Blog back to usual this week, the last 2 or 3 weeks have been busy at home and not so interesting on the work front resulting in an odd few posts of interests. It would seem that my army of blog readers want more so here at least for now is this weeks installment.
Monday.
0630 Start. I'm all loaded up ready this morning with a Hitachi ZX50 5t machine, it's off down to Pitsea for an early tip and I follow the sign for site deliveries and end up in a small compound. Whilst I'm unstrapping the machine a bloke in the van is moaning to our machine driver that I'm in the way of the offices. He gets short thrift from the driver who points out the stupid size of the compound and tells him to wait (Use your imagination for a more true exchange of words) Once I'm empty I'm able to lift the tag axle and turn round with about 5 shunts and get out of the way.
Next job is over at Great Totham near Maldon, I'm loading an 8t Kobelco and dropping it off at the groundworkers yard in Tiptree. It's a nice short easy one and I'm soondone and off back to Chelmsford for the next one.
Although the driver starts to pack up straight away when I arrive I'm slightly irritated that he's not actually ready when I arrive on site. I just accept it as though and whilst I'm waiting I notice that it actually says PM on my paperwork for this move. (It's about 0930) It's no big deal anyway, and he's soon ready and loading on. I'm not the biggest fan of wheeled diggers, mostly I move JCB 3CX and 4CX machines and they are are ill thought out out as to lashing points. Today it's a CAT 432 going on, the first time I've moved one of these despite a couple of near misses where my workload has been altered last minute. I'm pleasantly surprised to find good chain eyes at the front and rear, this elevates the machine to joint top of the class along with the Volvo BL71 equivalent.
All loaded and secure it's a hour or so's run along the A12 to Ipswich where I unload the machine in a rough ground carpark opposite site. There's a return load so I park the machine up and wander across to see what's going on.
It's news to the blokes on site about the switch, but it's not uncommon in this game. I'm returning with joint number 1 the Volvo BL71 I mentioned earlier. There's a bit of a delay whilst they get the buckets and stuff sorted but it's no big deal and they're on the ball and soon enough I'm loaded up and ready to leave at 1200.
All this inactivity has worn me out so my 15 minute break by the dockside becomes a 45 and I trundle back to drop the machine back at their yard near Maldon as per instructions. I'm just starting to unchain the machine in their yard when someone wanders out and announces that there is a change of plan and it's now going to their site in South Woodham Ferrers. Bollox, it's 1415 and the site is right next to a school on a modern housing development, access is usually not the best and they are public enemy number 1 there.
The chains go back on and I rattle across to SWF and get the thing off sharpish and make my escape as soon as.
Back at the yard after waiting for it to be washed and checked, I load a Yanmar 75 ready for the morning before leaving for home at 1630.
Distance 280Km
Tuesday.
0645 Start. Not much on today but I decide to get along to Latchingdon early as I'm swapping a machine over and want to do it before it starts working. I roll onto the works compound and the machine is elsewhere although there are some of it's buckets there. The gang will be there around 0730 I'm told and we'll go up the road and switch over then. Whilst I'm waiting (with night heater and cuppa) the weather decides to change and it starts to lash down with rain, it's still raining when we leave the compound so I get togged up in waterproofs before getting out, at which point it stops raining.
I'm delivery a Yanmar 75, the one I loaded yesterday and whilst there I'm collecting this.
another Yanmar 75.
This isn't as daft as it sounds though, when the machine was ordered we had no available 8t machines so this one was hired in until one of ours became available. Once I'm loaded up it's a short run back to the compound to refuel and reunite the machine with it's buckets before heading across to Ongar to off-hire the machine.
Back to the yard and there's not much doing today, some general clearing out and running errands follow before sidling off home at 1615.
Distance 79Km
Wednesday
0645 Start. No rush to leave the yard this morning, my collection is from Danbury Quarry approx 1 mile from the yard so I wait until there's a bit of daylight before wandering down there. I'm collecting a JCB JZ70 and it's parked just past the weighbridge outside the shed where the loading shovels are starting to emerge from. I let them clear off before nipping into their loading area.
Because I've gone past the 'bridge I have to go and sign in and get issued with Hi-Vis Orange overtrousers. Now I can walk back to the machine, get in and load it on. As I back it up to my ramps I notice that the cabside mirror next to the door is missing arm and all. Now I'm fairly sure it was then when I delivered it a couple of weeks ago, I recall loading it at the previous site and keeping my eye on a pub sign alongside. Once I'm loaded I call back at the weighbridge office to point out the missing mirror and they're trying to wheedle out of it even though they admit to having removed and refitted the mirror off the bonnet. I argue that they made me operate the wipers and lights etc. as per an official checklist that they now insist on doing when I delivered the machine, now they say 'Oh well that means nothing'
I make sure that I have got a picture of the machine minus mirror whilst still at the pit before leaving. It's typical that something like this would occur during the couple of weeks I haven't been making a photographic record of my jobs.
