Installing Rip Rap for Drainage Ditch and Erosion Control 

You warm up very quickly slamming one of those post drivers! My lazy man approach would be to reach out with the bucket on the mini. :-)

Got to do what the "Boss Man" wants, especially when he is signing the check. However, I think the water will just start cutting out the high side of that ditch and in a year or so, the ditch will be back

🔥🔥🔥 TAKES A LOT OF ROCK TO FILL A DITCH LIKE THAT.... SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT THE WAY OTHERS WANT

🇦🇺 As some Australians say: Yeah, Nah! 🤔 Time will tell, but I think you will be back. 🙂

👍 Looking good. Stop back after a few rain storms and let us see how it worked out

Tell the owner that he/her at least 3 more loads of rock or they are going have all the dirt from the high side fall on that rock and it will be a brand new problem.

I can hear the frustration in your voice over the bureaucrats’ “solution.” The fact that you thought of the safety fencing and not the “experts,” tells me the wrong people are making the decisions. Penny wise and pound foolish never solved anything. They, in their narrow viewpoint, think you’re trying to rip them off. Your solution saves money in the long run. By the way, kudos to Josh. He’s a definite asset to the company, going the extra mile and not waiting to be told what to do. A lot of employers would consider themselves lucky to have someone like him. You, however, are truly blessed to have two more just like him. A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you, your family and your crew.

Why did they not lay pipe all the way to the pond ?

Ive got one going thru the middle of my pasture. It started out a couple inches deep 15 years ago. Now its 3 feet deep in places! It starts as a culvert under the road. So, at some point(probably after I’m a widow) i will have it completely encased in 24 inch double wall culvert pipe, all the way to the other side, about 500 feet! I will fill in the pasture so there is only a small swale from each end(swale currently cuts the pasture in two) and the drop from house to swale is about 10 feet. Im going to fill it in so it only drops about a foot or so, so i can walk to the barn comfortably. Its gonna be expensive, but it only has to be done once, and will improve the utility of this place.

Excellent video well done top job top team awesome thanks y'all be safe out there bud

Happy New Year. My Pro Crew. Good job John and Josh. I really enjoyed watching this video. Enjoy y'all weekend. Bama Queen Victoria Byrd. Roll Tide Roll.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎈🎈🎈🎈🏈🏈🏈🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️

Wow 2 yrs. What's it look like now ❓❓ I would've laid cyclone fencing so the riprap wouldn't keep sinking. 👍🤷 On the bottom and bank's of the ditch. Run off ☹️😕 whatever you would call it 😀 👍👍

Seen a lot of similar comments and I definitely agree with the general consensus, I would much rather permanently fix the issue and have a bit of sediment in a pond than pay money to have it be in the same condition in a couple years. But as you say, gotta do what you are hired to do, even when its not the way you would do it.

Yeah I've found that sometimes its not about doing it the right way, its about doing it the way the customer wants. He'll find out in a few years when there's more erosion and silt that maybe regrading the ditch, putting in fabric and then covering with rock was the better way to do it.

I would have used the mini to drive those tpost down, do it all the time, well you had the right idea, but the name of the game is to do what the client wants done, an you did what they wanted, it should work, but like you said, grading all that out an putting a swale in with fabric an rip rap would be much more eye appealing, thanks for sharing.

Got to agree with you john I do not think that will work water will always find a weak spot to work around hence the current trench its eaten out...It definitely needed regrading a new trench but thats ok because in the near future Letsdig18 will get this regrading job so another top video from another great RU-vidr like yourselves......Its just a shame they did not take your advice hope it does not backfire on them......Happy New Year UBC and hope its a prosperous one for you guys

I think what will happen is the water will overflow and flood the area. The volume of rocks was once occupied by a volume of water so that water has to go somewhere

I'd really like to see what it looks like now.

Looks good man that’s a lot of trips getting all that rock back in to the ditch

We all know you or someone else will be back. That rip rap should have been 200 pound rocks and even with huge rocks, the water will still eat the bank away so extend the pipe or make a concrete spill way and be done with it. Oh well, we do as told. :)

You should give an update on how much has eroded after 3 years of not having any fabric under the rock..

Get Fred and Barney to lay down some custom stone

🤔🤔🤔🤔☹️☹️😕😕😕🤷🤷🤷🤷 LOOKS LIKE THEY SAID FILL IT WITH RIP RAP

Don’t you think the water will just widen the ditch more ? Looks like about 80 ton been better... Thx for the video !!

As you suggested, it’s not gonna work. That tall bank will be even bigger and it goes to the pond ? Job security for someone..

