Jump to content

Gonsalviz

Advanced Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    3,515

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Gonsalviz

    Who Says You Can'T Ride During The Rainy Season?

    in Motorcycles in Thailand

    Posted

    Awesome Video Tony, great picture quality too.

    The trip we done was not only blessed by weather Gods but we also had a group of Bikes that couldn't be much more different. And even with all that we managed to have some great riding - no matter what bike you're sitting on.

    Here is a picture of the Bikes:

    5102127012_1990d2c2ec_b.jpg

    Bikes from left to right : Kawasaki Ninja 250 , Yamaha Virago 750 , Suzuki GSXR 1000, BMW K1200LT

    happy trails,

    mbox

    I rode my Road King 2800 miles in August. Somehow it just seemed not to rain on the days I was riding. The wife says it is because she is a lucky person.

    There were clouds all around some days, they just didn't seem to be over us.

    Everytime I stopped to put on the rain suit it seemed the clouds just parted.

    It was great. This picture is when we stopped near Chaiyaphum for some guy yang and som tom. :D

    post-61267-048560700 1288129919_thumb.jp

    Bike Shop

    in Motorcycles in Thailand

    Posted

    What makes his post a troll?

    OP

    http://www.big-cycle.com/home.php

    These guys are in Udon Thani and should be able to point you in the right direction.

    I have heard that these guys are a bit high on there pricing. I have heard that the Kawasaki shop in Udon has a good machine shop and better on price.

    I am not going on experience just what I have read in TV and Udonmap.com.

    Thanks. I am not wanting to buy anything. Labor should be cheap enough. I suspect I will have to show them how to do it anyway.

    Architect

    in DIY Forum

    Posted

    OK – here's a couple photos. It's still work in progress for some of the finishing though:

    And just to clarify some things:

    The OP stated that he lives in Udon Thani province (which is where I am at the moment although on opposite sides of the city) so I was relating to what he might expect around here. And, along with some rendering sketches, I also had floor plan using some free download software (pretty basic but gave a good idea of what we wanted). We went to two builders in Udon city both of which just hauled out their stock plans and which one did we like. They did not seem at all interested in building something otherwise. So, we ended up talking to 4 local "builders". All were interested but would only quote based on overall dimensions even though I offered to pay for a design plan and detail material estimate. One guy did make a stab at a design using some software but it was a wooden structure on stilts and barely resembling what we showed him (and a "quote" of 3-4m). So, we ended up going with a guy that said he understood what we wanted (but also would not or could not put anything on paper) so we agreed to a phase approach paying him for labor and we bought the materials. The footings went pretty well so we went on to the 1st floor foundation and the problems started (they were ready to pour cement until I asked where was the plumbing) Anyway... to make a long story short we fired that guy and the next one. The labor we hired turned out to be pretty good at their respective craft (although a couple were really lazy) and just needed to be told what to do and where to do it along with a LOT of supervision in case they took it on themselves to be "clever" or trying to cover up screwups instead of fixing or re-doing.

    Back to architects... with your experience it seems strange you would say architects are not builders. In my two personal experiences using an architect (here and in the states), his company was the builder and supervised the construction folks he employs (although not full time). In both cases, the end result was very good and well worth the extra cost. When it's the other way around, I doubt you get the same quality product. And my observation is that most major projects are done by architectural firms versus Ajax Construction. After all, architects have educational, apprenticeship, and licensing requirements whereas I don't know of any similar requirements to be a "builder".

    Just to be clear, Nong Bua Lamphu is it's own province and I am at the west side of that near the Loei border.

    Overbrook Hospital Misdiagnosed

    in Chiang Rai

    Posted

    My TW's Mother has some intestinal problem and was told she needed an operation (up north). She went to Bangkok in hopes of finding better quality treatment. She found a better hospital and was told she needed the operation for an amount that was far out of her reach. She went to a 3rd hospital in hopes of getting the price down and was told she needed no operation at all. She went back home and has been fine since. (about 4 months)

    2nd and 3rd opinions are adviseable any where.:jap:

    Bike Shop

    in Motorcycles in Thailand

    Posted

    It would really help if you stated in your post where you live.

    Lots of machine shops in Thailand and a lot of skilled mechanics.

    If you own a Harley as many here do...you will know or ask.

    Troll

    In the heading it says Udorn Thani. Did you want my house address?

    Bike Shop

    in Motorcycles in Thailand

    Posted · Edited by Gonsalviz

    I have a geared cam set for a Twin Cam. Any shops or any one in the area that have the equipment for this job? I think all I really need is a press.

    Also I need to know where to get tires installed.

    Cover Crops For Young Rubber Fields

    in Farming in Thailand Forum

    Posted · Edited by Gonsalviz

    Gonsalviz it sounds like your rubber is doing well. Good luck. I'm not trying to farm ambitiously enough to raise a cash crop. I just want something to help the land along and cut down some of the problems.

    Drtreelove, I followed the weed control thread when it was active because I have a small orchard too that I'd like to not have to mow so often. Mine's not much more than a rai so it's not too big a problem. I've been playing with perennial peanut as a cover crop there but it's not yet spreading as fast as I'd hoped.

    Most of the suggestions in that and other threads I've seen are for annuals and seem to be more appropriate to field crops since they have to be cut or disced in and replanted frequently. Last spring we went to the land development office to ask about green manures. They weren't terribly knowledgeable but they did give us 50 KG of jack bean. That wasn't enough for 14 rai but was enough to try it out a little. They sprouted in 2 or 3 days and grew well. We disced most of them under when we planted the rubber but a few survived and we let them grow. They got pretty big but kind of woody and I'm not sure how they'll do during the dry season. According to the tropical forges site the mature plants have a good root system and can be used for erosion control. The ones I've pulled up didn't seem that extensive but maybe they weren't old enough.

    WatersEdge, your tip about the beans may well be why I haven't seen anything about them being used in rubber fields. Regarding some of the other possibles, I'm hoping to end up with a legume type for the nitrogen benefit. Like you say, there's lots of things to try but rubber's been commercial for so long that surely someone else has done all the work and I can just tag along.

    From reading, pueraria phaseoloides seems to be a very popular rubber field cover crop. It's common name is kudzu and that's a little scary because I'm from north Florida and have seen kudzu take over roadsides and grow straight up over the pine trees. But when used as a cover crop it looks like it should be cut every 3 months and spread as mulch so I guess that keeps it from being too aggressive.

    Our dry season is so long and hard here that I suppose anything I plant is going to compete with the rubber for water. I have considered irrigation but that's not something to be entered into lightly even if my 14 rai is small by rubber field standards. But, that's a topic for another thread after I sort things out a little better and find out the tree's water requirements, possible pipe runs vs plowing paths, the head I'll need to pump, operating costs, etc., etc.

    I don't grow the corn. The brother in law does. He tends the trees and fertilizes them for use of the land.

    Architect

    in DIY Forum

    Posted

    In my experience, you will be wasting your time with an architect unless he will also supervise the construction. If your main requirement is the floor plan, you just need a decent builder (but good luck on that) or the wherewithall to supervise construction yourself. Having just gone through the DYI with pretty good result I can tell you it is definitely a challange and work to keep on top of things, but you will save at least 50% of what the so called "builders" will screw up anyway.

    This I do not doubt. i am still working on which way i want to go.

    Thanks for the input.

×
×
  • Create New...