This Project Almost Whooped Me

www.letsdig18.... for shirts and more
Save 10% off your first Ariat order - ariat.dkkdet.n...

[@dehavenfamilyfarm]

That was a very difficult spot to be in, especially without someone there to help spot the lines as you were digging. Nice job!!

[@n7565j]

I don't know what you charged him, but it wasn't enough!!!!!!! That was an awful lot of work digging around those wires!! Even though you knew where they were, it sure made things difficult!!! Nice job sir!!!

[@donmiller358]

Very tedious work with all those cables, and tight work space there, Chris. You are awesome with that Mini.

[@davidepool5884]

Another job well done. These small jobs give you a much needed and well deserved break from stumping and burning brush on the Bealy Good job.

[@johnscott2849]

Always really bugs me to dig around power lines. Went threw a double 20 amp service to my shed out back with a trencher.. Sparks everywhere. Almost needed to change my shorts. I had forgot about it.Got underground repair kit from Lowe's. Still working 17 years later.

[@reedburke7762]

Shallow trenching under multiple utilities (wires), on uneven ground with trees everywhere takes a lot of skill and patience. It's made worse by crappy root-filled material and no one on the ground to "eyeball" for you. Great job! Ditto to the friendly cable repair man.

[@deirdrehickey2183]

I’ll have to show this to my son. Mega impressed.❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@DMAN10]

Well that was a tight fit! Great job Chris…thanks for sharing!

[@dsdragoon]

I thought you had gotten under those lines until you said you didn't. It looks like another successful pond repair job.

[@marksaunders2500]

Hi from uk Chris👋👍 I can honestly say the years I have followed you I seen one favour branch out to guttering and 2 utility hits but thats still excellent considering in 2 weeks we had a lad fill in for me for 2 weeks off and he hit same power cable times withing 5M of both strikes 🤔 then proceeded to chase a water pipe to find junction where water pipe t junction was for hydrant and clipped the nipples of end of pipe flooding the job so so some operator he was I nearly list my job cos I had a holiday and my crew wont let it down and it happened before lockdown and I still hear them when we digging out muttering😂😂 lol so yes but great job as always chris and excellent job from neighbour (but we wouldn't of said anything and if he had no internet he would never of seen it was you👌😂) thanks for your time and be safe see you soon👍👋

[@chaunceypullman3380]

See, that's why I believe in old school overhead wiring. You can dig wherever you want n not be worried about buried anything.

[@applecreeksolarllc5064]

We had a job to where we had to dig out tree stumps I looked at your videos how you do it and guess what it worked customer was happy we had to put the solar panel rack where the trees were

[@leol1682]

That was a very good job you done Chris love it .

[@jefferymitchell9574]

Glad to see that you didn't let the smoke or the Arcy Sparkies out of the power line. Definitely a stressful job.

[@jefferymitchell9574]

With that cable line you are lucky it was underground at all.

[@jrhendershot1936]

Great video thanks for sharing your day that small sure sounds good it looks to be so handy on small jobs like you sure do good work fast

[@AdirondackCampingAdventures]

Never understood why people go with direct burial over conduit. I always install everything in conduit. Well worth having that extra protection.

[@chrislaarman7532]

1) Craftsmanship, despite breaking that one power line! 2) You and your bucket-building partner might think of a "bucket add-on" for the thumb. It would create a basic grapple, and it would be productive (I think) in tasks like this "covering the pipe from below". I'm thinking of a simply to click-on bucket. However, you (Chris or that partner) might get inspired, and design a quick-coupler thumb that could accept an adjusted thumb (obviously) and other add-ons. Maybe a hydraulic winch (if there should be hydraulic lines to spare) as an optional upgrade to the hook on the back of the normal bucket. (I suggested other bucket matters to DirtPerfect, in relation to the machine guidance of "his" Hyundai 210.)

[@manifold1476]

say Whuh, bro-?

[@BillW-NJ]

You were really making it look easy to dig around those cables!

[@johnypitman2368]

that fully articulated bucket is the way to go!

[@exotictones1054]

What a tedious job.i hate working around several wires.i have to go off where mis dig marks them n that can be 15 to 18"off.

[@stanleymartin1613]

Wow what a tight area to work in. 😳 and as always another fine job.

[@jamesbreault5762]

Great job Chris 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@adamtebrugge4937]

I know hoe you feel about cutting that cable. I found our internet cable 3 ft OUTSIDE the utility easement when expanding our garden. at least i found it with a shovel and not the tiller!

[@cwbean3087]

Be safe digging around those electrical cable's! Didn't see any buried cable tape around them,...WHY? Good video's and good job!

[@williambryant5946]

No tape because it was probably put in before that was a requirement to have. Could also be it's not required in his area. I've never dug up a power line or any utility for that matter that had tape above it marking it and I'm only an hour west of Chris.

[@garymurt9112]

Marking with tape is rather new compared to how long they have been buried cables.

[@DieselRamcharger]

that hydro wand same thing they set dock poles with. never thought of doing it on land with a vac truck. damn right.

[@apollorobb]

Who ever built that dam did a hell of a job compacting each lift. That's some good material. Great video sir

[@ClinttheGreat]

Don’t respond to the fake letsdig180 - names wrong anyway. It’s a scam.

[@bennetts-revenge_2]

@@ClinttheGreat I reported it

[@Muffinshaker]

You tell them you knew I it was broken already … you dug it up for them. Send them a work order. 👏👏👏👏🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@joedoakes8307]

Amazing how DRY the dirt is when the water is only ~10 feet away !!!

[@richardschipper5989]

well he wasn't digging below water level

[@kevinpoore5626]

It's always nice to know a cable guy I've been on both sides of that one I've been the operator and I've been in the Cable Guy

[@stanleymaciejewski6897]

We have a guy in our town he could find an 8 inch Watermain in the middle of the Mojave Desert he had really bad luck when he retired I went around town and told everybody The day he retired they had to lay off 12 utility workers when the joke got back around to him about a month later he didn’t think it was very 😄

[@stevenjohns7017]

You get this on those big jobs.

[@chosen1one930]

Hope those trees survive. During the hot summer you nevernknow when you mess with the roots

[@iansmartel5473]

How many trees has he killed already? One or two more won’t make much difference to the world.

[@chosen1one930]

@@iansmartel5473 it'd only a observation because I could care less but home owners usually feel different. Calm down

[@RumMonkeyable]

Right equipment and tools and operator skills ALWAYS make for a successful project. Question: Are hydro trucks commonly available?

[@LatitudeSky]

Yes. They are like mosquitoes after a summer rain in my area. Everybody uses them because it is cheaper than guessing and going through a line. These days, fiber and cables are everywhere and locating is not always exact. Vac trucks are cheap and fast and clean on site.

[@RumMonkeyable]

@@LatitudeSky Thanks for your response. Learned something new today. 👍😊

[@toms1499]

Never seen that method used for finding utilities, very interesting.

[@dave_n8pu]

To those that work in this field of work, construction which I don't, never have, (this question may sound dumb,) and now retired for a little over 8 years ago, after working 40 years in manufacturing, when a cable like that get broken, who foots the bill for the repair? The contractor? In this case Chris?

[@jackiesiebrass3321]

And poof it's a gold star...Great job as always

[@bobwollard9105]

I'm just wondering what kind of person either plants or allows all of these trees to grow in a dam embankment?

[@MyTractorGuy]

Not sure if he had on his safety orange vest out there because he was worried about deer hunters in NC or what. 🤣 That was a heck of a job! It makes you really appreciate overhead utilities.

[@johnfaulkner8766]

It's good to challenge yourself at times to keep on top of game,and bragging rights

[@erkeltree]

Ahhhh. All the tree huggers want all utility wires to be underground. Will that be not fun?? Lets chain all the tree huggers to trees and leave them there.LOLAin't it fun Chris???

[@richardherring8220]

Chris, no worries, it happens in the best of families, as my Dad used to say !! 😂

[@davidcarroll2908]

need the pressure washer to wash the dirt off the tree roots.

[@donnajarrell7615]

I was wanting to know if you could start telling some of things that you have learned in your past experiences to your present Like just about sliding off a hill or getting stuck maybe even about or have you turned a piece of equipment over dearing all of this time got to be something that the do or don’t

[@michaelburton5760]

looks good Chris as

[@johnblecker4206]

I guess your kind of good to get under those wires with that large bucket.

[@robbieroche6779]

awsome machine

[@rossnolan2883]

Great effort 🙂🙂🙂

[@richardschipper5989]

On utility jobs like this, a trench rat is always a good idea.😆 He's cheaper in the long run, if for no other reason than less stress by have more eyes on the lines.

[@CALVINLNIKONT]

Where was the obligatory handshake with the hydro guy? Always make the people who work for you feel special.

[@MrJiblack]

By God, Chris does know how to work a shovel lol, better cable line than powerline huh

[@LLImprovement]

And that’s why you get your ungrounds marked. Hydrovaccing is the safest way to daylight. Video doesn’t do justice to how loud it is though 😅

[@donholt6528]

you are not a good operator your a excellent operator nothing can whoop you

[@factfinder4839]

Had to swap some services for breaking the cable line? I'm sure he got the better end of that deal 😂

[@berndtlindstrom830]

With surgical precision Chris👍

[@Erik-pr2rf]

the cable. power, phone lines all should be in one central pipe so you dont accidently ( like in this video ) snap a line ) ..

[@njonebale7889]

Can’t do that it will cause interference with the cable line, that’s why there separated.

[@Erik-pr2rf]

@@njonebale7889 you put them in separate pipe especially since they weren't properly marked.around by me they are making new builds put all the lines in thick pipes including gas lines for extra safety so none are accidentally hit.

[@njonebale7889]

@Erik 1701 that markout was alright, they have 18” each side of the paint, and your right everything is supposed to be in conduit now, except gaslines, they don’t want a leak filling conduit and traveling back in to a dwelling potentially causing a boom.

[@dcs4555]

@@njonebale7889 that's odd because i have dug in and around gaslines that were coated galvanized (@5") with an inner poly (as the gas co told us anyway). i scratched it due to chunks of concrete around it, and they had to come in and repaint the thick coating @ 1' on ea side. but what you said makes sense. i guess they had vent pipes every so often...

[@Carlsensverden]

Why the hay?

[@imchris5000]

hydrovac is the way to dig a hole

[@TheAcenightcreeper]

Are you located in North Carolina?

[@BJF17401]

Yep it is. See the bend in the leg now😆

[@johnmattu7262]

I can't believe you didn't let us watch you crawl up the back side of the dam, it looked pretty damn steep to me!🤨

[@DieselRamcharger]

dude that is a STEEP ass bank to be taking a mini ex down. lmao. i freeze up on the trailer ramps....my butthole would eat the seat cover on something like this.

[@cathiwim]

Thats why he’s digging backwards, he’s using the Yanmar blade as a brake. But you knew that already

[@benniehadnott234]

Yeah my name is Benny head knot from Nashville North Carolina I enjoy your show as you do Do Volvo make Mini's

[@Vickie-Bligh]

You are a godsend to your neighbors. It's one thing to hire work done, but when you know the person, it makes all the difference. We had a leaking roof and our neighbor at the time was a roofer. He got some extra $$, we got our roof fixed and had peace of mind. When we finally had our roof redone, the company told us that was one of the best patching jobs they'd seen in a long time. Thanks for showing the cable repair. I wondered how they did it.

[@wolphin732]

Very similar for any sort... cut it back and splice in a chunk of cable.

[@Vickie-Bligh]

@@wolphin732 If you know how!🤣

[@andrewruble7706]

That cable repair brought back memories. I did that work for a long time. That might have been my favorite part of the job. LOL Another great job Chris.

[@bobferranti5222]

It's ironic how the smallest and simplest jobs require the most concentration a work lol. As usual, you performed wonderfully!

[@oldschoolhoosier]

This has to be one of your most tedious jobs yet. Those lines looked difficult to dig under while trying to keep grade. Good job. Your abilities are very impressive Chris. Great video on how a Skilled operator gets the job done….lol.

[@gdismine01]

Here in Ct. where I live you can not have any trees closer then 10ft to any dam.

[@Stratos53100]

With 3 like that in a confined space and a steep angle on the backslope i would agree.....i would dealing with some Advil after that

[@bobkohl6779]

Yea but that's where the finesse comes into play! Something you don't see much of except with Chris!

[@snowblowerman5115]

@@bobkohl6779 ehhh I tend disagree yeah chris has finesse but lots of other people do. Aswell I work strictly in utility construction digging on top of all types of utilities everyday all day I see plenty skilled operators. Honestly the times I see the most issues are when the land clearing site work pond guys decide to start digging around utilities. That's when I get most of my calls to go repair damage cables.

[@bobkohl6779]

All joking aside, this is what makes this channel far superior to others. It's a craftsmanship at work. Outstanding work!

[@Mtlmshr]

That hydro excavation is the way to go! Whoever the guy was that figured that out is a fricken genius!

[@Stratos53100]

Wouldnt it be swell to not only be the genius that invented it, but also held the patent for it. ( if thats a thing, i never looked it up ) Then selling the equipment....

[@cj14dalh]

Don't sweat the cable line. I hit one the other day, it happens. They are just now realizing that cables like these should be protected and have started to install them in proper conduit. It just makes everyone's life so much easier. To replace, or to even find. Good job working through this spider web!

[@trickstothetrades1801]

Don’t feel to bad Chris I had one last month that in about as far as u had to dig we encountered 3 phone lines 2 cable lines 3 electrical lines and 2 water lines. It ranks as one of my worse digs to date. Oh yes and around the corner of the building there was a downspout line and 3 floor drain lines. The hand shovel got more hours on it than the mini 🤣

[@davestuart6593]

I enjoy your interaction with other people in different trades,also your awesome skill with the mini!

[@WoodandSteel]

I would always carry a can of international orange spay paint to spray the lines once uncovered. It helps.

[@forky-reviews-and-rants]

Just to think Chris that lad watching you just might go back home and think " I know what I wanna do when I grow up" and 10yrs later he rocks up at your door let me work for you....

[@lorindahall131]

That's my son. He has been fascinated with excavators since he knew what one was. He had me wake him up when I heard the machine start. He didn't want to come back for breakfast!

[@lawrencemvc]

Evening all

[@craigwavra3495]

Evening!!

[@kevinkenyon7045]

Chris great operating skills around and under the utilities, you make it look so easy! Thanks for sharing! Kevin

[@marlondeere3039R]

Thanks for showing us digging around lines we all hunger for knowledge. For some reason this part is jumped around in a lot of videos out there. 😊

[@paceauto5382]

Mann that takes some skills to dig around those line as such, “Skills Pay Bills”‼️💯

[@HughzieTube]

Was the little dredging job for the neighbour in exchange for cable repairs? We had a plaster working on our house who's next job was to go and do free skim for a plumber who came out and repaired a central heating pipe he drove a screw through. Handy contacts to have in your book of ''F'ed it!''

[@richdillon2157]

Hey Chris, Not that line isn't important to you. Shit Happens... I know your upset about it, But sometimes you just can't help it. I worked on a Project here in Ocala FL. SR 200 when they first widen it and had a Pan operator cut a Fiber Optic line, One of those big lines about 5 inches around. I don't remember how many lines were in it, I just remember it cut off 911 service for all of SR 200 to the county line which is about 8 miles from that location. And if I remember correctly it cost the Contractor $3500 per little Fiber Optic line. Oh the line had never been located by Miss Utility/811 so he had no idea it was even there. Enjoyed the video, thanks for sharing.

