a 2bit update

[2bits]

Hi guys,

Just thought I would post an update to the progress on the woodlands. I am still not moved, but getting close. I have the power and water done and gas is next. My real delay is $$$... I am selling my old truck and camper to pay to move the trailer and after some initial action, it still has not sold. I am about to lower my price and try again because the heat of July and August is coming!!!


I had a guy with a Bobcat come in and pull up some tree stumps and man it tore up the ground, but It is ready to move the trailer and woodshop in. The wood shop is first since it is only $350 to move and it will give me somewhere closeby to put all the contents of my house while they move it in. Had to reschedule the wood shop move twice already due to rain and wet ground. Hopefully it will be this week. Here is the homesite just WAITING... the trailer will go from left to right starting from just behind that cedar all the way across.


I have really sandy dirt so it looks like the beach in some areas...


The circle drive around the firepit is much easier to drive now, there was a tree on the left drive that had to come down to get the shop moved in, we'll need to test if a teardrop can make the turn now.


Follow that left drive above to the end and you'll come to the area where the woodshop will be nestled in the woods


After two days of rain, got a nice little flow with plenty of room for more water. It will be cool to see it full, and I am still 20 feet higher than the top of the 8 foot deep creek




I got my second driveway through the woods cleared. I still need some railroad ties to make a small bridge over a runoff dip, and also the cover which will probably be recycled asphalt. After I move in, I am contemplating closing off the straight drive on the left with new trees, but I haven't decided yet. I just want a driveway that you can't see in from the road.


as you enter...


Carport to the left, driveway continues to the right


Make a last left turn...


and it opens up to face the trailer


A view looking from the trailer back down to the drive on the left and the carport area on the right


Here is my 2bit shower, I use the door prop from the camper to hold it in place and one of the floor mats to keep my feet off the sand and it works great! I don't mind the cold water when I am all got an sweaty from working!

[honeask]

Looks good Thomas. I bet it must be pitch dark when the sun goes down. Have you come across mush poison ivy yet, we have some in our back pasture that seems to jump out at you sometimes . Maybe it gets on me from petting my horses, not sure. Your place really looks good and I know you are anxious to make the move.

[2bits]

Looks good Thomas. I bet it must be pitch dark when the sun goes down. Have you come across mush poison ivy yet, we have some in our back pasture that seems to jump out at you sometimes . Maybe it gets on me from petting my horses, not sure. Your place really looks good and I know you are anxious to make the move.

Oh yeah, there is loads of it! I got it twice when I was doing some deep clearing but once I got that done I didn't have any problems with it anymore. My problem is CHIGGERS... I'll take poison ivy over chiggers any day.... My ankles have been on fire for one reason or another for two months now for one reason or another. I started to post a pic, but I will save you the carnage LOL...

and yes, I am dying to get out there!

[tonyj]

I could rid your property of chiggers just by showing up--i am a chigger magnet! If you find a good way to combat them, pass it on.

The property is looking great. I bet you're chompin' at the bit to get out there full time.

[honeask]

It might not work for everybody but when I know we are gonna be out in the pasture or out at the inlaws in the country, I spray OFF on , LOTS of it and I don't have a problem then. Relief for chigger bites....paint them with clear fingernail polish, such as Hard As Nails. It helps stop the itching right away and supposedly smothers them, Try it. You, Tony and I could trade stories on the horrors of chigger bites but let's wait til LCG to do that.

[2bits]

I haven't sprayed the land at all, but I plan to look up some stuff like Round up to see if there is anything I can attack the "Human domain" with. It's hard to put fingernail polish on literally 100 bites... LOL

[PKCSPT]

Wow that will be beautiful, just perfect.

[mezmo]

Hi Thomas/2bits,

Your setting looks ideal!

One area of question though - what is the size of the MH you'll be
moving? I'm thinking you mentioned @ 14W x60L at least.
I'm looking at the trees along either side of the drives in
your pics and they like look like they're closer together than
14ft from one side of the drive to the other. Will you need
to check that closer? Also, will there be enough manouevering
(sp?) room to make the turn(s) with the @14W x 60+ftL to
locate it where you want to put it?

