Need to dig a hole. small BH or larger FEL?

[BigD23]

I need to bury a bunch of material I have cleared. Burning is not an option where I live, particularly the 30x10 foot pile I have collected. The hole would have to be about the size of the pile.

I can use the L3700SUs FEL which they say can dig to about 4 feet, which would be fine or I can use the BH on my BX24. I think it would be faster with the FEL, but I don't have much experience digging holes with an FEL (with toothbar). It is mostly clay, no rocks.

Any hints on technique with the FEL digging?

Why be in a hurry? I always enjoy the time with my BH.

Don

 

[montelatici]

Why be in a hurry? I always enjoy the time with my BH.

Don

Good point, running a BH is more entertaining than a working the FEL. On the other hand, I've always wanted a dozer or crawler loader to play with. Yeah, that's the ticket!:laughing:

 

[magicheater]

When you dig with a backhoe you swing to remove dirt but quickly run out of room if you don't plan well. Digging with a FEL you need to travel to remove the dirt but you can carry much more. You also need to have a ramp if you are doing anything of scope. Best perhaps to use both in tandem but personally when doing loader work I do not like to have any length extending from the rear of the tractor. Just one more thing to look out for. You can dig w/a FEL if you are set up for it. Deep holes are best left for a Trac/Back Hoe. I excavated under a cottage which was on a hillside with my tractor/FEL and had to be concerned more with head room than anything else.

 

[montelatici]

When you dig with a backhoe you swing to remove dirt but quickly run out of room if you don't plan well. Digging with a FEL you need to travel to remove the dirt but you can carry much more. You also need to have a ramp if you are doing anything of scope. Best perhaps to use both in tandem but personally when doing loader work I do not like to have any length extending from the rear of the tractor. Just one more thing to look out for. You can dig w/a FEL if you are set up for it. Deep holes are best left for a Trac/Back Hoe. I excavated under a cottage which was on a hillside with my tractor/FEL and had to be concerned more with head room than anything else.

It is a big field, a few acres, I have all the room I want. That's why I think the FEL will be a better bet.

 

[magicheater]

It is a big field, a few acres, I have all the room I want. That's why I think the FEL will be a better bet.

Maybe then you can make a drive through trench, I regularly dig with my FEL, has never been a problem. HST has only seemed to make it a bit quicker! However a back hoe is better for making a targeted hole.

 

[montelatici]

Maybe then you can make a drive through trench, I regularly dig with my FEL, has never been a problem. HST has only seemed to make it a bit quicker! However a back hoe is better for making a targeted hole.

By drive through do you mean making a decreasing grade entering and exiting and making a long hole where you drop the dug up dirt at the opposite end of a long 5 foot wide hole? Like a bulldozer? If so, I like that.

 

[Verticaltrx]

I do a lot of excavating with my the loader on my little B3200, so it's very doable. Generally I'm cutting and filling a spot to make a level building site, but digging a hole isn't much different. I like to peel off thin layers of soil until the bucket is full, then lift the bucket just enough so it quits digging. Then I just continue pushing the soil along the surface (you can push more cu. ft. than your bucket will hold.) until I get where I want to pile it. If it's a long distance then I will pick it up and carry it. Using a box blade in tandem with the FEL will make something like this go much faster, plus the scarifiers are great for loosing the soil, even if you have a tooth bar.

I excavated this round pen using this method:

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Actual excavating took 14hrs, moved about 115 cu. yards.

 

[Baby Grand]

To do this you will want something heavy on the back end that isn't as wide as your FEL or wheels (whichever is wider). This is what a ballast box is made for! I dug this using FEL with cutting edge but no toothbar and my brush hog cutter for ballast. The cutter hung out way too far, which made turning a pain, but I didn't have any better options at the time. As I dug deeper into the clay it got wetter and slicker, so traction to cut with the FEL was greatly reduced - that's why you'll want plenty of ballast. The trench is about 30' long; the Plant Manager is about 5'7" for scale.





-Jim

 

[savageactor7]

I've carefully shaved and excavated 8-10" of top soil away from structures. Almost positive you can't dig that deep with a FEL without breaking something. You need to come up with another plan for the brush pile ....sorry.

 

[DiezNutz]

The manual for the FEL has digging instructions so I don't think it is so way out there to consider digging with the FEL, notwithstanding some of the comments.

No, it isn't out there... and the manual lacks one important detail that you have - a toothbar. Keep in mind, naysayers typically have never tried things themselves. Your soil composition also plays a big role, but I figure since we're from the same general region, yours is similar to mine. Note what I said about large rocks.

The little BX BH would quickly become not fun for this. Especially if you factor in greasing. If you have unlimited free time to kill, then go for it... odds are, you don't.

By drive through do you mean making a decreasing grade entering and exiting and making a long hole where you drop the dug up dirt at the opposite end of a long 5 foot wide hole? Like a bulldozer? If so, I like that.

I'm pretty sure that's what he meant, because that's how I would attack it.

The point about rear ballast is a crucial one. If all you have is the bushhog you can use that although it might be somewhat awkward.
Also, a full greasing every 10 hours (or less), religiously. You'll be putting a lot of load on your pins/bushings, don't want them going dry.