Fundraisers/Raffles - Important

i think they are like 450 new...so pretty meh as far as used prices go...

IIRC tractor supply sells the head for around 350 and the blade for another 100
 
yager said:
I'm thinking build a 'thing':
- It can be towed by a regular hitch, possibly removable 'tow bar', drop down wheels etc..
- Has a good size engine* with a hydraulic pump setup.
- Has hydro driven wheels (thinking ditch witch type/size) for slow moving to crawl in to position.
I've spent all of 2 mins here so, possibly 3 wheeler with non driven front wheel for easy maneuvering ?? Sorta like driving a skid steer or larger hydrostat mower. 2 levers steer or both forward for straight.
- 2 drop legs that can be used to stabelize/level/position the platform
- Replicate a standard 3 point hitch so other attachments can be used?
This will give power up/down
- make it walk behind/ stand to operate possibly

dono just thinking....

* What size engine would be needed 10hp or 20? etc..
Click to expand...

This "Thing" exists as a rental tool already, uses a 13hp Honda engine powering a hyd pump, swings in a cradle on one end, opposite end is the power head/drive motor. will drive up to an 18" auger I believe. tows behind a vehicle, and balances the motor and drive on the trailer wheels, easy to move around ( on flat ground ) with one person. I used one to dig my fence line and set daughters swing set last fall.

http://www.sunbeltrentals.com/Equipment/equipment.aspx?itemid=0700033&catid=s85

This thing is simple and easy to use, including lay out and a break down ( pull rope broke ) it took me 4hrs to set 26 2.5' holes in JoCo soil ( clay and rock ) working by myself ( with a 6yo assistant )
 
Good call, I forgot all about those. And pretty affordable at $100/day.
 
There isn't one piece of equipment that is going to be the perfect fit for trail work. Every piece of equipment listed so far by various people was considered back in March:

Tow Behind Auger: Has been used by other clubs at Uwharrie. Can make putting in a limited amount of guard rail easier depending on location. As mentioned above, it is easy to maneuver on FLAT GROUND. Putting guard rail up on the side of the trail that has drop off/hill, its not that great for.

2 Man Auger: Arguably the cheapest option and most maneuverable. Has a limited depth and is often stopped dead in its tracks by rocks that other Augers like a tow behind or Bobcat attachment won't have issues with.

Dingo Auger: About the same as the tow behind Auger, but a bit more expensive. If you are going this route you might as well rent a Bobcat due to cost.

Bobcat (Skidsteer Loader) w/ Auger: The most expensive route, but also the most efficient route. It is quite maneuverable only to be outdone by the 2 Man Auger. But while most of the others (minus the Dingo) are only for drilling holes, the Bobcat can be used for other jobs when the Auger is removed and the bucket or other attachment is added. The major downside again is cost, and getting the equipment out to the trails and back to the rental place.


And while considering all the options keep in mind we are not drilling holes in a flat field with large amounts of space around us. It isn't as simple as going down a straight line and marking spots every so many feet and drilling a hole, then going to the next spot. Here is the process for drilling a hole at Uwharrie since most aren't aware:

-1st off the guard rail plus posts have to be there for measuring and fitment.

-You line up your first piece of guard rail on the ground. You maneuver it behind/in front of trees as needed to make sure it blocks the illegal bypass that it is there for.

-You mark the first hole. You begin to drill it. You may or may not hit rocks or other obstacles. You will have to use one of the posts to gauge if you are getting the hole drilled deep enough. If you cannot get the hole drilled deep enough you have to drill another hole, or widen the hole by drilling right next to it.

-Once you have reached the proper depth you start drilling the 2nd hole as the others get the post in the 1st hole. Again you have to use a post as a depth gauge. If you finish drilling the hole before the others get the 1st post in then you have to wait. Especially if you are installing guard railing at an angle. To make sure the guard railing will bend enough/contour to the angle you are working with. If everything lines up and you can bolt up the 2 posts together, then you start back filling the 2nd post etc. If not you will have to possibly widen the hole, or drill a second hole if depth issues arise.

And then you repeat the process.

Its not as simple as marking a spot every so many feet, drilling the holes and then coming back later and putting the guard railing in. If that was the case the Forest Service would have one of the volunteer groups go ahead and drill holes, and the other group come along behind and install the guard railing. The reality of the situation is the guard railing has to be installed as the holes are drilled to make sure the pieces fit together and are installed correctly to block the illegal bypasses that they are there for.

A combination of short and long pieces are used, in conjunction with various numbers of posts. Some pieces we may be able to dig holes deep enough to only use one post on each end. Others may be too shallow or have a dip in the middle of the terrain so we have to use a 3rd post like we did this past workday. Again there are too many variables involved in the equation to just pre-drill holes.

In approx a 6 hour period with a Bobcat w/Auger and a crew of 10 people we were able to put up if memory serves 12 pieces of guard railing (maybe 13). That is in fairly cool weather (March), with time for a lunch break. This involves the time to drag the guard railing by vehicle to each site, and move the equipment/group between each site as the railing is installed. This is about as good as it gets, period with one group. The only way we could have installed more railing is if we upped it to an 8 hour day, which would have put us working till 6pm.

Change this scenario to its a 2 man auger, with 10 people. Its HOT in the 90's with enough humidity to make it feel like its in the 100's (just about any summer work day). You will not get the same amount of work done, it just isn't possible. And if its hot enough you won't have people working past 2pm. The group was kind enough this past work day to head back out and work till a bit past 3pm even with the heat because of the circumstances with the Auger breaking.

If we didn't have the Auger(s) break this past work day I am sure we could have doubled our guard railing installation from 4 to 8 pieces. But that would have been the max, we wouldn't have been able to install 12/13 pieces like we were with the Bobcat. Even with a 2nd auger we really didn't have enough people to efficiently run 2 teams installing at the same time.

So for the immediate term we need to either work out a rental/purchase of a 2 man auger, or find a rental company that will work with us on a skidsteer loader rental. Right now it looks like the 2 man auger option will be the simplest most cost efficient. I will still work on the Skidsteer loader options, but I know the reality of the situation. A working 2 man auger will be a huge improvement over the busted FS augers we had to deal with. And I am sure at this point it would be great to just have a running auger for July.

Right now Falls Dam still has a good amount of guard railing to install, and Dutch John also has guard railing that needs to be installed. If you combine all the sites Terry had flagged for guard railing on Falls Dam back in March that we didn't get to, plus the NEW sites we didn't get to this past July you are at least talking 2 work days worth of guard railing. Maybe 3 days if depending on the equipment available. I am not sure how much is needed on Dutch John, but at least say another 1-2 work days. Lets just say we get the Falls Dam work done in 2 days, and Dutch John work in 2 to be fair. That leaves 2 more work days left in the year.

And at some point there will be trail repairs needed, and other work that will require the use of a Bobcat or other equipment that has a bucket attached. This can range from filling in normal ruts/erosion on the trails, installing culverts, repairing/cleaning drainage berms and ditches, filling in illegal mud holes/ruts/bypasses, any road work or misc grading work needed in other areas, and the list goes on.

Its safe to say we could use some form of equipment every work day and still have work left over to do. And by the time this is all said and done we will be back at February before we know it. And a goal I have been talking to Terry about is having us be able to do the trail repairs that they usually contract out. Again this refers back to the guy with the Bobcat that many volunteers ran into back in Feb/March of this year riding around.

Our level of involvement will dictate what kind of work we get to do out at Uwharrie. I think a lot of people don't realize this. What we bring to the table will greatly impact what kind of trail work we end up doing. If I tell Terry, hey we have this this and this equipment lined up to do trail repairs she will come back with work for us to do with the equipment we have. The scope of the amount of work to be done at Uwharrie is huge, thanks to the explosion in use of the trails in the past couple years. We can only be limited by what what we decide to bring to the table.

Just think if we were able to get involved with the trail construction/re-route process.....
 
I'll admitt that I have not been keeping up with this thread. COuple questions
Does the FS have a tractor? For use by volunteers while on a work day??
If the answer is yes, I have a three point hitch post hole digger I will Donate.
 
upnover said:
I'll admitt that I have not been keeping up with this thread. COuple questions
Does the FS have a tractor? For use by volunteers while on a work day??
If the answer is yes, I have a three point hitch post hole digger I will Donate.
Click to expand...

The FS has a tractor, I don't know if its for use by volunteers. And its not set up for 3 point hitch attachments. That was something Terry specifically mentioned. This was an option we discussed, a Bobcat was actually one of the last ideas discussed.

(See when see mentioned it wasn't attachment ready, I didn't go further into it to ask if we could use it)
 
Im 100% positive there are multiple tractor owners on this board who would help out.
Maybe give them $50 to cover fuel etc, but certainly cheaper than the other mentioned avenues.

A boom auger, a box scrape, a pulverizer and a tractor could do anything and more the cat could do...add a FEL and bucket and its even better
 
I have a tractor that I wouldn't mind bringing up to do some work some time.
I'm in Spartanburg, SC so its a little bit of a drive.
I have:
Post hole digger(but its a light duty unit)
Pulverizer
Box Scrape
Front end loader

I also have a one man post hole digger that works ok (doesn't like rocks) that I could bring along.
 
Hmm, maybe use the $$$ to compensate board members/volunteers for use of their equipment versus buying or renting other equipment?
 
I wouldn't take any money.

I have a friend with a bobcat, but I'll have to see if he'd be willing to either bring it/operate it or let me use it.
I know he doesn't have a auger for it, but he has rented them in the past and wants to buy one.
 
I have a Kubota (4wd) , with FEL and 60" box blade, properly fitted with Chip's auger, I think it could do a lot of what is needed, had a discussion with Yager over the weekend about this actually, I'm sure there is a way to get it to Uwharrie if the need arises. It is small enough to get into some tight places. and if it does happen to have an issue, easily towable. it'll run about 10hrs on 6gal of fuel, so a day in the woods is definatley doable.
 
I'd be happy to haul a small tractor out to Uwharrie for a work weekend on my trailer, providing the tractor weighs 5,000 pounds or less. That is assuming the wife and I could find some seats in someone's rig(s)for the trails since I couldn't bring my Jeep and the tractor. We're unavailable for the July and August workdays, but plan to attend most of the others. Just throwing it out there as an option...
 
SkyHiK5 said:
Im 100% positive there are multiple tractor owners on this board who would help out.
Maybe give them $50 to cover fuel etc, but certainly cheaper than the other mentioned avenues.

A boom auger, a box scrape, a pulverizer and a tractor could do anything and more the cat could do...add a FEL and bucket and its even better
Click to expand...

A tractor is a great idea if people are willing to haul their equipment all the way up to URE and back. Its a lot to ask of someone, but if they are willing to do it more power to them. The one club that attended the last work day had a tractor with FEL.

As far as Bobcat vs Tractor the two are close to evenly matched. For every attachment you can put on a tractor there is one to put on a Bobcat.

I am working on getting the contact info on the Uwharrie based company with the Bobcat/Auger so we can at least find out if its an option. From there I will start making phone calls/visits to rental companies again, to see what can be hammered out.

Beyond the long term what do we want to do in the short term. Like the July/August work days?

Do we want to rent an Auger (in what ever form)? Someone possibly bring one (in what ever form)? And what I think we should consider last buying options (in what ever form)?
 
All right lets talk about raising money.

The first thing that comes to mind is fundraisers/raffles. I went up to Uwharrie this past Monday and briefly talked with Chris about a NC4X4 day being held in the OHV gravel parkinglot at the Outpost. This would have to be cleared with Shawn but I think its a good start. The only money we would possibly have to spend is on a canopy. I know one person offered the use of one, but I know we will at least need 2. I have no problem picking up a water cooler and some powder Gatorade etc. And hopefully other people can bring water coolers etc.

