Friday, October 20, 2017

driveway...and early morning striped bass from the beach!

jambaloney here !

so as you all know we have a tractor now ( i like to call it "traktor" - it is the socialist in me ;-)

tibor's traktor


anyway - our driveway needs work - i normally do it by hand but at 160 feet down and 60 feet by the house - this has been harder and harder work ... so let's say hellooooo to the back blade!!!

first off i had to remove the backhoe - it was fairly easy - the bx23s comes with an advances coupling system - one person can remove the backhoe...



and install a 3 point hitch and a blade!!


i made sure to get a heavy duty model with various pitch and offset capabilities...


i started with the top part of the driveway... it is rutted and runoff goes all over the place..


i have never done this before but the idea is to grade it so the runoff goes down either side only...


after a bit of practice - i got the hang of it...


continuing around to the big part..


overgrown and rutted big time - the rain does a number!!


back to the top - i want the runoff to go around the corner here...



several passes and building up the middle


and a bit of practice on the downhill..


and quite a few passes required!!!

work at the bottom...


flatter and wider..


a LOT wider!!!

the round about took some work to get right...


back towards the house...

but finally results - rain on one side goes around this corner..


and on the other side this shallow trench...


here you can see both..


and final passes at the top made mini ditches


byproduct...


lots...

of...


ROCKS!!!!



the pics are a month old - the driveway is holding up great - it needs a bit more work to be ready for winter - but it will be MUCH easier to clear - plus we have a traktor now - saved a pile of $$ too so the traktor is paying itself off!!

i have been trying to get the right time for striped bass nailed - this morning was high tide and overcast at sunrise.. supoosed to be good - pretty ominous looking when i got to the beach


but it started clearing up..


when it is high tide the ocean actually  flows into the mouth of the framboise river - this is called the "gut" around here..


the sun is really coming up now...


and for sweet sandy... a nice striped bass !!!!





Hope you are all having a great October - cheers!

(kymber interrupts and says traktor is really named "drunk tractor-dura"!)

19 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. well maybe for most boys, but i hate the noise and all - never owned anything like it - but it beats teh atv and i am getting to o old to do the stuff by hand...

      the drain that took me 18 months by hand could have been done in a day - wish we had bought it the day we got here!!

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  2. Wow so much hard work put in on the driveway. WEll done! And look at that bass! yummy!

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    Replies
    1. thanks SOL but it is way less work than when i would try to groom it by hand - sooo much easier... the bass was divine - cheers to you!

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  3. Good job on the grading. There's certainly an art to it.

    We fished yesterday evening and caught some very nice Bass (largemouth). I also caught a couple of Crappie. Lucky for them, we weren't keeping any last night... so back into the pond they went.

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    1. thanks kelly - it was easier than i thought it would be, truth be told..

      how big is the pond you fish? bass and crappie are good eating fish!!

      they will be there when you are hungry ;-)

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  4. Jabaloney,
    Great job on your driveway! Having a tractor really cuts the amount of work having to do it by hand. Yum....bass! I already know Sweet Kymber is making an amazing meal with your bass. Enjoy!!!

    Hugs and love to both of you.
    Sandy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks sandy - i was thinking of you when i hauled it in - you didn't get a lot of trout this year ;-))

      the traktor really does cut out the work - i wish i had bought it sooner, but better late than never - hugs right back to you!!

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  5. Looking good! On the farm, we have to redo our driveway probably every four to five years so keep your blade handy.

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    1. thanks ed! i will give it another go or two before winter just to make sure it freezes flat..

      that blade will be put to work this winter too - there is aldso teh road to teh river so it is gonna get a workout!!

      hope you are having a good fall!

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  6. That is a LOT of driveway! Nice job - and the fish is gorgeous!

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    1. it is susan - hurray for the blade... and the fish!

      all my best!!

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  7. My dad got one of those blades as well. He has found it very useful for exactly the same thing you are using it for.

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    1. hey tb!

      the blade is a lifesaver... really worked out well!

      hope you are having great weather down there.. cheers!

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  8. Lol...we have the entire SCTV series on DVD...we always start watching it again every other Christmas. Those were the days of my youth, watching SCTV on Friday nights in the basement lol...

    Congrats on getting the driveway done! That is a lot of work, but looks very rewarding! I want a traktor! :) That bass looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. rain:

      HAHHA! i didn't think anyone would recognize it - the 3CP1 episodes were off the hook!!

      when you get your forever land - get a traktor earlier than later..

      the bass was fun to catch - you would love it on the beach... cheers!

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  9. I think that traktor is worth its' weight in gold! :-)

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    Replies
    1. mike buddy - you have teh right idea - it will be pried from my cold dead hands!!

      all my best!!!

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  10. Sometimes, excessive weight or rough friction can cause cracks to even the most rightfully and methodically constructed driveways. But the thing is if you need to make the road as healthy as a horse, you should pay attention to the detailing of the formation procedure as well as the materials.fence boards

    ReplyDelete