomodate this type of
design.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve K7LXC
> TOWER TECH -
> Professional tower services for commercial and amateur
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