looking at pull type dirt pans......any advice?

[leeinmemphis]

Hey everyone,

I have a kubota m5040 4x4 with a loader and a toothbar. I have hired a dirt contractor to renovate the edges of a pond that I drained because when it was originally built the owner didn't excavate enough dirt around the edge of the pond. The pond is approximately 3/4-1 acre in size and I need to see about taking the edges down approx 3'. My contractor appears to be fairly busy and I don't know if he is going to be able to work in such a small job. I am considering taking the money that I was going to pay him and buy a dirt pan. I was thinking that I could use both my loader and pan at the same time to help excavate and carry the dirt to the dump site(approx. 300 yards away). The dirt is firm enough to drive on with the tractor and I think the dirt pan may help speed up the excavation process. I have asked for a price on a hoeschler and another brand. I have already received a price on a durabilt unit $2899. That is about $1500 cheaper than I was going to pay the contractor.

Ag Equipment USA

Here is a pic of the pond and you can see the waterline that is needed to be taken down:

I also have a fullsize backhoe and a d4 dozer that I can use if needed. I am very interested in how much the hoeschler is because I like the looks of it on their website. If it is close to the other price then I would probably go for it but the durabilt is available through my local coop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BTDT]

Here is one that someone made. You might be able to do the same.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/85610-earth-mover-my-neighbor-built.html

 

[leeinmemphis]

Here is one that someone made. You might be able to do the same.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/85610-earth-mover-my-neighbor-built.html

I saw that. Between lack of free time and fabrication skills I believe that buying something like this would probably be a better move.

 

[BTDT]

Here is a link for Equipment Trader online, they may have something near you

Browse for Equipment by Class - Agriculture, Asphalt & Concrete, Attachments, Earthmoving, etc.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Lee, someone had a post on one they realy liked. I think the post may have been called the the best dirt moving attachment ever made. It was last year and my memory is the greatest. He had it figured as to how many tons per hr. he moved. It was a verry imformative post.

 

[bucmeister]

Lee,

That is a good price on the Durabilt, I may have to drive up to Memphis! I have been looking for a pan in this size range for over a year and have yet to pull the trigger. Design wise, the Hoeschler would be my preference because I truly believe the drawbar design has the highest range of motion, about like comparing a gooseneck trailer to a bumper pull. I have seen a pan with the Durabilt style hookup bent and the welds torn loose from either cutting the tractor to sharply or not watching closely enough to avoid jack-knifing it in reverse. The Hoeschler looks like it will give you 180* or more of side to side turning, which could come in handy if you were to get in a bind and have to use the steering brakes to make a hard turn to get out.

Good luck with the search. It is amazing how hard it is to find pans this size since most owners tend to hold on to them after essentially paying for them with money saved on work done with them to save hiring someone else to do the work. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Glowplug]

I have a kubota m5040 4x4 with a loader and a toothbar.
I also have a fullsize backhoe and a d4 dozer that I can use if needed.

What else do you need? You could BUILD a lake; let alone excavate pond banks. Just ask Eddie Walker! Just kidding.

 

[leeinmemphis]

What else do you need? You could BUILD a lake; let alone excavate pond banks. Just ask Eddie Walker! Just kidding.

I don't have enough dozer to handle this job and the fullsize backhoe belongs to my company and can only use it if they are slow. Unfortunately when it is dry they are usually using it so I am kind of at their mercy. Plus I thought getting something like this may be a good opportunity to not pay someone to do a project and pickup a nice piece of equipment.

 

[bucmeister]

Lee,

Did you ever get a price on the Hoelscher unit? Any luck finding a stocking dealer close to Memphis?

 

[leeinmemphis]

Lee,

Did you ever get a price on the Hoelscher unit? Any luck finding a stocking dealer close to Memphis?

It was $4995 plus about $450 for shipping. I'm going to think about it for a few days but I'll probably end up getting one if my dirt contractor doesn't begin on my pond soon.