Also, depending on the soil and it's degree of dampness
at the time of the move etc., the mover may need to use or
hire a semi-truck wrecker with its winch to help position it.
[The mover had to do that on my last MH move Years ago.]

Also, check out the mover and be very explicit in telling them
the conditions and what they'll face at the destination so they
know what to expect and can plan. And see if they have the
specialty equipment if it is needed.

One such thing is called a Translift which is a hydraulic lifting beam
on tracks that fits under the MH frame and with it they can lift up
the MH and move it around to the correct position much more
easily than with the old ways of jockeying it around by backing in etc..
My last move was 20+ years ago and I don't know if this thing
even existed then, but it is one neet special purpose piece of
[heavy?] equipment. It's interesting enough to just watch the
video of it doing its thing.

http://www.transliftonline.com/home.html
http://www.transliftonline.com/video-translift.html

Maybe a bigger MH/Manufacturered housing dealer would
be a possible/better mover and setup contractor for you as opposed
to a national MH mover company. In any event it'll be 'interesting'.
And of course - it must be photographically documented and
shared here too! HA!

I'm not trying to dampen the enthusiasm, 'just wanted to give
you a heads up on things you might encounter concerning the
big move.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[2bits]

Norm,

Thank you for your thoughtfulness, but I think I would be quite lax if I had let things get this far without considering how to get the trailer in here LOL... There was a mobile home here before. Maybe the photos are misleading, the driveway I posted was the "new" driveway and would in no stretch of the imagination let a mobile home through. Getting a teardrop through will be a challenge in it's current state. I just cleared this drive in addition to the existing drive which is a straight shot from the road (which is why I don't like it). I will need to remove the gate for the move, but otherwise it is a straight shot and then "parallel parking" the trailer in place. Speaking of, I already have a mover in place and he has been on site, taken measurements, and agreed on what special equipment will be required and a price agreed. This is why I had to take down the one tree to get the trailer in place. I hope this photo helps, this is the existing drive.

[pete42]

almost everyone's dream to have a nice quite place to park the trailer and workshop
you could start a curve in the existing drive either left or right
then plant some trees in the old drive to block off being seen from the road

nice place remember to leave space for visitors............hint hint.......

pete

[2bits]

almost everyone's dream to have a nice quite place to park the trailer and workshop
you could start a curve in the existing drive either left or right
then plant some trees in the old drive to block off being seen from the road

nice place remember to leave space for visitors............hint hint.......

pete

Hi Pete, Scroll up, you will see the new driveway is already completed, and thats exactly what I did! YAY! I would like to find a way to close up the main straight drive, but somehow leave a way to open it up again for moving large items in or if someone would like to visit who has a large camper and would not be able to maneuver the turns on the new drive way. I invision an entrance where the trees would "move" out of the way LOL how do I do that haha

I have a number of hidey holes cleared out to be used as campsites for visitors, that is also part of the plan to run some water and electric to a few spots around and build a shower house as well. That will be awesome when completed!

[wagondude]

Thomas,

In one of your posts you mention railroad ties to build a bridge. Another alternative would be to check with the local power company for reclamed utility poles. This last weekend I helped on an Eagle Scout project where he was building a bridge over a creek bed in a nature preserve. All of the lumber for the bridge came from power poles. The power company has their own small mill to make beams and dimensional lumber out of the poles. They tend to donate most of it for comunity projects (all of the lumber for this project was donated free), but may also sell to others for a resonable fee. Worth checking out.

Bill

[PKCSPT]

" I invision an entrance where the trees would "move" out of the way LOL how do I do that haha "

If we ever get the chance to buy property in Northern Mn I want the hidden driveway no on can find. My thought is to make the gate out of a fallen log and unless you know my log you'll never find me. Figure if it is hollow it will be light enough and have small garden pots fitted in the top with ferns to help it blend in.

[Todah Tear]

2bit,

Do you feel like you are in the reality show version of Little House on the Prairie?

Todah

[2bits]

Yes! It's freaking hard work but more rewarding than anything I could imagine.