No Tractor, No Problem

[MasseyWV]

I don't currently own a tractor but haven't let that stop me from working towards the completion of a major earth moving project I've been meaning to do for many years.

The project consists of digging out a steep embankment around two sides of my garage for better access and drainage. As the embankment is dug out, the dirt/rock/slate is being moved to various low spots on my property. There is also a mature locust tree stump that is being removed from the embankment.

It may come as a surprise but, I'm doing it all almost entirely by using a shovel. Sure, I could rent/hire equipment or buy a tractor/backhoe to complete the work, but that would divert funds from other things I plan to purchase which will give me the greatest amount of benefit in the near future.

Digging into a mixture of hard clay and slate/shale is anything but easy but I've managed to make the task a little easier by using my tiller to loosen the soil prior to using my ATV and dump cart to move the soil.

It's hard work that takes a considerable amount of time, but so far I've moved many tons of soil and expect to complete the project in a few weeks.

 

[moored4]

GOT PICTURES ?

On second thought no pictures Please!

I don't need to see a dirt moving job that does not have a tractor involved in it! :laughing::laughing:

 

[Lostalot]

Mate,we have never been in a hurry with our goat country type place and a regular ritual year in year out is to let the weeds and leaf litter in the inaccessable ,rocky,and generally crappy areas thrive.After five or six seasons with all of the annual natural composting of these weeds etc these places have now become fertile little areas,without any machinery costs. Nature and some shovel work. Love it.Footnote* We have no control over the weed influx as two of our adjoining properties are unkept.. as for altering drop offs etc wait for the monsoons and some hand jackhammer work...let nature do the hard yards regards

 

[Gary Fowler]

You have a much stronger back than me to be doing that. I just have a few rocks to dig out and a few drainage ditches to built /maintain and I am in the market for a TLB to do that work.
The most amazing thing I have ever witnessed was in Mexico. The contractor was digging a hold for the basement elevation and foundation for a control room that was about 50 x 50 feet and did it all with shovel, pickaxes and wheel barrow. He had a big Backhoe that they parked at the top of the excavation where they would dump the dirt for him to haul away. They also had a Bobcat skidsteer that would have been perfect to set in the hole and dig out everything but the local unions wouldnt let them use the equipment so they used a bunch of laborers. They did the same when mixing some concrete to pour over an U/G electric raceway. They mixed it by hand (rock, sand cement then added water and mixed it well) then put it in the Bobcat to haul over and dump in the trench. Again, the bobcat could have thoroughly mixed it in 10 minutes but that would have deprived 4 laborers of work so the equipment sat and watched them till it was mixed then he hauled it over, dumped and was back in 5 minutes to watch the next batch. They also wouldnt use the batch plant mix for this, only for large pours.

 

[BeezFun]

Use some of the money you saved on the tractor to buy a camera. Verbal description of digging a hole isn't real interesting.

 

[bp fick]

A zillion years ago, I hired some out-of-work college kids to excavate our basement, by hand, with shovels. It was sandy soil, but still. They did it. Took them 4-5 days or more, but they got 'er done. We set a new perimeter french drain and tarred the walls.

Oh yeah, they shoveled it all back in too. :laughing:

 

[20 20]

Well, when my folks were younger they walked to school on their hands up hill both ways in the snow

 

[sandman2234]

Well, when my folks were younger they walked to school on their hands up hill both ways in the snow

Yeah, my parents walked to school but it was 110 degrees in the shade, but still uphill both ways.
David from jax

 

[MasseyWV]

Use some of the money you saved on the tractor to buy a camera. Verbal description of digging a hole isn't real interesting.

I happen to own a very nice camera and lenses but didn't post pictures because I don't have "before" pictures to better illustrate just exactly how much work I've done.

This thread isn't about saving money, as much as it's about doing whatever one has to do to get the job done. I plan to eventually buy a tractor, just not in time to do me any good right now. Besides, not everyone is made out of money, which sometimes forces us to make difficult decisions.

BTW: I'm not digging a "hole", as I clearly indicated when I used the word embankment.

 

[crashz]

I've been in the construction industry at varying levels for about 20 years. The last person I saw doing real labor was me!

When I worked for my father, I would wear out a shovel in a full season. Each winter he'd buy me a new Razorback (short or long handle, depending on my mood). In the fall, the point would be worn back about three or four inches and steel worn thin, if not cracked, bent or peeled. Then again, my father didn't own a skidsteer or a mini-excavator. He didn't need them, cause he had me.

Now I sit at desk most days and get fat (engineer). I definately couldn't do that work now. Not without a year or so of conditioning at least.

But I don't see people doing what I did. For the last 10 years or so, I see "laborers" watching the machinery do the work. If a little hand clean up is needed, they simply direct the operator.

So I applaud you getting out and digging by hand. Its actually pretty rewarding work, especially knowing that you are getting in shape, can do the work of a mini ex, and have not expensive payments!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Hire it done before you kill yourself. Really. I had a large concrete slab I wanted removed and thought I could do it. It was roughly 25x20 with wire mesh. I worked on it for 2 days and got about 1/6 of it done and was nearly dead and this is when I was about 25.

Long story short I drove around my place and seen a Back Hoe sitting at a farm. Went up and knocked on the door. The farmer said I could talk to his 17 year old son. Long story short he came over with a buddy in a old farm dump truck and tore it out and hauled it off for $150 cash money. My back and future health thanked me and he had the job done in 45 minutes.

Chris

 

[MasseyWV]

I've been in the construction industry at varying levels for about 20 years. The last person I saw doing real labor was me!

When I worked for my father, I would wear out a shovel in a full season. Each winter he'd buy me a new Razorback (short or long handle, depending on my mood). In the fall, the point would be worn back about three or four inches and steel worn thin, if not cracked, bent or peeled. Then again, my father didn't own a skidsteer or a mini-excavator. He didn't need them, cause he had me.

Now I sit at desk most days and get fat (engineer). I definately couldn't do that work now. Not without a year or so of conditioning at least.

But I don't see people doing what I did. For the last 10 years or so, I see "laborers" watching the machinery do the work. If a little hand clean up is needed, they simply direct the operator.

So I applaud you getting out and digging by hand. Its actually pretty rewarding work, especially knowing that you are getting in shape, can do the work of a mini ex, and have not expensive payments!

I also have a background in the construction industry, although it was many years ago. We would dig entire foundations for 3000 (or more) square foot homes entirely by hand. Often times, when the concrete trucks couldn't get close enough to the footer, we would use wheelbarrows to unload the concrete trucks. Then we got to enjoy carrying and laying concrete blocks after mixing the morter by hand, one wheelbarrow at a time.

Come to think of it, what I'm doing now is but a small part of a much larger project that includes a 600-800 square foot addition to my home, so it looks like I'll get to dig footers, pour concrete, mix mortar, and lay block once again.

It's funny that you mentioned wearing out a shovel because my first shovel (short handle) was murder on my back, plus it kept cracking and I got tired of welding it, so I bought a new one (long handle) last week. I need to sharpen the edge of the new one though, because it makes digging so much easier, with the added benefit of being able to cut small roots on the fly.

Make no mistake about it, there have been many days when I seriously considered going to town and renting a backhoe, as I know how to run one, but somehow it seemed like cheating since I've came so far by doing it the hard way.

It's extremely hard work, and I must admit that I'm more than a little out of shape, having worked a desk job for too many years. Each spring and summer, I manage to get some decent exercise by doing chores around the house, but nothing even approaching the magnitude of this project.

Being middle aged, I have to keep reminding myself that I can't do the same amount of work that I did in my youth, and just in case I forget, my body always reminds me when I've pushed myself too hard. My aches have pains most nights, but I seem to be able to do a bit more with each passing day. I honestly think I'm rapidly getting back in shape, the hard way.

