Storage Bin Enlarging
There are four soil storage bins, two that are covered, at the Glenwild Golf Club and Spa in Park City, Utah. Each bin measures 20 feet by 20 feet. Sand was frequently falling out in front of the bins, mixing with the other sands, so adding wing-walls to each one was the perfect solution. They all were enlarged by installing 8-foot-long, 4-foot-high and 8-inch-thick solid concrete wing-wall extensions, using 12-inch-thick steel-reinforced footers measuring 2 feet by 8 feet for structural integrity. 4,000 PSI concrete was used with steel-reinforced rebar installed vertically and horizontally, also for the tie-ins into the existing walls. The installation was contracted out to a small local company with a lot of concrete experience. It took about two weeks of methodical work for this well-built project to be completed. Greens topdressing and bunker sand is stored in the covered bins, tee and fairway topdressing sand in another, with future fairway topdressing sand being installed in the two uncovered bins. It cost about $8,975 for the contractor’s portion and another $500 for in-house labor assistance. Michael J. Valiant, CGCS, director of agronomy, and his key employees, Jose Plancarte and Daniel Amador, are a formidable team.
The Claw
Keeping undesirable water plants from overtaking the ponds while keeping the lake banks clean and tidy at the Bayou Vista Golf Course in Gulfport, Mississippi, is extremely efficient with this in-house constructed implement. Recycled metal roof trusses (from a demolished office trailer), angle iron and flat bar steel for the cross-members make up the framework. The trapezoidal framework is 9 feet long, measuring 30 inches by 30 inches closest to the loader, tapering down to 18 inches by 14 inches. The claw portion is made from cutting-off the “teeth” from the lower portion of the 3/16-inch-thick flat steel and then welding each piece onto the opposite sides. The 2017 John Deere 3038E Tractor, with a JD D160 Loader, uses a Frontier Forklift Attachment. The framework slides over the forks and is held in place with a heavy duty 2-inch galvanized chain. It has a 10-foot reach and, coupled with the articulation of the loader/forks, it can reach, grab, drag and lift all the water plants out of the pond. It took two rainy days to build and materials cost about $50. Denny Kerr, superintendent (a retired Navy Seabee), Julian Wells, grounds crew member, and Brad Thompson, managing partner/owner, created and built this great idea.
Explore the April 2020 Issue
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