enlarging a pond

[Anonymous Poster]

I have a 3/4 acre pond and want to make it at least a full acre. My tractor is a Kubota b7500 w/fel and backhoe. Can the fel handle the work or should I just start digging for the next 6 months with the backhoe.

 

[rf33]

Depending on your soil conditions, you most likely would have to use your backhoe for most of the digging. Perhaps the addition of a toothbar to your loader bucket (if you don't have one already) would allow you to use your loader. Either way, it is going to take quite a while. If you have plenty of time on your hands, it will certainly give you lots of seat time on your tractor, but if you are short on time, you would probably be better off hiring the work out or renting an excavator. It is pretty staggering the amount of dirt even a small pond like you are talking about really contains. For example if you consider that a 1 acre lake with an average depth of 9 feet holds 14,520 yards of dirt. To enlarge a lake by a quarter acre would then take around 3600 yards of dirt. If you have a 1 yard loader bucket (a pretty big bucket at that), then it will only take you 3600 trips into the lake and then back to where you will be piling all this dirt. The scope of lake projects usually necessitates either an excavator, or a dozer and dry weather.

 

[diggernh]

I too, have a B7500 with BH. If it were me, I would loosen the dirt with the BH and then bucket it out with the fel. This will make it easier on the tractor and a very enjoyable job to do.

 

[JonLeonard]

I would imagine using any small tractor to remove an area 100' by 100' to depth of say 6 feet, would take QUITE some time.

60,000 cubic feet of soil (2200 yards)!

I dont count my time worth much, but for that much dirt I think I'd hire it done or rent an excavator and a dump truck. Would give you some seat (play) time with a big piece of equipment too /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jon

 

[paccorti]

Chris,

I think we need more info for this. How deep do you want the new section to be? When you dig will the pond be full or will the water level be low? What kind of ground are you digging in... clay, rock, etc?

I removed about 80 cubic yards from my pond using my TC35D with FEL. It was a huge amount of fun.

Peter

 

[rf33]

Peter, I would certainly agree that we might need more info on this, and moving 80 yards of dirt with a 35 HP tractor sounds like alot of fun too, but moving 3000 yards of dirt with a 21HP tractor might just be a little too much fun.

 

[LTEnterprises]

why not rent a dozer and just start from the center and work back and fourth in a circle and do it that way ..I think thats what I am gonna do when I make mine deeper / bigger

 

[rf33]

You could also use a dozer to enlarge a lake / pond, but most of the contractors I have seen use excavators for some reason. I think that for buiding a new lake, lotsa guys use dozers, but maybe it just takes too darn long to get suitably dry in the bottom of the lake once it has been filled?

 

[Kodiak]

A dozen sticks of dupont ( dynamite ) would be a lot quicker.

 

[Dozernut]

The biggest hurdle of enlarging your pond is water control. Are you building another dam or using the existing one? You can enlarge your pond using small equipment, if you can keep your water level down. If you are building a new dam you can leave the center open, until the last minute, for water control. Keep in mind that your dam needs a good, compacted clay, key to keep it from leaking. You are going to have some difficulty with a tractor, climbing slopes with a load. If the clay gets wet you will find it hard to climb a slope with no load and it becomes very dangerous. You will need to lower the water level of your pond and let it dry a little before your new work. A coffer dam can be constructed to help keep the water out of the new addition and this can be removed easily with your hoe when done. My recomendation is to hire a dozer or track hoe to do your excavating. This will only take them a day or two. You can then use your tractor to level and landscape.