SManZ350
Member
I'm planning two projects for this fall and one of them is to reduce the slope of a grassy hill right behind my house. We would like to make it easier to walk up, and then flatten out an area at the top to be a small level yard. The slope is between 3:1 and 2.5:1, 30-40% and is about 30ft long, and then it starts to flatten out. The slope face is about 50' wide. Our house is on a hillside and we'd like more flat space than we've got.
I'll have a FEL and a rear blade. The spoils will be moved to another side of the lot so it doesn't matter if the dirt ends up at the top or bottom of the hill when I'm grading. I can easily drive to the top area from another side without driving up this steep slope, so I can work from the top down or vice versa.
What is the best and safest way to cut the steepest part of the slope? I'm thinking the best options are driving up the slope from the bottom and picking at the top of the steep part with the FEL and grading from the top down, or starting at the top and cutting into it with the blade and dragging it down the hill. The latter seems more efficient and avoids the risk of flipping the tractor over backward so that's my inclination right now.
We'll be mapping out the various elevations and figuring out exactly where and how much to cut this weekend with a transit.
Thanks!
I'll have a FEL and a rear blade. The spoils will be moved to another side of the lot so it doesn't matter if the dirt ends up at the top or bottom of the hill when I'm grading. I can easily drive to the top area from another side without driving up this steep slope, so I can work from the top down or vice versa.
What is the best and safest way to cut the steepest part of the slope? I'm thinking the best options are driving up the slope from the bottom and picking at the top of the steep part with the FEL and grading from the top down, or starting at the top and cutting into it with the blade and dragging it down the hill. The latter seems more efficient and avoids the risk of flipping the tractor over backward so that's my inclination right now.
We'll be mapping out the various elevations and figuring out exactly where and how much to cut this weekend with a transit.
Thanks!