The gully to pond project

[jinman]

No turtle soup here, Ron, but they make good targets.

The rain was really less than I thought. The two pictures below show the water only rose a little over 1 foot and the dam was never in danger. The dam shows little evidence of any erosion.

 

[pacerron]

The dam shows little evidence of any erosion.

We all really enjoy seeing the progress you are making but perhaps you should step back and have an extra cup of java in the morning and think about your safety before going back on that wet, slippery clay dam with buckets of dirt.
A few springs ago I decided to add some fill to the center of my dam. The grass surface felt firm and the tires were not getting damp at all. As I
was approaching the area where I was going to dump the load my back loaded wheel got in a little dip along the water side edge and the other rear wheel raised off the ground about a foot. Even though I immediately stopped and dropped the bucket on the ground; the front end began slipping toward the water too. I jumped off onto the dam and waited to see many thousands of dollars of equipment slide into the pond....
Fortunately that didn't happen but I sure wasn't getting back on as it might go anytime. I had to drive to town and lead a big tow truck, like used for semi wrecks, back to our place since it is in the middle of nowhere, all the time wondering if the tractor would still be on the dam or under water when we got back.
The tow truck operator was really a genius by the way he rigged multiple cables from his boom and he pulled the tractor back to the center of the dam width. He even backed the tractor off the dam for me.
Those of us that have had a lot of seat time think we can control any situation but some times we just aren't cautious enough when we want to get something done.
Please be careful.
Ron

 

[txdon]

Is the small pipe for connecting an aeration pump?
Ron

No, it's for a gated water depth gauge (clear tubbing) that was attached to the side of the large pipe when the pond was filling so I would know how high to build the bridge to the island. I didn't have a transit back then.

Jim, looks like you are doing something right with such little erosion on the dam.

 

[jinman]

Those of us that have had a lot of seat time think we can control any situation but some times we just aren't cautious enough when we want to get something done.
Please be careful.
Ron

Ron, that's good advice. I've found that with a 20k lb TLB, you better know what you are doing when it is dry, much less when it is wet. This tractor is so heavy that it creates ruts from just driving across dry topsoil. My road becomes washboarded often and I have to add materials or grade with the loader bucket. I regularly take my 4wd TLB into spots where a 2WD model would be helplessly stuck. I cannot over-emphasize the effect of having 1-1/2 yards of damp materials in the bucket while driving down a steep slope. Front wheel braking is just as important as 4wd.

If you look at the dam's surface, you can see that it slopes down from the front lip at almost the same angle as the slope of the hillside. I am working to get a wide flat area on top of the dam, but incoming storms made me think I should build up the front lip to prevent overflow. With a sloped dam, there have been some pucker events, but I'm pretty proud of how overly cautious I am. I know that the cost of an 18-wheeler type wrecker is not something I want to pay. I don't even want to think of the cost of an ambulance.

 

[pacerron]

Ron, that's good advice. I've found that with a 20k lb TLB, you better know what you are doing when it is dry, much less when it is wet. This tractor is so heavy that it creates ruts from just driving across dry topsoil. My road becomes washboarded often and I have to add materials or grade with the loader bucket. I regularly take my 4wd TLB into spots where a 2WD model would be helplessly stuck. I cannot over-emphasize the effect of having 1-1/2 yards of damp materials in the bucket while driving down a steep slope. Front wheel braking is just as important as 4wd.

If you look at the dam's surface, you can see that it slopes down from the front lip at almost the same angle as the slope of the hillside. I am working to get a wide flat area on top of the dam, but incoming storms made me think I should build up the front lip to prevent overflow. With a sloped dam, there have been some pucker events, but I'm pretty proud of how overly cautious I am. I know that the cost of an 18-wheeler type wrecker is not something I want to pay. I don't even want to think of the cost of an ambulance.

Jim,
Glad you took my "motherin" the right way.

There are only 3 types of equipment operators:
1. Careful
2. Crippled
3. Creamated

Maybe related to the above...
1. Half deaf
2. Hemroidial
Anybody think of any others?
Ron

 

[beppington]

Jim,
Glad you took my "motherin" the right way.

There are only 3 types of equipment operators:
1. Careful
2. Crippled
3. Creamated

Maybe related to the above...
1. Half deaf
2. Hemroidial
Anybody think of any others?
Ron

There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.

 

[jinman]

There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.

They also say that every landing you walk away from is a good landing, but I'm not so sure of that when it comes to tractoring. I've walked away from some stuck tractors that were not what I'd call good.

 

[jinman]

AARGH! Double AARGH! I just had to let it out. Wow! I hate changing big hydraulic hoses in tight spots. You have to use huge wrenches (30mm to 44mm) and there is just no room for them. Often, you have to remove hoses just so you can get to the one you are working on. Once you get the wrench in place, you find you a whole 1/4" play to work with. Sheesh! I would just shoot myself if I had to do this for a living.:mur: I won't go into all the messy details, but I got my old hoses off and my new ones on with no leaks and no knuckles busted. That's a major achievement for me. I'm thrilled to be back in business and hope that the three toughest hoses that I've now replaced will be good for many more hours of stick time.

BTW: Here's my tip. If you have a busted hose, you can cut it right behind the fitting using an angle grinder and then use a large socket and extra long extension to remove the fitting. That won't help you install the new one, but it will get the old one broke loose in an emergency.

Okay, my hydraulic hose rant is over and I'm back to hauling clay. Happy days are here again.

 

[bindian]

I would just shoot myself if I had to do this for a living.:mur:

Jim,
If you did it for a living you would have a tool box worth more than your Wife's car with all kinds of neat custom tools bent, angled, and ground down for this kind of thing. I have lots of cheap tools that are ground down and heated and bent for tight spots. I even have a couple of Craftsman tools bent.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jinman]

Jim,
If you did it for a living you would have a tool box worth more than your Wife's car with all kinds of neat custom tools bent, angled, and ground down for this kind of thing.

Brandi, if I did this for a livin', I'd have a few fingers and arms ground down and bent to fit.:laughing: