Chris, I am glad to see you and the new excavator at work, however, it would sure be nice if the videos were much longer, in fact, the longer the better for me. You may not realize it, but your videos are more like instructional tutorials than just being interesting videos, that is, at least to me. At the age of 76 and 50% disabled and twice retired, I will not be going out to work ever again, but watching you work and seeing how you operate the excavator and all the other machinery makes my day start with a smile on my face. Thank you, from a 11-year fan.
@@RyanMeri Thank you for the suggestion, albeit, I have been a fan of Andrews for 11 years as well, starting with my second retirement in February of 2009. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Andrew doing his personal OJT at various types of jobs, albeit, lately he seems to be having difficulty finding outdoor maintenance jobs, that or he is just not posting any associated videos. Even so, I have noticed that he is spending money on his home/garage mountainside castle as if he owns the US Mint. Further, in past years he seemed happy to interact with his fans, however, he now seems to have begun to either ignore or get agitated with questions submitted by his fans.
Absolutely agree. I love diy but I'm never going to try this myself. That being said the longer videos would help make sure I know what the professionals are supposed to be doing if I decide to hire someone to do this
As an Electrician, I have forgotten how many times I've had to rip out bad stuff and start all over. Then customer can't understand why it now costs even more then my original bid.
@Phil Mccrevasse I agree. I'm not even an electrician but rather a mechanical engineer and boy oh boy do I see some real hack jobs and they're never pretty. When I was younger I did safety inspections, and I went to one building and something had just jumped a bunch of breakers with 12 wire. It was just straight dangerous. They had even fucked with shit in the Edison vault with no permits or anything. Being the mechanical guy I don't know much about high voltage stuff so I called the electrical engineer and he nearly shit his pants when he saw the pure fuckery.
@@mfk12340 Yes, this is true, I worked as a pc service guy for many years before, and oh my lord, even many big chain stores making messes I had to clean up for the customers and always the same story, big chain, claims big words, even expensive, and did a horrible work of it and the customer had to pay twice Many times I felt so sorry for them, mostly elderly people or really young that worked hard to get their first pc, that I cut prices to not have them disbelieve everyone in the future to rip them off and restore faith in honest work
If you think electrical is bad for it try working as a mechanic that has to fix other mechanics dodgy work, when people get free rain of something and they don't have the experience nor willing to research I just did a job where the last mechanic modified a part to make it fit around another part which was incorrectly fitted, and the modification failed They customer was charged double
Somewhere downstream of this property some family man is sat in his yard having a bbq then all shit hits the fan when the ditch at the bottom of his property goes from a trickle of water to a raging torrent hahaha
I was wondering if anyone went downstream to notify and warn the neighbors... but what an image .... LOL... "Martha! Grab the dog and the grill!!! Kids, head fer the treehouse!!!"
@@jasonstarr6419 Haha, this gave me horribly funny pictures in my head, a giant grand danois dog trying to climb the treehouse with kids, wife and husband and the water rising :D
Seen this situation working with my dad in flooring. We needed to grind and seal some concrete slab against moisture, he was going to charge $500. Customer went and got home depot labor instead, my dad even told her to insure they grind the floor or the sealer won't do it's job. We took our grinder with us so it wouldn't be used for obvious reasons. Came in the next day, my dad bent down and was very easily able to just peel the sealer up off the floor. So he said she could either sign something so he isn't held liable for the eventual failure or she can now pay us to scrape up all the sealer, grind the floor and apply new sealer which the customer had to buy again. Instead of the $500 he charged $800 now for the additional labor and she was out at least another $600 for new sealer plus whatever she paid the other people. People need to learn, professionals charge what they charge for a reason!!
closest i ever got to running a machine like this was clearing fence row with a JD 450 crawler and dozer blade. watching these videos is a late night meditation for me.
Hello from the UK. Has your customer not heard the saying: "Skilled labour is not cheap...... Cheap labour is not skilled" Keep up the good work my friend. we can all see you take pride in what you do.
"Hey! RU-vid Algorithm! Can I see videos from my subscribed channels? No. "Oh uh, okay, what about videos relevant to my interests & stuff like that?" Ehh tbh buddy im not rly feeling it. "Okay, what can I get?" P O N D I'm not even mad
As much precision as a marksman and a trained musician. So fluent and so magnificent to watch. Its literally art. This man creates fluent flowing art when he moves dirt. Unbelievable calculated and precise.
My dad always said "You buy cheap, you buy twice!" and that was a CHEAP job! I have no doubt that you're going to make such a superior job of it though Chris! :-)
I gave a neighbor a price and put on a 20% discount for being a short commute. He asked a bunch of questions and decided that him and a friend could do it cheaper. One day I came home and drove by a horse buried up to its belly, three people and a 4x4 all stuck. I just kept on driving. The pond ended up about 12 feet across and 8 feet deep with straight up and down walls. It wasn't long until another horse was in the mud. You get what you pay for with professionals.
Don't know why this showed up in my recommended videos, but I'm glad it did. I know precisely nothing about building a pond, but I'm pretty sure even I wouldn't have put the overflow as high as the doggone dam. Also, that machine is sweet as can be. Looks like a pleasure to operate. Have followed the cheap guy lots of times in my line as well. Never a fun time for the customer.
When you breech a dam like that is there requirements to let neighbors downstream know in the even they have property that could be potentially damaged by the extra flow?
Those people should have watched your videos on making ponds and lakes. They would've went with you instead of the DIY person. But you go cheap you get what you pay for. Love the videos Chris ❤️.
I made bigger ponds during a rainstorm damming up the gutter..... Your the man Chris, when will people learn pay the money and do it right the first time, Your the Mike Holmes of the pond building business... :)
Lesson for anyone getting a price for work to be done? You get what you pay for. Want to pay a cheap price you can expect a cheap job. Good work doesn't come cheap and cheap work doesn't look good !
BINGO! Always tough for any of us legitimate contractors to deal with the fly by night operators. Always amazed how these customers think: "This guy gave me a price that is 25%- 35% less than the other guys, so that automatically means he has come up with a magical way to do the job for less than the other guys. I hate to see that stuff, but it is job security for me.
@@andrewbieger5004 And you suggest he's 'legitimate'? Omfg. He's a decent operator, not a qualified contractor. He's one hack job from bankruptcy. No engineering. No testing. No permits. No license. Shambolic.
I can do it for 1/4 as much! I specialize in "above ground ponds". I'd install a circular, 150 foot wide aluminum reinforced, resin coated sheet metal pool, I mean pond, that would be 4 feet deep everywhere! I'd install pool, I mean pond entry ladders every 75 feet.
@Tut Pook no it isn’t. For example when I built my power supply instead of buying a nice 80+ rated I bought a cheep 50$ unrated power supply and it failed in 8 months. But when it went it also took 800$s worth of fucking parts in my cpu and gpu 🙃
Strangely enough, I had a mind picture of a mouse on a tiny surf board when watching the water surge through. I actually got a little worried in case my imaginary mouse hit the tree that was splitting the flow.
In Germany we say: "I can't afford cheap craftsmenship." (Because you usually have to pay twice. One time for sloppy cheap work and a second time for a pro to fix it.)
Chris been watching your vids along time I finally subbed to your channel don't know why didn't do it sooner. Anyway I spent my life on equipment and I must say you must have started running these machines at a very young age. Your one of the most skilled and knowledgeable operators I have seen. Keep up the great work it's a shame that they are some unscrupulous contractors out there. But when you get called to fix what someone f-uped and you leave a customer with a smile. Well that is a satisfaction money can't buy. But you know that already as I can hear it in your voice. I never got to do alot of excavator work most loader backhoe and a whole lot of dozer work. Building road and well locations for drilling with mud pits. One of the trickiest jobs was reclaiming the mud pits had to be so careful as it is real easy to bury and lose a machine in one of those drill pits. Guess I was lucky never got completely stuck that couldn't get myself out but few times I wondered lol.
Had the same exact thing happen to me Monday. Got called back to a job I bid 2 months ago. 19 yard slab. He went with a company that actually convinced him to use bags and pour it in sections. He was happy to pay us more than the first bid!!
But... why would you even opt to do it that way? It isn't very expensive, at least here. Did a slab a little bigger than that in december. Waterproof concrete. Perfect straight out of the truck. I can't even conceive of wanting to do it bit by bit even if it bonded fine.
