OP
At Home In The Woods
- Thread starter Obed
- Start date
- Views: 1628583
OP
Obed
Elite Member
Yard Grading
I've been doing some grading around the house with my tractor. Our contract with the grading contractor says he is supposed to grade the property around the house to the point that it is ready for sowing grass seed. However, I know that if I leave it all to someone else, I'll have to live with some things different from the way I really want them. So I'm doing what I can find time to do myself.
One thing I don't trust the contractor to do is to move the extra dirt away from the edge of the yard without damaging the trees. Too many trees have been damaged during our house construction by heavy equipment. I have been using my box blade to pull dirt that had piled up between the trees along the tree-line. Doing so should keep the contractor from having to get his equipment close to the trees along the perimeter of the yard.
I also fine-tuned the grade up close to the front of the house. I want to make sure we have at least a 6" elevation drop for the first 10' all around the house. That's what the code requires. Everywhere I drive around this area, I see houses with yards that send rain water running right up against the house. I think the grading often isn't done propertly to begin with plus the dirt up next to the house settles some after construction, potentially leaving a depression against the house.
In addition, I raked up some piles of rocks and put them on the driveway.
I've been doing some grading around the house with my tractor. Our contract with the grading contractor says he is supposed to grade the property around the house to the point that it is ready for sowing grass seed. However, I know that if I leave it all to someone else, I'll have to live with some things different from the way I really want them. So I'm doing what I can find time to do myself.
One thing I don't trust the contractor to do is to move the extra dirt away from the edge of the yard without damaging the trees. Too many trees have been damaged during our house construction by heavy equipment. I have been using my box blade to pull dirt that had piled up between the trees along the tree-line. Doing so should keep the contractor from having to get his equipment close to the trees along the perimeter of the yard.
I also fine-tuned the grade up close to the front of the house. I want to make sure we have at least a 6" elevation drop for the first 10' all around the house. That's what the code requires. Everywhere I drive around this area, I see houses with yards that send rain water running right up against the house. I think the grading often isn't done propertly to begin with plus the dirt up next to the house settles some after construction, potentially leaving a depression against the house.
In addition, I raked up some piles of rocks and put them on the driveway.
Attachments
955Lincoln
Gold Member
Maybe this has been mentioned earlier in your thread but you may end up with some of the trees dying because of heavy equipment running close to them.
It takes a long time for most soils to settle out. I had a sloping grade same as yours away from the front of my house, it's flat now. On the sides of the house where I painted the parging at ground level you can see that the soil has settled about 8". The grading was done in 1983.
It takes a long time for most soils to settle out. I had a sloping grade same as yours away from the front of my house, it's flat now. On the sides of the house where I painted the parging at ground level you can see that the soil has settled about 8". The grading was done in 1983.
RadarTech
Elite Member
Obed,
That tool for clearing the clogged zerk fittings is awesome!
I had two that were clogged. First time I removed the pins and uggg is all I can say... Next time I used the tool from tractor supply.. So easy!
thumbs up from me!
RT
That tool for clearing the clogged zerk fittings is awesome!
I had two that were clogged. First time I removed the pins and uggg is all I can say... Next time I used the tool from tractor supply.. So easy!
thumbs up from me!
RT
OP
Obed
Elite Member
I've been remiss about posting. I've been coming home each evening and working around the yard until dark. I'm working frantically trying to get the grading in good condition before we put down topsoil in September.
The grading contractor dumped spread out dirt in this section, something he shouldn't have done. We gave him specific locations for depositing extra dirt and this wasn't one of them. Unfortunately, part of this parking area had gravel on it which has been now been ruined by spreading dirt over it. Also, I plan on using this area to store my firewood. I don't want a bunch of red clay in this area that will just get extremely messy during the wet winter months.
Thus I decided to remove a lot of the newly spread out dirt from the parking/firewood area and put it on the path through the woods. That path was a 4 wheeler path that was deeply eroded. It has been filled in with extra dirt from our excavation but could still use some more dirt. I also used the box blade to pull away the dirt piled along both sides of the path between the trees. I shaped the path into a crown to shed water off of it.
The grading contractor dumped spread out dirt in this section, something he shouldn't have done. We gave him specific locations for depositing extra dirt and this wasn't one of them. Unfortunately, part of this parking area had gravel on it which has been now been ruined by spreading dirt over it. Also, I plan on using this area to store my firewood. I don't want a bunch of red clay in this area that will just get extremely messy during the wet winter months.
Thus I decided to remove a lot of the newly spread out dirt from the parking/firewood area and put it on the path through the woods. That path was a 4 wheeler path that was deeply eroded. It has been filled in with extra dirt from our excavation but could still use some more dirt. I also used the box blade to pull away the dirt piled along both sides of the path between the trees. I shaped the path into a crown to shed water off of it.
Attachments
OP
Obed
Elite Member
A couple weeks ago I went to see a used gas log splitter for sale. The owner told me over the phone that the splitter starts up easily with one or two pulls. So I went after work to see it. The owner wasn't there but his 21 year old son was supposed to show me the splitter. The 21 year old wasn't there so the 12 year old son and the wife tried to show me the splitter. While in my dress clothes on a stifling hot humid day, I helped the 12 year old move a bunch of stuff in the garage out of the way and dragged the splitter to the garage door opening. The mom had to the 21 year old son to find the gas can. After all that the splitter wouldn't start. Apparently the splitter hadn't been used in several months, something that the owner had not mentioned. I was a wet sweaty mop in my dress clothes by then.
