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ETD66SS · 04-29-2008, 09:03 PM

I'm new to this site. I have posted my project on other sites, but this one seems more active, so I'll post it here too:

Hi all, this will be a long post with a lot of pictures, I hope I don't bore anyone.

I started my pond(s) project in the summer of 2006.

I bought a Caterpillar D6C dozer hoping that would be the only tool I needed for the job.

My plan was to dig two ponds and connect them with a culvert. This was to facilitate driveway between them, as shown here:

Pond(s) plan

Here are some pictures of the very early stages of the small pond, it's only .32 acres in size:

Excavating 2006

I ran into a problem at about 8 ft deep, the gray clay was soaked, and I was afraid to get my dozer stuck. So I had to abandoned the digging for that year. I was disappointed, I wanted to get to 16 ft deep.

It was a very wet fall & winter, here is what the pond looked like the next spring/early summer:

Spring 2007

In the fall of 2006 I bought a CAT 225 excavator, as I needed to dig the small pond deeper, and knew I needed something to dig the large pond with.

The spring/summer of 2007 was very dry, I pumped out the ~7ft deep pond, and made a ramp down in, and took my CAT 225 as far in as I dared. I was able to get to ~14-15ft deep using my 225:

Deepening the small pond

I finally ended up with this:

Finished small pond

Now it was on to the larger pond with the CAT 225.

I am not an experienced heavy equipment operator, and it probably shows in my results, but here is how far I got with the large pond last summer:

Digging large pond

Cross section of channel

Unfortunately, I only got 2/3 complete with the excavation before winter & wet weather came. I can't dig in the fall/winter months if it's too wet, as my dump truck is just a Louisville tandem axle, I don't have a articulating dump. The pond stated to fill up quick:

Large pond filling

Ponds pretty full late winter

Finally, here is what they look like now:

Ponds, spring of 2008

Now, I know I have a lot of work to do with the banks, and the slopes in some areas. I wish I could have gotten everything done as quickly as the pro's do it, but that didn't happen.

That is pretty much where my project stands now. I have to pump out the larger pond into the smaller one, and let the excess flow out the spillway before I can continue with the excavation.

Currently I'm building a new base & cage for my trash pump. I'm replacing the 2 gallon fuel tank with a 50 gallon tank from an old dump truck so I can run the pump for 4-5 days straight.

04-29-2008, 09:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
ETD66SS Bronze Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Newfane, New York Posts: 86	My Pond Project I'm new to this site. I have posted my project on other sites, but this one seems more active, so I'll post it here too: Hi all, this will be a long post with a lot of pictures, I hope I don't bore anyone. I started my pond(s) project in the summer of 2006. I bought a Caterpillar D6C dozer hoping that would be the only tool I needed for the job. My plan was to dig two ponds and connect them with a culvert. This was to facilitate driveway between them, as shown here: Pond(s) plan Here are some pictures of the very early stages of the small pond, it's only .32 acres in size: Excavating 2006 I ran into a problem at about 8 ft deep, the gray clay was soaked, and I was afraid to get my dozer stuck. So I had to abandoned the digging for that year. I was disappointed, I wanted to get to 16 ft deep. It was a very wet fall & winter, here is what the pond looked like the next spring/early summer: Spring 2007 In the fall of 2006 I bought a CAT 225 excavator, as I needed to dig the small pond deeper, and knew I needed something to dig the large pond with. The spring/summer of 2007 was very dry, I pumped out the ~7ft deep pond, and made a ramp down in, and took my CAT 225 as far in as I dared. I was able to get to ~14-15ft deep using my 225: Deepening the small pond I finally ended up with this: Finished small pond Now it was on to the larger pond with the CAT 225. I am not an experienced heavy equipment operator, and it probably shows in my results, but here is how far I got with the large pond last summer: Digging large pond Cross section of channel Unfortunately, I only got 2/3 complete with the excavation before winter & wet weather came. I can't dig in the fall/winter months if it's too wet, as my dump truck is just a Louisville tandem axle, I don't have a articulating dump. The pond stated to fill up quick: Large pond filling Ponds pretty full late winter Finally, here is what they look like now: Ponds, spring of 2008 Now, I know I have a lot of work to do with the banks, and the slopes in some areas. I wish I could have gotten everything done as quickly as the pro's do it, but that didn't happen. That is pretty much where my project stands now. I have to pump out the larger pond into the smaller one, and let the excess flow out the spillway before I can continue with the excavation. Currently I'm building a new base & cage for my trash pump. I'm replacing the 2 gallon fuel tank with a 50 gallon tank from an old dump truck so I can run the pump for 4-5 days straight.