[TowerTalk] DIGGING A HOLE WITH A BACKHOE

Sat May 7 07:26:02 PDT 2011

You need a backhoe operator with the right skills.  I know from limited
backhoe experience that I don't have the skill to dig a trench, let alone a
rectangular hole.  The guys who plant septic tanks are the best I've seen at
digging rectangular holes.  And as Mark says, they can be amazingly fast at
doing what they do every day.

-jim KS4O

On Sat, May 7, 2011 at 9:31 AM, Mark Robinson <markrob at mindspring.com>wrote:

> I called a guy in the morning, he was out that afternoon and dug three
> nearly perfect 4 x 6 by 4 foot deep holes for $150 and was gone in about an
> hour. Compare that to hiring a digger, getting it home, digging the hole
> and
> taking the digger back.
>
> You need a digger with a small bucket to get an accurate hole.
>
> Mark N1UK
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dick Dievendorff" <dieven at comcast.net>
> To: "'Jack Brindle'" <jackbrindle at me.com>; "'STEVE LANE'"
> <steve.lane at dishmail.net>
> Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, 07 May, 2011 8:48 AM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] DIGGING A HOLE WITH A BACKHOE
>
>
> > Although most of us can rent an excavator at a rental place and learn the
> > basics in a short while, this reminds me of getting your college buddies
> > to
> > help move furniture - it might be quite expensive.
> >
> > I'd suggest that hiring someone who operates an excavator for a living
> > might
> > be a good investment.
> >
> > Some of these guys (and you need to find the right one) are real artists,
> > and can be in and out of there in a hurry and can make the hole just the
> > size and shape you ask for.
> >
> > You or I wouldn't be able to do that on our first try.  We'd take more
> > time,
> > spend more for the additional concrete required to fill the larger hole,
> > and
> > the end result wouldn't be nearly as neat.
> >
> > It might be fun to drive the machine. But I wouldn't rent one to save
> > money.
> > The margin at equipment rental places is necessarily quite high, given
> the
> > skills of the range of people that will operate the machinery and the
> fact
> > that much of the equipment sits idle a lot of the time. They have to
> > recover
> > the cost of the machine pretty quickly.
> >
> > I'd rather hire a guy that knows what he's doing with his machine.
> >
> > Dick, K6KR
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> > [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jack Brindle
> > Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 9:50 PM
> > To: STEVE LANE
> > Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] DIGGING A HOLE WITH A BACKHOE
> >
> > What kind of quotes are you getting?
> >
> > This has been a very enlightening (and encouraging) discussion! Perhaps
> > this
> > is the year my Rohn 25 moves from the garage to the back yard and goes
> > vertical...
> >
> > Jack Brindle, W6FB
> >
> > On May 6, 2011, at 9:21 PM, STEVE LANE wrote:
> >
> >> That's why I mentioned it. I have been pricing the rental equipment in
> >> my area and think I can do it pretty cheap.
> >>
> >> On Fri, May 6, 2011 at 8:44 PM, Wes Attaway (N5WA)
> >> <wesattaway at bellsouth.net
> >>> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Well, you will get a 36" diameter hole.  It should be pretty
> >>> accurate.  You will have to spread all the dirt somewhere.
> >>>
> >>> ------------------- Wes Attaway (N5WA) ------------------
> >>> 1138 Waters Edge Circle, Shreveport, LA 71106
> >>>   318-797-4972 (Office) - 318-393-3289 (Cell)
> >>>       Computer Consulting and Forensics
> >>> -------------- EnCase Certified Examiner ---------------
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> >>> [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of STEVE LANE
> >>> Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 10:16 PM
> >>> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> >>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] DIGGING A HOLE WITH A BACKHOE
> >>>
> >>> What about using an auger? I am getting ready to put up my w51 and
> >>> have been thinking about using a 36 inch auger to bore a hole 5-6
> >>> feet deep.
> >>>
> >>> Steve K9SL
> >>> \
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, May 6, 2011 at 5:37 PM, Al Williams <alwilliams at olywa.net>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>
> >>>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>>> From: "Dick Green WC1M" <wc1m73 at gmail.com>
> >>>>
> >>>> SNIP
> >>>>> As many have noted, it's hard to dig a perfect hole with a backhoe
> >>>>> or excavator. The hole always ends up larger than intended,
> >>>>> especially
> >>> after
> >>>>> you get in and square it up with a shovel. The pier wound up closer
> >>>>> to 4'x4'x6' and was more trapezoidal than rectangular (i.e., wider
> >>>>> at the
> >>>>> base.)
> >>>>
> >>>> 1.     Whys square the hole with a shovel? The only need might be to
> >>> square
> >>>> up the visible part above the hole!
> >>>>
> >>>> 2.    "...wider at the base."?  I only have maybe 50 hours using my
> > small
> >>>> BX22 backhoe but thats enough to know that the holes are always
> >>>> "wider at the top of the hole". This is because most backholes have
> >>>> two arms; the first attached to the low base of the tractor the arm
> >>>> then
> > tilts up.
> >>>> The second arm attaches to the end of the first arm and tilts down
> >>>> to the ground. It is difficult to get the outer arm's bucket deep
> >>>> without the inner arm hitting the ground
> >>>>
> >>>> Digging a straight down hole requires a lot of coordinated tractor
> >>>> moving toward/away from the hole while also changing both arm angles.
> >>>>
> >>>> 3.    Readers contemplating having a deep, straight sided hole dug
> > should
> >>>> find a contractor with a backhoe that has a telescoping/sliding arm
> >>> mounted
> >>>> on the second (outer arm). This telescoping arm can dig straight
> >>>> vertical holes 8 or more feet deep.
> >>>>
> >>>> k7puc
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
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