redoing old lane on the farm.

[boggen]

spent an hour one night, moving a little bit of dirt.
spent another night a couple hours moving dirt.
finally had a full day of work 14 hours worth *looks exhausted*

spent most of morning finishing out a 70 foot line of dirt to top side of the hill. once i got that finished, i got 3, 20 feet long, 12 inch diameter culverts connected together today. with some silicon around the pipe / band clamps.

i thought oh ya, finally! be able to just move dirt from high side of hill and fill in a little wash out channel the creek has eroded away, and use backhoe to compact it down and level things out. and push the pipe down.... needless to say. once i started moving dirt, i ended up just moving dirt from high to low side of the hill.

after i took another look, i figure i best go make another 70 feet long pile of dirt on top of the hill. or i will not have enough dirt. to cover ends of culvert. and make sure water is directed through culvert. so spent majorty of rest of the day and night making that pile.

i could of most likely made better time, but the smaller size wheels on front of tractor and just a little bit of wet ground and heaped full FEL = front tires partially sinking into the ground and making ruts every where. and with just enough hill between were i was getting dirt and placing it. caused 3rd gear to be useless. so i was stuck with 2nd gear, and felt like i was on a bucking bronco the entire time.

(( i so wished i had a lo/hi gear lever so i could have 8 speeds vs 4 ))
(( I love shuttle shift!!:thumbsup: ))
(( i hate shuttle shift as well, being this is a used older tractor, there be more slipping of the plates, slipping of plates = loss of power to the wheels , though i can live with the slipping, shuttle shift was / is a requirement :thumbsup: at least for me. ))

i took these pictures around 6:30 / 7pm tonight. just as sun went down, it was to dark at 9pm as i finished the last bucket full of dirt to finish out the 70 foot high side pile of dirt.

EDIT: helps to upload correct photos *duh*

 

[boggen]

finally got the culvert set into place. it has nice slope to it. but i bugger up, when i was using backside of the backhoe bucket. to tamper down along side of the culvert pipe a'well. i can no longer see clear through it, but perhaps that is better due to the slight bend works better and positions the culvert right above all the old concrete pieces and brick that was tossed into the area over the years.

on the upside of the culvert end is approx 2" higher than what it was before i did anything. and the downside of the culvert is about (know that i have to think about it) i want to say 1 to 1.5 feet up from were the creek water was.

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i am so wanting to get done stamping and compacting with the backhoe. i am beat to death tonight. from all the jaring, of just barely getting the back of the tractor off ground so full weight is placed at backhoe bucket, for best compaction.

the pictures were taken approx 6:30 / 7pm tonight. after pictures i moved a few more buckets of dirt. and layed the dirt out so approx 6" to 12" thick piles side by side. used the FEL, to level things out on the hill side, then used FEL to lift front tires off ground and leveled the piles over the culvert some.

it just got way to dark, for me to get a full bucket load of dirt, and run over my front tire tracks to compact the dirt on the hill side. ((not enough dirt over culvert yet to do it this way, yet)) i say front tire tracts, due to front tires on nearly every tractor, have a smaller width of a wheel. giving a smaller foot print for more compaction. and then i use the bigger wider tires on back of tractor. to help reduce any rutting left behind from the front tires. due to amount of dirt i have to move into this area, i am not to concern about how level things are or rather ((how bumpy)) things are. but i will generally back drag once or twice with FEL to help level things out just a little bit, just enough to keep my rear in the seat, vs getting bumped out of it.

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there is one problem i will need to address. when i was initally moving culvert into place. with a long rope tied in 3 different spots and lowered into the area with backhoe. i botched, one of the (clamp rings) on the culvert. a tooth from backhoe caught one of the bolts. and pulled the bolt right through the plastic clamp. resulting in damage to the clamp

i was already thinking about putting some concrete in around each clamp. so next time, i might be breaking out the old spade, and doing some manual digging around each clamp. then put a layer of 4mil or 6 mil plastic around each clamp. and just dumping in the concrete (dry) and tossing some water onto the concrete. and then continue bringing in dirt and compacting it.

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in one of the pictures (upper side of culvert) you can see a small pool of water, once i get things done. i will come back and take a bucket or two with back hoe and remove some extra dirt there. so the area acts like a setting chamber. to allow any run off from fields or stream to settle out there vs in the lake :thumbsup:

you may not be able to see it, on lower end of culvert, but i already took a couple backhoe buckets of dirt out just below the culvert. so a small pool would form. so the water droping down, would not erode more dirt, till i had a chance to get in there and get things done.

