Are Montana's capable of foundation excavation?
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cowboydoc
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Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Not just Montana but I wouldn't do it with even a big backhoe. If your foundation is big at all you'll spend more time and fuel moving dirt and trying to the middle dugout than you will just hiring an excavator to come in and do it. It will take you a week with a full size backhoe to dig it out or more and even then you still may not reach the middle to get it smooth. An excavator will come in and in half a day have your basement dug and the dirt put where you want it.
Not just Montana but I wouldn't do it with even a big backhoe. If your foundation is big at all you'll spend more time and fuel moving dirt and trying to the middle dugout than you will just hiring an excavator to come in and do it. It will take you a week with a full size backhoe to dig it out or more and even then you still may not reach the middle to get it smooth. An excavator will come in and in half a day have your basement dug and the dirt put where you want it.
Woodsman30350
Bronze Member
Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Second what Cowboydoc says. Get an excavator who can make the laser sing to do a good job.
Second what Cowboydoc says. Get an excavator who can make the laser sing to do a good job.
Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Would it make any difference if it was a slightly sloping lot where the walkout basement will be sitting level with the current grade, then dug into the grade about 18" to the front, trench dug for footings across the back and about 10' toward the front, the front and sides will be built up rather than dug. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Would it make any difference if it was a slightly sloping lot where the walkout basement will be sitting level with the current grade, then dug into the grade about 18" to the front, trench dug for footings across the back and about 10' toward the front, the front and sides will be built up rather than dug. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Egon
Epic Contributor
Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Chances are real good any tractor with 16 or more HP. could do it.
I know my Kubota B7100 HST 16 HP. could but it may take a little time.
But again time is freely available for me.
The Kubota L39 would be a good machine to look at. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Chances are real good any tractor with 16 or more HP. could do it.
I know my Kubota B7100 HST 16 HP. could but it may take a little time.
But again time is freely available for me.
The Kubota L39 would be a good machine to look at. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
L
LarryRB
Guest
Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
today, this is all true, I think we forget that just 20 years ago, all foundations were dug with a backhoe.. Obviously an excavator is the machine for this job, in time, and safety, easier placement of spoils, etc.
today, this is all true, I think we forget that just 20 years ago, all foundations were dug with a backhoe.. Obviously an excavator is the machine for this job, in time, and safety, easier placement of spoils, etc.
cowboydoc
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Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Don't get me wrong you can do it. What I usually see is that people greatly UNDERESTIMATE the size of this kind of job. YES it can certainly be done with a backhoe but you're looking at least a weeks worth of work. With TLB you're looking at probably a couple weeks of work. I wouldn't even consider doing it with a compact TLB. If your time is free and fuel isn't an issue do it. It would be a fun project. But if you value your time and as high as fuel is right now for probably around $500 you can have it done in less than a day.
Don't get me wrong you can do it. What I usually see is that people greatly UNDERESTIMATE the size of this kind of job. YES it can certainly be done with a backhoe but you're looking at least a weeks worth of work. With TLB you're looking at probably a couple weeks of work. I wouldn't even consider doing it with a compact TLB. If your time is free and fuel isn't an issue do it. It would be a fun project. But if you value your time and as high as fuel is right now for probably around $500 you can have it done in less than a day.
slowzuki
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Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
I can't quite follow what you are talking about for your escavation but for slabs, a backhoe or escavator can do strip footings fine.
For digging out a house sized hole in the ground the escavator is king. If it is really sand and clay I think a backhoe could do it in a couple of days. They used to do them with bulldozers years ago, cable operated blades at that.
A bulldozer is also still fastest at stripping soil off the top if you are trying to conserve topsoil.
I can't quite follow what you are talking about for your escavation but for slabs, a backhoe or escavator can do strip footings fine.
For digging out a house sized hole in the ground the escavator is king. If it is really sand and clay I think a backhoe could do it in a couple of days. They used to do them with bulldozers years ago, cable operated blades at that.
