Building Lake Corona

[ning]

I have a 9' Deere 350 sickle bar cutter. It is one of the most cantankerous contraptions I have ever used....But once you have it hooked up to the 3 point, and get going, things fall into place for trimming the pond. They are also high maintenance. But they do the job as good as anything I've ever seen.

I just picked up a used unit off of CL for this purpose on Saturday... the guy had two he'd bought and then realized it was the wrong mower for his little tractor on rocky land (! no kidding right?) and it was a mess trying to figure out what part went to which one and how it was all connected; I wasn't going to buy it and go without having a good picture of how it would be set up. I haven't put it on the tractor yet - definitely need to lube it and more - but it's a really bizarre looking thing and quite what I expected before seeing it in parts or together...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I just picked up a used unit off of CL for this purpose on Saturday... the guy had two he'd bought and then realized it was the wrong mower for his little tractor on rocky land (! no kidding right?) and it was a mess trying to figure out what part went to which one and how it was all connected; I wasn't going to buy it and go without having a good picture of how it would be set up. I haven't put it on the tractor yet - definitely need to lube it and more - but it's a really bizarre looking thing and quite what I expected before seeing it in parts or together...

BE CAREFUL, NEVER STICK YOUR FINGERS BETWEEN THE KNIFE SECTIONS, they can move even when not expecting them to move.

My 9' sickle doesn't take much HP. But it won't fit on my Deere 4310 due to just not big enough between the tires and such. It also takes a good amount of 3pt lift to raise the arm. I would like to have a hydraulic solution to lift it, or the best situation is to have the Deere 450 which is on a caddy.

They don't work when there are wet fireant mounds in your field. The mud clogs them up. That's why hay people have moved on to disk mowers down here.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Now back to our regular programming on this channel. Enjoy watching your progress jk. If you the bermuda hybrids work up there in your climate, they are great for erosion control and drought proof. We have bermuda called "coastal".

 

[BackRoad]

Are we retaining water???

(Which is one of the few situations where it's desirable!)

 

[jk96]

Are we retaining water???

(Which is one of the few situations where it's desirable!)

So far yes but not gaining any. First rain today since that small amount April 2nd. We missed any heavy rain. Maybe 1/4". I need to get a yard stick in to start watching it. Going to move some structure in for fish this week before the bottom gets covered.

 

[CPTKILLER]

I did that on my small ranch. I had some issues that were interesting.

1. My dam seeped and started to break. I fixed that.
2. I realized my pond like my neighbors would loose water due to natural seepage on the bottom. That was a problem I never really resolved prior to selling my property.

I found that most ranchers were using Bentonite to seal stock tank or pond bottoms. That could be something to think about. My goats enjoyed the pond when it had water.

 

[EddieWalker]

That's a very strange video. Why spend all that money on Bentonite, and then just dump it at the edge of the water? It's such a small pond that it would take about a day to pump it dry, and then it could have been compacted properly. Then add the Bentonite to the entire pond and mix it in with the soil so it has the best chance of working. What is it supposed to do laying loosely at the edge of the water?

 

[ponytug]

That's a very strange video. Why spend all that money on Bentonite, and then just dump it at the edge of the water? It's such a small pond that it would take about a day to pump it dry, and then it could have been compacted properly. Then add the Bentonite to the entire pond and mix it in with the soil so it has the best chance of working. What is it supposed to do laying loosely at the edge of the water?

Nothing much in my opinion. While I've seen bentonite spread in the water across the whole pond with water in it, I do think that what you suggest, and what @jk96 did, of compacting the bottom, adding bentonite, and then more clay and compacting that is better.

I have a spreader with a built in agitator that can handle fines like bentonite and lime, but most spreaders have a hard time as neither powder flows especially smoothly.

Lots of information on YouTube, some of it great, some less so...

All the best,

Peter

 

[jk96]

That's a very strange video. Why spend all that money on Bentonite, and then just dump it at the edge of the water? It's such a small pond that it would take about a day to pump it dry, and then it could have been compacted properly. Then add the Bentonite to the entire pond and mix it in with the soil so it has the best chance of working. What is it supposed to do laying loosely at the edge of the water?

Someone I know who builds ponds saw a facebook post I made on a pond site asking questions about bentonite. He called me and said that Bentonite rarely fixes a leaky pond because most applications are not done correctly. I think this is one of those.

 

[jk96]

Took a little time today to add some fish structure back in and a couple log crossings. Also took the rotary lazer out just before dark to shoot the waterline, check the level of the last walk path I cut in, and check pond depth. Had never checked depth, just guessed. 13ft at the damn. Half the flat 9 to 10 feet, rest of rhe flat about 7 until you hit the slopes or the two fingers of the main bowel where is shallows out. Final pics. Nothing left to do but wait.