jcsmith
Certified Shade Tree Mechanic
Very nice work. Don't you just love miserable neighbors? I think they're jealous and can't contain themselves. I can see it now; they will need your help in the future. Yeah right.
Chris
Chris
Swamp crossing road
- Thread starter Jim Timber
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Jim Timber
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Thanks!
I tried being nice, but when you hear from other neighbors up the road that you were introduced as the new owner and an A-hole, at the lake association summer meeting by the Prez of said organization (complainer #1), it kinda tempers the enthusiasm to be kind. I gave him 30 days to vacate the corner of my lot he'd been squatting on illegally for 25 years after learning of his double face, but first I offered to sell it for $25K (knowing full well he's one of the cheapest people to walk the earth).
I'm completely ok with disagreeing with people and going about our lives without interaction, but when you taint people's view of someone because of your own jealousy and sour grapes that they beat you to the cake; I don't have much respect for you.
I'm just finishing up a subsoiler project so I can cut some drainage slots in my muddy high ground. Should be headed up next week to play on the tractor.
I tried being nice, but when you hear from other neighbors up the road that you were introduced as the new owner and an A-hole, at the lake association summer meeting by the Prez of said organization (complainer #1), it kinda tempers the enthusiasm to be kind. I gave him 30 days to vacate the corner of my lot he'd been squatting on illegally for 25 years after learning of his double face, but first I offered to sell it for $25K (knowing full well he's one of the cheapest people to walk the earth).
I'm completely ok with disagreeing with people and going about our lives without interaction, but when you taint people's view of someone because of your own jealousy and sour grapes that they beat you to the cake; I don't have much respect for you.I'm just finishing up a subsoiler project so I can cut some drainage slots in my muddy high ground. Should be headed up next week to play on the tractor.
Been there. Some people are just plain a holes.Thanks!
I tried being nice, but when you hear from other neighbors up the road that you were introduced as the new owner and an A-hole, at the lake association summer meeting by the Prez of said organization (complainer #1), it kinda tempers the enthusiasm to be kind. I gave him 30 days to vacate the corner of my lot he'd been squatting on illegally for 25 years after learning of his double face, but first I offered to sell it for $25K (knowing full well he's one of the cheapest people to walk the earth).
I'm just finishing up a subsoiler project so I can cut some drainage slots in my muddy high ground. Should be headed up next week to play on the tractor.
Knowing that you did what you wanted to on your property and they have to see it everyday is a prize in itself.
Jim Timber
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I'm just doing my thing. I can't help it if they're butt-hurt over my being there.
Gotta tell ya though, driving my truck up my driveway still puts a turd eating grin on my face. My muck boots are going to file for a divorce.
Gotta tell ya though, driving my truck up my driveway still puts a turd eating grin on my face.
My muck boots are going to file for a divorce.
Long story short. My dad had a lifetime easement into our hunting cabin across some land that was sold to a first class Richard head. When he died I was literally locked out. We plotted out a trail across public land that connected two logging roads and allowed me to get in. The guy trying to lock me out was so mad. I cackled everytime I drove in on it.I'm just doing my thing. I can't help it if they're butt-hurt over my being there.
Gotta tell ya though, driving my truck up my driveway still puts a turd eating grin on my face.
3 years later we had a logging road straight in and then they graveled it. Froze those guys right out lol.
Jim Timber
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I would've liked to not have my driveway through the swamp, but it just wasn't in the cards. One of the tasks I built the subsoiler for is to break the hard pan of the old buggy trail that comes in from my North neighbor's place. That trail pre-dates maps, but since it was never legally a road, it's not an access and that neighbor has outright said I can't expand it. You could drive a short wheelbase truck through there, but I have a dented fender from doing so.
This way my driveway to the street is shorter, the distance from our house to town is shorter (not having to drive around the block saves 7.5 miles), and we can take a road vehicle straight from the future house down to the cabin instead of an atv. So it's got its advantages too.
The buggy trail's so hard I can't drive a stake in it. Hopefully I'll have better luck with the tractor. Nothing grows on the old road bed but some light grasses in the middle of the tracks. I've tried planting trees in there and they die. If I can break that crust, I should be golden. I'd like it to revert back to forest and look like the road was never there. We'll see if I live long enough to make that happen.
This way my driveway to the street is shorter, the distance from our house to town is shorter (not having to drive around the block saves 7.5 miles), and we can take a road vehicle straight from the future house down to the cabin instead of an atv. So it's got its advantages too.
The buggy trail's so hard I can't drive a stake in it. Hopefully I'll have better luck with the tractor. Nothing grows on the old road bed but some light grasses in the middle of the tracks. I've tried planting trees in there and they die. If I can break that crust, I should be golden. I'd like it to revert back to forest and look like the road was never there. We'll see if I live long enough to make that happen.
Jim Timber
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Spent a few hours clearing trees and moving dirt today. I'm thinking tomorrow I'll fire up the stump grinder again since I'm back to having obstacles on the shoulder.
Been working on knocking this ridge down to fill in the gully, but also lessen the slope of my driveway. I may still need to move some dirt in here to eliminate the chasm, but so far it's going pretty good.
Been working on knocking this ridge down to fill in the gully, but also lessen the slope of my driveway. I may still need to move some dirt in here to eliminate the chasm, but so far it's going pretty good.
Jim Timber
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Spent some more time on the gully last weekend and got it mostly gone.
I still have a bit left to work out on the top, but that's not more than a couple hours worth as long as the maple doesn't fight me too much. I already have a good bit of it's roots cut on the inside of the road. It's possible it'll just fall over if we get some wind before I head back up there.
Here's the other side of that mound with the root ball, and a better view of the remaining hole I need to fill. It's about 4' deep in the middle, but I'll be pushing the left side of this pic over to the right and bringing that down to make a slight ditch out of the remaining bank on the right.
Never did get around to grinding more stumps. Spent too much time ferrying fill from my "watering hole" (eventually to become a pond) to fill in the chasm. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. Once I get some coarse material over the sand it should make for a decent driveway.
I still have a bit left to work out on the top, but that's not more than a couple hours worth as long as the maple doesn't fight me too much. I already have a good bit of it's roots cut on the inside of the road. It's possible it'll just fall over if we get some wind before I head back up there.
Here's the other side of that mound with the root ball, and a better view of the remaining hole I need to fill. It's about 4' deep in the middle, but I'll be pushing the left side of this pic over to the right and bringing that down to make a slight ditch out of the remaining bank on the right.
Never did get around to grinding more stumps. Spent too much time ferrying fill from my "watering hole" (eventually to become a pond) to fill in the chasm. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. Once I get some coarse material over the sand it should make for a decent driveway.
Jim Timber
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Got the maple out today.
Still have some buckets worth of fill to bring up, but my gully is almost gone and the road is getting more user friendly by the day.
Still have some buckets worth of fill to bring up, but my gully is almost gone and the road is getting more user friendly by the day.
Jim Timber
1/4 bubble off
If the weather holds out, I should be into the "yard" by Memorial Day. The gully is a small ditch at the bottom of the hill, and otherwise a memory for practical purposes.
Did some grinding to clean up stumps carried over from last fall and the new ones from the past weeks work.
A view of the road at the crest where the maple was dug out. My front bumper is about where the root ball was.
Moved some rocks to keep people from trying to back boats in my driveway and wiping out my cable post (also restored the ditch so using it will be a mistake too). Game warden won't enforce the no trespass signs without a barrier, so I have to cable it (unfortunately).
Still need 2-3 big'un's to fill the gaps to the back, but I have plenty more where those came from (in my trails).
Did some grinding to clean up stumps carried over from last fall and the new ones from the past weeks work.
A view of the road at the crest where the maple was dug out. My front bumper is about where the root ball was.
Moved some rocks to keep people from trying to back boats in my driveway and wiping out my cable post (also restored the ditch so using it will be a mistake too). Game warden won't enforce the no trespass signs without a barrier, so I have to cable it (unfortunately).
Still need 2-3 big'un's to fill the gaps to the back, but I have plenty more where those came from (in my trails).
Jim Timber
1/4 bubble off
I'm starting to get into some nicer logs too. I left this oak until I can get at it with the loader. The hill is all loose sand right now and trying to winch against it results in submarining the blade, and then dragging the tractor if the butt hangs.
I'm standing at the edge of about (6) 12-15" aspen that need to come out while taking that pic, and then I can start working on a mud pit at the base of the house site. I'm about 50' from the last turn into the yard. Close enough I can taste it. Or maybe it's the mud in my teeth?
The tractor sinks to the axles in this, but I got to sand with my subsoiler. It's not draining well, but it is draining slowly. I'll scoop all the dirt out of here and assess how to "fix" it permanently. I'll probably do some sculpting of that transition anyway to even it out a bit, as well as getting the water flowing down into the adjacent draw instead of collecting in the buggy trail like it's done the whole time we've owned it.
