too big?

Poopdeck Pappy · Jul 19, 2014

k0ua said:
I don't know why you can't dig a pond with a tractor.. I believe you can. Provided you have dirt to dig in, and have plenty of time and diesel fuel.

Making a pond - YouTube

Digging a pond with a Compact Tractor - Kioti CK20s - YouTube

john deere 2305 pond building - YouTube

Sure you can. But how long will it take versus hiring a dozer to do it in a few days? And what will you do when you've got it dug a few feet deep and then it rains. Now you've got a mudhole until it dries out again. And then you get to go bog around in it trying to dig some more before it rains again.

I hired a dozer to dig mine. A few days later I had an approx one acre pond that was about 14 feet deep. A couple of weeks later it came a 7.5" rain and filled it completely up, and in fact overflowed around the backside of the dam. (7.5" in 12 hours will do that.) I stocked it with catfish, bluegill, perch and minnows, and I go feed them every couple of days.

If I had tried to dig it with my tractor, I'd STILL be out there bogging around. And I'd have a partially dug mudhole to deal with.

k0ua · Jul 21, 2014

Poopdeck Pappy said:
Sure you can. But how long will it take versus hiring a dozer to do it in a few days? And what will you do when you've got it dug a few feet deep and then it rains. Now you've got a mudhole until it dries out again. And then you get to go bog around in it trying to dig some more before it rains again.

I hired a dozer to dig mine. A few days later I had an approx one acre pond that was about 14 feet deep. A couple of weeks later it came a 7.5" rain and filled it completely up, and in fact overflowed around the backside of the dam. (7.5" in 12 hours will do that.) I stocked it with catfish, bluegill, perch and minnows, and I go feed them every couple of days.

If I had tried to dig it with my tractor, I'd STILL be out there bogging around. And I'd have a partially dug mudhole to deal with.

You make excellent points!.. There is a difference in can and should! I guess you could do your digging in August! and pray for NO rain.

MtnViewRanch · Jul 21, 2014

You guys are funny. :laughing: You are of the mind set that it rains every where. Trust me, IT DOES NOT. This guy is in Washington, but we don't know where. We hope for rain EVERY SINGLE DAY where I am.

k0ua · Jul 21, 2014

MtnViewRanch said:
You guys are funny. :laughing: You are of the mind set that it rains every where. Trust me, IT DOES NOT. This guy is in Washington, but we don't know where. We hope for rain EVERY SINGLE DAY where I am.

Wasn't there some song lyrics that said ♫ "it never rains in southern California!" ♫

MtnViewRanch · Jul 21, 2014

k0ua said:
Wasn't there some song lyrics that said ♫ "it never rains in southern California!" ♫

Yes there was-is, and unfortunately it seems to have moved north a bit

, so the water that we use to import from northern California is in very short supply.

mikespeed6 · Jul 24, 2014

To clarify on where, I'm in south east Washington and the pond will be small probably 40x50' and only a few feet deep for koi. The dirt feels very soft and spongy however I have not done any digging yet. It's way softer than the clay I'm used to. Time is not a concern and diesel is cheap.....

Gary Fowler · Jul 24, 2014

mikespeed6 said:
To clarify on where, I'm in south east Washington and the pond will be small probably 40x50' and only a few feet deep for koi. The dirt feels very soft and spongy however I have not done any digging yet. It's way softer than the clay I'm used to. Time is not a concern and diesel is cheap.....

I dug one that size with my LS in 2 days (actually one day was started at 4 PM right after I got the LS off the delivery truck) using the FEL and box blade with scarifiers to loosen up the very hard dirt. It took all summer, winter and finally filled up about March when we finally got enough rain to start the springs flowing again. It was only about half full from run off and then the springs started flowing and filled it to overflowing in 2 days.

Gary Fowler · Jul 24, 2014

As far as being too big, I would not offer advice on that. I have 11 acres and have a 70 HP with FEL and a 26 HP TLB and wouldn't be without either of them. Just recently I felled a couple of dead oaks that even my 70 HP had trouble dragging off even after I de-limbed it and cut it down as much as possible (it was leaning across a creek so that is how I had to put it) and now way to cut it any smaller. Any smaller tractor and it would still be across the creek.