I started watching this and I was thinking to myself "Why am I wasting my time watching someone dig dirt?" But DAMN! This guy is an artist! A craftsman! Always enjoyable watching someone so skilled ply their trade.
wont lie, i have helped make a few ponds, and for less then the contractors all estimated, but, we knew how to do the work, (a few of our friends), and our buddies grandad for example, wanted some work that they wanted to charge alot for, that was actually less work for us.. since we just had to dig out the outlet side and he had a crew install the rolling fish blocker thing(also helps to roll any crap that may clog a normal outlet dropping the debris (mostly just loose green/brown plant matter not wood or the like), im told its still working a couple decades later... he did have a revision done, but it was to add a fishing "bridge" over it made from concrete.. they did it without draining the pond(small lake really....) he actually got thanked by local authorites the 3 ponds we did for him(2 just cleaning out and enlarging some cattle/livestock watering ponds, actually had helped keep the stream from flooding as bad as often, and, from running dry in the summer, we actually build overflows from the creek into the ponds to catch floods from heavy rain, he never has had trouble with the authorities, unlike the guy 2 miles away..whos in prison not jail, prison, for the ponds he build that diverted streams and creeks threw his ponds and in summer prevented anybody down stream of him from having water flow.. (he would intentionally block it up higher and nearly fully stop outflow when it started to look like a dry spell was coming... im told... when they came and got him it was a major operation... had fbi on site... ) this is some bad work they did.. lame.... glad you got called up to fix it... and yes... not having the ability to use the best bucket/tool for the job... can be...frustrating... be glad your not doing this with a ditch bucket... "things could always be worse" ;)
I’m 17 and run a komatsu pc128uu. Most of my tricks have been learned watching your videos. I’ve put over 500 hours on my machine keep up the good work.
You keep at it Ben. We need more young guys getting into this line of work. As a kid it was all I ever wanted to do, these days young guys don't seem interested at all. As you now know it's a very skilled line of work. Very often YOU are the most important person on site. Everything hinges on you. The trucks, elevations, soil management and grading, etc etc. Operating the machine is only about 20% of the actual job. Personally at around 2000 hrs I had pretty much done most things at least once but to be honest after 20 years I still learn new tricks. It never ends. If this is your passion I bet you are already a great operator. Chris is an excellent role model to have. I too watch a lot of his videos as it is very near the same work I do.
Get whatcha pay for! Serves that customer right having to pay twice. They're fortunate you're willing to do it. I usually tell 'em to get lost when they try to call me back in to fix the cheaper guy's mess.
I have never built a pond or dam before, but I find them fascinating so have read a lot, toured many, and dreamed of alternative careers. This pond's state at the beginning just had me shaking my head so much.
A few upside down large stumps is great for a fishing pond, but sticking large wood in the side of the bank is not only lazy but will cause pot holes when it rots out I would think.
I've been waiting to see the next phase of this, have I missed it, or is it still in the works? Thank you, this is very enjoyable to watch, and I'm learning a great idea. much appreciated.
Well i know a saying for such situations: "People who buy cheap, buy twice." I tried to tell this to my dad SO many times because he always wanted the cheapest option whenever possible and then he wondered when the cheap stuff was breaking faster than anything before.
@@mandowarrior123 Well sometimes it has. At least when it came to shoes, office chairs and other things where it surely couldnt hurt to invest 20-30 bucks more. I mean, since i buy my shoes alone without my dad nagging all the time about this and that i get better shoes that hold three times longer. This and i'm out of the shop in 5 minutes rather than 30 before because i know what i want and what i need.
@@deconteesawyer5758 Well my last office chair was payed from MY money since my dad didnt gave me enough for a proper chair. You know, classic "Why pay 300 when you can get one for 50?" discussion.
@@JackMacLupus Gosh, What a responsible child you are. You should give yourself another pat on the back for spending your dad's money like it was your own.
Love! Love! The camera angles and your voice over. Ok. Where is the pond water flowing to? Will it do any good along the way--like spread out sideways? How long to refill the pond after you are finished? Is there a "seep hole" or underground spring? I watch you make a pond from scratch, but can't figure out the water questions. Thank you.
RU-vid keeps recommending me videos about AI that can create/enhance amazing things like videos and animations with little help, so when I read your title I thought, "Wait, an AI made a POND?"
They're called 'cowboys' in britain. Not entirely sure why. They aren't cheap at all; not only is the job badly done, but things go missing when they're around. Power tools, wallets, the neighbour's motorbike...
Its good to see randy quaid get back to work. And the original guy made a wall of pure topsoil that a few feet thick... it wouldnt last more than a year or two depending how much rain it gets, and looking at the trees they get quite a bit.
If he'd of paid Chris the good money to start with he'd of had a fantastic pond with nothing needing fixing and still have half his money in the bank after paying Chris now. I'd like to of heard the phone call when the guy called Chris after this mess. I'd of probably had to call him back after I stopped choking on my lunch or drink while laughing.
There is a reason to install the bell end toward the inlet and a reason to put it to the downstream end. Upstream bell keeps the pipe from moving downstream. Downstream bell keeps it from clogging. But the pipe can creep downstream. More of a problem with smooth pipe than with corrugated. If more than one length, it always has to be upstream bell so that the water flows thru the joint(s) properly.
Hi I'm from England I found your video's by accident I have never had any dealings with any sort of ground work or building work. But somehow i find your clips so soothing and enjoyable I cant stop watching them you seem to make whatever you do look easy, and the difference from start to the finish of any job you do is incredible, I also enjoy your wood cutting videos and servicing videos except the one with the snakes stuck. They are all very informative theres only one problem there are just so many to catch up on I set my limit to going back to 5 years but I'm slowly getting through them. One question what is a borrow pit it was on one of your earlier videos. Great vids keep them coming.. Peter
a borrow pit is where they 'borrow' the dirt or gravel or sand by digging it out and leaving an empty pit. They are 'borrowing' the soil to use elsewhere.
Hey Chris you should try a rotator tilt. Then your machine would be a mutitool. Trust me I drive a taukusi TB 2150.and I haw a rotor tilt on and haw been using it for the last 9 years. And I will never go back. It makes it so versatile I can almost stay in 1 spot without moving my digger...plz.plzzz.try it .like the Thom for you is important then when you try the rotor tilt. Then you will understand. It.s 75% more versatile then the Thom in a pro operator's hands😉😉😉best regards from Denmark from 1 operator to a nother 😜😜🤑
Don’t you love it when you have to go back and fix someone else’s fuk up cause the customer wanted to save but in reality they are paying double I love when customers do that I laugh when I either get a call from them or see them pull into my shop lot
@Gray Au That's just basic maintenance, not diagnostics and repair. That's like a fresh lube tech at an auto chain shop calling himself a master tech. You seem like you don't know enough about computer repair to even know how much you don't know.
Well I suppose the question becomes at what point do you really apply that. Let’s say someone who will do a job right and it look good and such quotes $3500. And then another person quotes $2000. Well you might be getting what you pay for there. But what if someone else quotes $3200. Customer has no info to tell him one is significantly worse than the other, but that is what the end result is - a half assed job not even worth half the price. Do you laugh at the customer then who tried to save money when there were no red flags? That is still significant savings to most people being a little less than 10% cheaper but still not enough to make you think it could be indicative of someone who’s going to do poor quality work
@@ram89572 that assumes the one who charges more isn't the bozo, who needs to cover the costs of his crap jobs- or that extra fees won't be drawn out on any of them. Good contractors in my experience are relatively cheap, fair prices but are very hard to find and often don't advertise well, just who you know. If you aren't an expert in the field, you are pretty boned to be honest. The scammers are confidence men, so seem more professional than you- as they get all their business pretending to be good.
Yeah reminds me of when I was doing a second-floor addition on a housethe guy I bet against me and beat me by a third of my priceI went to my numbers and there's no way he could do it for that price
Approach varies a lot there. I did a loft conversion and it was cheaper to put a full dormer on than two roof windows. Part of hat was insulation rules, but hey, it was win win. I say good luck to them- but i wouldn't hold my breath.
Likely it was shipped with minimal hydraulic oil and the dealer was too cheap to fill it up (or thought he could make an extra buck and charge him later on)
First I think it’s good to note I’ve never really been around construction equipment but I’m amazed by this mans skill and finesse operating this machine
You are 100 percent right about the bell facing upstream. However, if you are using ADS N-12 (like what you pulled out) for a culvert, I would highly recommend cutting off the thin wall bell as it is prone to collapse. I had it happen on an 8" pipe and a 15" pipe.
I can't believe they actually called that a complete pond. Chris to the rescue! Just hope you are getting paid WELL for fixing their sorry excuse of a pond!!
I dig effluent ponds here in NZ. I just fixed a pond as poorly constructed as this one. Except the wall did collapse and it all went in the stream. In NZ that is a very big deal. I have now worked on several ponds where guys have built dam walls directly on top of the black top soil, almost all of them are not even close to the specified size and as yet not one to the correct depth. I too think I'm extremely fair priced but there is often someone cheaper. It's very frustrating. I too might start filming some of these ponds and exposing what is really going on.
When people only look at price and not craftsmanship this is what can happen. In the last sixty years since WW II this country has lost its respect for craftsmanship and the trades. So this scenario plays out over and over all over the country. But RU-vid has helped younger people get interested in the trades to some extent. So your content helps educate folks and some young people.
You are so diplomatic and polite when you obviously are less than unimpressed with the previous job. This is one of the reasons I highly recommend your channel to anyone that will listen. Thank you for sharing best wishes from Northwestern Wisconsin
