I knowmy tractor is not a bull dozer but . . .

[Raised on a Deere]

Just bought a Yanmar Lx490 a 49HP tractor weighing 4792lb including loader and Rimguarded tires. I have an area where I had a pond bulldozed 40 years ago that is largely filled in now due to cultivation of runoff land. Just up stream of the pond is another good area for a pond. There is no rock, just clay as deep as I would want to go perhaps 10 feet. I have been thinking with the right setup I could start moving dirt when I feel like working my tractor hard without tearing it up and have a bit of fun if I could get the right implements to break the dirt loose so the loader can work with it..

I read somewhere on here where a guy used his FEL and a boxblade with ripper teeth, breaking the dirt up with the rippers in one pass and picking up dirt with the FEL on the return trip. Is that the most efficient way to do this with a tractor of this size or is there some other way to move the most cubic feet per hour in digging a pond. I am in no rush to complete this but hope to make some kind of pond by this time next year, working 4 or 5 days a month during the spring, summer and fall of this year.


Note: I am considering a new pond because I don't see how a tractor can deal with the muck that has filled the old pond. A bulldozer could do that well but if I can convince myself that the tractor could do it over time I just have a hankering to do it that way.

 

[dave1949]

How big is the pond area? Do you have a guesstimate of how many yards of soil you are talking about moving?

You will get stuck. :laughing: If you had a backhoe and started at one edge working your way across, always staying on the high ground, that would be better. Pile dirt, shuttle it off with the FEL, etc.

 

[ovrszd]

A scraper would be the most efficient method. But scrapers are very expensive and one that you could pull/fill would be pretty small.

A 3pt dirt scoop on the 3pt would add to your hauling capacity but that eliminates the idea of using a BB.

Whatever you decide to do should be viewed as creating entertainment for yourself. In this instance, "Patience is a Virtue".

 

[jpm1]

Two years ago i mucked out my pond,it lay idle for about 10 years and when we sold the cows the pond died. It filled with waterlillys and cat tails with roots the size of your fist, huge watersnakes and a Big snapping turtle. It originally was about 100' across and about 6 feet deep. It had about 4 feet of decomposed cow manure and other organic debris with maybe 6" of water. I started bailing it with my FEL which worked ok but way to slow. I switched to a Tracked Bobcat Skidsteer. This machine worked Great! It took about 12 hours to clean out the muck and then i cut it another 6' deeper, Total engine hours were about 26 hours. I rented a machine because i didnt want the continous water in my undercarriage which was very tired at the time of the project.I have another low spot which is the same condition and im going to do the same thing. . . . .Happy Tractoring, John

 

[newbury]

Dirt scoop

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/yanmar/212837-dirt-scoop-next-best-thing.html

 

[puckgrinder85]

I think you'd be fine. The main thing is you need not be in a rush and push your equipment harder than you know it will take. Breaking up the soil with a ripper is a great idea. Tractor loaders aren't quite the same as something like a skidsteer but they can do the job. If you run into trouble you can always go bigger. It may take you some time to do this but if time is all you got I'd go for it.

 

[DK35vince]

Just bought a Yanmar Lx490 a 49HP tractor weighing 4792lb including loader and Rimguarded tires. I have an area where I had a pond bulldozed 40 years ago that is largely filled in now due to cultivation of runoff land. Just up stream of the pond is another good area for a pond. There is no rock, just clay as deep as I would want to go perhaps 10 feet. I have been thinking with the right setup I could start moving dirt when I feel like working my tractor hard without tearing it up and have a bit of fun if I could get the right implements to break the dirt loose so the loader can work with it..

I read somewhere on here where a guy used his FEL and a boxblade with ripper teeth, breaking the dirt up with the rippers in one pass and picking up dirt with the FEL on the return trip. Is that the most efficient way to do this with a tractor of this size or is there some other way to move the most cubic feet per hour in digging a pond. I am in no rush to complete this but hope to make some kind of pond by this time next year, working 4 or 5 days a month during the spring, summer and fall of this year.


Note: I am considering a new pond because I don't see how a tractor can deal with the muck that has filled the old pond. A bulldozer could do that well but if I can convince myself that the tractor could do it over time I just have a hankering to do it that way.

For that type of work a rototiller works great .
I till the soil loose and it easily scoops right out with the loader and is very fine/nice to work with.

 

[jeff9366]

You will need a TOOTHBAR for your FEL bucket in order to dig with reasonable efficiency.

NEWBURY: Excellent LINK to Scoop thread.

TOOTHBAR LINK:

https://www.google.com/search?clien...thbar+site:tractorbynet.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

 

[xring100]

Agreed tooth bar is vey useful for digging and easier on the tractor but for a job that size probably want a box scrapper as well

 

[jeff9366]

Here is a LINK to 3-Pt Mounted Dirt Scoop Vs Towed Dirt Pan (Dirt Scraper) thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/267703-dirt-scraper-dirt-pan-towed.html