It's another short run with it now, about another mile to take the machine back to Jovic Plant at Sandon before heading back to the yard.
There really isn't a lot to do at the yard, so I decide to use the opportunity to replace some of the damaged flooring on the truck bed. It's an absolute bastard job to do, drilling into the steel takes some doing I can tell you and driving the flooring screws requires some serious air tool attention. I also replace my very faded long vehicle marker boards with a one that I had found laying in the road and generally had a tidy up before heading over to Truck East at Witham to drop it in for servicing. I collect a Fiesta and head off home about 1630.
Distance 32Km
Thursday.
0645 Start. Off in the Fiesta to Witham to collect the truck, I notice that when I open the drivers door my gloves and window spray that usually live beside the seat are in the passenger footwell. Ah good I think maybe this time they will have fixed my heated seat. It would appear that they haven't and they also managed to leave the passenger door unlocked all night too. Now there is nothing especially valuable in the cab in it's own right, but there is a couple of hundred quids worth of maps and a few tools. They are all still there, but I'd be properly pissed off if they weren't.
It's a short hop up to the village of Panfield just outside of Braintree to load a Hyundai 5.5t for a groundworker, it's only going as far as Braintree though and that move is soon over.
Next up I'm off to Maldon to move another Hyundai 55, this one a slightly older one along with a 3t dumper. I'm there at 0900 and not expected until 0930-1000 so I have a brew and wander in afterwards. The digger won't start and has to be jump started but the dumper is fine and goes on whilst they are sorting the digger.
All on board, I leave the machine running and notice that the dumper has got a flat tyre. It's all of a five minute run to their destination at Hazeleigh and they are dropped at another farm.
I really can't face too much more yard just yet, so I stop for a break and return about 1030.
After a short while in the yard I'm given another job to do, this one is actually a decent move to do collecting one of our 5t machines from Colchester and bringing it back to the yard. There is at least 2 hours of being out here and easily stretchable to be gone for longer.
A quick blast down the A12 to Colchester, rattle the machine on quick and I can stop for lunch at my parents house on the way back (added bonus being it's my mums birthday)
Back at the yard the machine comes off and I get involved assisting the yardman in rearranging buckets until home time around 1630.
Distance 159Km
Friday.
0645 Start. First call this morning is at Greenshields JCB dealer in Braintree where they are notoriously tardy so I don't leave the yard till 0730, depite the heavy traffic and my 0815 arrival they're still not quite ready but in fairness they don't dick around and soon have my machine out ready.
I'm collecting an 8t machine who's short history is already checkered. It was delivered new (by me) for the dealer to site for one of our groundworker customers, it will become one of my regular moves transporting it and it's 3 identical twins between sites. Last week it had suffered a serious breakdown and was replaced with an identical machine (by me) from A-Plant and taken back to the dealer (by me) for repair. So you see we're already old friends.
I'm away by 0840 and off through Halstead to drop it at a site in Sudbury, there's no buckets with it as they were left behind when it was taken away last week. Once I'm shot of it, I now have to go to Bury St.Edmunds to the site where it was previously and collect the replacement machine and both sets of buckets.
There are 2 entrances to the next job and every time I go there I go to the one I used last time only to be directed to the other one a roundabout 1/2 mile away just to travel a hundred yards. Today is no exception and I gain access to the site at 1000 just as the site is winding up for breakfast until 1030. Once they return I let them know I need both sets of buckets and they trundle off with the machine and dumper for another half hour to round them up.
Foolishly it was me who raised the issue of the buckets as it hadn't occurred to them that the machine had no buckets with it. When they returned we tipped out the dumpers contents and tried to identify the A plant buckets from their ones. Unfortunately the regular driver who could have told us straight away was on leave so we were slightly in the dark as to how many buckets each machine should have with it. We sussed it in the end and I finally left the site at 1145 heading back to Sudbury to drop off their buckets.
After leaving Sudbury it's off down to Colchester to drop the hired machine at A-Plant before heading back to the yard. I arrive back at the yard at 1430 that's a 7 hour! trip, I decide that this is likely to raise some questions when the bill goes in so I take the precaution of photocopying the tacho and making notes.
