Creating a Hill

[EddieWalker]

Due to a request by the buyer of some land I've been trying to sell, I've had to put off some of my other projects and turn a cliff into a hill.

It's about 12 feet tall on average and that wide to 20 feet wide. It's also fifty feetl long.

The buyer wants it filled in to stop erosion and shore it up.

 

[EddieWalker]

One of my seasonal creek beds needed cleaning out. It's had tons of concrete dumped into it over the years, which I want to remove. Since I need all sorts of fill material, this was a good start.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've also had to clear the front fenceline to bring power to my property that I'm planning on developing. 15 feet wide and several hundred feet long really adds up.

I could have burned it, but burrying it is easier and faster. It also works amazingly well for building a huge, oversized retaining wall.

 

[EddieWalker]

I just push the saplings and trees over the edge until it fills up. Then I use the backhoe to give it a push and sorta tighten it all up.

On the right on the photo, the white square is my sign from another thread I've been posting, called creating an entrance.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm making progress, but still have a long way to go. This photo gives you a pretty good idea of what it will look like when I'm finished.

Eddie

 

[LarryD]

As always Eddie, another fine job. Are you worried about settling as the wood decays?.

I've got a hill on my place just about the steep but not quite as tall. I mow once a week this time of year and it's a fun ride when the grass is a little damp. Just point her down hill and hang on. Like in your photo, I have a nice landing area at the bottom. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[GuglioLS]

Well just goes to show ya it’s always something.
E-gads Eddie when do you find time to spend with your Cutie Pie?
Or is she in the shop welding her next project.

 

[EddieWalker]

Since this is strictly to stop erosion, the amount of settleing from decomposing material is acceptable. I'll be planting it with vines and bushes along with spreading wildflower seeds all over it when I finish, not to mention what will start growing in the fresh turned soil soon enough. In time I would imagine it to change shape and develop it's own texture, which just adds to the overal effect. I hope.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Eddie thats a fine job there. In MS the state allows you to bury organic material on a highway job as long as there is 2feet of clay on top of it. One tip on your seeding it try using wild birdseed mix for 9 bucks for a 50 pound sack and fertilize it then drag id with a pipe or other weight and walk it in with the dozer horizontally. the dozers compaction helps with seed germination. The dozers tracks on a horizontal path make the slope hold better for some reason Ive tried vertical and horizontal both after not taking dads word for it. The landfill we run is sandy andwe us the birdseed to cut down on the grassin costs and it has the effects of attraction wildlife as it contains sorgum,millet,sunflower a little corn, and bermuda grass. We mix ours sometimes with oats,wheat,poppy,and cosmos. THe EPA inspector lady loves it lol.

 

[EddieWalker]

Taylor,

Thanks for the tips. My parents are visiting me right now and I was just talking to my Mom about what type of seed we should spread on the hill. Niether of us considered a bird seed mix even though we are both big bird watchers and have multiple bird feeders.

I'll trust your experience in the direction of the tracks for best seed results, but must admit to a healthy fear of side rollover on that steep of a slope, so that's not gonna happen. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Eddie

 

[Highbeam]

It scares me to death to think of rolling a dozer sideways. I will track up or down the slope and risk sliding but, rolling is just spooky.

Seems that the grouser marks running perperndicular to the slope would slow down the water as it runs down the slope rather than channeling it. The flow velocity is what picks up the dirt and causes erosion.

I would not be happy to discover a buried heap of stumps on my property. Does the next owner know what you are using for fill? This could limit his options for future development.

It sure looks good after it's topped off though.

 

[chucko]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( THe EPA inspector lady loves it lol. )</font>

old crow?

 

[Taylortractornut]

I cant say why they dont hold as good as verticle pad marks lol We tried 2 places on one slope up and dads horizontal tracks didnt erode like mine did. He says some soils the water will pocket in the verticle track impressions and pool up then over flow and when one overflows all the res have a near same amount of water in them and they all go at one time making bigger channels. As for rolling its not likely. I pushed on a 1to 1 (45degree) slope part of the day today with the D5B at work. infact my right cheek has an impression of the right armrest lol.
Eddie you might be able to get by with seeding it and walking up it vertically or compromisingly and walk the seed in at an angle starting from the botom of the slope up. Thats the next best way to walk in a slope plus it gives a good retreat if you get uncomfortable lol.
Youd be surpised at the birds and other wildlife you can attract with the birdfeeder seed mix.

 

[EddieWalker]

I was makeing pretty good progress on this when I last posted the photos, then I broke down. My lift cylinder on my loader sprung a leak so bad the fluid was just running out.

New Holland had a kit in stock, so I picked one up to rebuild it myself. I've done a few, but not many. After four hours trying to break it apart I gave up. I brought it to New Holland and had them do it. Somebody used locktite on the threads.

Both pistons were bad, which I may or may not have noticed. The preasure of the hydraulic oil going past the piston blew out my seals, causing the leak.

For three days I didn't get anything done on this project.

This morning I bought a dump truck.

It's an 83 F650 with a six yard bed, 370 gas engine and not much else. It's not street legal, the brakes are bad and it desperately needs a tune up. All that for $3,250.

My logic on buying stuff is what will I be able to sell it for. When I'm done with it, I should be able to get close to that amount for it, so that makes it a good deal.

 

[Golfgar4]

Hey Eddie,

Get that dump truck working half way decent, and when we're down in your neck of the woods next January/February, I'll come by to visit. If I can remember how to do it (it's only been about 36 years! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif), I'll show you a nifty little trick on how to lay down a mat of gravel or dirt with a dumptruck a guy taught me when I worked for a road building company in college.

This guy, we called him Fruit Loops (and NOT because he liked the cereal /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif) was a wizard with a dumptruck. The grader operator would tell him how thick he wanted the mat of gravel, and Fruit Loops would lay it down so well that the grader operator barely needed to grade it. And the whole time he was dropping the gravel, he'd be pulling a wheely with his tri-axle International Transtar! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It was a site to behold. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I never got quite as good as Fruit Loops, but I did well enough with a dumptruck that I got moved to the A team grading crew the following year. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[RobS]

EddieWalker, I hope you realize you're the envy of many of us with all your equipment and seat time! How 'bout starting a new thread with some pics of that dump truck. That's going to be quite a productivity booster for you I bet. Now all you need is an extra operator to keep the dirt moving /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Tim_in_IA]

Why sell them when you clearly have so much fun using them! Turn that into a side business! I too am envious of the toys, er... I mean tools!

 

[bugstruck]

Eddie, Nice looking job as always. I'm curious though, what created that cliff in the first place? Manmade or nature?

Congrats on the dump. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Wish I had one. Keep those photos coming. Worth a bunch of words.

Regards,

 

[EddieWalker]

Gary,

I'd love to learn what you can teach me with the dump truck. This is the first one I'ver ever run, operated or even been in.

Like everything else, there's allot more to it then just jumping in and pulling a few levers. Just getting all the dirt out required learning to accelerate real fast and them slamming on the brakes real quick. Nothing else seems to get it all out.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Chris,

From what I've been told, the cliff is a result of a dirt quarry at one time. I spent months with my backhoe just clearing up the debri.

Then over the years, erosion did it's fair share of damage. The buyer of the land above it was worried it would cotinue to erode away and wanted me to make sure it wouldn't.

Eddie