Renovating an old farmhouse and living on the Pennines
Discussion
Gtom said:
Insa turbo special tracks, a cheap winch and a land anchor should see you not getting stuck again.
Even a farm jack or tirfor winch will do.
"No Trees to Winch? How to Make a DIY Ground Anchor or Earth Anchor"Even a farm jack or tirfor winch will do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DdkBSZPwLA
And maybe this before that : "How to Make a DIY Wheel Winch"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZzpi8Jzj2Q
Edited by ST565NP on Sunday 26th December 23:40
Hi Evoluzione,
Fantastic thread- good luck with the house.
Ref Trevor the Terrano, Before going down the winch and new bumper route, it might be cheaper and easier to use something like these for the soft spots:
https://www.paddockspares.com/pm1085-waffle-boards...
By the time you’re using land anchors and a winch, you’ll be making quite a mess of your land. Waffle boards/sand ladders are messy to use, but will make a lot less mess of your land.
Fantastic thread- good luck with the house.
Ref Trevor the Terrano, Before going down the winch and new bumper route, it might be cheaper and easier to use something like these for the soft spots:
https://www.paddockspares.com/pm1085-waffle-boards...
By the time you’re using land anchors and a winch, you’ll be making quite a mess of your land. Waffle boards/sand ladders are messy to use, but will make a lot less mess of your land.
Happy New Year to all PHers.
A piss poor pic taken at the turn of the year to start us off:
The field resembles the Battle of Passchendaele, the distant flashes, bangs and rumbles in the distance sound like it must have been.
You'll already know about when to strike it with the brush I think.
I don't know it it's actually possible to drive through some of this stuff at all in a 3 ton road car. The farmers have quadbikes which have wide tyres and are very light so don't sink.
From this article about the restoration of Haddon Hall in Derby:
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/r...
"Much of the work is done in the original way including a return to the use of lime mortar.
Stonemason Mr Eaton said: "One of the big problems is that hard cement has been covering the original stonework and trapped moisture, causing it to crumble.
New stonework will be able to breathe using lime mortars."
As wise old Ruskin said:
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathers did for us.”
If you read back I covered tools. You don't have to spend a load on new stuff if you don't want, if you're savvy you can pick up older tools and they'll be as good if not better.
It's a Skimmia Rubella (we saved the label
) and is lovely to see such colour flourishing in Winter, I think we'll buy some different types to plant out in the future.
Everytime I get stuck I can't help but think of what Arfur would have said. Terreeee!
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ucnzk
Sorry, it's an age thing.
As you'll read we got out in the end, with a combination of the above! And yes, making a mess is an issue, i've been back down today in my wellies and waterproofs pushing back the turf into the ruts and holes. Sheep don't eat mud.
The waffle boards either sunk out of sight, or were thrown backwards.
One of the guys i'd mentioned earlier from Terrano circles messaged me the other day. I think he wanted to get out for a bit like many of us do after the excesses of Christmas. Yeah drop by I said, but be warned the track to the upper fields and link to the lower is impassable and mine is stranded down there.
No problem says he, i've just fitted a winch so am looking to test it out. So we walked the land to get a feel for it, I joked if he went in there we'd be making him a bed up for the night, but he was eager to get stuck in - literally.
It's all downhill to get there so no problems as we slithered our way down, he perched on a solid bit and I chocked the wheels with some large stones.
He's owned that from it being 3 yrs old.
We jacked the front of mine up by using a farmers jack and some strops through the wheels, then dropped it onto waffle boards to make it a bit easier. Coupled up the winch and yanked it straight out.
If you can imagine a picture of a tiny dessert island with two 4x4s on it then that is indeed where we were then.
So we both left and tried to make it across, but both sunk very quickly. I walked back to the house and made up a basic ground anchor with some stuff I had lying around then walked back with it, a sledgehammer and a long steel pole.
I must apologise for the lack of pics and the poor ones we do have. When someone drops by to help you out you feel a bit of a dick running round taking pics of it instead of getting stuck in and there was a lot of physical work to do that day. Also it drizzled the whole time so impossible to get a good pic anyhow, the cameras tend to focus on the swirling drizzle.
I hammered the ground anchor in at about 45', but the winch kept pulling through the mud. We moved 1 metre per hour for the first two hrs then it got dark. It was just too soft and muddy.
We were however learning techniques and also the land. I could see odd undulations here and there indicating past drainage. A very slight and shallow ditch ran right across at one point, on one side it was siping, on the other it was relatively solid so we put the ground anchor in and then backed it up with the steel pole. It's about 5ft long and we bashed it in almost to the hilt.
To reach it we had to extend the winch with various ropes, strops, cargo straps, carabiners, shackles. You name it, we coupled it up. Once we'd got his free and past mine we tied the back of his to the front of mine and the winch pulled us both up the field! Near the end we got within roping distance of some trees so used those to pull us the last bit
Sad to say I didn't get a pic of that. I hadn't prepped myself for that kind of day, I started off with a bowl of muesli and didn't have time to eat for the rest of it. By 10.30pm were were both out, exhausted, covered in mud, but triumphant.
Earlier in the day his jacket was this colour:
Crap pictures aside at the end it looked like this:
So if you're ever in the West Yorks region, involved in some nasty road accident or a house fire and some Fireman called Jason turns up and tells you he owns a Terry (!) then relax. Because I can tell you for sure he's calm, collected, methodical and absolutely does not give up.
Possibly maybe because he doesn't want to spend the night with you, but nonetheless he gets the job done.
A piss poor pic taken at the turn of the year to start us off:
The field resembles the Battle of Passchendaele, the distant flashes, bangs and rumbles in the distance sound like it must have been.
AlmostUseful said:
Thread of the year contender for sure, started today and just got to the end.
Looking forward to following over the coming years to see how we get on with the renovation. Yes I said we, we’re all in this together now!
Well yes, the comments and tips have been very welcome and useful Looking forward to following over the coming years to see how we get on with the renovation. Yes I said we, we’re all in this together now!
Pistonsquirter said:
With my lime pointing it’s taken a while to find a decent churn brush for bashing it with afterwards, I think I’m currently using a travis Perkins one, which I cut the bristles down about 30% to make them stiffer, it seems it really needs to be a natural fiber bristles bush and as stiff as possible.
Good reading OP!
Yes I think you need a good natural bristle and they aren't difficult to come by or expensive. I don't know a lot about them, but i've been using one with the bristles coming out at about 45', I'm inclined to think that's better than at 90' like a normal brush.Good reading OP!
You'll already know about when to strike it with the brush I think.
Gtom said:
Insa turbo special tracks, a cheap winch and a land anchor should see you not getting stuck again.
Even a farm jack or tirfor winch will do.
Yep, good advice and we did. Sort of. I think really the thing is to not let the field get like that in the first place.Even a farm jack or tirfor winch will do.
I don't know it it's actually possible to drive through some of this stuff at all in a 3 ton road car. The farmers have quadbikes which have wide tyres and are very light so don't sink.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
I live in a rental in a nice village on the continent but now find myself wanting to chuck lime plaster at walls. This is a Christmas like no other!
I know, there is something very satisfying about going back to basics and working with these old and natural materials, knowing that you're doing right by the building. I hate Winter, but have been doing the odd bit of hacking off and pointing when the weather allows and it's quite cathartic.From this article about the restoration of Haddon Hall in Derby:
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/r...
"Much of the work is done in the original way including a return to the use of lime mortar.
Stonemason Mr Eaton said: "One of the big problems is that hard cement has been covering the original stonework and trapped moisture, causing it to crumble.
New stonework will be able to breathe using lime mortars."
As wise old Ruskin said:
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathers did for us.”
mikeiow said:
Thanks for the encouraging words.
Might be quite some time before we get to actually working on the wall....but will certainly bookmark this thread anyway!
Re-use is certainly the name of the game for a mid-1700s cottage, I have to say - one main upright post in the lounge looks like it was recovered from a shipwrecked ship (quite possible back in the day).
We do believe the wall was done using lime mortar - that was specifically what we had chosen the guy to do, although back then we could have easily been taken for a ride!
It does look broadly okay, & I agree with no worrying too much about that crack...be nice to help correct it over time though
Getting the basic tools will be on the list. Might be guided by the folks at Carrington Lime on that topic: who knows: maybe they have some equipment to sell their customers after they have trained them....I would if I were them!
It could be an NHL or a lime mixed with OPC, it does have a look about it which suggests something hard. You can test for lime quite easily. Does it feel soft when hit with a hammer or chisel? Ultimately you can pull a piece off and put it in vinegar, if it fizzes a bit it's lime.Might be quite some time before we get to actually working on the wall....but will certainly bookmark this thread anyway!
Re-use is certainly the name of the game for a mid-1700s cottage, I have to say - one main upright post in the lounge looks like it was recovered from a shipwrecked ship (quite possible back in the day).
We do believe the wall was done using lime mortar - that was specifically what we had chosen the guy to do, although back then we could have easily been taken for a ride!
It does look broadly okay, & I agree with no worrying too much about that crack...be nice to help correct it over time though
Getting the basic tools will be on the list. Might be guided by the folks at Carrington Lime on that topic: who knows: maybe they have some equipment to sell their customers after they have trained them....I would if I were them!
If you read back I covered tools. You don't have to spend a load on new stuff if you don't want, if you're savvy you can pick up older tools and they'll be as good if not better.
Chicken Chaser said:
OP, that Japonica is a Skimmia in case you ever need to look it up. Nice thread, although I did hope you were North Pennines when I first looked.
I would say we were. Below us is Derby and the Midlands and above us Cumbria and the North East, but it's open to interpretation. 'The North' is a bit vague.It's a Skimmia Rubella (we saved the label
) and is lovely to see such colour flourishing in Winter, I think we'll buy some different types to plant out in the future.ST565NP said:
"No Trees to Winch? How to Make a DIY Ground Anchor or Earth Anchor"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DdkBSZPwLA
And maybe this before that : "How to Make a DIY Wheel Winch"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZzpi8Jzj2Q
That's handy, I like that a lot and it's something to think about for the future. We got out, but as you'll see in a slightly different way in the end and still with nods to that method.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DdkBSZPwLA
And maybe this before that : "How to Make a DIY Wheel Winch"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZzpi8Jzj2Q
Tom4398cc said:
Hi Evoluzione,
Fantastic thread- good luck with the house.
Ref Trevor the Terrano, Before going down the winch and new bumper route, it might be cheaper and easier to use something like these for the soft spots:
https://www.paddockspares.com/pm1085-waffle-boards...
By the time you’re using land anchors and a winch, you’ll be making quite a mess of your land. Waffle boards/sand ladders are messy to use, but will make a lot less mess of your land.
It's a Terry Fantastic thread- good luck with the house.
Ref Trevor the Terrano, Before going down the winch and new bumper route, it might be cheaper and easier to use something like these for the soft spots:
https://www.paddockspares.com/pm1085-waffle-boards...
By the time you’re using land anchors and a winch, you’ll be making quite a mess of your land. Waffle boards/sand ladders are messy to use, but will make a lot less mess of your land.
Everytime I get stuck I can't help but think of what Arfur would have said. Terreeee!https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ucnzk
Sorry, it's an age thing.
As you'll read we got out in the end, with a combination of the above! And yes, making a mess is an issue, i've been back down today in my wellies and waterproofs pushing back the turf into the ruts and holes. Sheep don't eat mud.
The waffle boards either sunk out of sight, or were thrown backwards.
One of the guys i'd mentioned earlier from Terrano circles messaged me the other day. I think he wanted to get out for a bit like many of us do after the excesses of Christmas. Yeah drop by I said, but be warned the track to the upper fields and link to the lower is impassable and mine is stranded down there.
No problem says he, i've just fitted a winch so am looking to test it out. So we walked the land to get a feel for it, I joked if he went in there we'd be making him a bed up for the night, but he was eager to get stuck in - literally.
It's all downhill to get there so no problems as we slithered our way down, he perched on a solid bit and I chocked the wheels with some large stones.
He's owned that from it being 3 yrs old.
We jacked the front of mine up by using a farmers jack and some strops through the wheels, then dropped it onto waffle boards to make it a bit easier. Coupled up the winch and yanked it straight out.
If you can imagine a picture of a tiny dessert island with two 4x4s on it then that is indeed where we were then.
So we both left and tried to make it across, but both sunk very quickly. I walked back to the house and made up a basic ground anchor with some stuff I had lying around then walked back with it, a sledgehammer and a long steel pole.
I must apologise for the lack of pics and the poor ones we do have. When someone drops by to help you out you feel a bit of a dick running round taking pics of it instead of getting stuck in and there was a lot of physical work to do that day. Also it drizzled the whole time so impossible to get a good pic anyhow, the cameras tend to focus on the swirling drizzle.
I hammered the ground anchor in at about 45', but the winch kept pulling through the mud. We moved 1 metre per hour for the first two hrs then it got dark. It was just too soft and muddy.
We were however learning techniques and also the land. I could see odd undulations here and there indicating past drainage. A very slight and shallow ditch ran right across at one point, on one side it was siping, on the other it was relatively solid so we put the ground anchor in and then backed it up with the steel pole. It's about 5ft long and we bashed it in almost to the hilt.
To reach it we had to extend the winch with various ropes, strops, cargo straps, carabiners, shackles. You name it, we coupled it up. Once we'd got his free and past mine we tied the back of his to the front of mine and the winch pulled us both up the field! Near the end we got within roping distance of some trees so used those to pull us the last bit
Sad to say I didn't get a pic of that. I hadn't prepped myself for that kind of day, I started off with a bowl of muesli and didn't have time to eat for the rest of it. By 10.30pm were were both out, exhausted, covered in mud, but triumphant.
Earlier in the day his jacket was this colour:
Crap pictures aside at the end it looked like this:
So if you're ever in the West Yorks region, involved in some nasty road accident or a house fire and some Fireman called Jason turns up and tells you he owns a Terry (!) then relax. Because I can tell you for sure he's calm, collected, methodical and absolutely does not give up.
Possibly maybe because he doesn't want to spend the night with you, but nonetheless he gets the job done.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOROOKA-MST800E-TRACKED...
This with some kind of cab may be more suitable for where you are.
This with some kind of cab may be more suitable for where you are.
In brief a few pics of what should happen and what is going wrong with the problem field. Like everything else around here It's on a slope, the water should be finding it's way through from top to bottom via hidden waterways known as soughs (Prn: Soff).
The underground drainage channel here has probably collapsed (possibly under the weight of a heavy tractor) so the water is running over, then finding its way back under before going across under my field - somewhere:
I levered away this huge slab to see which direction it's headed:
The drainage walls here were built up like a dry stone wall with wide ones on top to cap it off:
^ That was the old way of doing it, this is the new way:
Same principle, just quicker and using modern materials of course. Not much is new is it?
Now I know which way it goes:
Water is actually bubbling up here and I don't know why. Is it a collapsed underground drain or a spring which comes into life after heavy rain? I'm thinking the former. When it's dried it just looks like a bumhole
These old gate posts predate the time when we started to use hinges, I think they just used to lift the gate up and slot it in.
Still standing:
You can just about see the slot going down from the top in the centre.
Sadly it's brother isn't upright any longer, probably uprooted to get a tractor through Clarkson style:
The problem is I don't know where all these ancient waterways go once they vanish underground. I think i'll have to research water divining! Sometimes when it's quiet and you're passing by a bit which has a loose or collapsed cap you can hear it bubbling away underneath and then dig down.
At the moment all I can do is use a pole and spade to prod and dig. I'm looking out for a tracked 2.5 - 2.8 ton excavator, but:
A. Will that get stuck?
B. I'm going to have to be careful on the field at this time of year anyhow as it could just end up being a mudbath (It's rented off to a sheep farmer).
C. Come Summer these issues will die down, but then it'll be harder to pinpoint what is happening with no water flowing like it is now.
I've been wondering around looking at some odd shapes in the ground, having a bit of a dig here and there and have found more and more water flowing underground. I think there is a mix of manmade ones, natural ones and overground ones.
The main one or two overland are shown on some old maps available online, but not the others, I wonder if such a map existed back in the day. Probably not as they are too old, maybe i'll end up measuring and drawing something out.
I am however getting more of a feel for what they've done and why. I think they've gone at 90' to the slope and the way the water wants to run. So the water runs so far then leaks into the side of the sough then gets carried away across to an overland ditch which then heads down to the beck.
I have to place my faith in that these ancient farmers knew what they were doing. Then find out where it's gone wrong and repair it. I think it'll be better to do that than put new plastic drainage pipes in, or maybe put a few extra modern ones in to help if needed.
The underground drainage channel here has probably collapsed (possibly under the weight of a heavy tractor) so the water is running over, then finding its way back under before going across under my field - somewhere:
I levered away this huge slab to see which direction it's headed:
The drainage walls here were built up like a dry stone wall with wide ones on top to cap it off:
^ That was the old way of doing it, this is the new way:
Same principle, just quicker and using modern materials of course. Not much is new is it?
Now I know which way it goes:
Water is actually bubbling up here and I don't know why. Is it a collapsed underground drain or a spring which comes into life after heavy rain? I'm thinking the former. When it's dried it just looks like a bumhole
These old gate posts predate the time when we started to use hinges, I think they just used to lift the gate up and slot it in.
Still standing:
You can just about see the slot going down from the top in the centre.
Sadly it's brother isn't upright any longer, probably uprooted to get a tractor through Clarkson style:
The problem is I don't know where all these ancient waterways go once they vanish underground. I think i'll have to research water divining! Sometimes when it's quiet and you're passing by a bit which has a loose or collapsed cap you can hear it bubbling away underneath and then dig down.
At the moment all I can do is use a pole and spade to prod and dig. I'm looking out for a tracked 2.5 - 2.8 ton excavator, but:
A. Will that get stuck?
B. I'm going to have to be careful on the field at this time of year anyhow as it could just end up being a mudbath (It's rented off to a sheep farmer).
C. Come Summer these issues will die down, but then it'll be harder to pinpoint what is happening with no water flowing like it is now.
I've been wondering around looking at some odd shapes in the ground, having a bit of a dig here and there and have found more and more water flowing underground. I think there is a mix of manmade ones, natural ones and overground ones.
The main one or two overland are shown on some old maps available online, but not the others, I wonder if such a map existed back in the day. Probably not as they are too old, maybe i'll end up measuring and drawing something out.
I am however getting more of a feel for what they've done and why. I think they've gone at 90' to the slope and the way the water wants to run. So the water runs so far then leaks into the side of the sough then gets carried away across to an overland ditch which then heads down to the beck.
I have to place my faith in that these ancient farmers knew what they were doing. Then find out where it's gone wrong and repair it. I think it'll be better to do that than put new plastic drainage pipes in, or maybe put a few extra modern ones in to help if needed.
Edited by Evoluzione on Saturday 1st January 15:54
For drainage.. usually end of summer, wait for some rain and it might bubble up near where a drain is blocked or mark any spots now that your want to investigate later. Going in with a digger this time off year will just make a mess.
Also a digger man once told me never leave an open trench. Always pipe and fill in each day. If the weather changes and you've got a trench full of water, it takes a long time to dry out..
Also a digger man once told me never leave an open trench. Always pipe and fill in each day. If the weather changes and you've got a trench full of water, it takes a long time to dry out..
Evoluzione said:
Happy New Year to all PHers.
I don't know it it's actually possible to drive through some of this stuff at all in a 3 ton road car. The farmers have quadbikes which have wide tyres and are very light so don't sink.
Happy New Year. Gtom said:
Insa turbo special tracks, a cheap winch and a land anchor should see you never get stuck again.
Even a farm jack or tirfor winch will do.
Yep, good advice and we did. Sort of. I think really the thing is to not let the field get like that in the first place.Even a farm jack or tirfor winch will do.
I don't know it it's actually possible to drive through some of this stuff at all in a 3 ton road car. The farmers have quadbikes which have wide tyres and are very light so don't sink.
Yes, of course not going on it in the first place is always a good start!
It has been so wet, and I think at this time of year there are a lot of fields, certainly areas of fields that are a total no go. 4x4, tractor, even the quads stick to drier routes.
Evoluzione said:
As wise old Ruskin said:
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathers did for us.”
Oh I mean, I think the world would be so much better if more thought like that. “When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathers did for us.”
Obviously there is also a lot to be said for enjoying the moment and getting on with today, as my partner often says "We could be dead in ten years" however I don't think the two have to be mutually incompatible.
Sometimes ignorance is a bit part as well, along with the assumption that if that's what most people are doing it can't be that bad. But certainly hopefully you can also live your life without making a mess of things for those that follow.
We have cement render on the front wall of our 'period property' and Im quite sure the previous owners did it with the best intentions, the original lime render which remains on the back and sides is failing, and if you got in even a quite well reputed builder, you would end up with what they have.
Like farmers, they're doing what they can with the time and money people want to spend. Mostly that's a cheep and cheery make do and mend bodge!
We digress.
Evoluzione said:
As you'll read we got out in the end, with a combination of the above!
And yes, making a mess is an issue, i've been back down today in my wellies and waterproofs pushing back the turf into the ruts and holes. Sheep don't eat mud.
The waffle boards either sunk out of sight, or were thrown backwards.
One of the guys i'd mentioned earlier from Terrano circles messaged me the other day. I think he wanted to get out for a bit like many of us do after the excesses of Christmas.
It's all downhill to get there so no problems as we slithered our way down, he perched on a solid bit and I chocked the wheels with some large stones.
He's owned that from it being 3 yrs old.
We jacked the front of mine up by using a farmers jack and some strops through the wheels, then dropped it onto waffle boards to make it a bit easier. Coupled up the winch and yanked it straight out.
Also it drizzled the whole time so impossible to get a good pic anyhow, the cameras tend to focus on the swirling drizzle.
We moved 1 metre per hour for the first two hrs then it got dark. It was just too soft and muddy.
We were however learning techniques and also the land. I could see odd undulations here and there indicating past drainage. A very slight and shallow ditch ran right across at one point, on one side it was siping, on the other it was relatively solid so we put the ground anchor in and then backed it up with the steel pole. It's about 5ft long and we bashed it in almost to the hilt.
To reach it we had to extend the winch with various ropes, strops, cargo straps, carabiners, shackles. You name it, we coupled it up. Once we'd got his free and past mine we tied the back of his to the front of mine and the winch pulled us both up the field!
So if you're ever in the West Yorks region, involved in some nasty road accident or a house fire and some Fireman called Jason turns up and tells you he owns a Terry (!) then relax. Because I can tell you for sure he's calm, collected, methodical and absolutely does not give up.
Possibly maybe because he doesn't want to spend the night with you, but nonetheless he gets the job done.
And yes, making a mess is an issue, i've been back down today in my wellies and waterproofs pushing back the turf into the ruts and holes. Sheep don't eat mud.
The waffle boards either sunk out of sight, or were thrown backwards.
One of the guys i'd mentioned earlier from Terrano circles messaged me the other day. I think he wanted to get out for a bit like many of us do after the excesses of Christmas.
It's all downhill to get there so no problems as we slithered our way down, he perched on a solid bit and I chocked the wheels with some large stones.
He's owned that from it being 3 yrs old.
We jacked the front of mine up by using a farmers jack and some strops through the wheels, then dropped it onto waffle boards to make it a bit easier. Coupled up the winch and yanked it straight out.
Also it drizzled the whole time so impossible to get a good pic anyhow, the cameras tend to focus on the swirling drizzle.
We moved 1 metre per hour for the first two hrs then it got dark. It was just too soft and muddy.
We were however learning techniques and also the land. I could see odd undulations here and there indicating past drainage. A very slight and shallow ditch ran right across at one point, on one side it was siping, on the other it was relatively solid so we put the ground anchor in and then backed it up with the steel pole. It's about 5ft long and we bashed it in almost to the hilt.
To reach it we had to extend the winch with various ropes, strops, cargo straps, carabiners, shackles. You name it, we coupled it up. Once we'd got his free and past mine we tied the back of his to the front of mine and the winch pulled us both up the field!
So if you're ever in the West Yorks region, involved in some nasty road accident or a house fire and some Fireman called Jason turns up and tells you he owns a Terry (!) then relax. Because I can tell you for sure he's calm, collected, methodical and absolutely does not give up.
Possibly maybe because he doesn't want to spend the night with you, but nonetheless he gets the job done.
Sounds like a proper full day out!
I've done the odd days greenlaning with a mate, and got a big 1ton trailable (two wheels, no tracks) mini digger stuck upto the frames in mud, and it can be an infuriating slow process to recover the situation! All good fun....
To trace your drainage hire a continuous rod (cobra) and a cable avoidance tool (CAT) along with a sonde transmitter attachment. You can then feed the rod with sonde on the end and trace its route using the appropriate frequency setting on the CAT. If it’s an open channel you’re following hire a cobra reel with as thick a diameter rod as you can get as this will allow you to feed it in better.
It’s a job that’s easier done with two as you can walk following the sonde as it’s fed from the reel, a really quick way of doing it. If you have a blockage you’ll find it, you can then open up at the blockage, mark it, and feed onward from that.
Btw: loving this thread, keep posting!
It’s a job that’s easier done with two as you can walk following the sonde as it’s fed from the reel, a really quick way of doing it. If you have a blockage you’ll find it, you can then open up at the blockage, mark it, and feed onward from that.
Btw: loving this thread, keep posting!
dlks151 said:
To trace your drainage hire a continuous rod (cobra) and a cable avoidance tool (CAT) along with a sonde transmitter attachment. You can then feed the rod with sonde on the end and trace its route using the appropriate frequency setting on the CAT. If it’s an open channel you’re following hire a cobra reel with as thick a diameter rod as you can get as this will allow you to feed it in better.
It’s a job that’s easier done with two as you can walk following the sonde as it’s fed from the reel, a really quick way of doing it. If you have a blockage you’ll find it, you can then open up at the blockage, mark it, and feed onward from that.
Btw: loving this thread, keep posting!
Makes a lot of sense. It’s a job that’s easier done with two as you can walk following the sonde as it’s fed from the reel, a really quick way of doing it. If you have a blockage you’ll find it, you can then open up at the blockage, mark it, and feed onward from that.
Btw: loving this thread, keep posting!
Along with seeing where it 'bubbles out' after a heave days rain.
dlks151 said:
Very useful stuff
That's fantastic, if it comes to it I can hire those for the weekend locally.For now i'm still investigating and opening up holes here and there. I've found what looks like small shallow craters, at one place they're all in a line across the field and I think every one is a collapse of varying severity. Digging down shows misplaced stones, but water still running through.
I've found one method is to ram the steel pole through the earth until it hits stone. If it sounds hollow it's a stone cap, if there is an inspection hole dug nearby I can actually hear the sound of the pole hitting the cap coming up through that hole.
I dug various small holes by hand and poked the pole in here and there to find a few different runs today, then about 4ish I walked across where one of the runs i'd found vanished into a vast patch of reeds. The water was running overland and going towards one of the open streams, it should have been going underground so I poked around in the mess of reeds which are everywhere.
The spade found something springy which was unusual. I dug in carefully with my hands and it hissed at me!
I got hold of a piece of perforated plastic drainage pipe and eased it up as it spat at me as well:
So between those ancient Soughs being laid and now someone has been 'doing a bit'. It hadn't been laid very well, had obviously blocked up and the pressure of water so much it was spraying out of the perforations when I disturbed it. It was almost solid with mud all the way along.
It was however getting dark and starting to rain again. I'd forgotten my torch, but I wasn't going home without a result of some sort as I was so close.
So I dived in like some (in my head) big Yorkshire version of Mick Dundee in waterproof kegs and wellies wrestling a huge black Boa Constrictor in the marsh. Everytime I yanked and flexed the thing it spat freezing jets of liquid mud and water at me
In reality I probably looked like an overweight Frank Spencer.
It caught me right across my face and I gasped. Bad move, as it then sprayed in my mouth. I'm used to opening my mouth when I shouldn't and something unsavoury coming out, but not usually going in so that was a new experience. Ugh, the grit wasn't good between my clenched teeth.
This went on for a while until I eventually dug the end out, squashing it underfoot like the Pro snake killer I am I loosened the mud out of the end and I was greeted with a steady muddy flow, I followed it back massaging it, but there is a lot of mud in there. It carried on flowing however
I went back to the overflow hole the backup had created and was merrily bubbling up and out of 1/2 an hr earlier
to see it had dropped a few inches already
So I done a fing.
Probably just a little thing, I think there is much more to do, but am looking forward to going back tomorrow to hopefully see a bit of water gone.
Well maybe, snow forecast tonight or some other kind of precipitation if it doesn't drop cold enough, but at least some of it can drain away properly.
The good thing about living here is you can just down tools in the field and leave them there. It was dark and my feet were frozen so I headed happily off home for a shower and some Corrie in front of the stove.
Edited by Evoluzione on Monday 3rd January 20:40
Sounds like you need to do a Camerata...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hiy4xsA8b6M
(this bloke does ground works somewhere in NA and although the topic sounds boring as hell, his videos are somehow entertaining!)
..Also an excuse to hire a digger =)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hiy4xsA8b6M
(this bloke does ground works somewhere in NA and although the topic sounds boring as hell, his videos are somehow entertaining!)
..Also an excuse to hire a digger =)
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