You're a real man
Love the cold, but that's just crazy cold.?ÿ Wood stove, ass in recliner weather.
Apparently, my threats are working, but not too well
Now, Mr. Weatherman says Thursday will start at 9 F, go to a high of 25 F and drop to a low of 6 F overnight with only 12 mph wind from the NE.
Sunday looks like the really fun day.?ÿ Start off at 6 F, go to a high of only 9 F and drop to a low of -2 F overnight with 18 mph wind from the N,
And, to top it off, it's the first weekend with no football, not even a game with 18 unified for one team while the other team only gets to have 11.
Currently 6 F, feels like -7 F.?ÿ Yesterday while working it was around 15 F with feels like of 2 F.?ÿ We survived.?ÿ In and out of a vehicle as needed.?ÿ Digging in an asphalt road was fun (found bent bar 12" deep).?ÿ Setting cotton spindles in an asphalt road wasn't as easy as one would think.?ÿ Head snapped off of one just before reaching surface level.
Digging in frozen asphalt isn't any fun if you ask me.?ÿ I use to keep an old long-handled single bit ax in the truck just for such occasions.?ÿ It was so cold one day the handle snapped off on its first smack.
Come to think of it, that corner was pretty close to your stompin' grounds.?ÿ It was right outside Braman, OK.
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That was back when I worked for the highway department.?ÿ I lived in the OKC metro area but worked out of Perry, OK.?ÿ And my "area" was all of the state north of Perry and west of I-35 including the panhandle.?ÿ Seems like all my work was really close to the KS line.
During the spring season the change in weather can be most evident.?ÿ I remember mowing my lawn one weekend for the first time that spring and I had trees that were budding.?ÿ On Monday I drove north to work (60 miles) in Perry where the trees weren't quite there yet.?ÿ Then I grabbed a crew and drove an hour north to Medford, OK.?ÿ There was a fresh layer of snow on top of last week's six inches and we all worked with in our coveralls and snow gear.?ÿ It took some getting use to.?ÿ ?ÿ
We call this a spud bar:
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I surveyed in Nebraska for 15 years and all we used was a tile spade and a cold chisel...
moved to Puyallup and BING! Why didn't we ever use one of these!!!?ÿ
Got one!?ÿ Back then we had one and used it in concert with an ax.?ÿ I always started the "hole" by chopping out a square in the asphalt.?ÿ The picking came later.?ÿ I could get a better aimed (and heartier) swing with the ax.?ÿ
The diggin' bar like you've shown is by far the best thing to use in compacted aggregate base.
Now that you mention it; I do remember using a pick-ax, back in Omaha. I didn't like using it; you had to close your eyes (and mouth) just before you struck; and then, shake the chunks out at the bottom of your shirt, when you were done.
Once and once only I attempted to use a propane torch to "soften" the asphalt in January.?ÿ Based on how easy things go in July you would think this would be a great aid.?ÿ NOPE.?ÿ Not one bit.?ÿ Maybe if you could use a cutting torch but that handy dandy little propane bottle could not do enough good to matter.
When I was at the highway department my "secret elixir" for asphalt was trichloroethylene.?ÿ?ÿI used to borrow it from the materials lab when no one was looking.
It's used to wash the AC (asphaltic cement) binder from asphalt samples.?ÿ All that's left is a handful of very clean rocks.?ÿ The stuff is amazing.?ÿ Once you have a small divot in the pavement pour some in.?ÿ You can dig a hole with a whisk broom.
But be forewarned.?ÿ The fumes will kill you.?ÿ If you get it on your hands it immediately removes all oils and can burn the skin.?ÿ The stuff evaporates about as fast as you can pour it out and it's flammable.?ÿ But other than that it works great!
The EPA eventually put all sorts of restrictions on the stuff. The lab had to build a separate little shed out back to keep it stored under lock and key.?ÿ That pretty much put the kibosh on my use of the stuff.
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-24F this morning and it snowed overnight so I need to shovel. Im breaking out goggles, lined carrhart pants. Haven't needed them in a long time.
How deep do water lines need to be buried to keep them from freezing??ÿ We keep ours at a minimum of 30 inches.
Around here I believe its 4 feet and that doesn't always work.
When I was young we used an 18" x 1-1/4" bar we called a "bull-prick". We were using it one winter day while blue-topping frozen AB in a parking lot and bent it with a 12 lb. sledge. We ran down to the hardware store, bought another one, and within 30 minutes bent it too. We gave up and went home.
