Digging a small pond with FEL?

[have_blue]

The digging part is very easy. Just plow it up and skim it with the FEL. Only takes 20 seconds per scoop! Unfortunately it then takes up to several minutes to go pile up or spread each scoop. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[wushaw]

I concure with the bulldozer for pond building. I had been digging out one of my ponds with a 4ft. box blade in my spare time for the past three summers /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
I have a little bigger tractor now and a 66" box blade, I will be done this summer, I am tired of digging in the same hole /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Dargo]

Well now. I had the same idea about 10 years ago. It didn't take long to figure that I wasn't going to get it done with my CUT. So, I bought a Cat 955 high lift and a single axle dump truck with a 5.5 cubic yard bed. I also borrowed a farmer and his pan on some weekends. Two years later I still really didn't have much to speak of; other than a pretty good working knowledge of how to operate a small dozer and how to repair one. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

You see, I didn't have the knowledge to calculate exactly how much dirt I needed to move. To make matters worse, I kept increasing the size I wanted. I ended up renting an excavator with a 1 3/4 yard bucket, taking 2 weeks off, borrowing and renting 3 additional dump trucks, paying everyone I could find to drive the dump trucks, and working 12 hour days for those 2 weeks. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

In all, after I had an engineer help me and offer some very slight suggestions, I moved just over 34,000 cubic yards of dirt! My pond is about 1 1/4 acres big and goes to around 18' deep. Figure how many buckets from a CUT that would have taken with an average dump distance of 250 yards to dump each bucket!

 

[GerardC]

Some jobs are better off left to hired hands. Unless you want to do this as a hobby and have the time, hire it out. You'll be glad you did.

 

[backyardman]

No doubt. I've already made my mind up about having a dozer do it after looking at the numbers that bdog threw at me. If I had the time - I'd sure try it, but like most of us, time is hard to come by. Thanks for the suggestions. Bdog gave me the size dozer to look for - any ideas on where to look for a dozer/operator?

 

[MadDog]

Obviously, it is quicker and more efficient to use a large bulldozer and, unless you have one, that means hire one. I think that most folks who can afford to own a CUT, FEL and BH can probably afford to hire a bulldozer if they want to. However, if you're not that concerned with speed and efficiency and have the time to use the project to hone your skills with FEL and BH, it can certainly be done.

I have been doing exactly that with my B7800, FEL, toothbar and BH. I am almost finished excavating a landscaping pond that is about 80' long, has an average surface width of 15-18' and a max depth of about 7'. The width at max depth is about 6-7'. I worked on it for a few weekends (total of maybe 4-5 days in the aggregate) in the fall and then resumed after the ground thawed this spring and have put another 2-3 days in. I expect to be finished with the rough grades and drainfield and ready to drop a layer of sand prior to installing the liner in about another 2 days of work.

BTW, pretty much all of the excavation has been done w/FEL and toothbar --I have only used the BH for digging out around some humongous boulders that I encountered (see my post in Projects on moving large boulders /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ).

Along the way, I have had a a lot of enjoyment and am a lot better using both the BH and the FEL than I was before this little project.

So I don't think it's impractical at all; just an individual call as to how you want to spend your time. On sunny Spring and Fall weekends, I'm pretty happy spending mine running the Megabeast. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Steve_Miller]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/download.php?Number=551381

I dug this one ten years ago with my B7200. It took me four weeks straight after work every day, about 3-4 hours per day. Its only three feet deep in the deepest part. It is all clay except for the top foot or so. It started out as just removing topsoil to make my lawn.


Steve

 

[penokee]

As mentioned by others, building a small dike at the end of a swale, etc, isn't too difficult and if your soil will hold water (clay, etc.) may be the way to go. Yours looks like 0.2 acres or so, will post a few pics of one I built a few years back this way, floods about 0.75 acres. PONDS ARE GREAT - TOO MANY WETLANDS DISAPEARING - CREATE MORE.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[penokee]

Put in a Cotrol Structure so I could draw it down (Haven't done it). Also may need an Emergency Spillway if you anticipate any seasonal increase in runoff.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[penokee]

My Lab Otto likes to watch the 2 ducks that decided to raise some little quackers here.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif