Spring has sprung. Get out and shoot your Henry

Finally Starting on the Berm

Sit back and talk with friends. Same rules as before. Rule #1-Relax with friends on the front or back porch.
Rule #2-No Politics, religion or anything above a G level.
Post Reply
User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sun Jun 19, 2022 3:10 pm

I need to get with my mechanic now and get a load of tires up here and start filling them. I still want to do the layers of tires for the base.
Work Work Work. (What movie?)
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

MuddyWaters62
Cowhand
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:37 am
Location: Texas
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by MuddyWaters62 » Sun Jun 19, 2022 3:21 pm

Blazing Saddles. I believe he played the Governor I'm not sure of his buxom blonde's name. One of my favorite comedies. :lol: :lol:
Let's not forget beatnic Maynard on "The Dobie Gillis Show". WWW...WORRK!!

Muddy Waters68
1 x

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Jun 30, 2022 11:40 pm

Tina called to have a load of Limestone delivered for the Stalls, and they have Fill Dirt. So they will have two dumps headed our way tomorrow. One filled with Limestone for the stalls, and one filled with Dirt for my berm. :D With what we already have piled up here, and a tandem dump full, I should be able to at least get enough berm in the center to start shooting. :twisted:

If I need more for the wings, I'll order it NEXT payday.
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:43 pm

My neighbor got his tractor back and came over with the auger this morning while it was still cool, what a labor saver. We managed to get the eight holes dug in an hour. We'll set the bracing poles in behind the berm wall in the cool of the morning tomorrow. We dug two behind each of the three main portions of the wall, and one each on the last two half wall wings.

Labor saver:

labor saver.jpg
labor saver.jpg (269.55 KiB) Viewed 349 times

A view of the holes:

the holes.jpg
the holes.jpg (338.6 KiB) Viewed 349 times

Miss T had to run out and get feed, so she picked up 16 bags of quickcrete, we'll put two bags in each 3-1/2 foot deep 9" hole, to handle the pressure of the dirt berm as it settles against the wall. Then we can start moving the dirt and creating the impact berm. I can't wait.
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
dave77
Cowboy
Posts: 1922
Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:09 am
Location: Eastern Washington
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by dave77 » Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:52 pm

Looks like you have pretty rock free soil. Don't know if one of those would work on my property, I have lots of rocks, small and large. I've had post holes that have taken me a couple of hours to dig with a shovel.😓
0 x

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Jul 07, 2022 5:41 pm

Out at 630 this morning before the heat, and placed the support posts and concrete so I can start moving dirt into place for the berm. It was actually fairly simple to put the concrete in place, I drove the tractor into position with the pallet over the hole and slit a bag and let the concrete run into the hole, mixed the water and concrete in the hole. Not going for a finish here, just weight to anchor the pole. Two bags, 160 pounds per hole. Shouldn't move. ;) Two poles per section except on the half walls. One centered.

Here is a view of the main section after the concrete was set in the holes.

main.jpg
main.jpg (373.2 KiB) Viewed 330 times

A view from the left, IF you were looking downrange.... Yup, the one wall leans a bit, but it shouldn't take much pressure, I don't intend to pile dirt against the wings anyway. They are there for lead splashes. :o

left view.jpg
left view.jpg (371.86 KiB) Viewed 330 times

Here are two 13 ton piles awaiting attention of the bucket...
Dirt for the range berm and limestone screening for the cowbarn.

13 tons twice.jpg
13 tons twice.jpg (258.29 KiB) Viewed 330 times

Guess those will be early morning / late evening jobs, as the mid day temps are supposed to easily pass 100 degrees.
The range work would be in the shade, but working the barn will be in the beating sun... :evil:
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:04 pm

Out this morning in the cool temps and shade to clean up the random piles we had dropped in the U and dress up the ground there. Took some patience to get er done, but got that prep work out of the way.

random piles.jpg
random piles.jpg (312.14 KiB) Viewed 314 times

Once I knocked that out, I started the trips back and forth up the hill to the 13 ton pile. :| This isn't as easy as it seems, because a tractor with a heavy bucket can be a ticket to getting "rolled." I kept in mind all the things MISS T had beaten into my thick Marine skull and all the YouTube safety videos I had watched and never once felt the tractor get squirrelly. :) I worked on the pile for about an hour, hour and a half. Miss T was mixing small amounts of quickcrete and after rolling and stuffing the yesterday's empty quickcrete bags down the tops of the bracing pipes to form a plug, was putting four to six inches of crete in the pipes and forming a rounded top to prevent water from getting inside and pooling in the bottom and rusting them out from the inside. :)

There is still a lot of Dirt in the pile up the hill, but the sun had come up with a vengeance and the boss had finished her task. NO time limit on moving the dirt. I can move more in the evening and the mornings to follow. Nice start.