Load a Yanmar 55 and that's me done for the week at 1645.
Distance 195Km
Monday.
0630 Start. I'm all loaded up ready this morning with a Hitachi ZX50 5t machine, it's off down to Pitsea for an early tip and I follow the sign for site deliveries and end up in a small compound. Whilst I'm unstrapping the machine a bloke in the van is moaning to our machine driver that I'm in the way of the offices. He gets short thrift from the driver who points out the stupid size of the compound and tells him to wait (Use your imagination for a more true exchange of words) Once I'm empty I'm able to lift the tag axle and turn round with about 5 shunts and get out of the way.
Next job is over at Great Totham near Maldon, I'm loading an 8t Kobelco and dropping it off at the groundworkers yard in Tiptree. It's a nice short easy one and I'm soondone and off back to Chelmsford for the next one.
Although the driver starts to pack up straight away when I arrive I'm slightly irritated that he's not actually ready when I arrive on site. I just accept it as though and whilst I'm waiting I notice that it actually says PM on my paperwork for this move. (It's about 0930) It's no big deal anyway, and he's soon ready and loading on. I'm not the biggest fan of wheeled diggers, mostly I move JCB 3CX and 4CX machines and they are are ill thought out out as to lashing points. Today it's a CAT 432 going on, the first time I've moved one of these despite a couple of near misses where my workload has been altered last minute. I'm pleasantly surprised to find good chain eyes at the front and rear, this elevates the machine to joint top of the class along with the Volvo BL71 equivalent.
All loaded and secure it's a hour or so's run along the A12 to Ipswich where I unload the machine in a rough ground carpark opposite site. There's a return load so I park the machine up and wander across to see what's going on.
It's news to the blokes on site about the switch, but it's not uncommon in this game. I'm returning with joint number 1 the Volvo BL71 I mentioned earlier. There's a bit of a delay whilst they get the buckets and stuff sorted but it's no big deal and they're on the ball and soon enough I'm loaded up and ready to leave at 1200.
All this inactivity has worn me out so my 15 minute break by the dockside becomes a 45 and I trundle back to drop the machine back at their yard near Maldon as per instructions. I'm just starting to unchain the machine in their yard when someone wanders out and announces that there is a change of plan and it's now going to their site in South Woodham Ferrers. Bollox, it's 1415 and the site is right next to a school on a modern housing development, access is usually not the best and they are public enemy number 1 there.
The chains go back on and I rattle across to SWF and get the thing off sharpish and make my escape as soon as.
Back at the yard after waiting for it to be washed and checked, I load a Yanmar 75 ready for the morning before leaving for home at 1630.
Distance 280Km
Tuesday.
0645 Start. Not much on today but I decide to get along to Latchingdon early as I'm swapping a machine over and want to do it before it starts working. I roll onto the works compound and the machine is elsewhere although there are some of it's buckets there. The gang will be there around 0730 I'm told and we'll go up the road and switch over then. Whilst I'm waiting (with night heater and cuppa) the weather decides to change and it starts to lash down with rain, it's still raining when we leave the compound so I get togged up in waterproofs before getting out, at which point it stops raining.
I'm delivery a Yanmar 75, the one I loaded yesterday and whilst there I'm collecting this.
another Yanmar 75.
This isn't as daft as it sounds though, when the machine was ordered we had no available 8t machines so this one was hired in until one of ours became available. Once I'm loaded up it's a short run back to the compound to refuel and reunite the machine with it's buckets before heading across to Ongar to off-hire the machine.
Back to the yard and there's not much doing today, some general clearing out and running errands follow before sidling off home at 1615.
Distance 79Km
Wednesday
0645 Start. No rush to leave the yard this morning, my collection is from Danbury Quarry approx 1 mile from the yard so I wait until there's a bit of daylight before wandering down there. I'm collecting a JCB JZ70 and it's parked just past the weighbridge outside the shed where the loading shovels are starting to emerge from. I let them clear off before nipping into their loading area.
Because I've gone past the 'bridge I have to go and sign in and get issued with Hi-Vis Orange overtrousers. Now I can walk back to the machine, get in and load it on. As I back it up to my ramps I notice that the cabside mirror next to the door is missing arm and all. Now I'm fairly sure it was then when I delivered it a couple of weeks ago, I recall loading it at the previous site and keeping my eye on a pub sign alongside. Once I'm loaded I call back at the weighbridge office to point out the missing mirror and they're trying to wheedle out of it even though they admit to having removed and refitted the mirror off the bonnet. I argue that they made me operate the wipers and lights etc. as per an official checklist that they now insist on doing when I delivered the machine, now they say 'Oh well that means nothing'
I make sure that I have got a picture of the machine minus mirror whilst still at the pit before leaving. It's typical that something like this would occur during the couple of weeks I haven't been making a photographic record of my jobs.