A bulldozer is also still fastest at stripping soil off the top if you are trying to conserve topsoil.
Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Okay, What I'm talking about is this:
Picture a sloping lot. We're standing at a lower end where the walkout basement will be. We could step right in the basement if it were there. There will have to be a trench for the stem wall to drop down since this is a walkout. The trench will need to be the length of the structure and continue about 10' toward the front of the house. The dirt will need to be levelled into the slope towards the front of the structure. About 18" will need to be scraped at the front so that the dirt is now level with the side of the walkout. Footers will be formed around the perimiter of the front and 2/3 down the sides until the step down into the trench. Once the basement is in place and the first floor poured dirt will be filled in to the top of the basement height in front and sloping down the sides to the back where the walkout is. So. . . is the montana capable of moving/scraping from 0" to 18" of soill and digging a trench 4-8' wide 36" deep? Or is that stretching its capabilities? Most opf the work I'll be doing with this will be the same since all I build is walkouts on sloping lots where dirt is brought in to fill to grade in the front.
Cowboydoc and woodsman; Although I appreciate your advice on just hiring an excavator, it doesn't really answer my question since you wouldn't do it even if you had a big machine. My question is: is the Montana capable, not are you capable/comfortable doing this.
Okay, What I'm talking about is this:
Picture a sloping lot. We're standing at a lower end where the walkout basement will be. We could step right in the basement if it were there. There will have to be a trench for the stem wall to drop down since this is a walkout. The trench will need to be the length of the structure and continue about 10' toward the front of the house. The dirt will need to be levelled into the slope towards the front of the structure. About 18" will need to be scraped at the front so that the dirt is now level with the side of the walkout. Footers will be formed around the perimiter of the front and 2/3 down the sides until the step down into the trench. Once the basement is in place and the first floor poured dirt will be filled in to the top of the basement height in front and sloping down the sides to the back where the walkout is. So. . . is the montana capable of moving/scraping from 0" to 18" of soill and digging a trench 4-8' wide 36" deep? Or is that stretching its capabilities? Most opf the work I'll be doing with this will be the same since all I build is walkouts on sloping lots where dirt is brought in to fill to grade in the front.
Cowboydoc and woodsman; Although I appreciate your advice on just hiring an excavator, it doesn't really answer my question since you wouldn't do it even if you had a big machine. My question is: is the Montana capable, not are you capable/comfortable doing this.
cowboydoc
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Re: Are Montana\'s capable of foundation excavation?
Yes you can do it. You could do it with a shovel if you wanted. Any tractor with a loader and backhoe could concievably do the job be it Kubota, Deere, NH, or a Montana. It's just a matter of how much time you want to spend doing it. Your next problem is going to come in size. If you get a bigger tractor and backhoe it's going to be cumbersome and time consuming to move it all the time and try to get everything situated. A smaller unit will be easier to maneuver but it's going to take a LONG time to accomplish what you are looking at doing. You just have to decide how much time you want to spend doing the job. How much room do you have to move everything around. Your lot size, where the dirt has to go, what has to be moved, etc. will all determine what size tractor you can use.
I have a JD 4600 with a backhoe which is a larger compact tractor. It would probably take me a week or two to accomplish what you want to do.
Yes you can do it. You could do it with a shovel if you wanted. Any tractor with a loader and backhoe could concievably do the job be it Kubota, Deere, NH, or a Montana. It's just a matter of how much time you want to spend doing it. Your next problem is going to come in size. If you get a bigger tractor and backhoe it's going to be cumbersome and time consuming to move it all the time and try to get everything situated. A smaller unit will be easier to maneuver but it's going to take a LONG time to accomplish what you are looking at doing. You just have to decide how much time you want to spend doing the job. How much room do you have to move everything around. Your lot size, where the dirt has to go, what has to be moved, etc. will all determine what size tractor you can use.
I have a JD 4600 with a backhoe which is a larger compact tractor. It would probably take me a week or two to accomplish what you want to do.
