Beginner FEL leveling question...

[BillCroasmun]

Yesterday I cut a 45" wide (bucket width), 30' long side walk into the front yard. I am not doing anything fancy just going to fill it with slag, level it and place some 16"x16" walking stones on top... Just things I have around without spending any $$$. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I tried to dig it about 4" deep, making multiple light passes just skimming the top, but the right side of the bucket kept catching and digging in more than the left. Since there is no side to side leveling of a bucket my right tires would go into the low spot causing the bucket to dig in even deeper on that side! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif My question is what "technique" am I missing when trying to stay level while digging? I have a couple other similiar jobs (like leveling an area for my little girls outside swing and slide) that will even be wider and more likely to do this. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Is this just an experience thing or are there some easily explained tricks of the trade?

Thanks in advance!
Bill

 

[Jagmandave]

Maybe you could have turned around and gone the other direction on the next pass, putting the "low" side of the bucket on the other side, evening things out?

 

[BillCroasmun]

That might have worked but I think the bucket is level with the tires so reversing direction would still have had the tractor tipped to the deep side... I probably didn't explain well what was happening either but I think there was more clay to that side of the walk and it would come up in clumps while the other side seemed to be better top soil and wasn't picking up any more than what was being scooped. Make sense?

 

[beenthere]

I know what you mean, and it isn't easy to do. Experience and technique over time will help a lot. Not getting frustrated and enjoying the extra seat time will help a lot too. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Sometimes some loose dirt can be dropped in the extra deep part and back dragged to build the low side up, thus maintaining a semblence of level, as you progress down the 'walkway'.

I found what helped when I wanted to take some high spots off from old field plowing and fence lines, that renting a tiller to till everything up first, helped to be able then to skim off the loose material and not have to worry too much about the untilled dirt. (The other big advantage to this tilled dirt, it included the root systems of the grass, and made filling in other areas great as well as seemed to promote new grass growth very quickly). Great fill dirt that could either be packed down or left loose and thus easy to rake out level for seeding.

 

[BillCroasmun]

I think I understand the problem a little more now that I am thinking about how to explain it. With my wheeled tractor (vs a bobcat or something with tracks) as a "clump" of dirt would come up leaving a hole the front tire would drop in the hole causing the bucket to digger deeper on that side 3' foot (or whatever) ahead of that hole. Repeat this process over 30' and for multiple passes and I was starting to dig at a good slant! I think the problem is compunded by the type of tractor I have, a Power Trac. Power Tracs articulate side to side for steering and will also oscilate (sp?) I think about 12 deg to allow all four wheels to stay on the ground when the front and back are on varying angles. Usually that's a plus but in this case it makes it harder to keep digging level... I'm sure there are still things I can do to get better at it but I think I am at least understanding it better now.

 

[beenthere]

I'd suggest the same thing. Fill the holes in as you go with a bit of loose dirt before making the plunge for the second bucket-full. That will help keep the bucket level as the front wheels will have that filled dirt to ride on rather than the 'hole' which makes the bucket 'unlevel' more and more each time. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Freds]

I dug an area out for my neighbor's patio and didn't have this problem, but the ground was very level, of the same soil type and he was keeping an eye on the bucket depth. It was slow going none the less as all I could get in one scoop was a big, thick piece of sod (B7500 at the time).

Now, Beenthere, THAT was one of the best pieces of advice I've ever read here about tilling the ground first. It makes me want to try it out just thinking about it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif!
I'm thinking that you could float the bucket on the lower, untilled ground and get nice, full bucket loads each time.
Did I say that it makes me want to try it out just thinking about it? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[BillCroasmun]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Scooping then back dragging some loose dirt to fill the holes seems very obvious now that you've pointed it out... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif but I guess that's what learning is all about. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've used the tiller to help me break up harder ground and to help remove some larger areas of dirt, didn't even think about it while doing this job but now it seems obvious to! It would have given me a lot more control and since the ground was starting off fairly level it would have dug down a lot more evenly... live and learn! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[beenthere]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...all I could get in one scoop was a big, thick piece of sod... )</font>

Freds
That was my first experience too. Then trying to break up that sod to use it for fill dirt, just made an almost unworkable mess. I first thought about the tiller to break up the 'mess' where I was trying to fill in. Then I decided to try using the tiller on the humps I was trying to remove. That made a perfect spread of fill dirt, that was easy to scoop up with the bucket, and spread out in the fill area. Took care of the sod problem and some of the live roots of the grass seemed to respond quickly to begin growing again.

 

[DJLX]

Recently helped the neighbor dig out a few inches for his patio and that is what I found worked good. Set desired tiller depth and till then remove the loose dirt. Worked well.