The machine operates very
smoothly and covers a lot of
ditch bank ina short time. Mr.
Caudill is so well pleased with
the operation of this machine
that he has purchased a second
one. Both the rotary mower
and the hydraulically-driven
sickle mower are available
commercially. The price of the
hydraulic mower is about $900.
Anyone interested in obtaining
equipment of this type may ob-
tain the name of the supplier
from Mr. Sanford Caudill, Man-
ager, Arch Hurley Conservancy
District, Tucumcari, New Mex-
ico.

ok RK OR

WELL HOLE COVER PLATE
(Suggestion R1-59-203)

The drawing on the following page of a safety cover plate for
drilled wells is a safety feature that Donald W. Newcombofthe Electri-
cal-Mechanical, Design Branch of the Minidoka Projects Office, Idaho,
believes vitally essential on installations on the North Side Irrigation
Field Division where 170 deep wells have now been drilled and more
will be drilled before the project is completed. The suggestion was
prompted primarily because of the numerous small children residing
on the project, some in close proximity of the wells and the necessity
to pull pumps from the wells, and leaving the holes protected with only
temporary covers which can be easily removed. With the drilled holes
and casings being of such large size, a youngster could easily fall in.

The cover plate has been designed so that it could be adapted
to any of the steel well sole plates over the well casings. Only a few
of the covers would have to be on hand to provide for the number of
pumps pulled at one time, such as in the winter when they are being
serviced and rehabilitated. Similar cover plates may be used over any
well casing that is not more than 30-inches in diameter and has a 42-inch
steel soleplate by drilling and tapping the soleplate for bolts. The pad-
lock brackets also can be removed from the soleplate when the cover is
not in use, and bolts screwed into the tapped holes to protect them from
damage.

19


OK OK OR KOK

CLEANING CLOGGED FOUNDATION DRAINS

In connection with the examination of Hungry Horse Dam, Power-
plant, and appurtenant works recommendation was made that the project
inspect foundation drains and open those found to be obstructed. The
drains, clogged by accretions of calcium carbonate, were effectively
opened with tube cleaning tools similar to those shown in the photographs

paa7o-2264e

paar-p-22641

12


long post life can be accomplished by treating the soil used for backfill
about the post with a wood preservative or soil disinfectant.

Post ends should be dipped in the preservative or sterilant prior
toembedment. The disinfectant may be mixed with the soil prior to back-
filling or poured onto the soil as the backfill is placed. The use of an oil
preservative is advisable for shedding the water away from backfill
mounded about the post. Backfill should be a mixture of clay, sand, and
gravel to prevent heaving due to frost action, and to provide for a dense
backfill free from shrinkage cracks. Following the post erection, the
upper part may be coated as required.

The above measures have been used for more than 10 years with-
out any deterioration to the embedded post ends. The cost per post
(using pentachlorophenol with waste oil in the recommended proportions)
is from 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of treating posts.

KKK KOK

STEEL CUTTING SHEAR
(Suggestion No. R2-60-40)

A requirement for approximately 500 quick-closing gate fas-
teners for installation on gates along the Friant-Kern and Madera Canals
gave Frank W. Athos, Pipefitter, at the Fresno Operations Field Branch,
Friant Unit, Central Valley Project, California, the idea to construct
a steel cutting shear.

Each gate fastener required six
cuts in 1/4" x 1" strap steel.
Although the cutting could have
been done by burning with a torch,
it would require slagging and
grinding each piece which was
time consuming. Therefore, Mr.
Athos fabricated the hand-oper-
ated shear at left capable of
cutting up to 5/16" x 3" steel.

The jaws and frame of the shear
proper were flame-cut from 5/8"
steel plate. The cutting edge

was hard-faced with a hardening
type electrode which is resistant
to abrasion and impact. A handle
from an old canthook was attached
and gives ample leverage to
easily cut the strap steel.



1

--=--

Slot F x25.

y yy |
{ ri
H the
1 i
1
\
i]
|
1
1
\
-L
| . \
bee oo nn --4g"----------- =--H
Padlock: x 4" x 8" Strap
Op! welded to top of dis. >
— r
ez 7 € ID
¢ x 32" Plate -” ‘-Sole plate

-Well casing

SOLE PLATE OF DEEP WELL

f xe" “wide x i¢ high 7 Drilled = and countersunk

a # Hole { roy
Frog ra, he This cover plate may be used
t

1 over any well hole that is

eo a4 not more than 30" in
SIDE VIEW END VIEW diameter and has a 42"
sole e plate by drilling
PADLOGK BRACKET 4-7¢ holes and tapping for
The padlock bracket to be removed £ N.¢. bolts. The mounting
when not in use, and 4-4 xo N.C. bolts should be $x ¥ N.C.
round head bolts screwed in threads. flat head.

20

GPO e40ees


in place was reported to be $2,715 or $3.02 per square foot.

It has been reported by the Bureau's Austin, Texas, office that
bids taken March 1960 by the Corps of Engineers for a bridge across
Lake Waco on Highway 6 in McLennan County, reveal the economy of
prestressed concrete. The structure willuse 31,093 linear feet of 54-inch
deep prestressed girders.

Although many of the earlier Bureau of Reclamation projects
were built with turnouts, checks, drops and other structures made of
timber, very few projects today are making such installations and those
who have such structures might well investigate the use of precast and
prestressed concrete. There are numerous fabricators of precast and
prestressed concrete members for bridges and other structures through-
out the United States. Some may not be presently equipped to fabricate
bridge members, but in many cases the additional equipment required
would be relatively small. From a list recently supplied, there are
fabricators in the 17 Western States as follows:

Arizona Phoenix and Tucson
California Colton, Florin, Long Beach, Los Angeles,

Napa, San Diego, San Francisco, San Pedro,
Santa Fe Springs, and Sun Valley

Colorado Denver and Pueblo

Idaho Idaho Falls and Nampa

Kansas Newton and Wichita

Montana Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, and Silver Bow
Nebraska Lincoln and Omaha

New Mexico Albuquerque

North Dakota Bismarck and Fargo

Oklahoma Ada, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa

Oregon Harrisburg and Portland

South Dakota Sioux Falls

Texas Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas,

Houston, Lubbock, Pasadena, and Victoria

Utah Salt Lake City

17



TWO LEVEL PROTECTION
(Suggestion R2-60-73)

Edward J. Deleski, Tracy, California, points out the two
level rubber bumper strips installed on wood loading dock at Tracy in
accordance with his suggestion. One strip protects against pick-up,
and the other big truck and trailer damage.



Colorado River Front Work and Levee System in the general vicinity of
Needles, California. The device was suggested by Foreman Ralph H.
McVey.

The chain fall is used to pick up the material, then by means of
the monorail the load can be pulled onto and positioned on the truck bed
by hand or by the power winch, if required. The present chainfall is
rated at one ton but will be replaced with a heavier unit in the near future.

The horizontal and vertical members are of 8-inch standard
channel and the monorail is a 12-inch WF I-beam; however, other material
could be used if available. The framework is bolted to the steel flat bed
and can be removed if lifting unit is not required for an extended period of
time. A drawing of the lifting and hauling device for mounting on a 1946,
23 ton truck is shown on the following page.

* KKK KK
PICK-UP MOUNTED HYDRAULIC CRANE
(Suggestion R3N-60-4)

The pick-up mounted hydraulic crane shown below and also used
in the Colorado River Front Work and Levee System in the vicinity of



The cutter, fastened toa
stand 12" wide, 18" high
and 5' long, was fabricated
from 13" scrap pipe.

The present shear shown in
detail at left has made sev-
eral thousand cuts and shows
no wear. Using this shear,
an operator can cut 5/16" x
3" straps at least five times
faster than with an acetylene
torch and the shear makes
smoother and more accurate
cuts.

