Excavator Progress: Pad Ready for Stone After Extensive Grading

Site Preparation and Grading

• ☀️ The day starts early with fine grading of the building pad, utilizing a dozer, motor grader, and grade receiver.
• 🚚 Material is being pushed and hauled to prepare for cutting and shaping the pad.
• ❄️ The morning temperature is around 20°F, requiring equipment like the off-road truck to warm up.

Dirt Moving and Pad Shaping

• 🚧 The team focuses on moving clay and dirt, with the goal of getting the pad to the correct elevation.
• 📏 A cut of 10-12 inches is made, resulting in extra loads of dirt that are used to soften slopes.
• ⚠️ A sliced sidewall on one of the truck's tires becomes a recurring issue, requiring frequent air-ups.

Final Grading and Preparation

• 🏗️ The building's location is staked out to ensure it fits within the prepared area.
• 🪵 Oak tree stumps are cut for firewood, and excess dirt is managed by pushing it over the edge or using it to build slopes.
• 🛠️ The pad is graded, rolled, and then graded again to achieve a smooth, level surface ready for stone.
• ⛰️ Final adjustments are made to the surrounding area, including cutting a ridge for drainage and preparing a ramp for truck access.

Progress and Next Steps

• ✅ The building pad is successfully graded and rolled, meeting the bare minimum requirements for the next stage.
• 🪨 Stone will be hauled in to begin the next phase of construction.
• 📅 Despite tire issues and unexpected dirt quantities, significant progress was made, with 42 loads of dirt moved in one day.