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Bobcat Introduces TL623 Telehandler
Jessica Schwartz
Stormwater Management For Landscapers
Drainage solutions for water-logged properties. Whether it’s a standalone project or integrated into a larger job, property drainage is an important, yet often overlooked aspect affecting most, if not all, properties. With all the new construction taking place, topography is constantly being altered. This affects not only the property under construction, but usually has secondary consequences—including runoff and drainage issues—for surrounding properties as well. Effective stormwater drainage systems either facilitate water flow to lower elevations or allow for corrective grading. Since each property is unique, I first perform a property evaluation to examine its available elevation, soil conditions, typical influx of water volume, and traffic. These factors affect the depth, diameter, thickness, and composition of the pipe that can be utilized. They also affect the type of soil separator and gravel that can be used. Described below are details on several different property drainage solutions. I’ve also included a simple calculation used to determine the gallon capacity when estimating construction of a dry well. Property Drainage Systems Does the property have soggy areas or pooling during or after rains? These are typically the most common problems encountered. Poor drainage areas that result in these issues are typically best resolved by installing plastic drain boxes, cap surface drains, or larger capacity concrete catch basins with lift-off iron frame and grate. Appropriately sized underground drainage lines, usually PVC, are also installed, and connected to drain boxes or surface drains. These lines allow water to run downhill to a lower elevation. Drainage ...
Stormwater Management For Landscapers
Drainage solutions for water-logged properties. Whether it’s a standalone project or integrated into a larger job, property drainage is an important, yet often overlooked aspect affecting most, if not all, properties. With all the new construction taking place, topography is constantly being altered. This affects not only the property under construction, but usually has secondary consequences—including runoff and drainage issues—for surrounding properties as well. Effective stormwater drainage systems either facilitate water flow to lower elevations or allow for corrective grading. Since each property is unique, I first perform a property evaluation to examine its available elevation, soil conditions, typical influx of water volume, and traffic. These factors affect the depth, diameter, thickness, and composition of the pipe that can be utilized. They also affect the type of soil separator and gravel that can be used. Described below are details on several different property drainage solutions. I’ve also included a simple calculation used to determine the gallon capacity when estimating construction of a dry well. Property Drainage Systems Does the property have soggy areas or pooling during or after rains? These are typically the most common problems encountered. Poor drainage areas that result in these issues are typically best resolved by installing plastic drain boxes, cap surface drains, or larger capacity concrete catch basins with lift-off iron frame and grate. Appropriately sized underground drainage lines, usually PVC, are also installed, and connected to drain boxes or surface drains. These lines allow water to run downhill to a lower elevation. Drainage ...
Living Shorelines: A Way To Help Combat Hurricane Season?
As we enter the 2020 hurricane season, landscapers who work in areas with large coastlines know potential storm damage is about more than just fallen trees and debris. Flooding and erosion can cause some of the costliest and irreparable destruction to a property. Even without a storm event, the progressive erosion of a coastline by wave action over years can be just as damaging. To complicate matters further, coastal sea levels in the U.S. are rising—and at an accelerating rate, according to a “report card” released this past February by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The U.S.’s most visited national park, the National Mall Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, is just one example of how rising tidewaters are submerging walkways, eroding soil, and damaging the roots of DC’s famed cherry trees. Traditionally, bulkheads have been installed to protect a property from water encroachment. Given the cost and materials, many property owners expect bulkheads to protect their shoreline indefinitely. However, even in the best of cases, bulkheads often completely fail after twenty or thirty years. They can begin to lose sediment from behind the bulkhead even sooner and cause erosion on neighboring properties. And ultimately, even a weak hurricane can demolish a brand new bulkhead. Another thing many may not realize is that once a bulkhead is installed, the intertidal zone (the land between high and low tide) is often eliminated. By losing this zone, an important habitat for fish and other wildlife disappears, water quality ...
New Cat Attachments Offer Greater Construction Versatility
Caterpillar has new product introductions this Spring including: three new Cat® SMART attachments for a range of D3 Series Cat Skid Steer Loaders, Compact Track Loaders, and Multi Terrain Loaders; and a Caterpillar TiltRotate System (TRS) for Cat Next Gen mini excavators. SMART Attachments The Dozer Blade, Grader Blade, and Backhoe, are designed to add significant versatility to a range of D3 Series Loaders. The control systems for the new attachments allow easily adapting the machine’s standard controls to precisely match the recognized SMART Attachments’ control needs. The SMART Dozer Blade attachment—available for Cat 279D3, 289D3, 299D3 and 299D3 XE series Compact Track Loaders—are designed for cutting, moving, and grading virtually any material used as a base. The blade features a curved moldboard to keep material rolling and a trapezoid design with angled end bits that allow flush-cutting against vertical surfaces when the blade is fully tilted. The D3 Series host machine recognizes the attachment and unlocks special display screens that allow the operator to select how the blade is controlled. The ASSIST feature enhances operator proficiency to achieve smoother grades with fewer passes by coordinating machine and blade movement to attain flat surfaces, allowing the operator to concentrate on building or cutting material to achieve the desired Grade. The new Cat GB120 and GB124 SMART Grader Blade attachments are available for Cat D3- Series Skid Steer Loaders and Compact Track Loaders. As with the SMART Dozer Blade attachment, the D3 host machine recognizes the grader blade and unlocks ...
