Andy et al:
Let me chime in at this point. I chose the rented post-hole digger
route two years ago to dig a 6X6X6 or so hole for my Trylon. I gave up
after one evening of drilling and only a few DAYS of digging.
My soil here is very tightly packed clay down to about three or four
feet and the rest is soft, but heavy clay/loam mix. The drilling was pretty
tough going, and I was able to go down to only about four and a half feet
due to the length of the drill bit. But what really made me give up is
dealing with the spoils - all the dirt I had dug out of the hole. I was
running out of space underneath the bushes in my back yard to place all this
stuff. (Civil Engineering rule of thumb - the spoils occupy twice as much
volume as the excavation volume.) So I hired a local guy with a backhoe and
dump truck to complete the hole for me and to take away some of the original
spoils plus the rest that he had dug out for me.
If you have a spot picked out to spread this material, go for it. But
it took me three evenings of digging to get down to three feet, and I had a
back yard full of muddy clay.
73 de
Gene Smar AD3F
>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: VeeAthreePL [SMTP:va3pl@cuic.ca]
>> > Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 4:57 AM
>> > To: towertalk@contesting.com
>> > Subject: [TowerTalk] Digging the hole
>> >
>
>I'm thinking, specifically, of a motorized posthole digger (auger). If
>nothing else, such a device would allow you to "drill" a bunch of 1 foot
>diameter holes 6 feet deep in a matter of minutes, loosening up the soil a
>lot. An hour's rental drills many postholes.
>
>It will need the assistance of another person though, unless you spring for
>the tractor mounted version. But if you can afford that, then you might as
>well rent a small backhoe (as used for excavating for spas and hot tubs),
>and have some fun developing a new skill, as well as trenching for the
>feedlines.
>
>But seriously, go to the rental yard and tell them what you want to
>do. You might find something really handy, or, someone (i.e. a local
>contractor) who is already good at quickly digging holes, and can stop by
>on the way to or from another job. Power tools are your friend; unless
>you are on one of those PBS shows where they deliberately take away the
>modern conveniences, or you want to do all by hand, just to show it can be
>done.
>
>Jim, W6RMK
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
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