Getting Material to Difficult Block

[Flyboy]

We've got a block of land we'll be building on soon, however getting building material to the block will be a major issue. There are 2 ways to access the site :

* By a firetrail which is about 1.5km long and 4WD only

* By barge, but there may be problems getting close enough to the site to unload.

Most people who have built in this area have used barges, but from all the research I've done this appears to be expensive, slow and depending on the tide, you might only have a window of 2-3 hrs to get the material in.

As an alternative, I've been thinking of using either a 4WD truck with a hiab or 4WD forklift down the firetrail.

Would love to hear from anyone who has any other ideas or has had similar problems.

Also, if this idea is realistic, the next question is what's the best way to get wet concrete down to the site and poured into the footings, using the 4WD truck/forklift. Apparently the last place built used 500 bags of pre-mixed concrete, all mixed by hand, so we are really keen to avoid doing this.

Cheers

[Gumby]

Ay carumba ! Where are you building ??? That sounds like it's a place nobody else goes to.............it's not Redfern is it ? :eek:

[bitingmidge]

I'd say that's a reasonable window for tides... I haven't ever seen a truck hang around a building site for longer than it had to!

But really, you call yourself flyboy and ask a question like that???

Cheers,

P

[Flyboy]

Yeah, I'd thought about the helicopter option, even got a phone no. But every time I go to get a quote my hand shakes too much to dial the number, when I think about how big it's going to be.

And no, it's not Redfern. You've got a much better chance of coming back alive from this place .... even with the brown snakes.

Cheers

P.S. Anyone know anything about Manitou All Terrain Forklifts?

[Harry72]

Why even use a concrete foundation based house in this situation, floating on pylon's maybe a cheaper option. There are 4x4 pile driver rigs around that'll get there, the price would depend on how far down the bedrock is.

[journeyman Mick]

The Manitou is a handy machine, used them on a few jobs. New Holland also make a similar machine. When you say 4wd fire trail, how bad is it? Trucks will get to a lot of places yuppy 4wds won't. I've had our 4wd rural fire appliance on very steep fire trails and in most cases the combination of good ground clearance and lots of traction from the 1500 litres of water over the back wheels is enough and we rarely put it in 4wd. Also had deliveries of concrete and timber to jobs that have been down pretty rough tracks and it wasn't a drama for the trucks. As long as there's no severe washaways and the trees are clear and the bends aren't too tight it shouldn't be a drama. I recently did some work on top of a mountain and it was low range 4wd for me to get up there. But there's several shipping containers and portable buildings up there that have been taken up by truck. Considering the trail is only 1.5kms your cheapest option might be to push a dozer over the trail (if that's allowed).

Mick

[womble]

like mick said, if its possible just get a better road pushed through, wouldnt take a dozer long to do at all...be cheaper than flying helicopters in! :eek:

[soundman]

I'm with mick.
You'd be surprised what ground you can get a truck over, or a car for that matter.
I would go with a grader.
You would just be doin' the civic minded thing to sort out the fire trail.
1.5k a decent grader should kill that in a couple of hours.

or if you are stingy you'd be surprised what you can sort out with a bobcat.
cheers

[bitingmidge]

I recently did some work on top of a mountain and it was low range 4wd for me to get up there. But there's several shipping containers and portable buildings up there that have been taken up by truck. Considering the trail is only 1.5kms your cheapest option might be to push a dozer over the trail (if that's allowed).

I always suck up to Mick! This was going to be my sensible answer later tonight but there you go!

Only thing is I wouldn't worry about it being allowed, if it's a fire trail it is there for access so you'll be doing someone a favour!

The barge situation isn't so tough either, I have worked on a few islands where logistics had to be carefully thought out but not a problem.

Cheers,

P

[journeyman Mick]

I always suck up to Mick! This was going to be my sensible answer later tonight but there you go!

Aaaw shucks Midge, that's downright embarrassing

Mick (whose head has swollen so much now he can't get out the door)

[Flyboy]

Thanks for the replies.

The trail is already reasonably well graded. Spoke to the RFS and they said they get their 12 tonne fire truck down there no worries. The problem is the local council won't give you a permit to use the trail unless you're using a 4WD. To get the key to open the gate you have to pay a $1100 bond. I could 'massage' the rules but it's not worth the risk of losing the money and future use of the trail.

Will ask the engineer about pylons but I suspect this won't be an option as the block is Acid Sulfate Soil.

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER- 1px inset; BORDER- 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by bitingmidge
I always suck up to Mick! This was going to be my sensible answer later tonight but there you go!
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

My answers usually get less sensible the later it is, especially on a Friday night. Cheers

[aussiecolector]

A tandom drive truck is 4wd. Is your normal access by water?

[Gaza]

U could get the key and use a 4WD for the first time then nick down the shops and get the key cut, then when no one is looking open the gate and let your trucks in.

Maybe get truck drivers that are not pain in the butt or give them a case for the extra effort.

Or go and buy a small ex-govt small 4wd truck from the auctions or a jap inport place.

[Island Nomad]

Why not bring the barge in with a 4wd truck and a 4wd forklift on board.

That's what we do on the islands in Moreton Bay. Works a treat, you'll have a complete house unloaded in a couple of hours, with the materials where you really want them (much careful planning required here). The last thing you want to do is double handle anything.

Further with regard to the concrete, we get premix delivered in large craneable bags (1.5m/3) just mix 6:1 with cement, works pretty well. For your footings you'll have to use 2 concrete mixers (sometimes 3 depending on the size of the pour). What I have found is a crew of 5 or 6 is perfect - 1 screeding, 1 barrowing and 3 on the mixers (depending on site access of course). It sounds really difficult but frankly it isn't. You can pour 5m/3 in 3 hours without any trouble at all. If you are a little nervous about it do small pours first, to build confidence.

[journeyman Mick]

What Aussiecollector says is right, strictly speaking a tandem axle truck has got four wheel drive. They often have an extra stick for the "power splitter" which powers up the other axle, this is used when shifting really heavy loads or in boggy conditions. Also see if there are any haulage contractors in the area with a "front wheel assisted drive" (proper term) truck. Another option is a bobcat with a mixer attachment. Like Island nomad says, barge all the materials in, maybe use forks on the bobcat to unload, get bulk bags (jumbo fertiliser bags) of premix in and mix your own concrete. My mate's got a mixer for his bobcat and it's brilliant. He has a set of hydraulic scales on it so he can accurately batch. Scoops up the premix, throws in a bag of cement and the water and mixes it while he drives to where the concrete needs to be placed. A bobcat would be cheaper to buy/hire than an all terrain (manitou)

Mick