Moving Dirt

[EddieWalker]

For the last week or so, I've been moving dirt. First I had to take out some trees, then build up a nice pile of dirt. This dirt is for building up low areas where my roads are going in. I have one particular spot that is very low that I need to fill in.

Yesterday, my Mom and the kids climbed the hill. The kids love playing on it and Mom got a kick out of watching them. Steph heard there squeels and laughter, so she decided to take some pictures of them, and then some of me working.

First picture is of what's left of the hill after a week of hauling dirt from it. My Mom and son are on top of it.

Second picture shows my daughter and son sliding down the side of the hill where I'm not working. They are not allowed to go anywhere close to that part of the hill. Friday night is pizza night, so the kids took the pizza boxes to use as sleds.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Steph took these pictures and I thought they were kind of interesting. She was standing on top of the hill for some of them and on the ground for others, which gives them a slightly different perspective.

First picture is of me in my dump truck driving up to the dirt hill. The trees on the ground are seperated by species and burn piles. In the distance are my cedars, on the left are a few good oaks, on the right is one of my burn piles, and up front is a mixed mess of debri mixed with dirt.

Second picture shows me on my backhoe. I've parked the dump truck and now I'm getting a bucket of dirt. My loader holds 1.13 yards.

Third picture shows me dumping the dirt into the dump truck. This is one of those great shots that she caught.

Fourth picture is from the ground and shows me dumping another bucket full of dirt from ground level.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

My dumptruck has a five yard bed, but with the 2x10 sideboards, I can get another yard in there for six yards per load.

First picture is of my dumptruck with a load of dirt on the way to the low area.

Second picture shows my dump piles in the low area. It's very difficult to show, but towards the middle of the piles on the left hand side is where the road will eventually be. You can see to the right how much more I need to build it up. I have three 20 foot culverts connected end to end across the bottom of this area. This used to be a major drainage area on my land. With the lake, my pond and the changes I've made in creating my pasture, there isn't very much water that goes this way anymore.

Third pictures shows me backing up into position.

Fourth picture shows me dumping the load.

Once I get about a thousand yards there, I'll take the dozer and start spreading and shaping. We've also been getting small amounts or rain every few days, so that will help with compaction.

Eddie

 

[ultrarunner]

Eddie, are you doing anything special to compact the dirt for the road?

 

[Doc_Bob]

Great pics. Wish I had a dump truck. And a TLB.
Bob

 

[Thomas]

Mornin Eddie.
I gotta say it...That ain't working...good equipment,clean dirt pile,cool temps good way to spend the day.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hey Curt,

Compaction is always a concern for me when building up an area. Building pads are the most important, but roads need it too. This is a long term project and since I wont be paving over it any time soon, this is my plan.

I'm putting down the dirt over a wide area. Then I'll spread it out with the dozer. It weighs 40,000 pounds, but since it's on tracks, it's not very good at compaction. After I spread out the dirt and make it flat, I'll continue to build it up by driving the dump truck over it with a full load. My guess is that another hundred trips over the first layer with the tires always making new tracks will really help with compaction. But I also realize it wont get it all the way either.

Then I'll spread the next layer out with the dozer, and start building up the third layer. This should be the last layer. The lowest spot will need to come up about ten feet, give or take a foot, so there's a massive amoutn of dirt that I'll need. If it takes a fourth layer, than I'll just keep repeating the process.

This road is the entrance to my long term sites that I'm working on. It will be driven over constantly with all sorts of equipment. By the time I'm ready to pave it, I should be well past any compaction issues.

Eddie

 

[Birdhunter1]

Not to ruin the childs fun Eddie but them playing on that dirt pile is aweful dangerous. I've herad several stories of truck drivers getting out of the truck next to the limestone pile only to have the piles slide and suffocate them. If that dirt pile slid your child could be buried and you'd have no clue.

 

[Renze]

I agree with Birdhunter, i can hear my mother tell me every few years or so, about when she was 4 years old and she played with other kids at an excavation site, when the vertical wall of dirt, collapsed and covered her. one of the older girls, about 10 years old, kept her mind clear and dug away the dirt around my mothers face so she could breathe.
then she ran to the farm to call the farmer, to dig my mother out.
It's just funny when you think about it, if that 10 year old girl freaked out like the other kids and ran away (most kids would do) my mother would have sufficated and i wouldnt be here either...

 

[mike69440]

Consider it only a suggestion.

Also you might want to knock down the "Cliffs" on the pole and check out the pile before you let the kids play with supervision.

PS, that dirt looks like real easy digging. Want some Ledge?