What a brute!!!

[Mechanos]

That's some good lookin work. I've heard several people say you just could not dig with a tractor, only move loose material. Looks as though you've got it down to a science.

Don't know if I'd go that far. This is my first job ever excavating with a FEL. You just have to learn the limitation of the machine and work within those limitations to achieve the desired results. As I'm learning how to accomplish different tasks with the tractor, my technique is improving each time I get on it. I still screw up, though and have to go back and "fix" some areas.

If you're trying to cut into a 2.5' to 3' bank like I'm doing, you just cant do it in a single bite with this size machine. I'll approach the face of the bank and position the bucket about 6" below the surface and cut peel off the top layer, then back up and lower the bucket another 6" or so and take another bite. I do this a few times until I have a full bucket and go dump it. Then head back and keep slicing off layers however thick the tractor will handle until I'm down to the elevation I want. It sounds time consuming, but with an HST and practice on the bucket controls I'm getting really fast at it. I'm averaging about 1 minute or so per round trip to the stockpile. Or course that depends on how far away your stockpile is.

 

[dex3361]

Reminds me of when I excavated out the leach field for my septic system. LEACH FIELD I moved a lot of dirt that week. Great job with the JD.

 

[Mechanos]

Reminds me of when I excavated out the leach field for my septic system. LEACH FIELD I moved a lot of dirt that week. Great job with the JD.

Holy crap! Thats a LOT of arch chambers. What's total capacity of all those chambers? 800 - 1000 gallons?

 

[dex3361]

Holy crap! Thats a LOT of arch chambers. What's total capacity of all those chambers? 800 - 1000 gallons?

I really dont know the volume of the chambers, I would have to find the spec sheet and see if it is located on the sheet or try to calculate from the dimensions. This leach field as being added to my existing field. The system is about 25 years old and the old field started sealing off. I decided to try the biodefussers over the pipe because I would not need as much gravel and it was easier for 1 man(and his tractor) to complete.

 

[dex3361]

Holy crap! Thats a LOT of arch chambers. What's total capacity of all those chambers? 800 - 1000 gallons?

I really dont know the volume of the chambers, I would have to find the spec sheet and see if it is located on the sheet or try to calculate from the dimensions. This leach field as being added to my existing field. The system is about 25 years old and the old field started sealing off. I decided to try the biodefussers over the pipe because I would not need as much gravel and it was easier for 1 man(and his tractor) to complete.

 

[Mechanos]

Haven't updated in a while... I wasn't able to do anything on the project for two weeks due to untimely rain and business trips out of town. Got to work on it for a while over the weekend, but not enough. Rain is in the forecast for this weekend so I took a couple days off this week to get some more done. I got the rough cut finished, did a bunch of hand digging right up next to the building, and then did some leveling and polishing with the box blade:



I don't want mess with a retaining wall, so that means laying the side of cut back at an acceptable slope that I can mow it. I started out by tilting the box blade and using it to cut the slope I was looking for. A dozen or so passes with the box blade gave me one 5' wide cut with the slope I was after, but it also gave me a decent crook in my back from running back and forth across the slope with the tractor leaning underneath me. So, I gave up on that approach and started cutting vertically down the slope with the FEL. About the time I got one swath cut down to grade, it was time to call it quits for the day.



No... that's not the sun setting behind a mountain range... that's my spoils pile.

 

[swick1]

Wonderful! Very ambitious!

 

[Mechanos]

Wonderful! Very ambitious!

It has become quite the undertaking... but then again I knew it would be. It really needed to be done though. That side of the barn was never graded properly... whoever built it just did a cut and fill to make a level pad and the cut on that side had no drainage at all. During heavy rains and the spring melt after a heavy snowfall winter, the run-off from the slope would run under the wall and across the floor of the barn. During saturated conditions, water would even bubble up through the floor (just an AB-3 floor) and make a general mess of things. I'm wanting to pour a concrete floor, but the drainage issues had to be addressed before I even think about pouring concrete. I also needed a place to park my 24' gooseneck trailer so I can get it out of the barn and free up more workspace.

 

[RoyJackson]

You're doing a really nice job, Mechanos!

 

[Mechanos]

You're doing a really nice job, Mechanos!

Thanks Roy. I'm sure it would go quite a bit faster if I actually knew what I was doing. :laughing: A top and tilt sure would come in handy for grading with the box blade.

 

[sixdogs]

You may say you don't know what you're doing but by taking your time and thinking it out the job has come out really nice. It looks great.

 

[techwrtr2]

I envy the ground you are working on. Doesn't look to be 98% rock like I have here.

 

[Mechanos]

The attached picture was going to mean something... but instead it's just a pretty picture of my tractor on a beautiful day with my man-made mountain range in the background. :laughing: I spent 8 hours in seat today sloping the cut back to a mowable slope. I made 4 passes for about 20' and then I got into some good dirt... that's why I hopped off the tractor to check things out and snapped the pic. I switched up my game plan and began harvesting topsoil to place in a separate pile. Once the topsoil was harvested, I went back to sloping the cut. I got done with one end of the slope with the sun low in the sky, so I spent a little time dressing up what I'd worked for the day. I put the tractor up with just enough daylight left to take a picture of what I got done... pulled out my phone to snap a pic and the battery was dead. So, instead of a before and after... the only pic I have is before. I'll try to get a pic in the morning of the after.

 

[two_bit_score]

Enjoying the thread. Thanks for posting and letting us enjoy watching your progress!

 

[Mechanos]

Ok... here's the before and after.

 

[two_bit_score]

You moved a lot of dirt. Looks like a great job.

Will you need to do anything to prevent erosion or will grass growing back take care of that?

.

 

[Mechanos]

You moved a lot of dirt. Looks like a great job.

Will you need to do anything to prevent erosion or will grass growing back take care of that?

.

Grass will take care of it. It's a nice gentle slope... about 5:1, or 1:5... however you want to look at it. I can comforatble operate the FEL sitting sideways on the slope, so mowing it will be a piece of cake. I'm going to dig a trench down the level pad along side the barn and bury two pipes bedded in 1/2 inch clean rock... one perforated for a subsoil drain and another tight line to pick up the downspouts off the barn. Both of those pipes will be routed out past the barn and towards the pond where they will daylight. I'm trying to capture all the run off I can and direct it to the pond to help keep it charged. Then the level pad will get graveled and will become a parking spot for my 24' trailer and other "stuff" behind that. I'll dress the slope with topsoil I harvested during the dirt moving and sow some Kentucky 31 fescue. I didn't want to mess with a retaining wall.

 

[two_bit_score]

Sounds like a good plan. Thanks for the pics an will look for any other updates you post.

 

[Mechanos]

What a bummer...

I'm so close to finishing this project that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I still have some more of the slope to cut back and a little more leveling to do in front of and behind the barn, but the old girl is laying down me. Was out using it today and the blow-by smoke from the vent tube has gotten a lot heavier and just getting worse. After several hours today, the engine is now laboring to do what it was doing with ease when I started this project. I don't know if she's got enough life left in her to complete this project.

I pulled her into the barn and pulled the injectors to run a compression test. All three cylinders were reading about 300psi. Spec for this engine is 498 +/- 14psi with a low limit of 384psi. Not good. While I was at it, ran a leak-down test. All three cylinders were passing a considerable amount of air past the rings and No. 1 cylinder was also passing air past the exhaust valve.

I was planning on finishing this project up and then getting into the engine over the winter. Now, my plan is to mount the backhoe and open up a few places along the cut on the low side to allow water to drain out and prevent ponding. Then I'm going to take the tractor out of service and pull the head to take a look at things... re-ring and hone or bore and oversized pistons. The head will also get a valve job, guides, etc.

 

[two_bit_score]

Re: What a bummer...

Hate to hear that. how many hours you got on her?