I was wondering how many of you do construction stakeout by yourself with a robotic instrument. I spent the day staking around 60 points for a parking lot and entrance for a golf driving range project. It takes a lot of work to lug around a stake bag and bi pod not to mention the area was severely compacted and almost every point needed a frost pin to make a hole. My company did not see the need to have another guy with me.
I try to send two guys for construction stakeout when possible...that being said, there have been many times I had to man-up and do it alone...Part of the job I guess. If you ask your boss to send additional help, and they still make you go it alone, it might be time to ask for a raise.
I think in most situations in isn't a good idea. Like you said, lots of equipment and supplies to carry around. Not to mention keeping track of what you are actually doing. We almost always send 2 guys out to do stakeout.
Gus
I do all my stakeout by myself. I am use to it. Pace yourself, do your checks, and whistle while you work;-)
It's much faster with 2, than a standard total station. If working alone an old golf bag, with a hand cart works great. You can pack everything you need for construction staking. A lot easier than trying to carry everything, and run the rod.
I used to do just fine with a sea bag or big PVC pipe section hooked to golf bag cart.
Ditto on the golf cart idea. You can set it up for your needs and it works pretty well as long as the site is not too muddy. Like any other job, it takes some getting used to, but once you get your methods down you can be pretty efficient. Of course, hard work is still hard work, and in tough ground you can't expect as much as you would in softer ground.
I do all my work alone. I do some large construction staking for schools. One thing I do is carry 5-6 mag spikes and layout those points in an area. Put the rod down and pound the stakes.picking up the nails and continue. I like to wait to flag the stakes when I'm grading so that I can be sure not to miss any.
These kind of posts always trouble me. Anybody, or any firm, trying to go solo had better be thinking outside the box. Things like how to carry your hubs & pins, bipods, getting from hither to yon, and all the stuff you need to do it right... should be thought out a bit more.
I'd be more concerned about your safety and QA/QC and worry less about how long it takes.
My biggest problem with solo staking is the friggin wind wanting to blow my helper over. May be robot prism, may be a GPS rover... but the wind is a big issue and a major PIA.
Everything else goes in my golf bag (no cart - tried the cart and that sucks... too tippy overy, so just the bag). I started with golf bags back in the early 90's. Amazing how many things you can put in there and balance yourself whilst hiking up a hill, or dodging a dozer.
Good luck
I have done it but never on a regular basis, seems to me that it is better to charge out for a 2 person crew along with the other benefits.
I wanna see pictures of this golf bag set up you guys are talking about.
I wonder if there was a engineer who bought the robotic equipment involved in the decision making process of sending out one man construction crews. One idea I have had is sending out 2 person crews with 2 robotic guns, seems that in the right situation you could really cover some ground that way.
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> I'd be more concerned about your safety and QA/QC and worry less about how long it takes.
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> My biggest problem with solo staking is the friggin wind wanting to blow my helper over. May be robot prism, may be a GPS rover... but the wind is a big issue and a major PIA.
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Safety is a biggie for me. The wind is also a big one.
Great Points Wayne.
Ralph
Safety first
You need to get some help out there with you. On a busy construction site it is way too dangerous to concentrate at the level you need to while watching out for dangers, lugging all the gear, keeping the robot "looking at you", pounding stakes, writing the correct information on the lath, keeping notes, etc. The golf cart idea is pretty good once a site is in good enough shape to roll it across the site, probably only the last 15% of the job. It definitely doesn't have an eye out for you.
Have been since 1992. Planning is the key, setup locations are critical. Always have the truck nearby if possible, roughly calc the stakes or hubs you need, plan the way you walk the site so you end empty up at the truck. A rod-rest is way better than a bipod. On road jobs if setting more than one line of stakes, I'll set one line, then drive along throwing out the shoulder stakes at the stations so don't have to carry any. Use wire flags if stakes aren't necessary. 2 people is quicker, but if everybody is thinking ahead, usually there's not a big rush anyway.
I have done it on a limited basis. I generally try to use the ATV, or now, a UTV. Much easier on the back, can keep plenty of water and supplies close by. You have to plan your work, and make sure nobody is "rushing" you. Good communication with the client is paramount so you have plenty of time.
The downfall is that there are certain situations when you do need two people. I am currently working on a site where the sewer is running at an absolute minimum. I am running levels to everything. Hard to do that by yourself.
One man cannot, in my opinion, by as efficient as two men, especially when it starts getting hot. You have to take that into consideration on billing as well.
I agree about the safety issue and the importance of having an extra set of eyes for my safety and the instrument especially on a busy construction site. I am reluctant to complain to the management. Budgets seem to be the most important concern.
> I agree about the safety issue and the importance of having an extra set of eyes for my safety and the instrument especially on a busy construction site. I am reluctant to complain to the management.
It is possible that the bosses haven't really thought about the safety issues. You could always start a dialogue about safety on the site, without mentioning hiring a helper, and see where it leads. Some people that have been stuck in the office for a while forget how hectic and dangerous the site can be.
> > I agree about the safety issue and the importance of having an extra set of eyes for my safety and the instrument especially on a busy construction site. I am reluctant to complain to the management.
>
> It is possible that the bosses haven't really thought about the safety issues. You could always start a dialogue about safety on the site, without mentioning hiring a helper, and see where it leads. Some people that have been stuck in the office for a while forget how hectic and dangerous the site can be.
:good:
Good post.
I too would like to see some photos of these golf bag setups of which some of you folks speak.
