Dig out my basement

[arkydog]

just thinking out loud. if basement isn't finished, y not knock a hole in basement side an dig into side you want to open up? might be really bad or really good idea. this y I'm from arkansas

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Build two bins that are each 1'x2'x8'. It will fit through your window and two of them will fit in the back of your pickup. Build a ramp that goes out the window that you can back you truck up to. Buy a Harbor Freight electric winch, if you feel like splurging get the one with remote control. Fill the bins with dirt, winch them up the ramp and into the back of the pickup truck.

Wheels on the bins would probably be a good idea!

Each bin holds 16 cubic feet, which is 1600 pounds plus or minus depending on your dirt. Together that's 3200 pounds which sounds like a good pickup load to me. If the area you're trying to dig out is 460 by 8 that's 3680 cubic feet, or 115 loads of 32 cubic feet. If you do two loads a week you can do it in a year!

You haven't talked about what you're doing with the dirt once you get it into the pickup. That may affect your strategy. You could probably use the winch to lift one end of the bins to dump them.

 

[farm boy00]

Build two bins that are each 1'x2'x8'. It will fit through your window and two of them will fit in the back of your pickup. Build a ramp that goes out the window that you can back you truck up to. Buy a Harbor Freight electric winch, if you feel like splurging get the one with remote control. Fill the bins with dirt, winch them up the ramp and into the back of the pickup truck.

Wheels on the bins would probably be a good idea!

Each bin holds 16 cubic feet, which is 1600 pounds plus or minus depending on your dirt. Together that's 3200 pounds which sounds like a good pickup load to me. If the area you're trying to dig out is 460 by 8 that's 3680 cubic feet, or 115 loads of 32 cubic feet. If you do two loads a week you can do it in a year!

You haven't talked about what you're doing with the dirt once you get it into the pickup. That may affect your strategy. You could probably use the winch to lift one end of the bins to dump them.

This actually sounds like a really great idea for the OP.


I also say if this^^ I idea wouldn't work use a small tractor like a steiner, dingo.

Here is my mini loader. It's kinda like a Steiner but from the sounds a Steiner is 4ft, but this one is smaller



Ignore my over loading and tipping it. Really need to get the rear weight bracket built

 

[dstig1]

I made a ramp and used my BX to haul material... worked well but I needed a fan to force fresh air in and I wore a good respirator...

While the respirator will protect you from the diesel particulate, and potentially the smell - depending on what you have for filters/cartridges - it will do nothing for carbon monoxide. You can get yourself into a false sense of security here... There are very few things that can take out CO, and no common respirators, so typically people have to use supplied air (fresh air pumped in by compressor from outside, or self contained tank like the firefighters use) in those cases.

This is a very serious risk in a small enclosed area with internal combustion engines running. Don't take it lightly!

 

[4570Man]

While the respirator will protect you from the diesel particulate, and potentially the smell - depending on what you have for filters/cartridges - it will do nothing for carbon monoxide. You can get yourself into a false sense of security here... There are very few things that can take out CO, and no common respirators, so typically people have to use supplied air (fresh air pumped in by compressor from outside, or self contained tank like the firefighters use) in those cases. This is a very serious risk in a small enclosed area with internal combustion engines running. Don't take it lightly!

Use a fan to force in fresh air and limit digging to about 10 minutes every hour. A BX can still move more dirt in 10 minutes then an old guy with a shovel in an hour. Plus the BX is a heck of a lot easier. If renting a sub compact SS it might be possible to rent a propane powered one. Lots of people have used a machine to dig a basement and haven't died.

 

[crazyal]

Seen a guy do it once with a power wheel barrow. Did like several people said, made a small opening on the foundation and just filled it with a shovel and drove it to where he wanted it and dumped. The foundation was blocks, not poured so it was pretty easy to remove the blocks needed. Then he put the first row of blocks back and thenhad a cement truck pour through the opening for the floor. It can be done.

 

[ultrarunner]

While the respirator will protect you from the diesel particulate, and potentially the smell - depending on what you have for filters/cartridges - it will do nothing for carbon monoxide. You can get yourself into a false sense of security here... There are very few things that can take out CO, and no common respirators, so typically people have to use supplied air (fresh air pumped in by compressor from outside, or self contained tank like the firefighters use) in those cases.

This is a very serious risk in a small enclosed area with internal combustion engines running. Don't take it lightly!

I used two industrial fans at the far end pushing air in... the mask was very helpful with the dust that it kicked up...

In and out was probably 45 seconds and then 4 minutes to the back part of the property and 4 minutes back.

We hired a excavation contractor to do something similar at work... had to for through a 36 inch door... he had a back hoe that would break down into components and it was hydraulic with a power pack in the parking lot... boy could it did... needed a second person whose only job was to keep the hoses out of harms way and 6 guy with wheel barrows.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I dug a basement under an existing house with a tracked skid loader and it took a while. You can't just dig out the whole thing at once you have to hold up the house so we did it in sections. Propped the house up with two 2 x 6's screwed together like a T and it worked well. The problem is with equipment is there is so little room to move around. It is very doable to do it by hand and likely safer. When we started that job my boss tried digging a footer and smacked a brace with the bucket. It stayed in place but he was never around after that when digging had to be done.
I would dig out 6' of wall and pour a new footer and wall and then do 6' again instead of trying to do large amounts at a time. Go at it and have fun. Take your time and before you know it you will have done the job. Ed

 

[Sprinklerman]

This actually sounds like a really great idea for the OP.


I also say if this^^ I idea wouldn't work use a small tractor like a steiner, dingo.

Here is my mini loader. It's kinda like a Steiner but from the sounds a Steiner is 4ft, but this one is smaller

View attachment 451096

Ignore my over loading and tipping it. Really need to get the rear weight bracket built

That looks like an old burkeen or vermeer vibratory plow

 

[Sprinklerman]

This actually sounds like a really great idea for the OP.


I also say if this^^ I idea wouldn't work use a small tractor like a steiner, dingo.

Here is my mini loader. It's kinda like a Steiner but from the sounds a Steiner is 4ft, but this one is smaller

View attachment 451096

Ignore my over loading and tipping it. Really need to get the rear weight bracket built

That looks like an old burkeen or vermeer vibratory plow