Earth work

[4570Man]

or I can rent a dozer for a grand and my buddy can do it all in a day. That doesn't give me the satisfaction of doing everything myself though. I'm going to turn this raw land into a home and do it all myself. That's my goal anyways. We all probably had grandparents that build their own homes and made their way. We don't do that these days, It's a challenge I want to take on while I still can. Father time is undefeated they say.

Unlike the new guy that wants to buy a BX to clear an acre of stumps I think your expectations are reasonable and do able. It’s probably not happening the first weekend but with 14 days off at a time you could get a lot done.

 

[K5lwq]

or I can rent a dozer for a grand and my buddy can do it all in a day. That doesn't give me the satisfaction of doing everything myself though. I'm going to turn this raw land into a home and do it all myself. That's my goal anyways. We all probably had grandparents that build their own homes and made their way. We don't do that these days, It's a challenge I want to take on while I still can. Father time is undefeated they say.

You can definitely do it yourself. Just take your time. It is really amazing what you can do with a small tractor if you think it through. Damage to equipment and injuries to people happen when people do and not think. I did things with my little 8hp Speedex that my friends could not believe. Same for the Beaver. Things became easier after the Kioti, still work it hard but much faster. Now with the Branson I can only imagine I will find it even more productive. :thumbsup:

 

[Cougsfan]

If you rent a dozer, you won't have a tractor parked at your place when the project is done.

 

[desertdog71]

Just a few pics of what I have to tangle with. It's relatively flat for the most part. Ground is strip mine spoils, 2 inches top soil then some clay and aggregates, nothing super hard or large to deal with. The back border of the property is an old strip pit. It's 30-40 feet deep, was mined back in the 1910's. I cut out a crude trail with machette down to the water. The land sits up about 20-25 feet above the water level. The pit runs about a mile or so in a letter E shape. There is 2 other houses along the pit that have boat docks. Most of the pit land in Kansas was taken over by the Wildlife Department and they are fisheries and wildlife areas, so it's actually very rare to get private access to a pit.

I have a total of 10.3 acres in 2 different parcel. I'll build my home on one and leave the other mostly untouched except for hogging it a couple times a year. I may build another home there in the future for kids, parents, guests, who knows. It's just sort of in my back pocket.

Build plan is 96x40 post frame house and garage combination. Half is shop, half is house. I have the building engineered and just waiting to buy materials. 12 foot over the house and 14 foot over the shop for truss heights. They will be heel trusses though so I lose 2 feet of ceiling, that's strictly for insulation and being able to keep the HVAC within the insulated envelope. Without spending $15K on closed cell foam. Doing everything ourselves I expect to be into it about $180K total when finished and should appraise in my area for $320K range.

That's an extra special glimpse into my grand plan. I have no experience building anything but my wife has worked in the trades and is very capable. I think we are both fully capable or doing it ourselves and it's going to be fun, suck some days, we will make mistakes, probably injure ourselves, argue, yell, scream, and look back on it all with fondness in the end. I hope. :laughing:

Tractor work will be clearing, leveling the build pad for slab on grade, standing up walls, hanging trusses, moving building materials, backfill, gravel work, septic field, 600 feet of driveway. Maybe auger work if the attachment is available to rent. I'll also need to rent a mini-ex and probably a lift to work from. We're going to do it all straight cash and take our time. We have a 2 year window before we expect to move in. That gives my daughter time to finish high school where we are now. It's about a 90 minute drive to the new place, so there's that part too.

I'm probably insane but I gotta do what I gotta do.

 

[3Ts]

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Just a few pics of what I have to tangle with. It's relatively flat for the most part. Ground is strip mine spoils, 2 inches top soil then some clay and aggregates, nothing super hard or large to deal with. The back border of the property is an old strip pit. It's 30-40 feet deep, was mined back in the 1910's. I cut out a crude trail with machette down to the water. The land sits up about 20-25 feet above the water level. The pit runs about a mile or so in a letter E shape. There is 2 other houses along the pit that have boat docks. Most of the pit land in Kansas was taken over by the Wildlife Department and they are fisheries and wildlife areas, so it's actually very rare to get private access to a pit.

I have a total of 10.3 acres in 2 different parcel. I'll build my home on one and leave the other mostly untouched except for hogging it a couple times a year. I may build another home there in the future for kids, parents, guests, who knows. It's just sort of in my back pocket.

Build plan is 96x40 post frame house and garage combination. Half is shop, half is house. I have the building engineered and just waiting to buy materials. 12 foot over the house and 14 foot over the shop for truss heights. They will be heel trusses though so I lose 2 feet of ceiling, that's strictly for insulation and being able to keep the HVAC within the insulated envelope. Without spending $15K on closed cell foam. Doing everything ourselves I expect to be into it about $180K total when finished and should appraise in my area for $320K range.

That's an extra special glimpse into my grand plan. I have no experience building anything but my wife has worked in the trades and is very capable. I think we are both fully capable or doing it ourselves and it's going to be fun, suck some days, we will make mistakes, probably injure ourselves, argue, yell, scream, and look back on it all with fondness in the end. I hope. :laughing:

Tractor work will be clearing, leveling the build pad for slab on grade, standing up walls, hanging trusses, moving building materials, backfill, gravel work, septic field, 600 feet of driveway. Maybe auger work if the attachment is available to rent. I'll also need to rent a mini-ex and probably a lift to work from. We're going to do it all straight cash and take our time. We have a 2 year window before we expect to move in. That gives my daughter time to finish high school where we are now. It's about a 90 minute drive to the new place, so there's that part too.

I'm probably insane but I gotta do what I gotta do.

Couples who "build their house" frequently end up in divorce because they don't know what they're getting into. It can be a very difficult time, but it can also be very rewarding and improve the bonding of a couple, just be sure you communicate with each other. It sounds like you know what you are getting into so I suspect the two of you will be fine and even enjoy the experience.

My wife & I designed our house when we had toddlers running around and hired a contractor to build it. After we retired we designed our 2nd one and built it ourselves. The third, we designed and hired a builder. We're still married and are also best of friends. We do everything together and I can not imagine not having her near by.

 

[desertdog71]

Hopefully I don't end up divorced. We have our moments but the two of us together can accomplish a lot. We build some beautiful wood gates in the backyard that are pretty much bulletproof. Usually my engineering and her abilities and knowledge can do about anything. We're not afraid to make mistakes and try things that are uncomfortable. That's how you learn and how you gain confidence.

Back to the earth moving subject. Sounds like I need heavy tractor and heavy tools to move dirt. I'll get the tooth bar for sure, maybe ratchet rake. I don't know about spending $3K on a heavy duty box blade though. Can the lesser blades do the job, short term, with added weight? Maybe rippers, middle busters? Whatever I can do, short of renting heavy equipment or paying for someone else to do it.

As far as doing the driveway, I don't think I will need to dig down too far maybe 2 inches. There should be clay a couple inches below the surface. Then put down railroad ballast type limestone down. Let that sit and get driven over by construction vehicles and set up nice base. Then do some 3/4 minus or similar on top, after the construction is complete.

The house and shop is post frame, so I don't have to be dead nuts flat for the build site but I need to be pretty close, within a few inches. The key will be getting the base for the slab level and perfect before we pour concrete. Planning to do insulated slab with radiant.

 

[desertdog71]

Unlike the new guy that wants to buy a BX to clear an acre of stumps I think your expectations are reasonable and do able. It’s probably not happening the first weekend but with 14 days off at a time you could get a lot done.

Yeah well my reasonable expectations have led me to the decision to go with a smaller tractor and leave the earth moving for equipment more designed for the task. I can rent a lot of equipment for the price difference. I also have a buddy that is an excavator, has national account at CAT and he says he could rent a dozer and knock it out in a day or two tops. So I think I will take him up on that offer. Leaves me to bush hogging and dragging the driveway, which I can do with a 1800lb 25HP machine.

 

[K5lwq]

I am going to give one more thing for you to consider, after reading a lot of your threads. Forget a new tractor all together. Go find you a 8N Ford with a 5 ft rotary mower for around $2500. Make sure it has the 12 volt conversion from 6 volts. This is a work horse and is a great machine to learn on as well.

After your buddy has finished the driveway, and you need to grade it or do other dirt work get a 6ft back "grader" blade and master that. It will also pull a 5ft disk and a single bottom turning plow for when you are ready to plant a garden.

In a year or two, and you have mastered the 8N you will know more of what your needs actually are. Then start looking for a modern tractor if you desire. After you get a new tractor you can sell your 8N for around $2500. This way the only money spent will be for repairs and fuel. By the way, learn to fix it yourself when you have an issue. They are very easy to work on.

Keep the implements that you use on the 8N because most likely they will work on whatever new tractor you decide to purchase in the future.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Yeah, no.

I wouldn't wish that on him. He seems like a nice guy.

Look, I get the nostalgia and all that for some of these classic tractors. But that 8N belongs in a Sunday parade. Not on a work site.

You can dig a wood screw out of a wall with a jack knife and a broken blade. That does not mean that it's the best tool for the job. And you'll be frustrated as h*ck and have a bunch of mess to fix when you're done.

 

[4570Man]

Yeah, no.

I wouldn't wish that on him. He seems like a nice guy.

Look, I get the nostalgia and all that for some of these classic tractors. But that 8N belongs in a Sunday parade. Not on a work site.

You can dig a wood screw out of a wall with a jack knife and a broken blade. That does not mean that it's the best tool for the job. And you'll be frustrated as h*ck and have a bunch of mess to fix when you're done.

Me neither. Do yourself a huge favor and buy the modern tractor. There’s a reason the 8-n is only worth $2500.