A raffle would be a key point for the NC4X4 day. This will be the hardest part, getting vendors to donate prizes. Getting people interested in it is easy. With all the cones, signs, my truck with the strobes, banners, etc we will be good on drawing people in. And advertising on here and other venues will cover the outside awareness. The 2nd biggest hurdle will be food, because that is always key. But we have the resources for that. I am thinking I will be sending Terry a PM soon.

So what do you guys think?
 
We ran into a technicality with ECORS on raffles...NC statute says you must be a licensed non profit otherwise the raffle is considered gambling...
 
Yeah, this needs to wait.
 
Yeah the Non-profit Organization deal isn't a small hurdle I have found out. Places want over $500 to take care of the paperwork for you, which is crazy. I wonder if there are any NFPOs in our community/vicinity that would be willing to help us, but that is a long shot.
 
DRaider90 said:
Yeah the Non-profit Organization deal isn't a small hurdle I have found out. Places want over $500 to take care of the paperwork for you, which is crazy. I wonder if there are any NFPOs in our community/vicinity that would be willing to help us, but that is a long shot.
Click to expand...

Um I might be able to help with that part. Let me make a call I know the group I won't mention the name yet would at least want to sell there T-shirts at the event.
 
Ok well that sucked went straight to the man and legally they can't do it because of some stuff what ever. He did tell me that all we have to do is elect a President and treasurer and the treasurer can go to the IRS website apply for a non profit ID that last one he did took 2hrs to get he said. Take that to the bank and open an acct and thats it. He said it was real easy so something you might want to look into.
 
I have 36pr of leather work gloves, a new 5 gallon water cooler and $20 for the gas/diesel for the equipment. I have been to Uwharrie once but fighting for trails is something I wholeheartedly believe in. July 17 is out for me so I need someone to get the stuff that is going. I have talked to Eli but I know he is on the other side of UNF from me. Anyone from teh Asheboro/Greensboro going 7/17 I need to get this stuff to you.

I would contact SFWDA, Blue Ribbon, ect about non-profit status under their umbrella.
 
There are various types of non-profit organizations.

Generally CLUBS, like Carolina TrailBlazers, CNC, etc are formally set up as an EXEMPT organization, so they are NOT a “charity” where any givings are actually a tax deductible event. BUT, they are also not paying any taxes on their dues, and can even run a certain amount of Raffles and such (under NC law there are some caps to those, nother day, nother post on that)

To be a 501c3 (charity) takes a lot more work and I don’t believe that is the direction you want to go, I am pretty sure UFWDA, SFWDA, Trout Unlimited, etc are NOT 501c3 and they are working.

So the Social Club would be the same as other 4x4 clubs and I think that is the designation you would want to go for:

501(c)(7), a social club must be organized for pleasure, recreation, and other similar nonprofitable purposes and substantially all of its activities must be for these purposes
http://www.irs.gov/charities/nonprofits/article/0,,id=96189,00.html

I sent the instructions and form to Sean (Saf-T) and as always, I am willing to help as needed.

You would ALSO need to file and get a FEIN for the organization, you can file SS-4 to get this OR there is an online process that is MUCH MUCH faster!! This is like your SSNumber but for the “Friends of Uwharrie” to identify them, it is used when opening the bank account, etc.


http://www.irs.gov/charities/nonprofits/index.html
http://www.irs.gov/charities/nonprofits/content/0,,id=132157,00.html

Based on the thread above it WOULD make sense any equipment to be owned by this organization. (I am not sure what rules there are to use "your" equipment in the forest, for example if I bring MY chainsaw for a workday, vs one of the FS chainsaws...)

I will keep an eye on the thread, you know how to get ahold of me as needed!!
 
Back
Top