Digging pond out

[lej]

I started doubling the size of our pond without draining it. My son brought me a Yanmar 35 to play with. It has plenty of power but not enough counter weight as I did test its limits. I now have a Cat 303.5se that my son’s work will sell me at $10,000.00 plus below value. I dug a section 3’ by 40’ by 5 to 6 foot deep during the dry period with the water level down 3 to 4 foot. After 200 loads with my tractor loader I learned that this is not going to work. I’m considering buying a dump trailer to take the load off my tractor as I have to haul it behind my woods to an area before my farm field. I know I will still have to double dig to let the dirt dry out before loading to haul back. Anyone have any better ideas?

 

[EddieWalker]

When I dug my 3/4 acre pond, I used a full sized backhoe. Digging was easy, hauling dirt took forever. At first I hauled the dirt off to a ditch I wanted to fill up, but that took forever and I was worried that Spring would get here and I'd still be hauling dirt if I didn't do something different. So I dumped all the dirt right next to the pond and created a giant mountain. Then I worked at hauling that dirt off to where I needed it on my land over the next couple of years. Eventually I just dumped it at the edge of a pasture, and it's sat there for the last 15 years. I still get dirt from that pile, but there is so much dirt that it will be there for another 15 years!!!

When I dug my 4 1/2 acre pond, I used all the dirt to make the dam wider. The back slope of my dam is so shallow that most people have no idea that it's a dam. It's very easy to mow and looks great.

 

[bdhsfz6]

When I regraded one of my fields, I had to move a huge pile of soil about a quarter mile. To minimize the number of trips with just the FEL bucket, I used a 3pt to SSQA adapter and attached another FEL bucket to the 3pt hitch. Using my hyd. top link, I scooped up a load by backing into the pile before filling the bucket on the FEL. That way, I could carry two loads in the same trip.

 

[lej]

Digging is easy but getting rid of all the dirt is not. I was thinking if I picked up a dump trailer that I could haul at least ten tons at a time plus when I need more rock I could haul from the gravel pit and save money since rock now runs $550.00 a load. I have a brushy grass area between my woods and farm field and figure I could brush hog it and use a dump trailer to haul it back and pile it up. This is not good dirt as we are on reclamed ground. Where the pond is was originally 200 foot deep and they shoved it in there. I have found this is where they shoved a lot of the mine trash. I have dug up old blasting signs, multiple steel cables, and remains of 55 gallon drums. The dirt at least 30 to 40 percent rock.