Testing the water... er Mud

[lakngulf]

Same song, same verse. The lake I live on is drawn down 10 ft each year for winter/spring flood management. The bottom where I live is very sandy and rocky (in most places). Rest assured those green, orange, red and blue items we call tractors know how to find the muck that is 4-6 inches under that sand.

A few years back I rented a kubota TLB to push down some trees and clear my garden area. With the water down I had about 40 feet of lake bottom exposed and there is a long slough around the corner from me with no development. Some time back the management folks cut a couple of trees and let them fall into the water for fish habitat. So I took all the little trees that I pushed over to a point in the slough and pushed them into the water. All worked well until the orange found the muck, and it happened quickly. I thought I would be able to "walk" out with the bucket and back hoe, but the muck was so soft there was not traction. It took awhile with some 4x4s under each wheel, but eventually I was able to get it out, and avoided that area.

Now with my Kioti tractor I know where that spot is, and cautiously ride over areas of uncertainty, knowing some new muck areas can be exposed with the water movement.

 

[jinman]

The only way to safely dig out the silt, is to dig a trench from the edge of the pond and keep the bottom of the trench on native soil. You'll have to dig out the silt wide enough to drive into the trench and hope that it isn't so muddy it caves in. Read the first page of posts in this thread and look at the photos. I did as described above and found my silt was very deep. There was almost 10' of silt in the center of my pond.

 

[20 20]

Jinman I wish my muck was more like your mud. The stuff I'm into won't hold shape while digging {to many springs}. It slops everywhere looks like I'm haulin liquid manure or really thined out cement. It's funny how different spots can have different densities. One spot can be hard pan while another seems to be a bottomless pit.

 

[Short Game]

I have one of these. Not the fastest or easiest thing to use, but it works.

 

[jinman]

I have one of these. Not the fastest or easiest thing to use, but it works.

Now that's the strangest dirt scoop I've ever seen. It looks like somebody parked their dirt scoop next to a wheelbarrow and that's the offspring.:confused2:

 

[Verticaltrx]

Now that's the strangest dirt scoop I've ever seen. It looks like somebody parked their dirt scoop next to a wheelbarrow and that's the offspring.:confused2:

It's meant to be pulled by a horse. :thumbsup:

 

[jonyyuma]

Well you sure got a duece mixture of answers to this one? I once watched a Cat Dozer sink into the muck after breaking the crust. I have often wondered what would happen if I went into our pond to dip out the silt? I know I will not be risking my cut, it's not nearly big enough..I guess it would be best done with the track hoe if one was available?

 

[IslandTractor]

It's meant to be pulled by a horse. :thumbsup:

That photo does look like it is missing the 3pt hitch points but I have seen those style scoops fabricated for tractors too. I think they were popular before FELs became so commonly available.

 

[Short Game]

I graveled my drive once with my old slip scraper from a big pile of crushed rock that was dumped at the bottom. I had a friend drive my 1300cc Datsun pickup as I ran the handles to dig and dump. I also supplied the haul-back power (I was younger then). I would have hired a little dozer, but the guy wanted money, and I had turned all I had into the gravel.

Anyway, I've kept that slip scraper. If you've got two people, one to operate the handles and one to drive the tractor, you can do things like move muck. The farm I live on is called, "Lucky Mud."

 

[Short Game]

Here's the 3PH version. Not much good if you can't drive out with it.

 

[IronHog]

I have one of these. Not the fastest or easiest thing to use, but it works.

we have one about that vintage....with a 3pt attachments welded on for tractor work.


It has a rope that runs to the back you use to dump the load.

 

[Coyote machine]

What you need is a Toyota on standby so when, not if, you get stuck so hopelessly you'd take the first offer that came along for your CUT, oh, and yeah, you can keep the Chevy , you'll have something to drive home in!

I just did what you want to do and did it with what's called a 'long arm excavator'. It cost some money but nothing got stuck and all necessary silt and trees, etc. were removed in a very timely fashion late this spring BEFORE Irene hit my state: VT, which took a real toll on our state; roads, streams, rivers, ponds, nothing was unscathed. It'll be years before we're back to 'normal'.

