Loader Subsoiler to help FEL digging?

[MoreCowbell]

I just started using my Kubota BX2350 to excavate for an inground swimming pool (I know it is crazy):confused2:. To make it even more challenging, the soil here in central NC is hard clay.

With a tooth bar I am able to dig, but it is real tough. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to get a subsoiler and use it to break up the dirt to make it easier for the loader to dig into it. Has anyone ever tried this? Thanks.

 

[Carykong]

I am thinking a boxblade with rippers in tandem with your FEL will allow you to do some serious digging in that hard NC red clay. A subsoiler with your FEL would work,too. I just think a subsoiler would be a bit slower than a boxblade for the chore you have described. Good luck. We want pictures.

 

[texasjohn]

me, digging in clay, I'd want a chisel plow.... to dig down a ways all around where you need to, then use FEL to remove the chunks....point is, you need to have the clay loosened up significantly before FEL with toothbar will work...but you knew that

 

[TripleR]

My sons use an old moldboard plow which seems to work well for them.

 

[veresjwv]

I just started using my Kubota BX2350 to excavate for an inground swimming pool (I know it is crazy):confused2:. To make it even more challenging, the soil here in central NC is hard clay.

With a tooth bar I am able to dig, but it is real tough. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to get a subsoiler and use it to break up the dirt to make it easier for the loader to dig into it. Has anyone ever tried this? Thanks.

Living here in the Piedmont, I have started clearing some land for a pole barn. On one side I am taking out about 3-4 feet of dirt to make a level area. I use a box blade with the teeth all the way down to rip the clay(several passes in each direction) and then the fel with tooth bar to dig. It is a great combination. Also I am in no hurry so when the digging gets real tough I wait for some rain and just before it gets real dry the digging is pretty easy. Good luck with your project

 

[radman1]

I can't imagine tackling that job with a bx2350. How deep and how big of an area? A sub soiler would work but a box blade would be my choice. You can use the box blade for many other tasks. The box blade can also be tilted to help level the bottom. Look at the rippers on the back of a road grader or dozer. Just a bigger set of box blade rippers. Box blade will also give better counter weight for your FEL. However, a subsoiler would be cheaper to buy. You are on the right track. You don't need to tear up the surface deeply. Tearing up the surface, even a few inches, will make the removal with FEL much easier.

 

[D7E]

It's very common to use a small 2-3 bottom plough for this so that skid-steers are able to dig !

 

[flusher]

I just started using my Kubota BX2350 to excavate for an inground swimming pool (I know it is crazy):confused2:. To make it even more challenging, the soil here in central NC is hard clay.

With a tooth bar I am able to dig, but it is real tough. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to get a subsoiler and use it to break up the dirt to make it easier for the loader to dig into it. Has anyone ever tried this? Thanks.

Before rototilling the hard soil in my backyard a few years ago, I plowed the ground with a middle buster and my Kubota B7510HST. That made the rototilling go a lot faster and lessened the wear and tear on the tiller.



The middle buster is a combo MB and subsoiler from Tractor Supply ($150 or so). Something like this might work for your project.

 

[radioman]

Its no different then diggin a pond or a swimming pool. Only difference is the final grading needs to be on undisturbed soil. When you get down to the final depth- the subsoiler is out of the question due to you need to have virgin soil that is already compacted to prevent shifting under new pool.

What other tools do you have? tiller? subsoiler? single plow? etc. I am thinking the subsoiler is the cheapest way to handle the task, with boxblade with rippers the preferable way with tiller last choice. You never know what you will encounter below the surface with tiller. Both boxblade and tiller is ideal implement to have when carrying soil out of hole for more balanced load. Beleive me, I done quite a few trips with the BX24 which is basically same as your 2350.

 

[MoreCowbell]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I never thought of a box blade. If I can cough up the $ for one, that sounds like the way to go.

The pool will be 16'x32' with an 8' deep end. Along with all that raw digging, another challenge is the shallow to deep end slope which is 3-to-1 (about 18.5 deg.). On paper that doesn't seem too bad but we'll see what it looks like in real life.

I'll post some photos as I make progress (or if I make progress ).