In any case, I must agree that it's proving to be a very rewarding experience. Seeing what I've accomplished, even though it's not complete, makes me feel a strong sense of accomplishment.

Lastly, I know it's very hard to describe exactly what I'm doing so I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow. Now that I think about it, I may even have some "before" pictures, but I'll have to go through my digital pictures to see if any have been taken which show the area I'm working on.

 

[NHmitch]

I have to give you credit, it is a lot easier to tell someone to get a tractor, than to be the one who has to foot the bill. My wife and I have had to do lots of work by hand over the years, and now that I have a smaller tractor, I am able to enjoy using it to help, but there are still times that we have to break out the shovel, and tools. Almost every day. We put a foundation down for our 55 foot barn two years ago by hand, and that included moving about 22 tons of sand, and tamping, and leveling it. I think that you will stay so much healthier doing your projects this way if you can handle the work physically. I spilt a lot of wood by hand before I bought a splitter, and even that one is an electric 10 ton splitter, that does not compare to a gas one. I am finally upgrading to a gas splitter this year after many years of going with out, but I saved for it, and I know that I will appreciate it much more. We heat with wood, and we use to burn about 7 cords a year that I split by hand with bad shoulders thanks to my injuries from the military while I was deployed. Again, you can get very creative, and take small steps. To many people are in way over their heads because they burry themselves in debt. We have used a 4 wheeler for years around the farm before we had a tractor, and even with that, you can do quite a bit of work that would surprise some people. The best advice, is save, and if you want to get a tractor, or a piece of equipment, look on craigslist, or in the paper, and start out with what you can afford. The money you save from not renting equipment can easily add up to the price of an older, but strong tractor like a Ford 8n, or another 2 wheel drive tractor, or possibly 4 wheel drive tractor that you can find all over usually starting at around $1000 and needing a paint job, and some tlc.. I don't have a loader on my tractor, and I have moved around 200 tons of dirt, and sand with a dirts scoop on the back that I paid around $200 for. Anyways, Good luck, an a good shovel, and pick axe will make all the difference in the world. I am glad you started with a new shovel, and you will be that much healthier with how you are doing your projects.

Mitch

 

[Lostalot]

Good on yer Mitch,
you have a very positive attitude.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Everyones situation is unique to them and as one TBNer said not everyone can go out and buy a tractor or rent one when they have a chore to do. IF you have the health and stamina and TIME most things can be done with hand tools and done much better in most cases and if one needs an example, just look at the Egyptian or Mayan pyramids. As for myself, herniated disc in back, worn out knees and 3 surgeries on my neck pretty much limit my abilities to do manual labor and even limit me on mechanical equipment in that it is almost impossible for me to turn around and look behind me. I therefore have great admiration for a person that is willing and able to put in the time and muscle power to do a job by hand. When that same chore confronts me so that I cant use my equipment, I have to hire someone for something as simple as tilling up a flower bed. Hats off to you TBNers that are able to do some things by hand and also willing to do them even if you have the finances to have mechanical help or human help. There is nothing like the satisfaction of doing a job well yourself.

 

[powerpace]

Well, when my folks were younger they walked to school on their hands up hill both ways in the snow

And killed their lunch on the way.

 

[MasseyWV]

Sorry I haven't posted pictures of my project as promised, but there have been some new developments. Today I bought a Massey 135 tractor and a 6ft box blade which is to be delivered in a couple of hours.

I still intend to post pictures of my project, only now I will have a tractor to take pictures of as well, but more about the tractor later.

 

[grainger12002]

the 135 massey is a great choice,is it gas or diesel ? Very handy and reliable

 

[MasseyWV]

the 135 massey is a great choice,is it gas or diesel ? Very handy and reliable

It has a 4 cylinder Continental Z-145 gas engine.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thats a good first tractor. I had a Ford 861 which is very comparable to the 135 and it served me very well.

Chris