moved and added.jpg
moved and added.jpg (347.68 KiB) Viewed 314 times

I will work from the center of the berm wall up and out to the sides and then around to form the u-shaped berm. Most important is the center impact area. I have that fill that was delivered and a second pile that came from cleaning up the pond edges when the water was down. If need be we can order another load later. But, we have a start. :P
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
Hatchdog
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5214
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:04 pm
Location: Deer Park, WA
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by Hatchdog » Sat Jul 09, 2022 9:55 am

BrokenolMarine wrote:
Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:04 pm
Out this morning in the cool temps and shade to clean up the random piles we had dropped in the U and dress up the ground there. Took some patience to get er done, but got that prep work out of the way.


random piles.jpg


Once I knocked that out, I started the trips back and forth up the hill to the 13 ton pile. :| This isn't as easy as it seems, because a tractor with a heavy bucket can be a ticket to getting "rolled." I kept in mind all the things MISS T had beaten into my thick Marine skull and all the YouTube safety videos I had watched and never once felt the tractor get squirrelly. :) I worked on the pile for about an hour, hour and a half. Miss T was mixing small amounts of quickcrete and after rolling and stuffing the yesterday's empty quickcrete bags down the tops of the bracing pipes to form a plug, was putting four to six inches of crete in the pipes and forming a rounded top to prevent water from getting inside and pooling in the bottom and rusting them out from the inside. :)

There is still a lot of Dirt in the pile up the hill, but the sun had come up with a vengeance and the boss had finished her task. NO time limit on moving the dirt. I can move more in the evening and the mornings to follow. Nice start.


moved and added.jpg


I will work from the center of the berm wall up and out to the sides and then around to form the u-shaped berm. Most important is the center impact area. I have that fill that was delivered and a second pile that came from cleaning up the pond edges when the water was down. If need be we can order another load later. But, we have a start. :P

Clever, very clever. :D
0 x

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sat Jul 09, 2022 11:56 am

She is very clever, but the neighbor who brought the auger over suggested using the bags. He has eighty acres and 100 cows, is a welder, and related to half the people in the surrounding communities. Let's just say he has put up a lot of pipe fencing. It's popular in oil country... The pipe used to be really cheap, discarded from drilling operations.

Miss T was going to use newspaper, Martin told her he usually just rolls the bags and sticks them in the pipes as he goes. :D
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Finally Starting on the Berm

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sat Jul 09, 2022 12:37 pm

Got out again this morning. Perfect weather at 630am. Cool in the shade and the sun was up enough for good light but still not hot. I got the tractor and got started. Worked for about two hours before the sun broke free, and then it was like someone switched on the broiler. Every time I broke free of the shaded areas, it was like a twenty degree difference, and climbing. I put the tractor away, and will finish later. I made a good bit of progress since yesterday.

more progress (2).jpg
more progress (2).jpg (336.62 KiB) Viewed 302 times

Here is the view from about 25 yards. I say about because someone, I won't name names. (Cough :roll: Miss Tina, Cough) Mowed down the driveway markers I had used to mark the measured distances when She, Um, I mean they were bush hogging the wooded areas and the range lane. Far be it from me to complain when someone does me a favor. :D

25 yards (2).jpg
25 yards (2).jpg (390.62 KiB) Viewed 302 times

This would be the view from about 80 yards... I say about... oh, Wait.... see above. :P

80 yards (2).jpg
80 yards (2).jpg (432.01 KiB) Viewed 302 times

Two days of work on the dirt berm has made a nice dent in the dump truck pile. I should be able to knock er out tomorrow if we don't get rain.

nice dent in the dump load.jpg
nice dent in the dump load.jpg (314.37 KiB) Viewed 302 times

If so, I'll start on the pile out by the pond. It's almost the size of the dump load. 8-)
While I was working, the contractor showed up in the 60 acre hay field. He had the enclosed airconditioned cab and was cutting the hay.

cutting.jpg
cutting.jpg (151.3 KiB) Viewed 302 times

We are always glad to see the hay go about this time. It is usually waist high at least, and brings to mind a couple movies. Jurassic Park and the Raptors zipping thru the grass to leap on the folks ... or Ghosts in the Darkness with Val Kilmer, and the lions in the tall grass, stealing folks and dragging them off. There are coyotes in the tall grass, several packs of them live on the 60 acres and we hear them calling at night. They used to sneak out at night, Like Ghosts in the Darkness and try and steal chickens. We had to reinforce the coop to stop it.


Nowhere to hide now. Hard to sneak.

lotta hay every year.jpg
lotta hay every year.jpg (184.71 KiB) Viewed 302 times

He will get a lot of hay from that 60 acres. I love the look of the round bales standing sentinel in the fields. I had that puzzle years ago. Always liked it. Now I live next to it, and had it in my own fields as well. How redneck is that?
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

Post Reply