The gully to pond project

[EddieWalker]

Can you get on top of it and dig upwards with the backhoe? I know that when digging dirt, it's a huge difference, but I don't have a clue on rock.

Have you looked into a rock bucket for you backhoe? The ones I saw came to a point at the middle of the bucket.

Eddie

 

[jinman]

Can you get on top of it and dig upwards with the backhoe? I know that when digging dirt, it's a huge difference, but I don't have a clue on rock.

Have you looked into a rock bucket for you backhoe? The ones I saw came to a point at the middle of the bucket.

Eddie

Eddie, that's exactly my plan with the backhoe, but I need to trim this wall to near the peak of the knob before I start cutting from the top. That way, I can dig and just drop the bucket load over the shear face and make a pile I can pick up with the loader bucket later. If this backhoe was like a excavator where I could rotate 180 degrees, it would sure be easier, but only having 90 degrees of swing on either side of center sure limits what you can do with a bucket of dirt. When I started digging, it was a gradual slope to the peak, but now I have it where I can sit on top of the knob and excavate. The nice thing is I don't have to worry about cave-ins because this caliche is so hard it won't go anywhere without a fight.:thumbsup:

I saw somebody on craigslist who had a 18" rock bucket, another 24" bucket like mine, and a 36" materials bucket all for sale for around $1200. I went back to look a few days later and the ad had been pulled. Rats! I know exactly what you are talking about with a rock bucket because that's what they had to use for my septic system. I'd love one, but I'll have to keep checking craigslist. I don't think I can afford a new one right now with how well my current bucket works. It had good teeth and does a darn good job; at least as good as I am an operator.

 

[jayste]

Jim, looks like your caliche is our sandrock. Around here it's top soil, clay and then sandrock. How is the caliche for holding water? Our house is sitting on sandrock like yours is sitting on caliche.

 

[jinman]

Jay, I think the caliche is about as porous as concrete. If it were porous it would also probably become soft after heavy rains, but what I've noticed is it will erode under heavy flow such as on the bottoms/sides of creek beds, but by the time you penetrate it 2" to 3" it is dry and hard no matter how wet the surrounding soil. I think your red sandrock is similar, differing only in mineral content.

 

[EddieWalker]

It's not the rock that leaks, it's the cracks between the rocks that cause you all the problems. LOL

Eddie

 

[jinman]

Oh Boy! I ended up yesterday with one very tired pucker muscle. When you sit 10' in the air near a shear dropoff and know that if you pull too much with the backhoe the tractor will slip backwards on the outriggers. . .Whew! :shocked: It keeps you on your toes. After working for about 3 hours from the top, I decided my sanity was worth a little extra time and maybe I'd be better off working from the bottom. Call me a wimp, but I'll be a wimp in one piece.:dance1: I can easily scrape the clay off the top layer on the hillside while working on the top, but reaching over and breaking caliche is too "exciting" for my sense of self preservation.

I made a lot of good progress yesterday, but didn't stop to take photos. I'll have more by this upcoming weekend. One of my neighbors was here and took pictures of me perched up on the knob, so maybe he'll send them to me and I can show everyone what a chicken I am.:ashamed:

I continue to operate this tractor with terrific fuel usage. I stay mostly out of turbo boost and I'm getting 3/4 gal per hour or less usage. that's about the same as my TC45D. I fill the 35 gal tank and just work, work, work, before it runs low again. 1500 - 1700 rpm when using the backhoe is about perfect and very economical. It occurs to me that I've achieved my 2nd childhood, playin' and diggin' in the dirt. Who could ask for more?

 

[Bird]

Yep, Jim, you're having entirely too much fun with that new machine.:laughing:

 

[beppington]

When you sit 10' in the air near a shear dropoff and know that if you pull too much with the backhoe the tractor will slip backwards on the outriggers. . .Whew! :shocked: It keeps you on your toes. After working for about 3 hours from the top, I decided my sanity was worth a little extra time and maybe I'd be better off working from the bottom. Call me a wimp, but I'll be a wimp in one piece.:dance1:

Woe, makes me nervous just sittin' here readin' that!

If you have a toothbar, do you think if you put your bucket in full dump (so the teeth really dig) & FEL in float (so the bucket stays on the ground even if your back wheels go down) ... Would that help keep the tractor from sliding down into the abyss?

Just a thought ... Still be scary I'm sure.

 

[jinman]

Yep, Jim, you're having entirely too much fun with that new machine.:laughing:

Bird, I don't know if it could be considered rehab, but you can come over and do some diggin' anytime you want to play in the "sandbox."

beppington: I don't think there was any worry of my slipping off the knob, but when you are perched up there like I was, any movement of the tractor toward the edge is too much.

Here are a couple of pictures thanks to my neighbor, Mike.

 

[ronjhall]

I get that it's a long way down feeling with my little tractor. Best to keep it that way. Then you do not do anything silly.