EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
DWCox,
Great pics and narrative on your blog. I really enjoyed reading it.
Eddie
Great pics and narrative on your blog. I really enjoyed reading it.
Eddie
Build A Pond?
- Thread starter ctpres
- Start date
- Views: 124120
Bird
Rest in Peace
It's not quite that simple.
The 10 acres I had in Navarro County, TX, did not have a single rock that wasn't hauled in. The soil was "Wilson Clay Loam" according to the soil scientist, and that went down over 4 feet; definitely clay that would make a mudball. However, a pond had been dug and it went down to about 15 feet and after 4 to 6 feet, the soil changed to a much lighter color and the water soaked right in, so it wouldn't hold water at all.
DWCox
Silver Member
Thanks Eddie. I have likewise read your entire pond project from start to finish. I appreciate your perseverance and ingenuity. It is so satisfying to see people who still think like the farmers and pioneers who first busted sod in this country.
dirtworksequip
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2006
- Messages
- 1,463
- Location
- Wheeling, WV
- Tractor
- 2006 JD 3520 w/cab & 300CX loader. 1995 JD 870 w/440 loader & 8b backhoe.JD 455 w/54" mower deck.
Bird, and that first 4 feet of soil should have been saved to used to line the pond. "Common sense."
Bird
Rest in Peace
Yes, but you never met the fellow I bought that place from. Common sense definitely wasn't one of his attributes.
philbuilt
Gold Member
To me building the pond was a thing of time and patience. I went into my project wishing for a larger pond but settled for what I could afford at the time. I suggest that you try and dig it won't hurt and you can always back fill. I think that I'm on year 3 and I have many more to go. As Eddie stated figure out what your plan is for the spoils. Digging is the easy part! Transport and getting rid of the dirt is the time consuming part. I don't think my pond will ever be totally complete as it's a work in progress.
In the summer it's a destination for myself and the dogs to walk to and feed the fish and enjoy what god gave me.
You can do it!
Phil
In the summer it's a destination for myself and the dogs to walk to and feed the fish and enjoy what god gave me.
You can do it!
Phil
OK you havn't talked me out of this yet. Just making me think more, which is good. Only thinking out loud now with several hundred listening.
I have time, a new (200 hour) 3400 HST with FEL and plan on adding a tooth bar and 30" pond scoop or box blade (opinions on this?) Maybe a dump trailer, if I can find a good deal, when I get around to moving spoils. Have just about ruled out bigger equipment as it can only dig and pile up nearby so I will still be faced with moving most of the material removed over 500'. Moving/trips is still the big factor. This is below grade job as site is mostly flat, probably less than two feet drop in 200 feet. I will try to confirm elevation this weekend. Any dam would back water up into neighbors land. I have cut a small ditch to improve drainage over the past three years and think I can work next to the ditch so it would take exceptionally heavy rain to fill pond in progress. Then near the end I can cut into ditch area.
The simple plan-dig till I'm tired or have reached desired size. Then move dirt as needed for other projects over the next few years. Neighbor might have big tree removal project so heavy equipment help is not ruled out. I never plan projects that I can't do by myself.
I have time, a new (200 hour) 3400 HST with FEL and plan on adding a tooth bar and 30" pond scoop or box blade (opinions on this?) Maybe a dump trailer, if I can find a good deal, when I get around to moving spoils. Have just about ruled out bigger equipment as it can only dig and pile up nearby so I will still be faced with moving most of the material removed over 500'. Moving/trips is still the big factor. This is below grade job as site is mostly flat, probably less than two feet drop in 200 feet. I will try to confirm elevation this weekend. Any dam would back water up into neighbors land. I have cut a small ditch to improve drainage over the past three years and think I can work next to the ditch so it would take exceptionally heavy rain to fill pond in progress. Then near the end I can cut into ditch area.
The simple plan-dig till I'm tired or have reached desired size. Then move dirt as needed for other projects over the next few years. Neighbor might have big tree removal project so heavy equipment help is not ruled out. I never plan projects that I can't do by myself.
A dump trailer would really help as you can accumulate the dirt and move it farther faster than the tractor using your truck. A GOOD box blade will help too. A flimsy cheap one will drive you to drinking quick. Get one with a movable scarifier bar so you can quickly flip them down to break up the soil and back up to move the soil. The extra $$ is a small price to the thousands of times you will be off the seat monkeying around with the teeth if you don't! If you are really going to do it a 6' to 6.5' box in the 900-1000 pound range is what you are looking for.
wushaw
Elite Member
Ctpres, I will second John-buds recommendation on a "good" heavy BB with hydraulic scarfiers and a hydraulic tilt will help also.
My BB weighs 830lbs and has a hard time pulling dirt and ripping up at the same time with the scarfiers set low so I rip up a area and the dragg the spoils up.
Get a dump trailer hook it up to your truck, this will greatly increase your productivity.
I have done the long distance dirt moving with my L2800 and that is what has put most of the hrs on the clock, if I would have had a dump trailer three yrs ago my tractor would only have 50 hrs on it instead of 240.
I put 400 hrs on my last tractor in the three years of having it and most of that was just moving dirt.
I have a little 4X8 dump trailer that I built last year that does a wonderful job of moving dirt quickly, I did use my big 8X16 GN dump a little after I got my L2800 but it is just too big to get where I needed to get dirt moved to although it would probably work great in your situation, I could put 16 scoops of dirt into it and that was 16 less 100 + yd trips I had to make and belive me it adds up real quick, your back side will really thank you for investing in a dump trailer for moving the spoils any kind of distance.
I love my tractor but that seat is no Bostrom air ride
My BB weighs 830lbs and has a hard time pulling dirt and ripping up at the same time with the scarfiers set low so I rip up a area and the dragg the spoils up.
Get a dump trailer hook it up to your truck, this will greatly increase your productivity.
I have done the long distance dirt moving with my L2800 and that is what has put most of the hrs on the clock, if I would have had a dump trailer three yrs ago my tractor would only have 50 hrs on it instead of 240.
I put 400 hrs on my last tractor in the three years of having it and most of that was just moving dirt.
I have a little 4X8 dump trailer that I built last year that does a wonderful job of moving dirt quickly, I did use my big 8X16 GN dump a little after I got my L2800 but it is just too big to get where I needed to get dirt moved to although it would probably work great in your situation, I could put 16 scoops of dirt into it and that was 16 less 100 + yd trips I had to make and belive me it adds up real quick, your back side will really thank you for investing in a dump trailer for moving the spoils any kind of distance.
I love my tractor but that seat is no Bostrom air ride
saltman
Silver Member
Isn't there something you can line the pond with that will make it hold water? Someone told me once you can use "gunite" ?? Whatever that is..
I have an area on my property that is a dry wash or dry creek that I can dam up and collect a lot of water when it rains and make a pond but the area is all sand. What can I do to make it hold water? this idea sure seems a lot easier and natural than digging a big hole. The man mad resivoirs here are all in canyons or natural washes but they had to put something down to keep the water from soaking in?
I have an area on my property that is a dry wash or dry creek that I can dam up and collect a lot of water when it rains and make a pond but the area is all sand. What can I do to make it hold water? this idea sure seems a lot easier and natural than digging a big hole. The man mad resivoirs here are all in canyons or natural washes but they had to put something down to keep the water from soaking in?