Backhoe digging a pond with kubota bx

tractorshopper · Nov 15, 2013

I dug a ~70-80 ft diameter pond with my FEL on my L3800. Deepest spot is about 8.5 ft, but not for long because it is basically mostly a bowl shape in the bottom. I dug and cored the dam side and managed a couple piles as I went at the beginning to get clay into the dam side and top layer just peeled. As I dug I ended up with one huge pile at the end even using a good bit for the dam. My neighbor wanted the spoils pile, so I told him it was all his and he removed it for me. That was nice.

Gary Fowler · Nov 15, 2013

Unless I missed it, you haven't said what implements you have to dig with. A box blade with scarifiers to loosen up the soil and then scoop it with the FEL is the easiest and fastest way but with a BX it is still going to be very slow. If you have to dig it up with a BX backhoe then transport it, that is going to take a lot longer. With the box blade and a little coordination, you can scoop up a FEL load and drag a box blade load at the same time. Start at the high end and work down to the levee end dragging and carrying as much as you can.

It wouldn't take a dozer very long at all to fill in a valley where all you need is a dam at one end. Don't know the size but you wont have to dig out much dirt unless you are going to stock pile some for later use. You would likely want to dig out on the upper end so the pond would get deep fairly quickly. Just relying on the ground slope, you would end up with a lot of very shallow water which would end up with lots of moss and other aquatic plants thriving in the shallows.

sdd1986 · Nov 15, 2013

Hey guys thanks for the posts. I really enjoy hearing everyone's thoughts, I never know what I might learn. I'm going to try to use my front end loader to do most of the work. I will probably have to use the backhoe around a couple tree stumps but if the front end loader doesn't work then I will use the backhoe to break up the ground then scoop it up and if that takes to long then I will buy a box blade with teeth like Gary fowler suggested doing. I will be digging around the bank to make sure it is deep enough to make sure nothing grows. I live by grand lake in Oklahoma and it's pretty rocky here so hopefully I won't hit any big rocks. I'm hoping to get at least a one acre pond out of this would like about a 2 acre.

RaydaKub · Nov 15, 2013

Wow! 1 acre with a BX FEL? Report back to us when you're done. Don't worry, we'll wait..............

sdd1986 · Nov 15, 2013

RaydaKub said:
Wow! 1 acre with a BX FEL? Report back to us when you're done. Don't worry, we'll wait..............

Yeah yeah. Luckily I only have to build one side. I know it's still a bunch but O well.

94BULLITT · Nov 16, 2013

Be sure to take some pictures along the way.

TomSeller · Nov 16, 2013

Having a selection of well matched quick connect buckets would help. Increasing the bucket volume as the soils allow would help speed things up.

Deano · Nov 16, 2013

Do you have a toothbar for the FEL?

veemaxx · Nov 16, 2013

You'll have fun digging your pond, it will be slow going. I've been digging out a pond with a b3300SU and a rotary tiller, after about 30 hours and 20 gallons of fuel I have a bowl shaped depression about 4 feet deep and 1/6th acre.See my video

I would say go for it but plan on many hours in the seat, I think I was moving around 10 yards an hour with a bigger machine. If I can get in this Spring I'll put some more time.