I tried getting in there with my bucket (the area I've been working is out of frame to the top left), but the trail isn't wide enough to drive in reverse with an 84" wide implement. You either hack the trunks up, or pull the smaller stems down on your head. Nothing a couple hours with a saw won't fix.
I'm standing at the edge of about (6) 12-15" aspen that need to come out while taking that pic, and then I can start working on a mud pit at the base of the house site. I'm about 50' from the last turn into the yard. Close enough I can taste it. Or maybe it's the mud in my teeth?
The tractor sinks to the axles in this, but I got to sand with my subsoiler. It's not draining well, but it is draining slowly. I'll scoop all the dirt out of here and assess how to "fix" it permanently. I'll probably do some sculpting of that transition anyway to even it out a bit, as well as getting the water flowing down into the adjacent draw instead of collecting in the buggy trail like it's done the whole time we've owned it.
I tried getting in there with my bucket (the area I've been working is out of frame to the top left), but the trail isn't wide enough to drive in reverse with an 84" wide implement. You either hack the trunks up, or pull the smaller stems down on your head. Nothing a couple hours with a saw won't fix.
Jim Timber
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8x realtime and edited to remove redundancy.
Jim Timber
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Getting closer to passable by a semi. Tomorrow I'll grind the stumps.
Jim Timber
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The clutch disks exploded on my PTO shaft Monday, so I still have stumps to deal with, but I started leveling things out prior to excavating a pond for more fill to fix the mud hole.
This is the view down the hill like that last post.
Then the first jog in my driveway (as you pass the pond site):
This sand has beautiful structure for the task. Lots of big coarse grains all the way to silt. Just add limestone and you've got premo class 5.
Then this is the hole it's coming out of:
The back edge is just shy of 5' deep to the water level (which is rising). I've been taking fill out of here for the gully and now for pretty much the upland side of the road. I'm renting a mini excavator sometime in the next few days to contour the back edge, dig down as far as I can, and extract more sand to haul up to the mud.
And just my luck - we're expecting more rain the next 2 days. Oh well, my knee needs a break anyway.
This is the view down the hill like that last post.
Then the first jog in my driveway (as you pass the pond site):
This sand has beautiful structure for the task. Lots of big coarse grains all the way to silt. Just add limestone and you've got premo class 5.
Then this is the hole it's coming out of:
The back edge is just shy of 5' deep to the water level (which is rising). I've been taking fill out of here for the gully and now for pretty much the upland side of the road. I'm renting a mini excavator sometime in the next few days to contour the back edge, dig down as far as I can, and extract more sand to haul up to the mud.
And just my luck - we're expecting more rain the next 2 days. Oh well, my knee needs a break anyway.
Jim Timber
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The pond is trying to be a pond! This is mostly ground water, but it's probably holding some rain too.
We got soaked yesterday, and again today. My plan to rent the mini-ex tomorrow is officially cancelled.
I did manage to catch a raccoon in a bucket set (330 conibear) I had put out for porkies. That's the first coon I've ever whacked with that style trap here. Normally they avoid them entirely (and I get skunks instead).
Lol coon didn't stand a chance in a 330. Those things can kill a tough as nails beaver in under 30 seconds.
Jim Timber
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Nope. 330's are lights out for most critters dumb enough to put their noses in 'em.
I've got two porkies showing up at my mineral lick now. Moved the bucket set over there and added fresh salted apple slices.
Who'da thought a coon would go for salt dried apples? There's more frogs, toads, and mice than you can shake a stick at where this trap was.
I've got two porkies showing up at my mineral lick now. Moved the bucket set over there and added fresh salted apple slices.
Who'da thought a coon would go for salt dried apples? There's more frogs, toads, and mice than you can shake a stick at where this trap was.
That's a pretty good sized coon!
I caught a fat one once. It only had one foot pad left, had chewed the other three out of traps previously and they had healed over. I caught him with two feet (including one foot in an old toothed trap) and another trap on his arse so he wasn't getting away lol. I used a little box with table scraps in it and traps at the "doors".
I caught a fat one once. It only had one foot pad left, had chewed the other three out of traps previously and they had healed over. I caught him with two feet (including one foot in an old toothed trap) and another trap on his arse so he wasn't getting away lol. I used a little box with table scraps in it and traps at the "doors".
Jim Timber
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Lol, she's small for these parts!
Late at night I saw a fat one on the cabin road. Looked like a grey beach ball going across the road.
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