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saw a listing on cragslist for free concrete chunks, last saturday, told the person to busy sunday/monday, they didn't want to do anything tues, so tommorw, i will go grab about a truck load of concrete chunks. ((it is like perfect timing:thumbsup) to toss in at the lower end of the culvert pipe.

i have some pond liner, a friend gave me. not very big pieces. but i think i will landscape the dirt a little bit, and then toss the liner down, then toss the concrete on top of it. to help deal with erosion. and i also have some old back tires form the 555c. that i still need to cut up. to kinda upside down U shape over the ends of the culverts, to help deal with erosion, but more so keep the weeds down. so it will be easier to check things.

 

[boggen]

not much done today, got another layer of dirt on, and compacted down, and got the old spade out, and dug down and around the one pipe clamp on the culvert. dumped 6 60lbs bags of concrete. and just poured 5 gallon buckets of water into the hole. finished up the pile of dirt i stacked up with backhoe. and moved it over to the area. got another big pile of dirt stacked up. pulled the backhoe up. went and pulled the out riggers up. and *DOH!* the left out rigger "handle" is stuck in the "up" position.

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to dark and to late in the night to do anything. i ended up, having to raise and lower the FEL "multiple times, non stop" the entire way backup to the shed and park it for the night. everything else works backhoe and even right out rigger. just the left one is stuck in the "raise"

after looking at shop manual for the 555c, i just kinda scratched my head. looked at what needed to be done to even service anything. and it looks like i will be down for some time *guh* it notes tear out the control sticks inside cab, remove all hoses and pipes to the valve body, then suggests getting a lift, in through the back window to pick the valve body up and out @@ *SAY WHAT!* i would imagine it be heavy, but i sure hope i can just put a strap or 2 around it, and pull it up and out. that or possibly remove 3 nuts, and slip 2 valve bodies off. without complete disassembling everything, it sure would be nice if i can do that.

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was going to post some better pictures of compacting, but at moment a tad depressed, and more geared at wanting to get the 555c back up and running.

 

[boggen]

various pictures. taken yesterday.

some pics, to show scope of things.

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some showing dumping of dirt via FEL, into small mounds spaced just far enough apart to give 6" to 12" piles.

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then use of FEL to back drag and front drag to level out the piles of dirt.

this is one that is a tad hard to explain, i will use the FEL bucket, some times like a box blade, then like a rear blade, and i will also tilt the bucket at different angles pending on how i want to compact stuff, or fill spots in.

if i am looking to grade things level and get things compacted as i do it. i will position bucket level to the ground first, and barely curl front of bucket up (if going forward) or if back dragging, will barley curl back of bucket up.

if i am looking to level out piles of dirt, i will position bucket so cutting is almost pointing straight down. and then angle it just a tad pending on forward or reverse motion of tractor.

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then next couple pics showing, compaction via full ""heaping"" of dirt in the FEL bucket. and using front tires primarly to compact the dirt down. some of the pics are better showing any were from 1/2" to 2" compaction difference.

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it may be hard to see, but area were culvert is, you will see little indents into the ground as i used the bottom / back of the backhoe bucket to compact in and around the culvert.

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a couple pictures just showing dry concrete dumped into hole, and then water just tossed into same hole without mixing concrete. for the troubled band clamp on the culvert.

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a couple pictures showing ""heap"" fulls of dirt. a little more explanation. i honestly do not like digging with the FEL bucket, it leaves little gouges and small little hills / bumps. so i use the backhoe to first dig all the dirt up and pile it in one large pile.

these does 2 things. it makes it much easier to fill the bucket of the FEL, and it also lessons amount of little bumps i will get in the dirt. that i will eventually have to drive over.

the ""heaping"" dirt in FEL, in one of the pictures you may notice dirt is not all the way to the back of the bucket (as it is tipped up), for me this is ugly. since i have to move so much dirt. while another picture shows the FEL fully loaded to a point were some dirt is falling off on all sides of the FEL.

having a large pile of dirt, that you can run straight into, and then curl the FEL bucket and raise the FEL up. can allow you to load that bucket up much easier and quicker in a single action, vs repeated reverse and forward and finagling of the FEL to get a full bucket.

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EDIT: i should note: when compacting, i tend to go one way across everything, and then turn tractor 90 degrees to previous tracts and go over everything one more time. tires tend to leave little mounds or pot holes that do not compact some areas as good as they should be. so turning 90 degrees and going over the area. helps compact those spots better.

if in tight situation, i will do multi S curving over the area, so everything is hit at a different angles. to insure i can get everything as compacted as possible. it might be overkill. but i have learned my lessons hard way. of not doing it. and then end up with bigger ruts and pot holes later down the line. which end up being more of a pain to deal with.

