Knocking Down a Bridge with The Cat 304 & Skid Steer

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We started this job the same day as the Francis Scott Key Bridge Accident :l

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

Ed… That was an interestingly repurposed railroad bridge. Much better than the old foot bridge our county road crew poured a few years back. It had originally been built with old utility poles as both pillars and road bed support stringers. The walking path was made of railroad ties bolted across the pole stringers. They were rotten and it was feared that ATV’s would break through. To repair it, they removed the ties. Then, they nailed corrugated roofing across the stringer poles. A concrete floor was poured on top of that. What they didn’t plan on was the corrugate bowing under the weight of the concrete. Shortly after beginning to pour, the error in their calculations began to surface…. The more they poured, the more it sunk. Who knew that a 6” thick slab of wet cement couldn’t be supported by a four foot span of recycled barn roof? I mean, the county road commissioner had picked it up from his brother-in-law’s construction company…. Even though it cost a bit more (double) than the cost of new metal! Its use did help the county meet the recycling goals of their “Green Agenda”. In the end… they brought in another batch of the BIL’s recycled corrugate to double up the floor support. So, at double the price per piece they spent four times as much as originally planned. After construction, ATV’s, dirt bikes and horses were banned from using it because it rattled too much from vibrations. In the end, a plaque was installed that proudly listed the commissioners name, his brother-in-law’s company, the fact that it was built with recycled materials… and a completion date that is seven months earlier than its actual date. (The plaque had been ordered before the project began… and it was the only one they had available on dedication day!) I wonder if that bridge you were working on might have a few political skeletons in its closet? PS: Did the original county commission have any ties to a plywood supplier?

[@Hoaxer51]

That’s to funny to be true, but because it involves politicians I know it is true. That’s probably a story without the hidden costs too, thanks for the laugh!

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

That’s a great story! You tell it so well. Have you ever thought of writing a book? I couldn’t believe the inspector thought it was in good enough shape to brace and pour a new deck 🤷🏻‍♂️ They are going to run 80k trucks over it!

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

@@Hoaxer51 yeah… the road commissioner didn’t survive the next election… but fortunately, his brother-in-law, he was able to grow his construction company large enough, in four short years, to hire the ex-comish!!!

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

@@fulltiltgrading8366 lol… I had a couple of stories published in Readers Digest about 20 years ago. But, I spent the $50 so quick I decided that I didn’t think I could make a living out of it! The foot bridge passed inspection because the commissioner’s nephew was the county’s consulting engineer! I don’t know if you’d classify the county government as rife with nepotism or… just plain incestual??? Thanks Ed.

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

@@sassafrasvalley1939 😂

[@tristardiggin]

Now that is a pretty cool job. Enjoyed that…😀

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

Thanks Sam. It’s always fun to do something a little different.

[@twlyons1]

🙂

[@CowboyCarCrushing]

Morning Boys 👍🤠

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

Good morning bud 👍🏻

[@bobbowlinex9319]

That looks like a fun one, Johnny thinks you probably need him to come help you.

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

Yeah, it was a very interesting job. Little unnerving starting it on the same day as the bridge in Maryland got knocked down! My wife said I better not hear that you fell in the water! Lol. Keep trainingJohnny. Somebody’s gonna have to take over for us when we get too old lol 😂

[@bradnavratil5502]

"Wow" looks like quite the job:) cheers 🍻 guys 😎

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

It was fun and a little different.

[@alexosborne5629]

The full, Full Tilt crew plus one !! Worked on jobs similar to this, plenty to do and keep an eye on for sure !! I did set myself on fire on a job like this, back in the early 1990s..... I was cutting rebar out of the underside of the deck using a Stihl saw. I was using the saw upside down, unknown to me it was leaking petrol..... and yes, the sparks did ignite the petrol on my jacket.... there I was, a human torch 😮 Saw stopped, I stopped and looked down to see flames coming up to my face..... only thing to do was to throw myself into the water and cool off...... and it was the middle of winter just for good measure!! After an investigation, the hire company knew about the saw leaking petrol, and sent someone to exchange it.... only they exchanged the wrong one.... 🤦‍♂️ I did get a replacement jacket and padded shirt too 😁

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

Wow! You got lucky bud! Those saws can be so unpredictable! Ray lights himself on fire 🔥 every time he cuts rebar. Good thing it doesn’t leak gas! I don’t think he owns a pair of pants that don’t have burn holes 😂 Take care Alex 👍🏻

[@alexosborne5629]

@@fulltiltgrading8366 Unpredictable for sure, Ed !! 😬 And now, I just walk into fires for fun 🤣🤣🤣🤦‍♂️🚒

[@georgeenriquez612]

Keep the videos coming 👍🏻

[@fulltiltgrading8366]

Thanks George 👍🏻