Can I have a pond too?

[UpstateNYMarine]

Well since my fiance and I bought our land (40 acres) I have been chomping at the bit to have a pond. The first step is over (buying a new tractor JD2320) and I can't wait to start tooling around the property with it.

I know that building a pond with a 2320 would take a million years but between that and renting some other equipment I think that I want to take a stab at it. I am in Central/Upstate NY and we have a clay soil here without too many large rocks. My first question is..is this something that I can tackle myself. Secondly, what are some of the things to keep in mind when designing and starting the build.

I cannot seem to find a good website for designing your own pond (any suggestions?). Any help or insight would be great before I start an undertaking that turns out to be a mess.

I have a small creek that runs at the bottom of a ravine behind my house so I was thinking to run the overflow into that. I was hoping to make it something a little larger than an acre.

Thanks....

 

[sr160009]

What size of pond do you want to build? anything over 1/2 acre I would suggest hiring someone to do it for you. Check this site out it will give you all the info you need and then some. Pond Boss Magazine Home Page!

 

[wushaw]

A good box blade will be your best friend for a long time so don't go cheap there. It will take a good while, you want something that is easy to work with, hydraulic scarfiers are great and hydraulic top and tilt will make things work much better also, you never have to get off the tractor to make adjustments to the BB angle or adjust scarfiers.

You need to keep it drained so you won't be in a mudhole or deep water so build the dam in two sections with the center open or the deepest end till you get to the depth you want then fill it in.

 

[WayneB]

You might want to check out the link really a nice thread with tons of informaiton.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/52101-creating-lake.html

Wayne

 

[AllWaysBreakinSomething]

I have a pond and use the following website provided by NC State University. It has pond construction to management.

NC State Fisheries and Pond Management Extension

 

[roermo]

I bet I can be proved wrong: but here is my 2 cents worth.
I would think that would be a big chore. I just finished diging out a hill side for my new garage 26x34 which 20 ft or so was back in the bank and some 8 ft. deep. I removed 90% of it then had a backhoe dig the footing and clean up the edges. With this side I wonder about the wear and tear on the 4110 Jd which is a bit biger I think than yours. I did this with the fel not a box blade. Check the price for a pro. I got some figures at 60 to 80 dollars an hour. My time is worth something. The tractor is worth a lot.
With that said I did have a lot of fun and seat time.

Good luck

Roger

 

[philbuilt]

UpstateNYMarine,
Pond building is fun. Plan the location carefully and study rain and the water shed on your land. I dug my pond during the driest time of the year this provided me time to dig and groom. My biggest issue was what to do with the dirt (flat land) in the lower valley. I've done alot of snorkling in my youth so I used what I saw when diving. Do you fish? think about the structure that you fished and the different water levels. Check Pondboss.com and ask questions.

My project will go on for as long as I live here so time is not an issue.
I rented a big excavator to start and have leveled alot with my massey 1260 useing fel and bb.

A qualified contractor can do this in short order but make sure it's what you want.
Phil

 

[UpstateNYMarine]

Well when I ordered the tractor I got a box blade with it so I am hoping that get al much use out of it that everyone on here says I will. I am also going to be getting a rock rake to help deplete the yard of all the rocks after our final grade is done and we put in the lawn. I am really starting to like TBN...it seems that no matter what it is that I have in mind to do with my property someone here has already done it (or did it bigger than I could have imagined).

Is there a "step-by-step" guide to planning a pond out there anywhere? I ust want to make sure that I have all of my proverbial ducks in a row before I start an undertaking like a pond. I am going to start with cutting some new trails with the tractor and box blade to get used to things before I get right into a monster undertaking like a pond. I also have plenty of clean up work with the FEL to get done first.

Quick story: I was out cleaning up some old tires that were laying around our new property and found one that I couldn't get out. Now being a Marine I couldn't let this tire get the best of me so I started kicking the **** out of it so that I could budge it loose. Well turn out the da@n thing is attached to a car that was buried on the property. I couldn't believe it. Looks like with all the scrap metal the old farmer left me (out of sight out of mind right?) I might have enough cash after I sell it to buy another implement.

Thanks alot everyone and I'm looking for that step-by-step guide if anyone can point me in the right direction. I saw Eddie's Lake undertaking here and though I would love to do that I am looking for someting slightly smaller in scale.

 

[jsec]

For starters download Ponds - Planning, Design & Construction from the Dept. of Agriculture. It's free.

Then order "Perfect Pond - Want One" from the Pond Boss web site. I believe it's $25.00.

I've been researching pond construction for about a year now and these are two of the most useful resources I've found.