 

[boggen]

since last time i used the 555c the one out rigger got stuck. and then it rained, and then nerve problems showed back up so been down since. and down right bored. so thought i would toss some diagrams of FEL usage.

NOTE: the 555c has a straight cutting edge. if you have a tooth bar or teeth on your tractor then majority of this may not apply. due to majority is all about "grading" and smoothing stuff out.

see attached diagrams.

 

[boggen]

digging with FEL only (straight edge) no teeth or tooth bar on the FEL bucket. into yard or into a hill that has been compacted and settled already and you are wanting to get dirt or reshape things.

to note it, i generally prefer a lower gear, and doing a short run into the dirt initially short being 5 to 20 feet run to allow tractor to build up some speed, and then use the momentum and the weight of the tractor to push the bucket into the dirt. i am not to real worried about speed. but the pure weight of the tractor is what i tend to look at.

I say low gear. because if ya going to fast, it will be like hitting a brick freaking wall. that will toss you off of the tractor!!!

a lower gear gets the bucket under and into the dirt just a little bit. and hopefully past any top layer compaction in first couple inches of dirt then i will curl the bucket up and down (multi times) as needed to work it into the dirt.

part of the time front wheels are off the ground, if not majority of the time. in order to get as much weight i can to the cutting edge when digging down into the ground. ((tooth bars and teeth on FEL buckets would make things much easier!))

i rarely do any sort of braking or trying to steer. i just let the tractor go into the dirt. i know i will need to regrade things once i get the dirt down. so if tractor goes a little sideways so be it. i rather get the power and weight to the bucket vs wasting any power on braking or trying to steer. only exception is when i start lifting bucket and front wheels touch the ground.

if i get side ways or a little off last past, i will re-work things on next pass to bring things back straight if need be.

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((see diagram first))

as ya dig you make bumps and pot holes. and as you move tractor between spot ya digging dirt, and dumping the dirt ya put in ruts, bumps, pot holes, etc...

when ya get a full bucket of dirt in the FEL. and ya going between the 2 spots (dig, and dump sites) the front might want to bounce or tractor might feel like it is teter totoring on you. or tractor is just plain bouncy. this is my next worse type of bump. due to more weight of the tractor is either placed on front tires or rear tires and causes more compaction. what worse is, if you do not fix the issue by regrading. the single one bump will become 2 bumps, then 4 bumps then 10 bumps. just by driving back and forth over the area and just letting the tractor bounce back and forth over the bumps.

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i say digging, but it is more like scrapping a few inches of dirt off at a time when digging on smooth ground.

if digging into a hill. it can be a different story. some times much easier to dig into a hill vs trying to digging / scraping dirt up off a smooth area.

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compaction name of the game.... to help deal with settling issues. settling being after ya moved in dirt or rock or what not. a year later you have rough ground that was once smooth when you initially done things.

for me, 90% of what i have dug into over the years. the first foot or less from ground level on dirt that has been there for years. is the hardest compacted dirt. once you get past that initial couple inches to 12 inches. digging is much easier. granted soil conditions will always be different for folks. but from rock drive ways, to old dirt lanes, to lawn, to dirt floors in sheds. for most part it all has been pretty much the same. as far as the first few inches. if ya ever hand dug, you will quickly notice difference. in a tractor, it may be harder to tell. but if you are needing to dig out a good area and only have a FEL bucket to use. try and get a game plan down. so you do not run over areas that you will need to further dig down, so you are not compacting it. and make it easier for you to dig.

 

[boggen]

FEL (front end loader) general duty buckets. or rather (generic buckets) are mainly for digging into softer dirt or loose piles of rock. curling bucket back. and moving the material to another place. by no means are these buckets really meant to dig good. they can. but there are better alternatives.

to note it. i am tied between smaller size width and longer width buckets. if doing dirt work, drive way rock. sand. i would most likely choose a smaller width bucket for the FEL. why? so when i do get in harder compacted dirt. those few extra inches in smaller bucket. will allow me to put more power to the cutting edge. and more easily cut into the dirt / material.

if i was moving mulch, wood chips, and other light materials. then i would be going with a wider bucket.

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Box Blade, for me, i have a few issues,
1. i do not have a tractor with a 3pt hitch to run a BB (box blade)
2. even if i did have a tractor with a 3pt hitch, 90% of moving dirt from one area to another or rock or sand, i can not drag it to a spot with the box blade. but i physically need to put it into something then move it to were ever.

box blades do have "sacrificers" think of them as dog teeth. that shred and tear into the dirt or rock to loose things up. then a general duty bucket on front of tractor that does not have a bottom on it.

so for me box blades are out, though if i could figure out a way, to mount some sacrificerson top of the bucket. so when i curl the bucket all the way down and almost into front tires. i could sink the sacrificers down into the dirt. and add some better side to bucket. to get a make shift BB via FEL bucket. that might be real nice!

