Dirt Scoop

[3gun]

Thanks crashz, with my mistakes corrected the math estimate is much closer to the approximately 75 hours I spent digging this pond.

After giving it some more thought there are a lot of variables I did not take in to account in estimating the amount of dirt that I moved, one was that The pond was dug in a low spot, I used a lot of the dirt to build up the ground around it, so about one foot of depth was achieved by rising the ground not digging deeper. Also the rounded shape of the pond likely lowered the amount of dirt removed more then I estimated.

Probably underestimated the amount of dirt moved per scoop, The first two feet or so of dirt was full of organic matter, very light and easily piled high in the scoop, so about 30% of the scoops were almost a full yard.

I still believe digging a good size pond is possible with a pond scoop, but its going to take some time.

Let me try again.

7890 SQ. FEET* x 3 feet** = 23670 cu. Feet divided by 27 = 876 cu. Yards

* Found real area using online tool.

**The pond is mostly 5 feet deep but the sides are sloped and the ground was built up about 1 foot so we will call it an average of 3 feet.

I have the large KK scoop, that is about 36 x 12, but I can pile dirt up well past the top, so I guesstimate its three quarters of a yard per load.

So 876 yards dirt divided by .75 cu yards = 1168 dirt scoop loads.

How fast I could dump a load varied depending mostly on how far from the pond I dumped it. Let’s say 4 minutes average.

So that’s 876 loads x 4 minutes = 4672 minutes average divided by 60 = 78 hours.

Now it works

 

[djradz]

I think the larger KK dirt scoop is only 30" wide and yes, about 36" long. As you note, you can however pile it higher than the 12" sides. Therefore, I think your estimate for how much you can move per load is high. With mine, I always figured I was moving something closer to 1/4 of a yard per load. There is no way you could have moved 3/4 of a yard (36 x 36 x 27) per load. Instead, I figure (heaped) I (and likely you) can move about (36 x 30 x 18) = 19,440 sq in or 42% of a yard per load.

Nonetheless, I'm still confident a small pond could be dug in a reasonable timeframe. Yes, a hoe or dragline would be much preferable, but I've seen some very substantial ponds dug here on TBN, with nothing more than an FEL. Again, someone could claim there is a better way, but I think in both the scoop and FEL cases, if the expectations are reasonable and suited to the task, over time, a substantial project could result.

 

[Dargo]

There is no way you could have moved 3/4 of a yard (36 x 36 x 27) per load.

Like I've said before, that math and physics get in the way. His tractor 3 pt. hitch could not pick up 3/4 yard of dirt even if the scoop weighed zero pounds. Like some others, I've now lost interest in making corrections. I'm certain the Hoover Dam could have been built with an 8n; at least based on some claims.

You guys can keep on figuring out how it can be done, but here are a few "problems" with digging an acre or two pond with a slip scoop:

- Nobody counts for any time to fill the scoop. In packed soil, this doesn't happen in zero time.

- Traction to fill scoop once soil is moist.

- Traction and additional power needed to climb out of hole dug

- Travel time to where the soil is to be dumped.

- Time to dump soil at new location

- Time to spread soil at new location

- Tremendous over estimates on amount of dirt that can be moved with a slip scraper in one day

- Down time for maintenance and repairs

- Replacement tractors for worn out tractors

- Gross underestimates of the weight of the dirt

- Rocks, roots and other obstructions that slow progress

- Shallow grades make for quick growth of weed, scum and highly susceptible to periods of drought

- etc., etc., etc; just call any professional excavator. Yup, for a pond a slip scoop beats a spade and wheelbarrow. Sort of like a bicycle beats walking across country, but flying in a jet sure beats that bicycle. Have fun guys and go at it. Trust me, I wanted a cheaper way and asked hundreds of people. That's how the math and physics thing got into the equation. I wasn't smart enough to figure out myself that, sure, some things can be done with the wrong tools; but at some point they just aren't worth doing. Good luck to ya. I'd offer to give you my scraper, but as I said earlier, I gave it away after I bought my first tractor with an FEL.

 

[Bluelick]

A very interesting conversation. One small point to add. When I had my pond built (1 acre, 14 feet max depth) it took two D6 dozers less than four days in rough terrain. The first day was one dozer just clearing trees. It was fun to watch. But that's just an aside.

What I learned in my research (and my interest in knowing the volume of the water impounded) was that a rule of thumb in figuring the volume of a pond is that the average depth is calculated as being about 40% of the maximum depth. If we used that figure, some of the volume numbers here for various sized ponds might be high.

I also learned, watching those two dozers, that the skill of the operators makes a big difference in how much dirt gets moved. They were very good, I've watched others. I also saw how two dozers well coordinated could move more than twice of what one could move. Almost a dance.

 

[J_J]

Cu yds is cu yds, and in a straight sided situation, the figures are correct, and a perfect cone shaped pond is correct. . The center depth tapering to the sides is hard to figure, because it probably is not a cone shape. The center of the pond may have a quarter of the pond flat and deep. Those scoops, even with stacking, probably will be no more than a third of a yard. A cu yd meaning 27 cu ft. Scoop bottom, 36 in x 36 in x 12 in equal 1/3 yd. A scoop and dump, in 4 min no way. Maybe if you take a running start and drop the scoop, lift and go dump. I think some of you are underestimating what volume is. It might be fun, but it ain't easy.

That pond at 14 ft deep with an avg of 40%, equals about 8972 cu yd of dirt.