Todays progress on the Flight Pens.

[Dave Parks]

My neighbor Bob Hill showed up at 9am with his nice Kubota and spent the morning digging a 24" deep 600 foot long ditch for the water and underground power lines running from the barn out to the pheasant flight pen and beyond to the quail/chukar flight pens.

Tomorrow morning Judy and I will install the 1" sched 40 PVC and the 10-2 underground wiring. Then Bob will return and back fill the ditch then cut teh pad for the quail/chukar flight pens.

All the way from the far side of the barn up to the flight pens is is right at 600 feet. But it went pretty quick with that new backhoe of his and teh soft soil this time of year.


It was easy going today. The soil was just right for digging with a backhoe. I sure like that Kubota of his. It is quiet and extremaly powerful for it's size. It has a blade on the front that can do wonders on building pads.

The good part was..........two days now with NO STONES to pass, I almost feel alive again.

Dave

 

[Joe O]

That Kubota is slick,especially since it has a blade on the front for back-filling and site leveling.Best way I know of laying out the 20" sections of PVC is bell end toward the well,lay them out first along side the ditch,take a large can of cleaner and another of pvc cement.Swab,swab,and twist them together,wipe with a rag.Flip in the ditch as you go or after the entire line is cemented.Careful your back.You should be able to do the job standing.Course you do need to pick up the pipe.(Squaw duties)
Brought Mary Anne home yesterday.Doing well.Back to normal activities Monday.Seven perscriptions.Hasn't had a chemical pill for decades,but will follow the protocol for whatever it takes.
You'll be ready for the post hole digger in a couple days.Should go quick in that soil.Those Bob Cats with the Hydraulic PHD on the front ,make it real easy.

 

[Lee Harker]

What appliances are you running with that 10-2? 600' is a LONG way if you are going to pull any amps. Get yourself one of those PVC "roughers" that will clean the inside and outside of the fittings...much easier than a piece of sand paper.....course you could just let Judy do it....easier still. I'd like to have that backhoe for a weekend!

 

[leslie riggan]

Dave the voltage drop you are going to experience is not good. I ran my figures at 3% drop at 600 ft with 100 amps load and came up with a minimum of a 400 mcm alluminum wire size. That would equivalate to a 250 copper. You would be better off getting your power company to run you a service. It may require extending your primary, and setting a new transformer. Depending on how your primary lines are now you may could get away with a 4/0 open wire secondary and #2 service wire. I would call the power company and have them do a site visit or consultation. It could be free of charge or could cost a pretty penny. I am not familiar with your power company. I do know however you will NOT be happy with a 10/2 wire running 600 ft. It would not be cost effiecient because you will end up doing it over.

 

[Dave Parks]

Ya Joe, most of the run will be put together on the edge and then dropped down into the trench. Bell to well! I had to make two exceptions where I installed new hos bibs at each end of the barn front and tomorrow Judy and I will finish the job.

Les, you and Lee are right, too long a run for 10-2 and it was $1.92 a foot for the 3 wire 4/0. So I decided to go back to my original plan of having the incubator and brooder room in teh west wing of the barn where I have both water and the 200 amp fuse panel within 10 feet of the room I'll enclose inside the barn. All I really need out at the flight pens is the water and a small building to keep the feed in.


With two of these wings on each side of the center of the barn I have plenty of room to enclose a room for the incubators as well as floor space for brooding the birds until they are old enough for the flight pens. Today I ran the PVC around the barn and now have a hose bib at 3 of the 4 corners. Ome of them will be used for watering the birds while in the brooder room. Plenty enough room for both pheasant brooders as well as quail and chukar brooders. Plus a big savings on heavy underground wire. Now I can run a nice clean 120V 20 or 30 amp service to the room from just a short distance from the 200 amp 220V main in the barn. There is also a 220V plug in receptical on the wall for running my Lincoln welder or anything I might get that needs 220V in that area.


And yes Lee, Judy cleans the PVC before I glue them together, she does it with her pocket knife and wipes the joints with a rag. This ain't her first PVC Rodeo. Remember now, she's the one who guts the deer we shoot.

Dave