BX25 for Creating Large Pond

[DianneInVA]

I have a mud hole choked with cattails....visions of a "pond" aren't reality. I tried clearing out one spot with a B2620...and made a real mess. It looked pretty good last fall - but last year was a dry year. This year is wet - and its like I tilled the soil. Cattails moved in like crazy. Need a track hoe with a real operator. Do it right.

 

[Cherokee140]

Never give up....no matter how painfull

 

[AStanton]

How did you ever free that BX?

 

[Cherokee140]

How did you ever free that BX?

That is what neighbors are for, Big Mahandra.

I was pretty worried about it, at one point it had sunk into the mud to where the nose was in the mud to the head lights. We had to leave it there for the evening and when we came back the loader had gone down as well as the loader and the stabilizer arms. I had to start it up while the tractor was nose down at about a 60deg angle. Figuring that oil would be no where near the pickup I had great fears, I made a call to Kubota (not the dealer) and asked about it. They said the engine had a low oil cutoff and if it had no pressure it just would not run. So still worried, but with the idea I had the Kubota (I am a total f-ing idiot) insurance and hoping it would help pay for a new engine if I did blow it to bits, I started it up. No warning lights (I think I am going to install a real read out for some of these fluids) I hate idiot lights...but I am an idiot. Raised the arms raised the backhoe and the bucked and pulled it out no problem.

Now how did I manage this:

Well this is a drainage ditch, I was trying to scoop out the edges with the front loader and started to slide in....as I started to back up, and I was backing up, the angle was so steep my butt came off the seat and the engine died. after that I just slid right into the ditch.

I tried moving it with the loader, backhoe and arms, but the ground was just way too soft.

I don't really fault the machine for this, or think I was trying to do too much with the machine....I think this falls into the category of S**** happens.

A little time with a power washer and she is good as new, but with some new stories to tell.

 

[Cherokee140]

I was going to post the entire story in the day in the life thread, but just had not gotten around to it yet.

 

[DianneInVA]

I am agreeing with you. You are a brave idiot with a sense of humor and reality. Too bad there wasn't a video. I also got "stuck" (understatement), and tried to dig myself out; then I had the brilliant idea to pull the Kubota out with the F-150. I was backed into position to hook the tow strap - when God hit me on the head. I called my for help - and my pastor came over and drove the truck while I drove the tractor. THEN he gave me a lesson on how to dig a drainage ditch....I got stuck at least 3 more times. (Really laughing at the "We had to leave it there for the evening and when we came back the loader had gone down as well as the loader and the stabilizer arms. " At least I didn't have a witness!) Thanks for sharing....

 

[EddieWalker]

If all you have is a small tractor, then that's just what you use to get the job done. Nothing wrong with taking a little longer to get what you want.

Springs are tricky things. What they are is an area on the surface where the ground water has worked its way to the surface. Some are at the base or side of a hill where the water is leaking out of the hill. These are the best types of springs to use for a pond because the water level is above the pond location and the water will drain down into the pond. The other type of spring is where the ground water is so high that it is coming up to the surface, or close to it. These are the worse kind of springs to create a pond with because the pond will rise and fall with the ground water. The water that fills the pond will also be the source of the leak when the water table drops.

Think of a creek that runs most of the year. Even if it hasn't rained for weeks or months, where is the water coming from? It's leaking into the creek from the sides and bottom of the creek from springs. Once the table water around the creek dries up and lowers, the amount of water in the creek decreases and sometimes stops completely. A water hole might remain in certain areas all summer long because that is how high the water table is in the ground around it.

Just digging a hole or building a dam does not mean that you will have a pond.

Eddie

 

[Green Power]

As others have said, hire the bulk work done and do the rest with your little BX.

 

[bcjmmac]

Here is what I "created". The area is part of a natural swale below the house - there are a few small springs behind where I dug + a lot of run off goes through that area. The excess water from my artesian well also went through the area. I started by digging a diversion ditch so that the area dried up a bit, then pulled all the trees, etc, and removed the topsoil (lot of fun). After that I dug down as I built up - there is a drop of about 4 feet from the front left to the rear right in the pictures. The picture was taken today - pond has been filling for ~10 days albeit with a good downpour from Gonzales (lawn drains into the pond + artesian well). Took about 2 weeks for most of the work - pond is 100' long, widest point is 80', max depth 6'. All done with the bucket.

 

[oldpilgrim]

if this guy can do it with a 20hp Kioti, you can do it too.