The log splitter looked like a pretty good unit if the engine would start. The seller was asking $600 dollars. I called him up later and offered him $300 for it in its current condition understanding that the engine might need some work. He declined my offer and said he would get the engine running. I told him to call me when he got it running and I would come look at it again if I hadn't found something else. He said he would get it running within the next couple of days. I haven't heard from him. There's another used splitter on Craigslist for sale 90 minutes from our house. I might try so look at that one Sunday if it is still available.
The log splitter looked like a pretty good unit if the engine would start. The seller was asking $600 dollars. I called him up later and offered him $300 for it in its current condition understanding that the engine might need some work. He declined my offer and said he would get the engine running. I told him to call me when he got it running and I would come look at it again if I hadn't found something else. He said he would get it running within the next couple of days. I haven't heard from him. There's another used splitter on Craigslist for sale 90 minutes from our house. I might try so look at that one Sunday if it is still available.
scoutcub
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2008
- Messages
- 2,374
- Location
- Ohio
- Tractor
- Yanmar LX4900//Cub 7532//Cub Yanmar SC2400//Komatsu D38//Cub Volunteer//Cub SZ60/CAT 289C/CAT 308
Obed -
Yes, you have been remiss! I have been wondering what you were up to, almost dropped you a note!
Trails look nice. When I'm able to work on our property, (very little as of late) I've been trying to establish trails along the property boundary lines, for more riding/hiking, and also for security.
Good luck on the splitter. A few years ago I bought my 84 yr old Dad one, and he absolutely loves that thing. They're gonna start getting very sought after here soon....
good luck!
Frank
Yes, you have been remiss! I have been wondering what you were up to, almost dropped you a note!
Trails look nice. When I'm able to work on our property, (very little as of late) I've been trying to establish trails along the property boundary lines, for more riding/hiking, and also for security.
Good luck on the splitter. A few years ago I bought my 84 yr old Dad one, and he absolutely loves that thing. They're gonna start getting very sought after here soon....
good luck!
Frank
OP
Obed
Elite Member
When we bought my office desk off of Craigslist, we also bought a second desk and a matching credensa. Unfortunately they did not fit in out house so we need to sell them. The desk is unbelievably heavy. My wife and I needed to move the desk from the basement to the garage so we can show it to potential buyers. So we borrowed a pair of funiture dollies from my BIL, strapped them to the desk, and rolled the desk to the basement door. I then picked up the desk with my FEL and a bucket fork and carried it to the garage. Gotta love having a tractor.
Attachments
Johndeere3720
Padawan Tractor Learner, Advertiser
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2009
- Messages
- 6,477
- Location
- NW Oregon
- Tractor
- Bobcat T62, MT55, E42R, E10, John Deere 4100
I was fortunate enough to get a new log splitter last fall and it is awesome! I have split well over 20 cord with it, in fact i split 1 1/2 cord this morning with it. Very very useful machine, I have a LOT of wood to split and it sure makes it much easier. Haven't used an axe since. :laughing:
Find yourself a good one, it will be well worth every penny. :thumbsup:
Find yourself a good one, it will be well worth every penny. :thumbsup:Attachments
OP
Obed
Elite Member
I lowered a hump in the back yard that my wife didn't like. Then I started removing dirt from parking pad outside the basement garage. I've had trouble preventing the grading contractor from adding dirt where it can't go. The code book states that the dirt around the house should be at least 6" below the level where the house framing starts.
We plan on putting about 4" of topsoil around the house on top of the red clay. That means the red clay can be no higher than 10" below the framing. We can see approximately where the bottom of the house framing is located because the weep holes in the brick were installed at the bottom of the framing. So it's real easy to figure out that the red clay should not be higher than 10" below the weep holes.
In addition, the dirt must slope downhill away from the house 6" in the first 10'. The parking pad outside the basement garage is basically level; there is very little slope away from the house. I cut a strip of dirt along the retaining wall at the slope it is supposed to be.
At that time I was not using the scarifiers in the box blade. I have since started using the scarifiers and that change has made a world of difference! I was having difficulty digging up the hard red clay mixed with some rocks. When the BB would find small rocks in the dirt, the BB would just slide on top of the rocks and not dig any dirt. I was having to get off the tractor and dig the rocks out of the ground with my digging bar. When I started using the scarifiers in the BB, I could pull the rocks out of the ground with the BB scarifiers without getting off the tractor. The scarifiers would dig into the hard clay and allow the blade of the BB to collect the resulting loose dirt.
I have more dirt removal and shaping to due on the basement garage end of the house. However, now that I have gotten a hang of using the BB scarifiers, that part should go a lot better than when I started.
We plan on putting about 4" of topsoil around the house on top of the red clay. That means the red clay can be no higher than 10" below the framing. We can see approximately where the bottom of the house framing is located because the weep holes in the brick were installed at the bottom of the framing. So it's real easy to figure out that the red clay should not be higher than 10" below the weep holes.
In addition, the dirt must slope downhill away from the house 6" in the first 10'. The parking pad outside the basement garage is basically level; there is very little slope away from the house. I cut a strip of dirt along the retaining wall at the slope it is supposed to be.
At that time I was not using the scarifiers in the box blade. I have since started using the scarifiers and that change has made a world of difference! I was having difficulty digging up the hard red clay mixed with some rocks. When the BB would find small rocks in the dirt, the BB would just slide on top of the rocks and not dig any dirt. I was having to get off the tractor and dig the rocks out of the ground with my digging bar. When I started using the scarifiers in the BB, I could pull the rocks out of the ground with the BB scarifiers without getting off the tractor. The scarifiers would dig into the hard clay and allow the blade of the BB to collect the resulting loose dirt.
I have more dirt removal and shaping to due on the basement garage end of the house. However, now that I have gotten a hang of using the BB scarifiers, that part should go a lot better than when I started.