It's another short run with it now, about another mile to take the machine back to Jovic Plant at Sandon before heading back to the yard.
There really isn't a lot to do at the yard, so I decide to use the opportunity to replace some of the damaged flooring on the truck bed. It's an absolute bastard job to do, drilling into the steel takes some doing I can tell you and driving the flooring screws requires some serious air tool attention. I also replace my very faded long vehicle marker boards with a one that I had found laying in the road and generally had a tidy up before heading over to Truck East at Witham to drop it in for servicing. I collect a Fiesta and head off home about 1630.
Distance 32Km
Thursday.
0645 Start. Off in the Fiesta to Witham to collect the truck, I notice that when I open the drivers door my gloves and window spray that usually live beside the seat are in the passenger footwell. Ah good I think maybe this time they will have fixed my heated seat. It would appear that they haven't and they also managed to leave the passenger door unlocked all night too. Now there is nothing especially valuable in the cab in it's own right, but there is a couple of hundred quids worth of maps and a few tools. They are all still there, but I'd be properly pissed off if they weren't.
It's a short hop up to the village of Panfield just outside of Braintree to load a Hyundai 5.5t for a groundworker, it's only going as far as Braintree though and that move is soon over.
Next up I'm off to Maldon to move another Hyundai 55, this one a slightly older one along with a 3t dumper. I'm there at 0900 and not expected until 0930-1000 so I have a brew and wander in afterwards. The digger won't start and has to be jump started but the dumper is fine and goes on whilst they are sorting the digger.
All on board, I leave the machine running and notice that the dumper has got a flat tyre. It's all of a five minute run to their destination at Hazeleigh and they are dropped at another farm.
I really can't face too much more yard just yet, so I stop for a break and return about 1030.
After a short while in the yard I'm given another job to do, this one is actually a decent move to do collecting one of our 5t machines from Colchester and bringing it back to the yard. There is at least 2 hours of being out here and easily stretchable to be gone for longer.
A quick blast down the A12 to Colchester, rattle the machine on quick and I can stop for lunch at my parents house on the way back (added bonus being it's my mums birthday)
Back at the yard the machine comes off and I get involved assisting the yardman in rearranging buckets until home time around 1630.
Distance 159Km
Friday.
0645 Start. First call this morning is at Greenshields JCB dealer in Braintree where they are notoriously tardy so I don't leave the yard till 0730, depite the heavy traffic and my 0815 arrival they're still not quite ready but in fairness they don't dick around and soon have my machine out ready.
I'm collecting an 8t machine who's short history is already checkered. It was delivered new (by me) for the dealer to site for one of our groundworker customers, it will become one of my regular moves transporting it and it's 3 identical twins between sites. Last week it had suffered a serious breakdown and was replaced with an identical machine (by me) from A-Plant and taken back to the dealer (by me) for repair. So you see we're already old friends.
I'm away by 0840 and off through Halstead to drop it at a site in Sudbury, there's no buckets with it as they were left behind when it was taken away last week. Once I'm shot of it, I now have to go to Bury St.Edmunds to the site where it was previously and collect the replacement machine and both sets of buckets.
There are 2 entrances to the next job and every time I go there I go to the one I used last time only to be directed to the other one a roundabout 1/2 mile away just to travel a hundred yards. Today is no exception and I gain access to the site at 1000 just as the site is winding up for breakfast until 1030. Once they return I let them know I need both sets of buckets and they trundle off with the machine and dumper for another half hour to round them up.
Foolishly it was me who raised the issue of the buckets as it hadn't occurred to them that the machine had no buckets with it. When they returned we tipped out the dumpers contents and tried to identify the A plant buckets from their ones. Unfortunately the regular driver who could have told us straight away was on leave so we were slightly in the dark as to how many buckets each machine should have with it. We sussed it in the end and I finally left the site at 1145 heading back to Sudbury to drop off their buckets.
After leaving Sudbury it's off down to Colchester to drop the hired machine at A-Plant before heading back to the yard. I arrive back at the yard at 1430 that's a 7 hour! trip, I decide that this is likely to raise some questions when the bill goes in so I take the precaution of photocopying the tacho and making notes.
Load a Yanmar 55 and that's me done for the week at 1645.
Distance 195Km
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