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Post by woodeye on Oct 11, 2022 16:31:47 GMT -6
That's an incentive for me right there. I hadn't thought about other uses if the garden wasn't planted for a year. Hogs would sure put the hurt on the nutgrass that's in my garden. Not ever a full time hog pen, but maybe once every few years to clean up trash plants. Thanks for the idea! I hope I can build it good enough that hogs don't jump the fence.
I know I want it taller than the 6' fence fabric is, but I'll concentrate on getting that bottom 6' done on the long sides first, and by that time I'll know how I'll want to get the fence to the 8' mark. Tomorrow is T-post day, hope I can get those in the ground, but I may have to soak the ground to be able to drive 'em. Oh the sore muscles! I was sore as all get out this morning, but loosened up pretty fast...
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 11, 2022 19:00:42 GMT -6
HAHAHA....Let me know when you're going to work again...I'll make a big bowl of popcorn and come watch! What I want to know, june , is if you grew the popcorn. If so, what variety will you eat?
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 11, 2022 19:03:19 GMT -6
That's an incentive for me right there. I hadn't thought about other uses if the garden wasn't planted for a year. Hogs would sure put the hurt on the nutgrass that's in my garden. Not ever a full time hog pen, but maybe once every few years to clean up trash plants. Thanks for the idea! I hope I can build it good enough that hogs don't jump the fence.
I know I want it taller than the 6' fence fabric is, but I'll concentrate on getting that bottom 6' done on the long sides first, and by that time I'll know how I'll want to get the fence to the 8' mark. Tomorrow is T-post day, hope I can get those in the ground, but I may have to soak the ground to be able to drive 'em. Oh the sore muscles! I was sore as all get out this morning, but loosened up pretty fast... You’re wrangling some pretty hefty piles of material there, woodeye. Take it easy with those t-posts tomorrow, okay? I can’t imagine that would be a one-day job.
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Post by woodeye on Oct 11, 2022 20:08:11 GMT -6
I'll definitely take it easy, chrysanthemum. Two or 3 hours per day is all I have allocated for working on the construction, plus I know the ground is hard as a rock, so it will be slow going at best. Wish I had a post driver that attaches to the Kubota, I'm not a fan of driving post manually, but I don't want to dig post holes either, so the t-posts are the lesser of the 2 evils. The lower temperatures have helped a lot, I can work out in the garden for a few hours, never far from a chair, then come back to the shop and piddle for a few hours each day too...
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 11, 2022 21:16:29 GMT -6
Woodeye,
I have an auger-type bit that I use with my battery pack drill motor to dig 'pilot holes' for steel posts when it's dry like this. I drive two stakes, stretch a tight string between them to get my fence line established, then go down the row, drilling pilot holes. That helps a lot. It's kind of rough on the bit, but who needs an auger bit now that I'm not punching 3/4" inch holes in 2x4s to run Romex anymore?
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Post by woodeye on Oct 11, 2022 21:41:27 GMT -6
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Post by woodeye on Oct 12, 2022 16:37:42 GMT -6
I looked for an auger bit to try, I couldn't find one. I could buy one, but decided to tough it out manually instead. I even tried driving the post about 6 inches deep, leaving the post driver on the post and using the tractor bucket to drive them. That didn't work at all, but if the ground was not so dry I think it would work. It's a slow job, but I managed to get 5 of the 16 posts in the ground. There will be 8 posts on each side. So that's 31% of the post driving done today. I can't work on it tomorrow, due to a schedule conflict, but will have 4 days after tomorrow that nothing else is happening (that I know of). Two of those 4 days will be enough to get the posts all in the ground...
Finished size is going to be 23' x 68'
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 12, 2022 18:27:51 GMT -6
1564 sq feet. That’s a nice garden!!!
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 13, 2022 16:53:28 GMT -6
That is looking good so far, Woodeye. I’m excited to see this project come together.
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Post by woodeye on Oct 13, 2022 21:21:43 GMT -6
Woodeye,
I have an auger-type bit that I use with my battery pack drill motor to dig 'pilot holes' for steel posts when it's dry like this. I drive two stakes, stretch a tight string between them to get my fence line established, then go down the row, drilling pilot holes. That helps a lot. It's kind of rough on the bit, but who needs an auger bit now that I'm not punching 3/4" inch holes in 2x4s to run Romex anymore? I'll be back out there tomorrow, still have not found an auger type drill bit to use, but I'll get some more posts in the ground before the day is over anyway.
Another way to make a nice pilot hole is to do what we used to do at work back in the 70's. Substations are grounded with a grid of bare copper cable that is about 6-8" deep, all over the substation. We had to bury 6' copper clad ground rods in substations, that would be cad-welded to the ground grid. If I remember right, the rods were about 5/8" diameter. We had to drive quite a few ground rods all over the substation according to locations that were on the blueprint.
Instead of digging a hole 6' deep for the ground rod, you could take a pop bottle full of water and pour a little bit on the ground. then just start jabbing the ground with the rod. It would go down a little ways, then pour a little more water in the hole, jab it some more, pour a little more water, and so on. It worked like one of the old spud type water well drilling rigs.
I'd only heard about it, and before I had ever seen it done, I didn't believe it was possible. But I have done it myself, and it is possible. You can drive that ground rod all the way down below ground level with one hand on the ground rod and a pop bottle full of water in the other. I drove them that way for the rest of my career. (but not on stormy days. Lightning + 6' ground rod = Disaster)
Unfortunately, I do not have a 6' copper clad ground rod at my disposal either...
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Post by woodeye on Oct 14, 2022 12:40:09 GMT -6
Thanks, hmoosek & chrysanthemum, I have the west side posts all in the ground now, will start on the east side later today. It has been like super slow motion so far, fingers crossed that the east side is softer ground. Regardless, the post driving will be completed tomorrow...
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 14, 2022 13:01:18 GMT -6
I hated driving posts even as a younger man. It’s just rattles your teeth.
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Post by woodeye on Oct 14, 2022 16:59:30 GMT -6
I hated driving posts even as a younger man. It’s just rattles your teeth. Agree 100%. But looking on the bright side, there are fewer to rattle nowadays.
The final 6 posts to drive tomorrow, then I'll count my pearly whites...
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 14, 2022 19:37:48 GMT -6
I hated driving posts even as a younger man. It’s just rattles your teeth. The final 6 posts to drive tomorrowYou’re making good progress. Congratulations!
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Post by woodeye on Oct 15, 2022 15:18:02 GMT -6
Thank You, chrysanthemum .
I am happy to report that all posts are now in the ground. There could be more to drive later on, that's TBD.
This Blackjack Oak, with a Hackberry intertwined with it, will be dealt with before spring. The main trunk is leaning west, so it will easily fall away from the direction of the power line. The method that I will use is to have the Kubota on the east side, with the front loader raised and against the tree trunk, then start sawing the tree down. I've done this several times in the past, it works great...
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