RRR KKK

LIFTING AND HAULING DEVICE
(Suggestion No. R3N-60-3)

The shop-made lifting and hauling framework mounted on a flat
bed truck shown in the photograph below replaces one truck and driver
previously used in hauling supplies and heavy equipment parts, on the

P423-D-22658 ss


Washington Auburn, Everett, Redmond, Spokane, and
Tacoma

The Prestressed Concrete Institute, 425 N.E. Fifth Street,
Boca Raton, Florida, is forming a committee to develop standards and
specifications for short span bridges and, in addition to the addresses
of local fabricators, can be contacted for information.

oR OK OK OK

TUCUMCARI COMBINATION MOWER

An unusually wet month of July caused a very heavy growth of
weeds on the canal and lateral rights-of-way of the Tucumcari Project
in New Mexico, as well as in the water prisms, since the ditches were
empty much of the month. In order to use his mower tractors and opera-
tors in the most efficient manner, Project Manager, Sanford Caudill,
put a 7-foot sickle cutter bar on the side of one tractor equipped already
with a three-rotor, 8-foot cut, rotary mower mounted on the rear. This
made it possible for the one machine to cut a 15-foot swath, clearing the
operating road and one bank of a lateral in a single operation, as shown
in the photograph below and the one at the top of the next page.

The side-mounted sickle cutter bar is driven by a hydraulic
motor while the rotary mower is driven from the tractor power take~off.

18


FUEL MIXER-CONTAINER

(Reprinted from the March-April 1960 issue of Grist, a publi-
cation by the National Conference on State Parks, Washington,

Many areas use two-cycle gasoline engines--mowers, outboard
motors, chain saws, etc.--which means that the lubricating oil must be
mixed with the fuel. Unless the correct amount of oil is properly mixed
with the gasoline, engine malfunction results, Shop Foreman Barton P,
Boothroyd and Mechanic Roger R. Low of Rocky Mountain National Park
have designed a foolproof mixer-
container for two-cycle engine
fuel which permits a large
quantity of properly prepared
fuel to be mixed in advance.

The photo at left shows the
A-frame to which a 55-gallon
drum is mounted by means of a
wide strap iron band around

the center of the drum. Two
3/4"- by 13" bolts are welded
by their heads to this side of
the drum, and these serve as
hubs when inserted in 3/4-inch
pipe nipples welded to the top
of the A-frame. The triangle -
shaped frame is made by welding
together pieces of angle iron or
pipe of proper size and length.

A steel bar, to which has
been fastened a strip of

wood to serve as a bumper,
is welded between the two
front uprights. This prevents
the drum from tipping over
backwards or from tipping
forward more than is neces-
Sary to draw fuel. Rocking
the drum mixes fuel and oil.

Note the funnel handily
chained to the spigot. A
piece of chamois skin in the
Z funnel filters the fuel as

- it is drawn for use.



Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES
RELEASE NO. 33

July, August and September 1960

CONTENTS
Welding Rod Storage

Extending the Life of Wood Posts
Steel Cutting Shear

Lifting and Hauling Device

Pick-up Mounted Hydraulic Crane
Railroad Car Beam Bridges

Fuel Mixer-Container

Two-Level Protection for Loading Dock
Vehicle Operated Generator

O&M Safety

Handling Horizontal Motor Rotors
Cleaning Clogged Foundation Drains
Prestressed Concrete Bridges

Tucumcari Combination Mower
Well Hole Cover Plate


O&M SAFETY

The subject of safety has been discussed in several past re-
leases of the bulletin pointing out that the accident rates of irrigation
operation and maintenance personnel is usually about the highest of
all Bureau of Reclamation forces.

