This is just something I've been thinking about for years (since 1995)...don't think I'll ever be able to make it a reality though...
We've all seen the trash at Comp and Olds right? What if we had something on a "bigger" scale raking it up? I look at Golf ball collection carts, Street sweepers, Heavy farm equipment, Scrapers and Dozers and I can't help but think we could come up with something. I'm thinking something along the lines of a Dozer with a fine toothed rake behind it to run over the sand and get "most" of the surface trash.
I know it's a silly idea, but with all the fabricators here and whatnot, I'd think we could come up with something. Am I wrong? Would this be harder than it looks? I know it's gonna cost money, but wouldn't it be SOOOO worth it?
Come on everyone, give your opinions and suggestions..I'd like to see where this goes.
Full Version: An Idea For The Trash At G...
It has been looked at. There is a beachcomber type that was suggested to be used. The problem is if the rake goes deeper than 6 inches an environmental study must first be done to get approval to use it.
I've seen pics of guys at the cleanups dragging rake things with their trucks.
| QUOTE (JET @ Dec 28 2003, 01:47 PM) |
| It has been looked at. There is a beachcomber type that was suggested to be used. The problem is if the rake goes deeper than 6 inches an environmental study must first be done to get approval to use it. |
OK , then you can set the rake for 5.99 inches !!!!.
I suggested this a while back, but no prison official in CA would have the balls to do it.
I think they should set up a tent city prison, like that Sheriff in AZ did. He used military tents - if they are good enough to house our troops, they are plenty good enough for prisoners.
Set up the tent city in the closed areas of the dunes. Security could be less stringent since you can't run far or fast in the dunes, especially with slippers on. Use prison labor to clean up any part of the dunes that need it. Work them 10-12 hrs a day and haul them around in surplus Hummvees. Get hundreds of prisoners cleaning 4 days a week and I'm sure the dunes would be very clean.
This would save us taxpayers a lot of money on prison construction and the labor is free for the cleanups. We could even have them doing whatever improvements the public wants. I like this a lot better than sending them to Club Fed and letting them watch TV all day, or giving them free college educations and free medical care.
I think they should set up a tent city prison, like that Sheriff in AZ did. He used military tents - if they are good enough to house our troops, they are plenty good enough for prisoners.
Set up the tent city in the closed areas of the dunes. Security could be less stringent since you can't run far or fast in the dunes, especially with slippers on. Use prison labor to clean up any part of the dunes that need it. Work them 10-12 hrs a day and haul them around in surplus Hummvees. Get hundreds of prisoners cleaning 4 days a week and I'm sure the dunes would be very clean.
This would save us taxpayers a lot of money on prison construction and the labor is free for the cleanups. We could even have them doing whatever improvements the public wants. I like this a lot better than sending them to Club Fed and letting them watch TV all day, or giving them free college educations and free medical care.
Maybe someone can just write a nice letter to Sherif Joe over in PHX and see if he'll loan out a few pink-suit guys for a couple of weekends 
As for rakes. A couple have been built and used but none have proven to be all that effective yet. Most of them still take a lot of manual labor. The one R&R Duners built (which I think was sitting at the Ranger station for anyone who wants to use it) basically pulls stuff into a big pile so you just sift though that pile instead of looking everywhere. But it also needs someone sitting on the rake for ballast to make it dig in and do it's job.
KD Cycle built this one a few years back for the south dunes cleanup:
Not visible in the photo is the catch tray that fills with metal the magnets pick up. They were dumping the tray when I took the photo.
I know they've said it's at their shop and I can pick it up anytime if I'm heading to a cleanup and someone wants to use it. It's got magnets that help pick out nails and stuff automatically. But it needs to be cleaned off often and has to be drug VERY slow. They used one of their shop carts they called Dragon Wagon to tow it the first year they had it out.
As for rakes. A couple have been built and used but none have proven to be all that effective yet. Most of them still take a lot of manual labor. The one R&R Duners built (which I think was sitting at the Ranger station for anyone who wants to use it) basically pulls stuff into a big pile so you just sift though that pile instead of looking everywhere. But it also needs someone sitting on the rake for ballast to make it dig in and do it's job.
KD Cycle built this one a few years back for the south dunes cleanup:
Not visible in the photo is the catch tray that fills with metal the magnets pick up. They were dumping the tray when I took the photo.
I know they've said it's at their shop and I can pick it up anytime if I'm heading to a cleanup and someone wants to use it. It's got magnets that help pick out nails and stuff automatically. But it needs to be cleaned off often and has to be drug VERY slow. They used one of their shop carts they called Dragon Wagon to tow it the first year they had it out.
the beach combers are perfect.. they pick up evern the cig butts.. They only dig down a few inches.. and frankly I think they need to dig down like 3-4 feet to get it all..
BUT as usuall - hands are tied and we again are our own worst enemy..
Funny thing is.. those tractors out of san diego are only like 15k USED..
But then if they were cleaning up the dunes, then the big clean ups and poker runs would no longer have a use..
BUT as usuall - hands are tied and we again are our own worst enemy..
Funny thing is.. those tractors out of san diego are only like 15k USED..
But then if they were cleaning up the dunes, then the big clean ups and poker runs would no longer have a use..
How about some combs like they had on Spaceballs. They were combing the desert.
The rake idea seems good but it would only pick up the bigger pieces. I guess thats better than nothing. The small glass and nails would all still be there.
There's gotta be something that'll work. I like the prisoner idea.
The rake idea seems good but it would only pick up the bigger pieces. I guess thats better than nothing. The small glass and nails would all still be there.
There's gotta be something that'll work. I like the prisoner idea.
i could prolly rig something up... all it would take is a fine tooth rake being drug behind a truck... several passes scooped into a big ol pile would make it alot easier than just walkin around... lemme see what resources i can get my hands on and what i can work up... It probably wont be pretty but im sure it will get quite a bit of trash up...
I have always liked the idea of a competition. See who could build the most effective trash picker upper. I made one using a shopping cart basket with a ramp welded to the front. The design needed some fine tuning but was promising.
Now that I'm just stuck at home, I think I'm gonna come up with something. My brother owns a "fabrication" shop and has a plasma cutter, welders, a tube bender, etc. so we should be able to do something. I have the truck to pull whatever we make, wherever we go. This ought to be interesting. 
At last years Clean-Up and it worked good.
Was that last year's? I thought that was two years ago (geez, I gotta get some sleep!).
I believe that tool was eliminated due to the fact that it went down too far without a proper environmental assessment/impact statement/whatever.
Vicki
I believe that tool was eliminated due to the fact that it went down too far without a proper environmental assessment/impact statement/whatever.
Vicki
Maybe it was 2 years ago.
That's BS we need a study to clean the dunes. Our paddles dig that deep when you hammer on it, do we need a study for each paddle made?
SHEESH!
That's BS we need a study to clean the dunes. Our paddles dig that deep when you hammer on it, do we need a study for each paddle made?
SHEESH!
Stonehenge... Home Depot has those broomsticks with the magnet on the end (around $20 when you can make one at Harbor Freight for around $7) but if you're talking about those claw thingys, I don't know.
I could be wrong about that rake thingamabob. I know one was not allowed because it dug too far down, but I think there was another one used too that may have broken? Sheesh, I don't remember now.
Vicki
I could be wrong about that rake thingamabob. I know one was not allowed because it dug too far down, but I think there was another one used too that may have broken? Sheesh, I don't remember now.
Vicki
thats sorta the idea i had...cept goin to HomeREPO and gettin 3 of the big rakes and 2 or 3 leaf rakes... basically put the big rakes in the front and the leaf rakes behind and some bricks or chunks of steel to weight it down... the big rakes get the big stuff the leaf rakes drag up the small loose stuff...
link no workey
I have been giving this a little thought, what about a cart on wheels with the bottom being made out of fine expanded metal, with an adjustable ramp that could be set to only dig into the sand a few inches. Everything would go up the ramp then the sand would fall out the bottom catching all the trash? You could possibly add somekind of a motor to "shake" the cart to speed up the sand falling through the grate. As it worked the trash would be packed into the back of the cart.
That picture was from the 2002 cleanup where Larry "Railcrzy" in his Z71 towed the "sandrake" around Comp. Hill. That is R&R Duner Amanda on for the ride!!!
I believe the sandrake is still at the Ranger station for anyone to use??? Ranger Sharky was the last to use it before he transfered to Carson City. If someone can check on it maybe this week or Friday, I'm sure you can find someone to tow it around Comp hill again...
That cost me about $25 dollars to make and works great...
I believe the sandrake is still at the Ranger station for anyone to use??? Ranger Sharky was the last to use it before he transfered to Carson City. If someone can check on it maybe this week or Friday, I'm sure you can find someone to tow it around Comp hill again...
That cost me about $25 dollars to make and works great...
This is an idea that needs to stay on top.
We had someone looking into borrowing a beach cleaner from one of the local beaches but my memory is fuzzy now as to why that didn't work out. As I recall it was hard to reach the people in charge but that was May and pretty close to summer.
We chose that route because it is a device owned and operated by a federal land management agency so we hoped to avoid the roadblocks.
Maybe starting now would make it happen. We'll add it to the list
Vicki
We chose that route because it is a device owned and operated by a federal land management agency so we hoped to avoid the roadblocks.
Maybe starting now would make it happen. We'll add it to the list
Vicki
Picking up the trash by hand is actually the best way. Even the fancy Santa Monica beach sweepers (or whatever they call them) only get a portion of the trash and I believe it's mostly paper products.
Last year at the Olds cleanup I realized that I didn't have to stray to far from the truck (cooler) to keep filling up trash bags. After a few heavy cars came by there would be nice new shiny sharp pieces of beer cans visible, ripe for the picking. Just by turning over the sand a bit reveals all kinds of treasures. I've come across at least 2 walkie-talkies and a not very functional GPS @ past cleanups. Someone also found a $20 bill last time too!
So other than a bunch of heavy, high HP sand cars, what else is out there to turn/churn up the sand?
Last year at the Olds cleanup I realized that I didn't have to stray to far from the truck (cooler) to keep filling up trash bags. After a few heavy cars came by there would be nice new shiny sharp pieces of beer cans visible, ripe for the picking. Just by turning over the sand a bit reveals all kinds of treasures. I've come across at least 2 walkie-talkies and a not very functional GPS @ past cleanups. Someone also found a $20 bill last time too!
So other than a bunch of heavy, high HP sand cars, what else is out there to turn/churn up the sand?
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