Build A Pond?

[EddieWalker]

- - - the 850 alone burns 100 gallons of fuel a day.

That's allot of fuel. My Case 1550 is about the same size as your 850, but burns half that amount of fuel. I have a 75 gallon tank on it and can run it two days, all day long. It has a Cummins 8.3 turbo diesel engine that I rebuilt, so maybe that's part of the difference. New engine runs stronger and uses less fuel?

I didn't run my every day, or all day long while digging my 4 acre pond, but was going through 600 gallons a month, give or take, when digging my pond. One month I bought 800 gallons and a few months I only bought 400 gallons. Fuel is only part of it, I also have leaks in my hydraulic lines that are a constant battle trying to find and fix. As a result, I go through 4 to 6 five gallon buckets of hydraulic oil a month too!!! That's a huge expense that I shouldn't have to spend, but finding and fixing those leaks is not as simple as most people might expect. The ones I'm still looking for only happen under high pressure and under heavy loads. The other times that it leaks is while sitting without running. Both are times that I've been unable to find the source.

Do you have the Sundstrand hydraulic pumps on your 850? I'm told that we share the same pumps, but don't know this first hand. Mine is a 1989 hydrostatic drive.

Eddie

 

[jinman]

I can get 350-400 buckets in an 8 hour day and am really happy to stop at the end of the day!

There you go, ctpres. Hire JB and sit back and watch him go, go, go.

Yes, I was very conservative in my estimate of how many loads you would do in a days time, but I don't figure you will spend all your time going like gang-busters. Some days you will work 2 hours and some you will work 12, but if your soil is rocky or has a lot of clay, I'd plan on setting aside lots of time. The first loads go quickly. Then you have to start dealing with all those spoils and contouring your dam. That's when you and your tractor will start feeling like you're emptying the ocean with a thimble.

 

[F.L. Jennings]

I got a free pond enlargement when the county needed fill for roadbed elevating project down the road from us. They brought in a huge LinkBelt track hoe and a convoy of dump trucks, and in a day or two my pond went from 1/2 to 1 acre.

Check out local needs for fill, maybe you can get part of it done for free. Don't wear your tractor out on this though, it's not cost/time effective. I can cut all of my firewood with a hand saw but the chainsaw is better adapted to the work.

 

[blueriver]

Two of the three that I have where cost share projects with the USDA. Check with your local Soil and Concervation Dept. to see if there are any programs available.

 

[studor]

When we built a pond a few years back (about 50yds by 40 yds) we got a local guy with a shovel and he dug it 14 feet deep in a weekend. It is in a low spot and has an inflow and outflow to the river. Cost --- less than $2000.
Seems to me if the pond is going to cost a fortune, you might want to assess the value it adds to the property.
I don't think your tractor is a practical way to do it. If I were doing it again the one thing I would do differently is push the topsoil of with a dozer and then dig as we could always use the topsoil in a number of other places.
JMHO
regards
Steve

 

[blueriver]

Cost --- less than $2000.

I don't know how many years back that was, but this year they charged in my area $1.85 per yard and 2 years ago it was $1.60 per yard. The USDA after you show them where and about how big they then calculate the yardage. Hire the contractor and build a pond. 2 years ago we put in a large pond at a cost of $7500 with the cost share being 75% paid by them, this years project was $3700 with 50% paid by them.

If I am correct, the dam on the water side is 3 to 1 slope and the back side is 4 to 1 when you use the programs you really get a super good looking project.

 

[studor]

Three years ago -- but none of the dirt was moved any further than the reach of the shovel as he could basically use it to fill the rest of the low spot and then drive over it to pack it down -- and I am sure I got a bargain
Like they say in real estate -- location, location ,location

 

[hotchkiss]

That's allot of fuel. My Case 1550 is about the same size as your 850, but burns half that amount of fuel. I have a 75 gallon tank on it and can run it two days, all day long. It has a Cummins 8.3 turbo diesel engine that I rebuilt, so maybe that's part of the difference. New engine runs stronger and uses less fuel?

I didn't run my every day, or all day long while digging my 4 acre pond, but was going through 600 gallons a month, give or take, when digging my pond. One month I bought 800 gallons and a few months I only bought 400 gallons. Fuel is only part of it, I also have leaks in my hydraulic lines that are a constant battle trying to find and fix. As a result, I go through 4 to 6 five gallon buckets of hydraulic oil a month too!!! That's a huge expense that I shouldn't have to spend, but finding and fixing those leaks is not as simple as most people might expect. The ones I'm still looking for only happen under high pressure and under heavy loads. The other times that it leaks is while sitting without running. Both are times that I've been unable to find the source.

Do you have the Sundstrand hydraulic pumps on your 850? I'm told that we share the same pumps, but don't know this first hand. Mine is a 1989 hydrostatic drive.

Eddie

Eddie:

Good news and bad news. Good news: I am the financial end of the operation and know for certain the 850s burn 100 gallons a day on average. It can vary sum between operators and how hard they are working, but we usually keep the better operators on the 850s so they get a lot out of them every day. Also keep in mind that in our area we have to move dirt from daylight to dark when the weather permits. Last summer we had five 850s and they probably run 10 to 12 hours a day in the summer.

Bad news: I am the financial end of the company and could tell you what type of pump is on the 850s for love nor money.

I do know a little more than I let on about operations, and I know for certain that my wife wanted a pond in spot "x" and we had to build one there even though it was a badddddddddddd spot to build a pond. Oh well she and my daughter love it so it was worth it.

 

[hotchkiss]

typo should say could not tell you for love nor money.

 

[hotchkiss]

Eddie:

Read your message again. In our situation I don't think a new engine has anything to do with it. All of our 850s are new by diesel standars - less than 2000 hours on all of them, and I think less than 1000 on three of them.