Listeroid base Q...

[mobile_bob]

around here we can get it either way

pure portland cement, which comes in 80 or 90lb bags, must be mixed with sand and gravel and of course water
is much more expensive,, maybe 12 bucks of so

then there is concrete, basically premixed which comes in 60lb bags, you just mix it with water it has the sand and gravel
already in there.  it is about 2 bucks and change a bag

one bag of portland cement will make alot of concrete when mixed with the required sand and gravel.

i don't remember but i think a couple of bags of portland cement will make up about a yard of concrete.

bob g

[ronmar]

Well I guess I could have said put a top on the sandbox, but I didn't think I had to:)  I wouldn't want to grout it, as I think the idea with the sand was that it could be removed easilly if you needed to re-locate the base.  Sort of a semi-permanent foundation.  I did something similar in my installation by bolting my generator frame to a 1300# block of concrete I had leftover from an old front step of my house.  I sandwitched the concrete between the frame base and a lower steel baseplate.  The two are connected with allthread thru holes drilled in the concrete.  The allthread runs from long coupling nuts welded to the baseplate up thru the concrete block to the generator frame.  Once the concrete block was moved over the base(easilly done by myself with pipe rollers and a lever) and the allthread was screwd down into the baseplate nuts, I flooded the holes around the allthread with concrete anchor epoxy and tensioned the frame down inplace over these studs.  The whole affair is setting on a rubber pad and I can barely feel it running at full load from my bedroom(nearest room in my home) 12-15' feet away.  

  
Concrete:
A typical mixture consists of:
1 part portland cement
2 parts dry sand
3 parts gravel aggregate

This is pretty close to the mix in a bag of sacrete/readimix.

Depending on what you are doing, the cement:sand:aggregate ratio can vary from 1:3:6 down to 1:1:1.5...

and I misread Stan when he said Cement.  An 80# bag of Portland Cement goes for around $9.50 here last time I looked.

Ron

[rbodell]

Hi all,

OK, sometime in the near future we (my dad & I) are gonna get a 6/1 Listeroid from Troy at ecodiesel. I was wondering what would be the best base/foundation? I was thinking of taking a rail road tie, cutting it into 2 3ft lengths then getting another 2 ties about 5-6ft long then lying them on top of the 3ft lengths (perpendicularly) then bolting them together. Then burying the setup in the ground level to the top of the tie. Then get some heavy duty channel iron, bolt the channel iron to the tie, then bolt the engine to the iron.

I dunno if this will work, just thinking. I don't want to use concrete, so thats out. What do you all have? Pictures help too.

>end ramble<

I have 4 8 foot 4x6's setting on railroad Ties sunk in the ground to the top of the tie then 4 1/2x12 lags into the ties. I would not suggest this if you have any viberation though. Mine hardly shakes a glass of water.

[dpollo]

Just a couple of points. 

After 40 plus years of moving heavy objects around with modest power and light weight vehicles, I can say with certainty  that paying $300 for shipping is a bargain compared to one highway incident or having a fine imposed by an over-zealous D.O.T. inspector. There is also your own time to factor in. (mine works out to about 8 cents per hour but it still must be counted) Trailers are easy to pull but if you ever get one pushing you, it is about as scary as anything you will ever encounter on the highway. (or off)

Concrete can be mixed in a simple trough called a mortar box  which is easily made in a convenient size using 2x12 sides, curved at each end and galvanized iron for the bottom. It looks like this:  (________) in cross section.  Gravel and cement are mixed with a hoe five times end to end dry and about the same wet. It sounds like a lot of work but for small jobs it is easier than using a wheelbarrow. Cheap to build and easy to clean and it doubles as a roof if cleaned and inverted over your new Lister. Concrete would be my choice unless the unit must be portable in which case, heavy wooden skids bolted through with ready- rod would be  in order.

[t19]

I had a Diesel Passat.  I tried to tow my 2 skidoo's.... not good, she would do it but it was hard on the car.

Your Jetta is smaller and has a smaller engine and your going to pull more wieght

Rent a truck,  I used a 1/2 I rented, drove from Ottawa to Montreal, put the SOM in the back and drove it home... slowly

[Stan]

You were overweight Andrew, and I do mean the truck! 
Stan

[lowspeedlife]

I used my 99 toyota  pickup  to pick up my 20/2 late last year,  after 40 miles of slow driving I broke one leaf spring costiing me $500 to replace (I always replace in pairs), 1 day off work & a weekend to install. (all bolts so rusted they needed to be cut off, but because I could not get replacements for three days I ended up cutting off the leaf with a torch & grinding away the rubber & inner sleeve until it popped & the bolts would come out.) what a pain. but I have my 'roid.  ** translation = rent a truck if you must pick it up. better to have it delivered even if only to 40 km away. scott r.