For the 1959 calendar year, "Safety Record", published in the
Commissioner's Office, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado, again
reports as shown in the following tabulation that the Bureau irrigation
O&M people have had the highest frequency rate and next to the highest
severity rate during 1959, being "outscored" only by the Power O&M
people in the severity of accidents.

Type of Man-Hour Lost-Time Days Frequency Severity
Work Exposure Injuries Lost Rate Rate

Administration 4,803,668 20 265 4.2 55
Construction 5,133,807 41 635 8.0 124
Design 1,516, 392 5 98 3.3 65
Investigation 1,633,031 13 109 8.0 67
O&M

Irrigation 2,591,634 55 906 21.2 350

Power 3,793,854 44 7,023 11.6 1,851
Totals and

Averages 19,472, 386 178 9,036 9.1 464

Outscoring other people in the frequency and severity of accidents is
hardly a way to make a good record and a very hard way to make a living.
It is hoped that the water users who operate and maintain many of the
facilities on our projects have a better record. If not, why not spend a
little time considering the problems and conditions that contribute to

the accidents.

The "Safety Record" quoted above believes that "In order that
safety will be accepted by all levels of supervision, the approach should
be one of integrating safety and the safety program as a part of the
supervisor's function--not just trying to sell it on the basis that it
is another function that the supervisor must perform. Safety, to be
productive, must be a fundamental part of any organization, and the
supervisor, to be productive, must include in his work habits and job
program a preponderance of safety. "

10


VEHICLE OPERATED GENERATOR
(Suggestion R8-60-124)

It has been suggested by Francis G. Kellogg of the Canals
Branch, Division of Design, Commissioner's Office, Denver, that Opera-
tion and maintenance vehicles can be equipped with 110-volt generators
which are powered by the vehicle's motor, and that so equipped, power
to operate tools and equipment in the field is conveniently available. One
manufacturer can furnish 1,500 and 2,500 watt capacity units, costing
about $80 and $150 respectively, for mounting under the hood of the
vehicle, as shown in the photographs below.

PX-D-22646

The power units can be mounted easily on the motor with
brackets furnished with the unit and are driven from the D.C. generator
or water pump pulleys. Controls for the generator can be located under
the hood or on the dash panel. The cost of the units quoted above in-
clude controls, mounting equipment, belts and pulleys, which are packed
as a complete kit.

to operate compressors, grinders, gate hoists, Spray guns, drills, saws,
winches, ventilating fans, flood lights, augers, and small heating units
as the field conditions warrant.

cover page. One principal advantage of such a generator would be the
fact that instant Power is available without transporting, unloading

and servicing a separate power unit. Such a unit would be very valuable
in emergencies.


Needles, California is a commercially available crane, rated at 1000
pounds. The crane is used in loading and unloading tires, heavy equip-
ment parts, barrels of gasoline, lubricant, etc. The use of this crane
enables one man to handle loads previously requiring two or three
persons and increases the safety in loading and unloading. The crane
was purchased and installed at the suggestion of Harold E. Hansen,
Crane Operator. Cost of this crane was about $85.00 f.o.b. a factory
in California. This crane is complete and ready to bolt or weld on
vehicles and includes a 6-foot chain with hook. The barrel chains are
$5.00 each and will pick up a barrel from an upright position or lying
down.

KK KR KK

RAILROAD CAR BEAM BRIDGES

The Owyhee South Board of Control, operators of the South
Division of the Owyhee Project in Idaho and Oregon, have utilized rail-
road car beams as operating walkways in the rehabilitation of structures
on the irrigation system. Improvements made to a gaging station, as

shown in the upper photo-
& graph at left included the
installation of a railroad
car beam as a walkway and
work platform during
current meter measurements.

The installation presents a
neat appearance and the beam
installed over the canal
having a 20-foot bottom
width, looks like it was
designed for the purpose.

As shown in the lower photo-
graph at left, similar beams
have also been used to ad-
vantage by the project oper-
ators in providing an operat-
ing deck and walkway over
the rehabilitated Succor
Creek Diversion Dam. Here,
again, the installation pro-
vides a neat appearance and
is adequate in all respects
for removal and placement of
stop planks in the structure
as required.