Happy New Year, Jon, family and crew! 🥳 Too bad they didn’t provide more rock to shore up the right side of the bare red dirt bank and for the lower portion of the run. Y’all did what you could do with what you had. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Another great job John and Josh considering it's the government you're working with thanks and happy new year

Nice job for what you got paid to do but man that needed some additional work like you said. I would love to see a follow up on that one after a hard rain. Like you said you got to do what you were hired to do on that one.

Hi John, a great job considering that you had a better idea to slow it down and you would have used a lot less rip rap! Well done anyway!! All the best for 2021. Graham🇬🇧🇬🇧

What you initially said that you wanted to do was absolutely the right thing to do. I really don't know the drainage area or how much head is feeding that pipe but if that is a 24" RCP, I'd bet the flow is a good 35 CFS or more with a velocity of 25 FPS or more. The washed out channel turning to the right just as it exits the headwall needed to be straightened out and the washed out area needed to be filled and graded just like you said. Rip Rap needs to be placed on a filter blanket like you said which covers the entire ditch including running up the sides. It should be 2' thick including up the sides. The rip rap should not fill the ditch, rather it should be the invert of the ditch and riffles placed maybe 100' apart . With those types of flows, the only thing different than what you said would be to place Class 2 rip rap and not Class 1. If it was the County that told you to leave the ditch where it was and fill it with rip rap, I wouldn't be surprised, but I'm not sure that I would have taken the job or at least get someone to sign off on your liability because that isn't going to perform like they think it will.

I want to know if this held. I agree with you. That ain't right. Lol

Excellent work! Next time use that bobcat as a post driver:)

nice to view the ASV120 equipped with Tooth Bucket ( Smile ) versus majority of videos running with Fecon Mulching Head

I am not an engineer, but your plan sounds much better. Happy New Year. I hope it is a good one for everyone there.

Willie's going to have some Arnold Schwarzenegger sized Latissimus dorsi muscles on him when this job is done.

A follow up video showing the water entering the channel would have been ideal as a follow up so viewers can see the ditch at work

I'd really like to see what it looks like now.

Great work Happy New Year

Guys why did you hammer that posts by hammer when you have excavator that can press them in the ground like nothing?

Very interesting vid something bit different well done.

John I think guys will be back doing it the correct way. But time will tell.

Why didn't someone suggest broken concrete I'm sure there's some landfill that would love to get rid of it then top dress it with 1 foot of Rip-Rap.

Nice work. This is not a bad solution. If it doesn't work out, so what. Just add more rip rap in a few years. Big rip rap. Water goes where it wants. The better solution might not have worked out either.

Happy New Year to you John and the guys. Stay safe and well. Keep up the good work. Kind of restful watching "The Team" bringing wild areas back into clean and tidy places. Cheers from Scotland

Josh earned his money today putting those posts in 🥵

Bandaids... “penny wise, pound foolish” maybe you’ll get to come back and fix it right at a later date...

Feel the rhythm feel the rhyme! Its bobsled time!

Great job , got to be a lot better💪💪

I have been dealing with a similar situation on a spillway under a pond it always seems to take more stone and you would think . One thing I found very helpful we're old mini excavator tracks lie them down in the ditch and fill them with stone it really slows the water down and they stay put

Like the music you have playing in the video

my biggest concern would be that the water is going to continue to run down the right side of the ditch eating the bank out unless the riprap is raised higher than the original cut or rip rap

How about a review of your bobcat e45?

Curious to see this after a few good downpours....... Great job (as far as you were allowed)

Great video 🇺🇲

Can you please tell me why you're not using the excavator to put the rebar in the ground?

Great job Upstate! Upstate Brush Control Crew rides again!

question: even though they wanted the riprap the water still flow over the clay bottom right, so it will still be cutting a trench may slower but still. if they had followed your thought i would have cost more, assumption, but by regrading, laying in the geo-fabric, then placing in the raprap, they would have never had to worry about water erosion from this again right?

"They don't want silt in the pond" were the F you think all the tillage that washed out went. Good I hated working with bureaucrats, they always think because they were elected they are smarter than the average man they hire to do a job they can't!

Should have opened it up and laid fabric and base then added rip rap to the edges. Otherwise the next big rain storm is going to start the erosion process again. You had the right idea but were told to do it that way.

Que malos videos, no vi uno solo que valga la pena, que lástima con tan buenas máquinas, para otra vez será, saludos desde Chile

Why not just add pipe on to it atleast half down then you could have dug a swell put down fabric and then they rip rap thats just going to washung out cut the the ditch wider i realize you have to do what the people thats paying you to do but someones thinking on saving money and its just going to cost more in the long run bit the bullet and do it right the frist time great videos

Why not make use of wire gabbions, or do you not have these in the usa

What size riprap did you use? I have a similar (but not as bad) situation, trying to get #4 but might have to go with #3 regrade is not feasible they way it is - thanks!

