Re: Need advice to move 1-1/2 ton pallet -- Update
Okay, SOMEBODY outed me: I've failed to update the status of my challenge. So here comes the update... but no neat conclusion (and not a cliff-hanger, exactly):
I got some great suggestions, and found ways to incorporate most of them. I was astonished at the power of this little monster (having trouble thinking of her as a 'Kub' now!). Here's an example: The load was situated in a way that had it locked in by a tree and by some hedges (see pic 'Blocked'); I needed to rotate it about 15° to slip by the tree or the hedges (same rotation would serve either direction). Attached a cable to the 'downhill' (maybe 5° slope) end of the two runners, looped it over my hitch, and twisted that pallet around. (see pic 'Twisting')
Unfortunately, the tension on the cable was enough to pull it through the ties (see pic 'Uh oh! Splitting'), so I had to modify the attachment before I could do any more pulling. I bored the holes to about 1-1/4" and drove 8" or 10" 1/2" nipples through them, screwed floor plates on the outer ends, then threaded the cable through that. That worked great at transferring the force into the runners rather than through them, and I was able to pull on them without any more damage.
However, trying to drag the load was a different matter. As Grouse Feathers suggested, I couldn't get traction, even putting boards under the runners provided no joy.
So, switch to olthumpa's plan "BB": slide a layer of rocks into the bucket and drive it down. As it happens, the monster could handle about 3/5 of a bucketful at a time, about 2-1/2 layers. So I made a trip, tried to drag the remainder; no joy.
Now I have to offer some excuses here. Somehow I got confused over the number of "beers" this process was supposed to use (maybe because I drink Guinness, and all the high-school kids were in class; I had to drink them all myself so I might have overdone one thing or another). But my excuse is it was never clear if I was supposed to drink one, then load; drink one, drive down; drink one, unload; drink one, drive back up; repeat.
Anyway, Since I had sunk to the level of doing it the way I really din't want to do (one step above wheeling it with a wheelbarrow), I drank another Guinness or six, and eventually found the load light enough that I could drag it down to the swamp. (I realize I hadn't mentioned swamp before; there have been several rainy days since I started the project, so the "back bottom" has devolved into "the swamp".
So finally, I have some rocks (see pic '1 if by bucket') scattered around the base of a tree, and some (see pic '2 if by sled') neatly stacked on a pallet. Sadly, the rocks I moved with the loader and dumped in what I though would facilitate erection of the retaining wall are now in the way of whatever I need to do, whether mow or build a wall.
So, a total success, if not a neatly bundled one.
The thumbnails show the obstructions, a bit of the twist, the tearing out of the cable, and the conclusion with pallet near one of the trees and the rest of the rocks scattered around my favorite hickory.
I haven't started stacking them, and I probably won't. About the time I was getting the skid dragged down, I got a response to a request for an arborist to advise me on how large a well to make in order to protect the trees from landfill damage. The answer was, "make it a bit larger than the drip line". Otherwise, you're going to kill them so cut the trees down.
How big would it be? 25' would do for one; 35-40 feet for the two hickories. The wells would be so wide and overlap in such a way that the yard would be unusable. I'd have to "mow" it with a weedeater because it would create islands that... oh, you get the idea.
"So," you might say, "why didn't you read Luke 14:28 before you started the project? Or, if you did, why didn't you pay attention to Luke 14:29?"
"Well," I might answer, "I did, but I thought I needed a dose of humility." If pressed to give a truthful answer, I'd have to admit, "I'm stoopit!"
Thanks for stopping by.