WELDING ROD STORAGE
(Suggestion R2-60-68)

Eugene H. Lee, Plant Mechanic, Folsom Operations, Field
Branch, suggested, designed and installed the rack shown in the photo-
graph below for welding rods in the welding shop locker. The racks are
made of redwood with notches to hold rods of different lengths and sizes.
The cost of construction of the racks in labor and material was approxi-
mately $15.

The racks save time in locating the correct rod and keep the
flux from being chipped off the arc welding rod.

OK RR KOK

EXTENDING THE LIFE OF WOOD POSTS
(Suggestion No, R8-60- 50)

The Government and the operators of irrigation projects are ex-
tensive users of wood posts for guard posts, guardrail posts, and fences.
Quite often treated posts are not conveniently available, are not desir-
able because of painting requirements above ground, and are too expensive.
L. E. Thompson, Canals Branch, Division of Design, Bureau of Reclamation,
Denver, Colorado, suggests that a simple on-the-job method for providing


at the bottom of the preceding
page and the photograph at left.
Since this method of cleaning
drains appears to have been
successfully used for the first
time on the Hungry Horse
Project, Montana, the Regional
Director's staff at Boise, Idaho,

S thought application of the de-
& vices might be made elsewhere.

As shown in the sketch on the
following page, it was neces-
Paaro-22643 sary that: (1) the cleaning

tool enter a 2-inch conduit em-

bedded in the concrete a mini-

mum of 3 inches below a gallery

floor and opening into a 12-inch
wide drainage gutter along the gallery wall, and (2) clean to 50- to 100-
foot depths, the 2-1/4-inch inside diameter diamond drilled holes in the
foundation rock. Sinde it was possible to gain entry to the almost verti-
cal holes drilled into foundation rock by removal of a plug from a pipe
tee set at floor level in the gallery ontop of a short length of pipe, selec-
tion of one cleaner suitable for both cleaning operations was based on the
availability of equipment that could be operated within the limits of the
12-inch gutter width in gaining access to the more or less horizontal 2-
inch diameter conduit in the gallery floor. By so doing, the conduit could
first be cleaned to the junction of the 2-inch conduit and vertical drilled
hole followed by a cleaning of the hole.

Commercial air-powered and water-powered machines are avail-
able for such work in various sizes and tools for special problems are
available, accordingly each problem should be considered separately.
The air-powered machines are reportedly more powerful and operate at
somewhat higher speeds. However, for convenience with existing facil-
ities and for simultaneous flushing of the pipe and drilled holes, the de-
vice selected for the Hungry Horse work was water-powered and had
sufficient power for the job involved. The same motor was used for both
devices and had an outside diameter of 1-9/16-inches. It easily negoti-
ated the confines of the 2-inch conduit and according to the manufacturer
can be successfully used where the radius of a bend is not less than 9-
inches.

The operation was accomplished in two steps. First the harder
calcium carbonate deposits were drilled out and this was followed by final
cleaning with the cutter. The total cost of the tools was about $230.00,
which included one water-driven motor, the necessary universal couplings,
a drilling head, a cutting head with the necessary cone and star cutters,
and 3/4-inch, 4-ply, armored hose.

13


PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGES

A refining company needed a 105-foot long bridge built in a
hurry to span a river in western Colorado so that a large rotary drill-
ing rig could be moved in to meet a drilling obligation deadline. The
company superintendent obtained some general information on bridges
from the Colorado State Highway Department and elected to construct
the bridge of prestressed concrete. The bridge, as shown in the photo-
graph at the left was completed in
ten days after the first inquiry of
the contractor was made.

The same day the contractor was
called, he in turn called a pre-
stressed concrete fabricator in the
Denver, Colorado, area for design
information of a bridge to withstand
the loading requirements. Plans for
a prestressed concrete bridge were
approved, a contract was executed,
and after only five days actual con-
struction time, the bridge was com-
pleted and turned over to the refining
company. The company states that
construction of the prestressed con-
I crete bridge saved both time and money,
some $7,000, compared to the cost of another type of bridge that would
meet the loading requirements. The company also believes that there
will be a further saving of cost in maintenance.

The 105-foot long, 13-foot wide bridge was constructed to the
same load specifications as those used on major highways, except that
it has no obstructions above the deck and provides for unrestricted load
width for moving heavy and bulky equipment. Steel "H' beams were used
for bridge pilings, and were delivered at the site an hour ahead of the
pile driver which further illustrates the timing of the construction on the
job. The concrete deck slabs were fabricated at a Denver plant. Each
of the nine prestressed deck slabs measured 35 feet in length and weighed
6-1/2 tons. The concrete caps, abutments, and deck slabs were precast
and hauled by three trucks a distance of 238 miles from Denver to the con-
struction site near Meeker, Colorado.

At the site four sets of steel pilings were driven to bedrock and
then capped. A large crane, as shown in the photographs at the top of
the next page, was used in placing the deck slabs to form the sturdy 3-
span bridge. During this operation the bridge safely carried simulta-
neously, the crane weighing 84,000 pounds and another 80,000 pound load
consisting of a truck loaded with the remaining deck members.


OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES

Release No. 33
July, August and September - 1960
INTRODUCTION

The cleaning of clogged foundation drains is a problem on
many projects where access to the drains is difficult. A method of
attacking the problem used on Hungry Horse Dam in removing ac-
cretions of calcium carbonate from piping and diamond-drill holes
50 to 100-feet deep is described on Page 12. An article on Page 15
describing the use of prestressed concrete bridge members probably
has some application on our projects. The use of the prestressed
members has provided for economical and rapid construction. Some-
thing a little different in the way of mowers is now being used on the
Tucumcari Project, Page 18. This piece of equipment includes a
sickle cutter bar and a rotary mower mounted on a single tractor.

This bulletin, published quarterly, is circulated for the
benefit of irrigation project operation and maintenance people. Its
principal purpose is to serve as a medium of exchanging operation
and maintenance information. It is hoped that the labor-saving de-
vices or less costly equipment developed by the resourceful water
users will be a step toward commercial development of equipment
for use on irrigation projects in a continued effort to reduce costs
and increase operating efficiency.

To assure proper recognition of those individuals whose
suggestions are published in this and subsequent bulletins, the sug-
gestion number as well as the person's name is given. All Bureau
offices are reminded to notify their Suggestions Awards Committee
when a suggestion is adopted.

AR KK OK

Division of Irrigation Operations
Commissioner's Office
Denver, Colorado



COVER PAGE

It has been suggested that operation and maintenance vehicles can

be equipped with 110-volt generators which are powered by a vehicle's
motor; and that so equipped, power to operate tools and equipment in
the field is conveniently available. The use of an auger is illustrated
in the cover photograph. Photo No. PX-D-22656.


HANDLING HORIZONTAL MOTOR ROTORS
(Suggestion R2-60-81)

estimates that about $100 can be saved each time a rotor must be han-
d.

The hook-shaped device shown was constructed of a piece of

orcement bar with an added Support provided at the bend.
Similar steel bars about 1-1/4- to 1-1/2-inches in diameter would suf-
fice for similar handling problems.

11


L
qi 7 7
fc
c
, Pen ~Gutter Pipe plug~.
a \
/
; Y

PLAN

—/

-Air hose GALLERY

-Air hose r

‘ =C leaning tool

*S=Gallery gutter

2£10, Diamond drilled
hole- 50 to 100 foot depth--

SECTION

<2" I. D. Conduit

Cleaning tool-~

CLEANING FOUNDATION DRAINS

14