6MR Pop-up TM Concrete Bridge: We are back!

ekuhn

Well-Known Member
After some TM the other day a hunter approached me about the large dams he’s been seeing developing. He’s seen mom beaver, dad beaver and pup beaver. He’s noticed the lack of flow on the down stream side. Maybe we need to plan a multi staged attack to open these bad boys up. I have two pairs of waiters that I hope don’t leak.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
After some TM the other day a hunter approached me about the large dams he’s been seeing developing. He’s seen mom beaver, dad beaver and pup beaver. He’s noticed the lack of flow on the down stream side. Maybe we need to plan a multi staged attack to open these bad boys up. I have two pairs of waiters that I hope don’t leak.
Beaver relocation
 

mtn

Well-Known Member
@MadisonDan mentioned that the concrete bridge was clogged again - not sure where this was posted,
Nice enough day out, so i threw my waders in the car and drove over to the April Ln cul-de-sac.
First this.

View attachment 143679

mouse ate a hole in my chest waders, but relatively high up - mouse was not in there, but some other stuff was.
oh well. probably get hantavirus.

Luckily someone came along and unclogged Tube[0] before I got there, so the water wasn't over the bridge
and the low side was dry.

View attachment 143680

yupper, 100% clog of the other tubes. jumped in and started releasing some of the leaves downstream.
and slowly pulling out branches. Couple hours of work, but totally worth it.
Sun was beating down, and I was actually working up a sweat. Couple people said hello.
most people just rode by.:(

Anyway - about 75% of what was stuck that wasn't leaves..
Also excavated the dirt a bit. Lots of buried sticks in front, and in the tubes.
Most of the sticks were used to build up the dam on the right of the pic.

View attachment 143682

Then i went downstream to work on the SandyDam - i could tell it was backing-up the water again.

It is now two dams, holding up about 1' of water.

View attachment 143683

i started working on the second and made good progress.

View attachment 143684

Then i got greedy. the area that is well above water is where the tree forks - and one branch is buried, so it will hold it from falling in.
Greedy - yeah. Never work with only one bar. i expected it to go downward, so i wedged the top, and started cutting up.
i would usually wedge, create a plunge cut and work down, not sure why i didn't. As soon as it started to fall, the left side slid
downhill, and away from me. pinched! also bent the bar. happens.

View attachment 143685

I'll swing by and get that tomorrow. Almost got it out. almost.
Since I started out cutting trees while doing trail maintenance, I will mention a few things.

After a couple pinches, I was also under the impression that I needed to carry a second bar and chain. So I did...for a little while.

Then I realized that the bar of my saw generally came out of the cut fairly easy. You will not hurt the bar by yanking it directly out of the tree. Prying it up and down may cause the sprocket to get jammed with wood particles, which is easily fixable, but generally not on the trail.

Carrying a spare chain is always important. You will not be able to pull a pinched chain out of wood unless you have wedges...for the most part. The other piece of the puzzle is a hatchet. Two reasons. If the bar is unable to be pulled out, chop around both sides of the bar. You won't hurt the bar if you hit it, but do avoid hitting the chain. It will break teeth. That, accompanied with wedges, will be enough to get the bar out, if not the chain. If the chain cannot be removed, throw the spare on the bar and cut out the first chain. But learn from your first mistake, or you'll have to get hatchet happy.

Point is, I would not go back to carrying a spare bar. Too big and heavy to be hauling around for miles.

Also nice saw. I should start a gofundme for a 261 or 361. I'll upload a pic of my latest tree on mobile.
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
Since I started out cutting trees while doing trail maintenance, I will mention a few things.

After a couple pinches, I was also under the impression that I needed to carry a second bar and chain. So I did...for a little while.

Then I realized that the bar of my saw generally came out of the cut fairly easy. You will not hurt the bar by yanking it directly out of the tree. Prying it up and down may cause the sprocket to get jammed with wood particles, which is easily fixable, but generally not on the trail.

Carrying a spare chain is always important. You will not be able to pull a pinched chain out of wood unless you have wedges...for the most part. The other piece of the puzzle is a hatchet. Two reasons. If the bar is unable to be pulled out, chop around both sides of the bar. You won't hurt the bar if you hit it, but do avoid hitting the chain. It will break teeth. That, accompanied with wedges, will be enough to get the bar out, if not the chain. If the chain cannot be removed, throw the spare on the bar and cut out the first chain. But learn from your first mistake, or you'll have to get hatchet happy.

Point is, I would not go back to carrying a spare bar. Too big and heavy to be hauling around for miles.

