Digging a swimming pool...?

   / Digging a swimming pool...? #1  

workmytractor

Bronze Member
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
79
Location
Suffolk, VA
Tractor
Branson 3520H
I am curious if anyone has attempted to dig a swimming pool using an attached BH to their tractor. I have a MX5100 Kubota and the BH90 would be the backhoe I would use.

I have looked at the specs and it says it can dig up to 9 ft deep which would be more than enough to install the pool I am looking into.

I am looking for advice from anyone who has attempted anything related to this task prior to purchasing the backhoe attachment. What kind of problems will I run into? Will I need a dump truck to haul the dirt off due to limited reach of the backhoe?
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #2  
You sure can, ive dug them with dads littl 970 and even my old 3550 Ford Industrial TLB. The old Ford is alot slower than your machine. The main thing will be your ability to plan your cut so you wont dig yourself into a corner so to speak with your spoil pile so you wont have to ecessively handle it. The second would be the ability to hold grade while digging. I have dug 6 foot pool that was 24 by 30. Id dig till dinner then turn around and off bear my spoils with the loader to another part of the yard. I did ram down into it to do the final dress up with the loader and then spread my base material.
A dump truck would be nice on the clean up side of it jus being able to load into it and haul a load off without havingto scoop it wit hthe loader unless its got a use onsite thats close. The last one I did I had the TLB out and I used my 12000 pound excavator on the job and had my friend and helper on the skid steer to off bear later we used my dump to speed up the job.
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #3  
I put in a pool last year and used my KX080 and kx121 and a one point I was having a problem with water sepage the pool is 20*40. the Kx080 did all of the digging I did the basic 20*40 *5 feet deep across the entire length, then I went and dug the deep end and that is were I hit water. as fast as I could dig the water was coing in and caving in the sides, I trucked in 50 tons of 3/4 stone and used the 121 to dump it in the hole and the 080 was used to spread it, I had two pumps going during this process, I finally got it under control. I was able to get the floor poured and left a pump in to keep the water in check. I would say you can dig the pool with a back hoe as long as you have alot of time and do not run into issues boulders, water,ledge and what ever else mother nature has preinstalled for you. Also with a back hoe you will need a truck to move out the dirt, even with the excavator I used a dozer to push the pile out of the way,you are going to have to dig a much bigger hole then the pool and make ramps for the truck to go into and out of the hole. The more I think about it you are in for a alot of work with that size backhoe.
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Sounds like my biggest issue so far would be the water table. I live on the gulfcoast where the average height above sea-level is probably around 30-50 feet. I am at about 28 feet above sea level at my house. The soil is sandy which will probably make the sides cave in pretty bad. Boulders will not be an issue...I am lucky to find pebbles around here:)

How much time do you think it would take to dig a round pool about 30' in diameter and about 5' finished depth?
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #5  
I am curious if anyone has attempted to dig a swimming pool using an attached BH to their tractor. I have a MX5100 Kubota and the BH90 would be the backhoe I would use.

I have looked at the specs and it says it can dig up to 9 ft deep which would be more than enough to install the pool I am looking into.

I am looking for advice from anyone who has attempted anything related to this task prior to purchasing the backhoe attachment. What kind of problems will I run into? Will I need a dump truck to haul the dirt off due to limited reach of the backhoe?
I'l take the free dirt.
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #6  
Sounds like my biggest issue so far would be the water table. I live on the gulfcoast where the average height above sea-level is probably around 30-50 feet. I am at about 28 feet above sea level at my house. The soil is sandy which will probably make the sides cave in pretty bad. Boulders will not be an issue...I am lucky to find pebbles around here:)

How much time do you think it would take to dig a round pool about 30' in diameter and about 5' finished depth?

I would use the backhoe to dig a few test holes down to five feet and see what happens. If they fill up with water, then your water table is too high and putting in a pool isn't such a good idea. If the test holes stay dry, then I would dig the hole with the front end loader and build a ramp into the hole. The backhoe bucket is too small to be effective and even after you dig the dirt, you will have to handle it again with the loader to get rid of it. Make the ramp outside of the hole and when you are done, backfill it after the pool is in place. As for how long it will take, I would think a weekend would be plenty, but then you have to realize that digging a hole is easy, the hard part is always in getting rid of the material that you dig. If it's close to the hole, it will go fast, but the farther away that you carry that material, the longer it will take, which can easily double or quadruple your time.

Good luck,
Eddie
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #7  
I would love to see this process. If you decide to tackle this job, please take some photos of progress.

Wedge
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #8  
I started yo dig my pool with a John Deere 410.
It was going slow, I hired a excavator $500 and he did the whole job in 2 hours.
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #9  
For ~$500 "hired in" and (presumably) "fully licensed and insured" ? that seems like a cheap blame target if/when things go bad.
I would call Dig Safe first, then do the test holes as described in earlier replies.

If I couldn't find a local excavator guy and JUST HAD TO D.I.Myself;
I would work from the shallow end and I would take the machine in.
I would approach it as a grading project, cutting down a slope.
I'm guessing that the FEL bucket with toothbar would do most of the work, certainly all the hauling out.
I would probably only turn around and use the hoe for really hard spots and rocks.

Crumbly edges below are not my idea of fun, crumbly walls around would be bad enough - for ME.
YMMV, etc.
 
   / Digging a swimming pool...? #10  
I would use the backhoe to dig a few test holes down to five feet and see what happens. If they fill up with water, then your water table is too high and putting in a pool isn't such a good idea. If the test holes stay dry, then I would dig the hole with the front end loader and build a ramp into the hole. The backhoe bucket is too small to be effective and even after you dig the dirt, you will have to handle it again with the loader to get rid of it. Make the ramp outside of the hole and when you are done, backfill it after the pool is in place. As for how long it will take, I would think a weekend would be plenty, but then you have to realize that digging a hole is easy, the hard part is always in getting rid of the material that you dig. If it's close to the hole, it will go fast, but the farther away that you carry that material, the longer it will take, which can easily double or quadruple your time.

Good luck,
Eddie

(Eddie gave some good info).......I would recommend the test holes also.

I have dug a couple pools before and made a ramp to get in the hole....it goes a lot faster.

What i done was, took orange spray paint & measure and paint how much that needed to be dug out.....Then i started on one end digging out & making the ramp, and once i got inside the hole, then i turned around & dug the dirt down, and turn back around & use my FEL to get the dirt out.

It just seems to go much better if you get inside the hole, because you can shape the sides much better from inside.....I dug these pools for friends & like (Eddie) said, the hard part is getting rid of all the dirt.....One friend wanted me to haul the dirt down to the river bank, and after about 30 some trips...I told him that this could take a week, So he went and borrowed a dump trailer:D....and then it went a lot faster.

I also dug a pond on my property and on one end it's 9ft. deep....and i made a ramp to get inside the pond also.

So if i was you i would dig some test holes like (Eddie said) and fix a ramp on the outside of where the pool will be....I didn't have to dig no test holes where my friends put their pool.


*If you dig this with your equipment take some pictures....I wished i had pictures of the pools & my pond that i dug, this was before i was a member here.....and i didn't think i would need to take pics. at that time....and you could use them in case someone else does a job like this.

Hope it works out.
 
 
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