Ballast Filling Ravines with a Dozer

[For God and Texas]

I just got a D5B and need to fill in some washes and ravines. I know that I need to bowl them out but I need advice on the technique. Several are on the sides of hills and although the slope is not dangerous, it is unsettling for a newbie. I would appreciate any help from other's experiences.

 

[dirtworksequip]

Pics would help. Two rules to follow.
Rule 1. ''Always wear your seatbelt. Always!''
Rule 2. ''Let GRAVITY be your friend.''

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[EddieWalker]

If you are unsure or uncomortable with getting right up to the edge of a drop off, then push your spoils to the edge, and then with your next push, go to the same point and push over the pile that is already there. This way, you don't have to go to the edge, but with every push, you are still putting dirt in the hole.

Enjoy,
Eddie

 

[Taylortractornut]

A D5B is a great machine I operate one 5 to 6 days a week 8 hours a day. I run a small landfill and slope dressin is one of the main jobs. Its a stable machine up to 2 to 1 slope. going horizontal. Also is the needs a great finish and its 1 to 1 its easier to blade going up hill opposed to down as you have the weight of the dozer working against you to give a better feel of the work. Alot of times we push down the slope carring material to the ruts and bage then push topsoil or cay uphill for the dress up. Im willing to bet that a D5 will out push 90 percent of all machines in tis class due to its weight its heavy and short. When blading down hill for a gully if you dont have a full blade full your machine will want to run alittle fast. Also youll want to work a slot when moving material any length. just push from one section straight down the cut, this let the material spilling off your blade sides make a trought to hold material infront of the blade. Then skip a blade width or a hair more and repeat. I stay in one slot till my gully is full then skip then reapeat and go back and push the windrows and skips down. Some times you can work several slots till your have alot of blade windrows 1 to 4 feet apart Ill usually knock them down or save them for material for a horizantal material pass.
Any if you want to walk your slope in horizontal is best for erosion. just start at the top and go dawn als good for after seeding. Verticle waliking in of a slope is good on a shallow slope but for a 2 to 1 horizontal is more stable during a rain storm and seems to have better germination of seed that way for some reason.
One other bit of advise is to pull the belly pan on the front and clean it, als check for wear on the suspension on the fron they float, but the tractor frame pivot can wear if the grease fitting line is damaged. We had that happen had a weird vibration and saw the engint to the transmission coupler bad put one in for 300 plus mechanic and it staredthe same thing later that day. Looked at it same thing when I pulled the pan I looked and saw what the machanic had missed the oil pan of the engine was sittin on the top of the sway bar. The pinand bushing had worn aout as the lube line had been severed. We order a new one for got the cost and redid the line. every 4 months we pull tthe pans to clean out styrofoam chips and sawdust and check it. could have been super costly if the axle rubbed or gouges a hole in the pan. I hope this helps, and sorry if I rambled lol. Ive been on the same machine since I was 14.

 

[For God and Texas]

Thank you all for the helpful information. I will work off your suggestions. The hardest part is my getting over the tilt factor as I am not used to working on the side of a slope and around ravines. It is amazing how little the slope has to be to make you feel like you are in trouble.
Practice will make it better.

 

[marimus]

Thank you all for the helpful information. I will work off your suggestions. The hardest part is my getting over the tilt factor as I am not used to working on the side of a slope and around ravines. It is amazing how little the slope has to be to make you feel like you are in trouble.
Practice will make it better.

Its because your sitting so high up. I had exactly the same feeling to start with. I watched my dad working on the same slopes, and thats when I realised how little the tractor was actually tilting - just my "pucker factor" was a little high.

 

[john_bud]

It is amazing how little the slope has to be to make you feel like you are in trouble.
.

It's amazing how hard you can grip the seat with both hands on the wheel, too!

 

[ampsucker]

don't forget, ravines are there for a reason. it is the path of least resistance for water drainage and erosion. make sure when you fill it up that know the new path the water will take and what if anything you need to do to deal with it.

i have a neighbor working on a retaining wall behind his house. just had a dozer come in and push over many of the trees on the hillside above it. i'm questioning his logic until the first heavy rains come next spring. if the hillside doesn't come down on his house and wall, i'll be pretty surprised. a lot of times, tree roots are the main thing holding the topsoil in place on a steep slope.

amp

 

[dawoodwa]

It is important to clean the bottom of the ravines of any debris prior to filling with dirt. I have done some erosion control work for the US Forest Service, filled in some gullies that were over 5 acres in size and up to 80 ft deep. I was required to clean the bottoms of all debris prior to filling. Also had to maintain a natural drainage, put in coffer dams with standpipes to slow water flow. Be careful working the edge, I slide a Cat D8K down into the ravine in somewhat of a none controled descent. Had to haul my trackhoe to the job to rescue myself.