Category: The Construction Biz

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Two Of The Men That Were My Mentors

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My Friend Dave I first got to know Dave Hampton in 1972. He was a successful underground utility contractor and very well respected in the business. My first subcontract was working for him installing water lines in Burnet, Texas. It was actually more complicated than that. I was a sub to another sub that subcontracted to Dave’s company. That happens in our business a lot. Ok if you aren’t too confused I’ll continue. Throughout the 1970’s I worked with Dave several times. He had an enormous capacity for numbers. I learned a lot from him. There came a time in … Continue reading Two Of The Men That Were My Mentors

The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Fiberglass Manhole Salesman

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There was company back in the 70s that started making lightweight wastewater manholes out of fiberglass. The place was down south of Houston. The product was excellent for the site conditions down in that part of the world. A very simple to use product. We laid our pipe straight on thru where a manhole went and kept going. The manholes were built for the exact height required and numbered so all we did was cut little doghouse doors where each pipe went. This was done with an abrasive wheel saw, that we call quickie saws. We could do all this … Continue reading The Fiberglass Manhole Salesman

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Trench Box Is Bigger Than Your Trench Box

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This special trench box was built in our shop and used on one project, a 72” and 84” water line line for a new water plant project in Austin, Texas. I have serious reasons to believe it is the largest trench box ever built. It measured 44’ long x 12’ tall with an 8’ tall stacker section to go on top, making it 20’ tall. This box isn’t for just anyone. We had two EX 1200 Hitachi Excavators that were used to dig and lay the pipe and took them both to advance the box ahead. The approximate weight of … Continue reading My Trench Box Is Bigger Than Your Trench Box

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz5 Comments

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

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I had a new Cat 385 that was delivered probably in 2003 or 2004. I ordered it equipped with a mass excavation boom and a short stick. I knew it would limit our ability to go very deep, but most of the jobs we were bidding on were hard rock jobs. When I compared the different stick and boom configurations, the breakout force of the one I ordered was almost double of a long stick machine. If we were going to be successful digging hard rock we need the most force that we could get at the teeth. The machine … Continue reading You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

Aging, Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

How Old Am I ?

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I’m So Old That: When I first started in the underground utility business we used batter boards and string lines for setting grade on wastewater lines. A good 6’ wooden folding engineers rule and a torpedo level were the grade setters best friend.About a decade later before lasers became widely used. (Early 1980s)Many of the old school inspectors wouldn’t trust lasers so had us set up batter boards to use to prove out that the laser was shooting a straight line and grade. I’m So Old That: John Deere and Caterpillar hadn’t started making hydraulic track excavators when I first … Continue reading How Old Am I ?

Amazing Things, Old Dog - New Trick, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Story Of How A Little Ol’ Utility Contractor From Bertram, Texas Came To Own Two Giant Excavators

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When we first acquired these machines in the later part of 2007, they were bought for a particular project, that was in some fairly hard limestone. We had approximately 4 to 5 miles of very deep wastewater (most of it 38′-40′ depth) to lay. We didn’t have our own deep trenchers that it would take to dig the depths we were going to need. We would generally subcontract that portion of the work out. We had equipped our two 385 Cats out with Leading Edge buckets (the very strange buckets at the bottom of the page) and had been having … Continue reading The Story Of How A Little Ol’ Utility Contractor From Bertram, Texas Came To Own Two Giant Excavators

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

It Popped Up Like A Cork !!!!

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We were laying 96” CSC waterline up in the south part of Dallas several years ago. We came up out of the Trinity River Bottoms with the line, across an old dump area. Not a trash dump, but low lands that had soils dump there) We were making several hundred feet a day. While going through that bad stretch of ground, it called for the rubber o-ring joints to also be welded on the inside and outside. We used a special neoprene gasket that didn’t burn like regular rubber gaskets would allowing for three protections against leaking. That forced us … Continue reading It Popped Up Like A Cork !!!!

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, Meeting New People, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Back When I Used to Go Visit The Gynecologist

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Don’t let the title confuse you. I didn’t have a sex change procedure or anything like that. In fact back then, I don’t think I’d ever heard of such a thing. It was about 1986. I had a big project one time in Southwest Austin that took me though the property of a well known Austin doctor of female parts. I guess after what he had been looking at all day, a nice trip out on his farm was something he deserved. He would want me to show him what we were doing and explain how we were we going … Continue reading Back When I Used to Go Visit The Gynecologist

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Possum Kingdom Lake & The Goat Shed

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Earlier this week someone posted about on FB the 15 out of the way spots in Texas you just have to visit. (Or something like that) One of those is a place called Possum Kingdom. This place appears to be much more populated now than it was back in 1976. We lived there while doing a job up in Stephens County. This was a time between our first two sons being born. Housing was hard to find so while driving around the area, I found The Possum Kingdom Fishing Camp. This was a place that was very active in the … Continue reading Possum Kingdom Lake & The Goat Shed

Amazing Things, Another Daily Happening, Construction, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

This Is Called “Living In The Past”

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A few years ago, when it was time to grab one of the big machines and take off across Texas, Charlie “Speedy” Leseman would get this rig all shined up and head out to wherever it was he needed to go. I don’t care what anyone says, that was a heavy haul rig. I was always proud to see those black trucks (there were others too) pulling out of a job loaded down and going to the next one. There’s a time and a place for everything. So now those are just fond memories. Continue reading This Is Called “Living In The Past”