Just park a cop car out there and I’ll hit the brakes even when it’s not rushing down 💁🏻‍♂️🚔

How do I get one of those sweet hoodies? These boys are stout! Live in Greenville? Give them a call!

I’m curious how this tuned out now that it’s 9 months later. Any follow up info??

WHAT ??? Starting 2021 on full power ....? WORK = MONEY = PEACE TRANQUILITY OK on the move friends ---

where did you find such awful music to ruin your video with?

Them there SOME GOLD in those Rip Rap rock , keep stacking JOHN , you’ll be bound to find some somewhere !! Lol my back is hurting just watching you two

Happy New Year of Hope in 2021. Putting in the rebar anchors will make a big difference, without high costs. You did a good job with what they wanted & documented on video you did not agree with their choice. Customer is paying for what they want. Lots of Rock. Could you have used recycled crushed concrete fill in the bottom of trench? Then, put the more expensive rip rap rock on upper layers. Would drain pipe in the bottom helped move water out with less future erosion? Western USFS National Forests use pipe & rock combinations for steep erosion prevention to remove water from roads. Rebuild swell with packed clay, pipe, fabric & rock. Protect the fastest moving water from causing erosion. Not done correctly from the beginning. Should have big pipe to bottom of steep slope with swell & rock originally. Very poor original plan designed to fail. Hope it works, not your fault if it doesn't work. Offer to come back, you would be glad to help again.

It would be interesting to see if this was a successful fix?

I do not understand this solution. Whoever came up with this does not seem to understand that the volume the rip rap takes up now reduces the volume of water that can travel down this channel. As a result, the rip rap will fill with water and 'sit' like a solid dam and all the excess water that can not find 'room' in the channel will now travel on top of the rip rap and spread out, either flooding over the channel edge or dig into the soft bank on the right and erode it even further. Water takes the path of least resistance and will not try to force itself through the rip rap. It will flow elsewhere and dig a new trench or widen the current one.

Mini canyon 👊🏻💪🏻

Great video and great job. I am curious though why ya'll don't use the excavator bucket to push those Tposts in instead of using the wacker driver? I only say that because I used the wacker for many years lol and I know just how hard a job that is.

You're right John, the proper way to fix the erosion problem is to regrade, but when it's the time of year when you get quite a lot of rain isn't the best time for that. So, "patching" it with riprap is just a stopgap. But good on ya for putting T-posts to hold the riprap in place better, and for putting up the safety fence on top of the headwall.

Looks like that channel is being cut from water over the top. Also I’ve seen enough RU-vid to know that some gabion baskets should be used.

With all the rain we’ve gotten this fall & winter, he might have been afraid we’d get another gully washer either while you have opened up or before it would have a chance to settle. Maybe if was the dry season the inspector would have let you regrade it? Oh well mo money down the line!

Could push them t-post in with that bucket on that excavator make it easier wouldn't wear out Josh's arms it's going to take a lot of rock though my thoughts is the way you were talking about doing it would have been the best way to do it

What will happen when that rip rap sinks into the ground? It seems like the soil in the ditch (under the rip rap) would continue to expand and deepen with the weight of the rip rap and water continuing to move downhill.

Three or four Gabion walis across the spilway will slow the water down. Regards Billy

You will be back, that will just wash out again probably on the right looking down.

Be interesting to get an update after a year.

Chalk it up to another job for you down the line ;-) Great job!

All its gonna do is eroded around the rip rap,just like it already has

Another day at the 🎸 rock pile !😅🤣😂👍✌🇺🇲

Sorry they couldn't let you do it your way! Love ya guys!!

Be interesting to see it in a year ,the customer is the boss. Good work guys!

👍 🎥 have a safe and productive New Year

Cool video it like a huge soak away hope it works

Think Windex.

When we getting a Shop Tour??

Sixth 🤷🏻‍♂️🙈

Welcome to 2021.

Great work Guys!

Nice work

Great job

What size, and how much rip rap did you use?

👍👍😀🇨🇦

YOUNG MAN , U ARE WASTE YOUR TIME , U HAVE ALL OLD RIP RAP ON THE GROUND USE THIS FIRST , THEN PUT NEW RIP RAP ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP / OVER ALL U ARE WASTING OLD RIP RAP

Pretty work. Y'all always make it look sooo much better. Have a great weekend.