Also nice saw. I should start a gofundme for a 261 or 361. I'll upload a pic of my latest tree on mobile.
First time I’ve ever gotten a saw stuck.
it was careless. Compounded with not spending $30 for a 14” insurance policy.

I did release the chain and attempt to pull the bar. It bent wheni tried to lever it. So the $30 that I didn’t spend on the extra bar cost me $60 I do carry an extra chain and sharpening set, and a couple wedges. Left the hammer home.

it is a 1/4” pole saw bar on an e saw. Not the sturdiest, but can do enough for our needs.
 

A Potted Plant

Honorary Sod
A few winters ago I wanted to go fat snow biking at 6Mi. Turns out i chose the wrong day as the temps were starting to rise, snow was getting heavy and the river was uncrossable. I had to abort the ride, then went home and lit my fat bike on fire and kicked my own ass for being so stupid.

View attachment 143889

Just pull your feet up and roll, don't fat bikes float anyway?
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
First time I’ve ever gotten a saw stuck.
it was careless. Compounded with not spending $30 for a 14” insurance policy.

I did release the chain and attempt to pull the bar. It bent wheni tried to lever it. So the $30 that I didn’t spend on the extra bar cost me $60 I do carry an extra chain and sharpening set, and a couple wedges. Left the hammer home.

it is a 1/4” pole saw bar on an e saw. Not the sturdiest, but can do enough for our needs.
You plan to go through two chains and field sharpen? Wouldn’t your batteries run out first?
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
You plan to go through two chains and field sharpen? Wouldn’t your batteries run out first?
If you hit a rock, dirt, or a nail your chain won't cut anything. A second chain is worth carrying for this reason. This Stihl will run for about an hr cutting smaller stuff. I have a second battery too if I'm cutting a lot. I rarely bring out the gas saws for TM unless I know I'm cutting out monster deadfall.
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
You plan to go through two chains and field sharpen? Wouldn’t your batteries run out first?

like J, I carry two batteries - the second chain is for emergencies.
Field sharpening takes 5 minutes with the combo tool from stihl -
it sharpens the teeth, with a good visual for the angle, and sets the depth at the same time.
I carry a loggers vice, but rarely use it. it does result in a sharper chain with straighter cut.

1606480064379.png


carrying the e-saw makes life simple - two batteries use one tank of bar oil.
so no extra there. the second battery weighs just under 4lbs - wt equiv to 2/3 gal of gas.

it is pretty dialed for what we do - which is not standing in a stream releasing a tree that fell during sandy.


Relocation in this season is pretty much a death sentence.
It actually isn't a beaver den - a group of us has been building that up to stop the water from routing around that side of the bridge.
It does look like one tho. Beaver wouldn't survive trapping season living there.
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
this is an interesting solution - came across it in NC.
I was ready to do some TM and realized they don't have any tubes!
It is self policing, since it goes to the MTB parking area - if you can't cross it, it isn't good to ride.
unfortunately, we would need a level bridge.

There is a reservoir above this, spillway in the back of the pic - i'm sure the res has other ways to manage depth/rate.

IMG_5322.JPG
 

SAM

Well-Known Member
A suspension bridge is a dream idea that keeps coming up. Was discussed in the Bridges of 6MR thread too. May be a dream but I came across this local example in Frenchtown Park back in Feb. Simple construction, quite a long span and does not wobble at all when you ride over it. Those footers are probably huge.

Sorry if I posted this previously. Don't remember.

IMG_6810.jpg

IMG_6811.jpg

IMG_6812.jpg
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
A suspension bridge is a dream idea that keeps coming up. Was discussed in the Bridges of 6MR thread too. May be a dream but I came across this local example in Frenchtown Park back in Feb. Simple construction, quite a long span and does not wobble at all when you ride over it. Those footers are probably huge.

Sorry if I posted this previously. Don't remember.

View attachment 223257
View attachment 223258
View attachment 223259

Love this - we probably have some people that could do the design too.
not sure we could dig the holes for those timbers! even with the auger bit on a skid steer.
This also looks "accessible" - so might have had some serious funding sources.

Two main problems at our bridge-
- the tubes clogging
- the low area.

If we solve the low area with a bridge (which is my plan) that won't wash away, then when the tubes do get clogged, it should just run over the top of the concrete bridge, rather than being two feet deep and running around it over wobbly rocks that ya can't see!
i've mentally got it planned, along with temporary routing. Gotta keep it low and wide so it doesn't need a railing, which would last 1 storm.

when it really storms, the water comes over the land from behind the tree near the bridge, to the climb - it is quite impressive.
the dirt is soft, we ride it, and it keeps washing away - hence the distance getting longer and longer.

I think @JPark's bluestone is going to be moved to that area once we secure the river bank
 

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