Pics of the Ethanol Plant (dial-up users beware!)

[Big_Dave]

Here's a few pics of the quarry and the jobsite. It's still pretty muddy and 99% of the time after dumping, we have to be pushed out by one of the John Deere 850C dozers that the General Contractor has on site.

We've been making 4 trips a day from Mankato to Welcome MN. Each truck hauls roughly 24 tons each trip. Last Saturday there were 48-50 trucks hauling and that day we hauled in over 3500 tons :wow: of 4" x 6" rock for 'road base'. Since there were so many trucks hauling, not all trucks made 4 rounds that day. They've since cut the number of trucks hauling rock and now some are hauling sand for the concrete crews.

At the quarry this morning. Kinda 'soupy',eh? ;)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6710.jpg

The view out my window as I'm being loaded.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6711.jpg

Sloppy mess. Glad that I don't have to get out. :D
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6712.jpg

The hill that 'eats' u-joints. It's steeper than it looks and it's a pretty good pull going up when loaded.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6713.jpg

Locked in 4th gear and hammer down! :ninja: Going up!
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6714.jpg

The inevitable wait at the jobsite.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6715.jpg

Where the grain bins are gonna be. Those 2 cranes in the center of the pic are drilling rigs to drill the footings.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6716.jpg

Swampy.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6717.jpg

A view from the other side (next to the cranes).
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6718.jpg

Prepping a 'pad' for concrete.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6719.jpg

Careful! It's a tad bit soft there! :rofl:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6720.jpg

The N.E. corner of the jobsite.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6721.jpg

Some of the heavy equipment. These pieces haven't moved since I started hauling into this place.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6722.jpg

Excavating some sand and hauling it to another location on site. Evidently they had too much sand on the spot for that 'pad'. :noclue:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6723.jpg

[hellcat_99]

Man, I don't know how you do it Dave. All that mud & talk about waiting time. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Great pic's.

Holly

[Big_Dave]

Man, I don't know how you do it Dave. All that mud & talk about waiting time. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Great pic's.
Thanks. Actually there's very little waiting time while on site. Basically wait just long enough for the truck ahead of me to back in, dump and get pushed out. The dozer parks at the end and we just back up to it (or as far as we can until we get stuck), and then he just pushes us out. While waiting for the next truck to back in, the dozer operator levels off what was just dumped.

Example, yesterday I did 500 miles in 10.5 hours. 125 miles per 'round'. On this job, the most I've worked is 12.5 hours and that was the day there were 48-50 trucks hauling.

[Bikerboy]

i thought you said your trailer has super singles?? Looks like duals in the pic where they are loading you.


We haven't started work with our trucks yet, most of our pits still have a bit of snow in them i think, and the ground is still too wet.

I hope we start dump trucking soon tho.

It;s a bitch to keep the inside of your truck clean with all that mud, isn't it?

[hellcat_99]

That's an alright day. When do you think you'll get a real job? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Holly :cheers:

[Big_Dave]

i thought you said your trailer has super singles?? Looks like duals in the pic where they are loading you.
It did. When I dropped it to go back on the road last Tuesday, the bossmans' brother stole it. :angry: So I had to grab a different one. :wtf:
When do you think you'll get a real job?
Me? Manual labor? :yikes: Surely you jest! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[hellcat_99]

:doh: What was I thinking?????


Holly :rofl: :rofl:

[snoope]

Nice pix Big Dave,

Welcome to "Spring" ;) :D :D

Lucky you for not sharing the road with those "Articulating rigs"..We only have one on our #3 site and he has to run in the same tracks :angry: :angry: .........the "wheelers" were dragging "bottom".....

We "Borrowed" 7 loads of 2' minus ledge...widened the road....problem solved........

If this has been asked ,sorry BUT what type of camera are you using.???..Might just borrow some of my bank account and get one for the "Office"..you never know when you might need it ;) :cool: :cool:


Snoope back quiet

[Big_Dave]

If this has been asked ,sorry BUT what type of camera are you using.???..Might just borrow some of my bank account and get one for the "Office"..you never know when you might need it ;) :cool: :cool:
:rofl: A camera like mine won't 'break the bank'. It's just a cheap Kodak EasyShare CX6200 that we bought from Wal*Mart about 4 years ago (it appears that they are no longer made). Of course the wife needed a 'better one' and I inherited this one. The camera and a 'large' memory stick (will hold 96 pics + several 'short' silent videos) cost less than $120 (for both). In fact, if I remember correctly, the memory stick cost just about the same as the camera.

Once you get the software downloaded in your computer (downloading the software takes about 15 minutes and 2 drinks ;) ), it's pretty much 'painless' to download pics off the camera and into your computer AND add them to a 'photo bucket account.

Kodak Cameras (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/3/9/19&pq-locale=en_US)

Photo Bucket online photo storage (http://s81.photobucket.com/)

Wal*Mart sells everything you'll need at an affordable price. :)

When I downloaded the pics posted above, it took 'photobucket' about 5 minutes to 'add' them to my account. I have a DSL internet connection.

[LSMR]

Good pics Dave :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:


snoope-The wife & I both use Kodak C340 cameras.They won't break the bank account and are easy to use.The software for the computer is simple to install.The only advice I'll give is to get rechargable batteries designed for use in a digital camera.Regular batteries will get eaten up fast.I have an extra set of batteries,110v charger & a 12v car charger.Nothing worse than wanting to take a pic and finding your camera batteries have died!!!

Didn't mean to hijack your post Big Dave.BTW I see you still haven't cleaned up the fire haazard on your dash :harhar: :harhar: :harhar:

[Big_Dave]

The only advice I'll give is to get rechargable batteries designed for use in a digital camera.Regular batteries will get eaten up fast.I have an extra set of batteries,110v charger & a 12v car charger.Nothing worse than wanting to take a pic and finding your camera batteries have died!!!
That's so true! Get yourself some batteries for digital cameras and a charger that (at the very least), you can plug in the wall outlet. A 12v. vehicle charger (or an inverter) is only necessary if you're taking a lot of pics or on the road more than a couple days at a time. If I'm not mistaken, my camera uses AA lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are recommended for cameras, but you can use any AA type batteries.

Also, when I'm on the road.....if I take pics, I try to download them into my laptop that night and then delete the pics from the camera.
Didn't mean to hijack your post Big Dave.BTW I see you still haven't cleaned up the fire haazard on your dash :harhar: :harhar: :harhar:
:harhar: Bite me! :rofl: Just like rubbing 2 sticks together, it'll take a while for that to happen. ;)

[Big_Dave]

One would think that with all the mechanical engineers, jobsite supervisors, etc.....that are on this job, that someone would've thought about jobsite drainage in case it rained and for when the snow melted.

This is a pic of one of the jobsite supervisor trailers. Soggy ground (due to lack of drainage) caused it to sink. (see the buckled skirting?) They finally put in a culvert to drain excess water from this specific area 2 days ago. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/Big_Dave_2006/100_6736.jpg