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bolt on or welded on teeth or tooth bars. vs a smooth cutting edge on the bucket.

would be nice to have. think of the teeth like the sharp point on a nail. vs a smooth cutting edge on a bucket like a nail that did not have a point on the end.

or perhaps the difference between a flat headed shovel vs a round head shovel and trying to dig a hole.

the teeth allow more power from the tractor, to be transferred to a smaller size area, to tear and loosen the dirt up. allowing the bucket itself to in a sense catch the loose dirt. while the teeth do the primary work of actual digging.

bolt on vs welded on. if had a choice would be a bolt on. i tend to grade to many areas with a smooth edge general duty bucket on the FEL (front end loader) and the teeth would become a problem.

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backhoe....

personally out of all. i actually prefer to use the FEL bucket with smooth cutting edge. to do primary dirt work of just pushing bucket into loose dirt and moving it some place else.

due to distances i may have to move material up to 1/2 mile one way. i like getting "heaping fulls" of dirt. and if your FEL bucket is setup to dig vs moving. you may not be able to get as much dirt per trip. or you may spend extra time digging to try and get a heaping full bucket.

heaping fulls being, a point were you have dirt falling out of bucket almost after you curl the bucket up to keep dirt from falling out.

being able to drive tractor right into a pile of dirt. and almost sink entire bucket into the dirt, and then slowly going forward while lifting up and curling the bucket up. is the way to have it!

the problem is. you need a large good size high pile or wall or something. to keep the dirt or material from pushing back out of the bucket. vs being pushed up and into the bucket. and this is were the backhoe comes into play. if ya ever been to a landscaping place or like, they will most likely have walls were material is. vs just piles of material laying out in flat ground. getting a full bucket is most likely one of the reasons for having them short walls around all the different piles of materials (dirt, rock, sand, etc...)

a backhoe. can be sat down in smooth areas of yard and pastures, hilly or not hill areas. and just start digging up around it. and dumping all the dirt into a pile. were the dirt itself becomes loose from moving it. at same time. you can create a mini dirt wall (just from digging with backhoe) that you can push loose dirt into via FEL bucket in order to load the FEL bucket more full of dirt. when the primary pile of dirt you piled up gets all used up and moved out of the way.

the pro's of backhoe digging up the dirt and putting into a pile = backhoe will more likely go right through the tougher compacted areas and inital few inches of dirt. you can dig enough dirt quickly, more so once you get use to it. and rev up that tractor and rev up that backhoe and go like mad rather quickly. without to much problems of digging to deep or not deep enough. do to the FEL will have easier ability to clean things up and smooth things up as ya bring it into the area to grab the dirt. weight of backhoe acts like nice counter ballest when ya get them heaping fulls of dirt in the FEL bucket. you do not spin your wheels or hardly as much when using FEL to dig into the loose dirt. vs if you were just using the FEL to dig and move dirt.

Con's, ya need to have a backhoe.

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dump truck or dump trailer.

either one would always be nice to have. more so if you had a second person helping you. and you had some distance to move the dirt or material. my experience. i would most likely end up getting stuck with a dump truck or tow vehicle pulling a dump trailer. and then needing more tractor power than what i already have on hand to get either one unstuck. due to 90% of were i am digging up dirt and/or moving it to. is already full of ruts, and/or muddy enough. that the areas are tractor only areas.

 

[boggen]

was only able to get back to the culvert area yesterday and that was only for a few minutes before it started raining and making everything muddy again , and quickly found out the culvert, ended up lifting up and out of the dirt on me. like a boat.
and ended up washing out i want to say 8 heaping buckets of FEL of the 555c

nothing i can do about it right at moment. still need to get 555c fixed.

when i get a chance will most likely take a cordless drill back there, and drill some smaller holes everyone so often in the 60 feet of double wall 12" culvert pipe. so it can no longer do the "floating" up and out thing on me.

 

[crbr]

excellent

 

[crash325]

Interesting to say the least. Quite the job you have going there. :thumbsup:

Chances are you are already doing this. On a packed pile, drive right up to it, take your bucket and curl it to you. A couple curls and it is easy to fill the bucket.

If you get caught short on time after putting in the culvert, stake it down with some 3' re-bar to keep it from floating out.

I have enjoyed your posts & pictures. Keep going. Thank you.