Pond Clearing

[gusg]

A co-worker has a 38 HP L3710 Kubota and would like to clear the edge of his pond of cattails, etc. The pond has a bank almost all the way around it so it makes it difficult to get to the edge. How do you clear your pond? I suggested a boom pole with something attached to it that would drag and pull them out. Any suggestions. Thanks.

[gerard]

Only thing I've ever seen that works for this is a wide culvert bucket or backhoe. Catails won't pull out easily, so they need to be sheared. You may be able to do it with a 4 in one bucket if you don't have to go too far down the banks but even if you drop a backblade down and drag up it will slide right over the top of the cattails, flattening them but not uprooting most of them.

[AndyMA]

Having done a fair amount of clearing around small ponds and streams, my opinion is that even a 10 1/2' backhoe on a TN75 isn't large enough if you venture beyond the very edge. In my case it gets muddy very quickly and the tractor tends to get very tippy. I also have to move the machine almost constantly. I do it with my tractor, it just takes a lot of patience. When I need to do a bunch of it, I usually rent a small (12,000#) excavator for the job. With the ability to move and dig, the job is much safer, and goes many times more quickly. Also as far as dragging something up the banks, at least on my ponds, there are just too many rocks right at the surface for any scrapping type of equipment to work. all that happens is that the weeds get knocked over and a few weeks later they are right back.

Andy

[Hoeman00]

I use my JD 710 x-hoe (28' reach).
I also have a 5' ditching bucket
which does a great job.
I would load spoils in dumptruck so
the mess is gone and not in yard.

[Robert_in_NY]

Spray the cattails with roundup and you don't have to worry about it anymore. Granted it isn't as much fun as playing with a backhoe but unless you get all the cattail roots they will just grow back. Roundup prevents them from coming back. It is safe for around water also so do not worry about that. Just spray the cattails good and in a week or so you will see them start to wither but spray them good.

[DarinRay]

Gus,

I have the perfect solution for your pond adventure. You buy my 25,000 lb Cat E110B excavator with the wide pads that's listed in the classifieds so you can float on the wet lands and get where ever you want. Once your done with your pond and any other digging you want you can do all the neighbors and still get your money back. LOL Well if that isn't a sales pitch I don't know what is.

I know that even with my Cat 416 backhoe and L35 pond working is hairy and can be scary when you pull yourself all over. I woud actually even use a object that you can drag across your edges safely away from the pond. Just a thought!

Darin

[ScottAR]

I'm with Robert, spray em... Dig em out later if you want.

Darin, you have excellent taste, you contracting now?

[jlong]

If your main concern is getting rid of the cattails, here is what worked for me. Buy a few DUCKS. I did and for reasons unknown to me, I have not had any cattails since. I don't know if they eat them or what, but they got rid of the cattails that were there, and have not had any in over a year!!

Good Luck!!

[DarinRay]

I would like to contract some jobs but with a full timer it's hard to get time to finish them. It's bad enough finding the time to do my own work. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img] If I was smart though I would get some jobs to help pay for my equipment. Oh well

Darin

[ScottAR]

Those day jobs can be such a nuiance. I'm hoping to do some small jobs this spring, but it'll probably be '04 before I'm really ready to start tractoring for $$. Still need a tow rig and trailer. Ah well, keep up the fight!