Will box blade do this, or do I need a bulldozer?

[Missouri Pioneer]

I need to make a crossing across a drainage ditch so I can cross with equipment and vehicles. There is seasonal water. The ditch is wide and about 8-10' deep. What I have in mind is grading a ramp on each side. It is too big and wide to consider any sort of bridge.

I had hoped to convince a neighbor with a bulldozer to help, but was unsuccessful. He said I could easily do it with my box blade, which is a seven footer and weighs about 1100 pounds.

The current grade is steep and just a little scary going up with my ATV. I wouldn't want to come up it with my tractor and going down for that first bite would be too dangerous, as far as I am concerned.

Would the best plan be to back up to it and then start pulling dirt away to change the grade? Since I need to angle the grade downwards, would I just gradually raise the BB as I move forward (away from the ditch)? Or would it be better to grade parallel to the ditch?

Or would it be better to hire a bulldozer?

Above all, I don't want to roll it, get hurt and damage my equipment.

Rough sketch below.

 

[greg_g]

Assuming you have plenty of time and fuel, it could be done with a HD boxblade. Dragging the dirt uphill wouldn't be that much of a problem. Where I see difficulty is in what to do with the dirt you've removed. Pushing any amount of weight with a boxblade can easily cause damage to your lift arms and/or toplink. Repairing/replacing might cost more than hiring a dozer.

So if you're at all uncomfortable working the slopes, I'm thinkin' your best option would be a bulldozer. It will do the job in about 1/10th of the time, and solve the problem of consolidating the removed material somewhere out of the way.

//greg//

 

[Verticaltrx]

The method you described should work. Just back up and start pulling dirt away from the edge. Also, if there is no water in the ditch at the time, you could also push some dirt back into the ditch. Just do what ever it takes to get the edge cut down enough that you can safely start driving your tractor through the ditch. At that point you can cut it down to your desired grade and also pull out any soil you already put in there.

 

[JB4310]

From that sketch it looks very doable, as long as there is a spot nearby to unload the spoil. looks like a job perfectly suited to a box blade.

JB

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

Getting rid of the soil is no problem whatsoever. There are some low spots in the approach that need building up.

 

[jenkinsph]

You can use your boxblade to pull the dirt away as others have mentioned. A good approach to a crossing like this is to make it as wide as possible to slow the water down when it does rain. Make the bottom flat and wide about three times the present width then taper the sides to a grade you are comfortable with. With successive rains it may well fill in a little as the water slowing down will drop out some soil from upstream.

 

[slowzuki]

I've done it with a loader, surely you can do it with box by backing.

 

[TripleR]

Actually, I would begin the cut with my FEL, then go to the box blade pulling it away from the drainage ditch. Dozers are great, but I see no reason you can't do it with a good box blade and FEL.

 

[E/S]

How much seasonal flow ?
Have you thought about a culvert ?

E/S

 

[two_bit_score]

How much seasonal flow ?
Have you thought about a culvert ?

E/S

Looks like a great idea to me. Would be a lot easier, too, I think.