Let The Digging Begin......

Post holes that is. BIL James was over around 8am with his Kubota tractor and the two helpers. They took off the brush hog and installed his auger to the PTO drive of the tractor. Since he already had the stakes in place all he needed to do was start digging the eight post holes for the 4" pipe we will use for the cover post supports. Each hole would be dug two feet deep and about ten inches in diameter. Each hole would be filled with a 40lb bag of concrete after the posts were put in place and leveled. Sandy and I took off to Hughes Springs to pick up the eight bags of concrete. When we got back they were just about ready to start the drilling.

Well on the first hole Mr. Murphy stepped in and due to all the iron ore in this area the pins on the auger sheared. The closer James looked it was determined that the auger being old as it was just wasn't going to get the job done. So, the four of us took off to Pittsburg Tractor in Pittsburg TX to see what was available in the way of a new 3 point PTO auger. Now let me tell you these augers are not cheap ranging from $995 to $1500. I suggested why don't we just rent one and James said it would probably break down as when you rent tools like that they've usually been run through the mill.

Larry the owner said since we were talking about renting he had a used auger in excellent condition and with a 3" cutting bit. He also said he would make us a good deal on a ten inch bit. We took home both pieces for just under $550.
After arriving back to base and installing the new auger they had all eight holes drilled in a little under one hour. We decided to move the motorhome out to make the job a little easier and to avoid any accidents. This really helped as they were able to approach the drilling points with ease and without the hassle of jockeying around the motorhome. (click on Pictures to enlarge)

After the drilling they began setting the 20ft x 4" OD pipe into place and pouring the concrete into the holes around the pipe. They leveled each pipe and pushed the dirt back in the hole to finish the job in about three hours.

After pulling the motorhome back into its spot we are now trying to decide if the 18ft walls with a 20ft rise in the middle might be a tad bit tall. Maybe 16ft walls would be more like it with a 18ft rise in the middle. This would give us about five feet in the middle above the motorhome. After talking with my friend Mark I think we have settled on the 16ft walls with the 18ft peak down the middle. I think the next phase will be the side top rails, joist and rafters. James will be using 2-7/8” pipe and sucker rods for these.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.