You can try it but probably grab that beer while you can still reach it from shore and dive, I meant to say, drive right in. Figure you will get stuck and consider it gravy if you don't. A wrecker or HD tractor winch may be able to haul you back out when you're done- but do you really want to subject your tractor to that kind of abuse? Have you considered what happens if you contaminate one or more of your engine/transmission's vital fluids with mud/silt/ water? $$$$$$$

 

[CowwFace]

What about running the pickup or ATV in there FIRST .... just to "test the waters" so to speak... that way you would have the tractor to pull them out vs the other way around.

Looks like a "Memory Moment" if you take the tractor in there to me.

 

[Beltzington]

Have enjoyed reading all the "advice," sounds like I should go for and take pictures or curl-up in a ball and whimper.

The property is 50-miles from where I live so any work gets done on weekends. Heading out today to see how my mud spa is doing. I really want to get those trees out of the pond while I can see them so I am hoping it has dried up considerably. Will take camera in case I have a Braveheart moment. I am slightly tempted just to get my CUTS stuck to demonstrate what a 4WD Chevy with 650 ft-lbs of torque can do.

On another note - should I decide to assume the fetal position and not try to use my tractor does anyone know how well rubber tracked skid-steers perform in this type of mud/muck. Thanks!

 

[TripleR]

What about running the pickup or ATV in there FIRST .... just to "test the waters" so to speak... that way you would have the tractor to pull them out vs the other way around.

Looks like a "Memory Moment" if you take the tractor in there to me.

We did this on our pond and it was fine until we broke through the top layer into the muck with our tractors. But like I said previously, we did not get stuck to the point we couldn't get out with the use of our FELs.

I guess everyone's situation is a bit different.

 

[Mechanos]

...should I decide to assume the fetal position and not try to use my tractor does anyone know how well rubber tracked skid-steers perform in this type of mud/muck. Thanks!

I recently worked a 10" water main break. The soil was a sandy ancesteral river bed that was highly saturated from the broken water main. If you tried to walk on it, you would sink to your stones in seconds. We ran a Bobcat skid-steer with tracks (not track belts over rubber tires, but actual tracked skid-steer) through the site repeatedly and it walked across the quagmire like it was on dry land. Those machines are amazing.

 

[Coyote machine]

Dear Fetal Position, (aka Belzington),

You should definitely go for it, and in a big way, so we can all view the video on YouTube when you're up to your axles on both tractors and the Chevy 'rescue vehicle'.

The rubber track-hoe is too upscale for this application. It would work too well; definitely DO NOT go for this!*:thumbsup:

* Note: using a little reverse psychology on this guy will get him to do what WE want him to do.... shssh, don't tell him

 

[ducks13]

A couple of people mentioned getting unstuck by "walking a chain with the diff lock" or something like that. Can anyone tell me what this means/how to do it?

 

[TripleR]

A couple of people mentioned getting unstuck by "walking a chain with the diff lock" or something like that. Can anyone tell me what this means/how to do it?

Depends on your wheels, but you can run a chain through one of the holes, then hook a chain to it and anchor it taut to a solid point so when you start backing up, the long chain will wind around your tires which will tend to pull you up and out of the mud. You can use planking under the chains if needed.

 

[Beltzington]

Sorry Yote - No stuck pictures for you.

Yesterday I found the pond basin to be much dryer then last week so I made a fairly level ramp down the slope and decided to give her a go. Figured I would find out soon enough without exchanging my RC for the BB. Looks like all the naysayers we right all along, hard to tell from the picture but as soon as the front tires hit the bottom they started to sink and spin. Had to use the rear dif-lock to back out but lesson learned.

Don't think the rain is going to hold out long enough for the basin to dry out enough to use my tractor. I hope to at least get all the fallen trees and branches out this season so it looks like I will need to invest in more chains or rent/hire better suited equipment.

Thanks for your er... encouragement. :thumbsup: