Testing the water... er Mud

[JWR]

With the dry weather the water level of my 1/2 acre pond is way down. I want to drive my FWD CUTS tractor into the pond basin for two reasons. First, to pull out several trees and branches that have fallen in over the 15 years of neglect before we owned the property and second, to use my box blade to remove a couple feet of accumulated silt. Although the pond bottom has been exposed for the last month and can be walked on, I can, with my considerable 225lbs, still push a shovel handle about 1-foot into the muck.
While I have never purposely needed to drive into this kind of situation, I assume I should drive in slowly and see how the front holds-up. I do have a loader that could be used to lift the front-end if I bury it but I have never actually used this technique. Worse case is I can hopefully pull the tractor out with my truck should I get brave (stupid) and get all 4 wheels spinning.
Finally the question; Is there a method to get a fair idea when your tractor will navigate mud without using the time proven, "Heh hold my beer and watch this," method. Time is of the essence as it usual gets pretty wet during the winter months. TIA

It's probably not dry anymore... but: 1) A dozer is the right tool. It will take forever with a utility tractor. You are really rebuilding your pond. In the old days the USDA would pay part of the cost but now with tree huggers everywhere, that may not be politically correct. 2) If you insist, start at the edge and use the loader to get out material until you are down to "dry" or at least firm surface. Make your self a road into it and don't ever put the tractor in the mud. 3) I've had a JD4700 in mud up to the frame in a swamp. Lifted the front end with the bucket, put wood underneath and fooled with it for an hour. Eventually inched it out by bucket strokes moving the tractor 6" per bucket stroke. I do not recommend it. 4) As a few hundred other guys said, forget the truck. If you get hung it will take a big machine to extract you. You are simply better off in the long run to hire a dozer and do it right.

 

[jacuba]

Have you considered steel cable? New is expensive, but you might find used cable to buy borrow or rent from a nearby construction co, junk yard or neighbor. If the trees are not that big the cable does not to be that big. Be careful if the chain or cable you are using snaps as anything that long can cause quite a whiplash effect if it breaks. GOOD LUCK!

 

[jacuba]

As for removing the muck you might look for an old horse drawn walk behind bucket scraper that you could pull with a chain/cable with the tractor on dry ground. They had two handles similar to a wheelborrow to control the cutting depth and dump. It would be a two person operation. They are probably impossible to find and have the capacity of a couple of large wheelborrows. My parents used one to dig the basement for our farm house in the 40's, and used a JD GP to pull it..........

 

[Short Game]

As for removing the muck you might look for an old horse drawn walk behind bucket scraper that you could pull with a chain/cable with the tractor on dry ground. They had two handles similar to a wheelborrow to control the cutting depth and dump. It would be a two person operation. They are probably impossible to find and have the capacity of a couple of large wheelborrows. My parents used one to dig the basement for our farm house in the 40's, and used a JD GP to pull it..........

You mean like we discussed back on http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/218985-testing-water-er-mud-3.html#post2506113 ?

 

[jacuba]

Exatly what I was talking about.....I got in on this thread late and did not read everything from the beginning. The picture shows the underside of the thing or as it would look after you let it dump. If anyone out there has on to sell I would be interested .............

 

[marks146]

Don't go into the pond!!!

Be afraid. Be very afraid...:shocked:

I speak from personal experience.

See the pictures below.

 

[beppington]

Don't go into the pond!!!

Be afraid. Be very afraid...:shocked:

I speak from personal experience.

See the pictures below.

Wow! The ground around your tractor doesn't even look that bad (wet or swampy, that is)! I'd have fallen for it ... I mean into it ... too I Most of my acres is wetlands that look similar. Maybe I'll be posting similar pics someday. At least that big ol' pickup was able to help pull you out.

 

[jhp1940]

Chain is cheaper than hiring someone. Buy more chain??

 

[spoofrider]

I cleaned out my pond this year.I used a T.O 20 FERGUSON 2X4 with no differential lock and it has turf tires with no water in them.I used a dirt scoop on the back of the tractor.The weight of the muck in the dirt scoop gave me traction to get out of there.The pond has a clay liner.There was about two to three feet of muck in it.What I learned was.( 1.) Pump out as much water as you can. ( 2.) Have a easy slope going in to the pond. ( 3.) Always back in to the pond. ( 4.) Be patient. Its very time consuming. ( 5.) Have a shotgun ready for the snakes. ( 6.) YES, you will get stuck sometimes.I got stuck four times and I pulled it out with my CHEVY 4X4. Where there's is a will there's a way.

 

[marks146]

It started out very overgrown. I was in the midst of brush hogging the brush. I had been over the same area several times when...... the bottom falls out from under me. :confused3:

I ended up hiring a guy with a BIG dozer and a track excavator that can practically reach across the pond. Now I'll have a pond 3 times the size and 20 feet deep in the middle. I could never have done what he did with my L3240. I tried, but it was beating up the tractor more than I care to. Money well spent. :thumbsup:

I'll put in a few pictures when he completes the job. He's still roughing the pond in. I'll do the landscaping after he's done. A man's gotta know his limits (and his tractors limits). :tractor:

Plenty more to do within the capacity of my tractor.