[@MrGoesBoom]

You did the best you could, but between how firmly packed that was, all the roots, and even one of the lines not quite being where it was supposed to be, I think it was a miracle that you only broke one cable. At least it's something that can be fixed. Love all your stuff, but the pond episodes are my favorites

[@donnaflanagan6612]

Small but tricky job Chris. I was able to watch a Vac Truck find some utility lines at my neighbour’s place, saves time & back breaking hand digging. Nice to see the little young fella super interested in what you were doing. Great skill mate😊 Take care & cheers🐨🦘🥰

[@allanpeters4403]

Watching you walk that mini up and down that little slope got me thinking of how I used to watch my dad years ago walk his dragline up and down the sides of mountains in Pa. - It was amazing! Good job again Chris - getting under three live lines at different depths was a trick of lots of experience and skill.

[@arthurjennings5202]

The camera does not give a correct perspective of Chris working an excavator on a slope that he could barely stand or climb on, and he had to fill in the trench to be even able to get the excavator out of the hole. Not to mention having to swing the boom in a closet of trees. Wow!!!

[@greggb1416]

It appeared like the “ole boy” have done some cable splicing in his time…, probably “outta” keep his number close at hand…, hahaha. Nice work Chris…, as always. Thank you sir.

[@pinwizz69]

Dang, 18 minutes and already 532 likes. Proof how awesomely popular Chris's vids are. I've been waiting all day for one to pop up. I switched over from a one of my favorite old shows I was watching on freeve app. I can always go back a continue watching it. A Chris pond repair is more interesting.

[@michaelmullins1290]

Jobs only professional's should do. A great operator with that mini is amazing the work they can do. Great job.

[@larryconley9438]

Chris you seem always to get the most difficult jobs , that because you have the ost experience, great job greater vido

[@bige9055]

Chris is this the Pond you did The behind the scenes, & what goes into doing a estimate on how to bid a job?

[@brucethornton4044]

Chris, Thanks for being so honest and showing the cable break, that something I would have done. As I was watching you dig I couldn't believe you were getting away with it, I thought I know he's good but this crazy good! Your still damn good but thank god your human! I really enjoy your videos, hope you keep 'em coming. Bruce

[@karaburress6772]

Agree 💯 Love watching 🐾

[@johndeere8594]

I wouldn’t worry about the cable but that internet line would be real expensive.

[@asahall9108]

I thought he was a robot at first with those skills! At least we know he's human now...

[@dpsears240z]

Have an awesome weekend Chris. Thanks for the videos.

[@kimsapp1791]

Man…. I thought the basement lot was a tight fit, then I watched this digging around/under/over all the cables……whew! Good job, sir.

[@stacywilliams6837]

Most entertaining! You really had your work cut out for you on this one. It was really telling to see how hard the ground was when the shovel hit it.

[@derrick9635]

Even the greats need grounding chris 😂 Great neighbour.

[@1herbert100]

Nice job, I didn't think you had near enough room to work. Now that little job took all the skill you could muster. Again, great job.

[@ktcarroll4723]

When I seen that stump I had flashbacks

[@priestley749]

You are like a surgeon with that excavator.

[@58unclesam]

As my old pops used to say that dirt looks dryer than a popcorn fart🤣

[@tjjewell4115]

Very nice job Chris, you are an amazing Excavator Operator! Thanks for sharing.

[@garymurt9112]

Back filling pound banks like this is where the tilt rotate head are made for.

[@dustygroundhog8173]

And I thought I was the only one who wonders, How do I get myself in to these jobs.

[@letsdig18]

went from easy to lets located, oh crap everything is in the pond dam