The gully to pond project

[jinman]

Right after I took the last photo, I turned to my left and took another photo of the area where I've been collecting topsoil. This really is a challenge with a backhoe because you can't turn 180 degrees like an excavator. I have a line of trees along my shoreline here, so I left an area about 10' wide to make a pile with the hoe and then use the loader to relocate materials. It's a lot of work, but it goes fast because I don't have to transport very far.



After using up most of my shoreline to make piles of dirt, I brought my other tractor and dump trailer to haul the dirt back up to the top of the hill.



I also took the opportunity to fill in one low spot so I'll have a larger turning/parking area above the lake level.



I found that I could just leave the gates open on the back of my dump trailer while hauling. I can fill the dump trailer to its maximum towable load and not have to fool with the doors while loading/dumping. This saves me getting on/off the tractor a couple of times per load and really makes thing run smoothly. as you can see in the photo below, the road goes uphill. If I get the trailer too heavy, my tractor will spin tires trying to pull the load uphill. The trailer will hold 7.5 yards, but I try to keep it around 4.5 to 5 yards per trip. That amount of wet soil is REALLY heavy.



Looking at the soil in the photo below, you can really see the soils difference. The soil on the left contains red clay while the silt I recovered in another spot is mostly sandy loam. The organics content is very high as evidenced by the odor.

 

[jinman]

When I get to the top of the hill, I'm putting the topsoil onto the fill dirt I dug out of my ponds. After the soil drys a little, I'll spread it all over this area and then seed in grass. The dump trailer attached to the tractor is just a dream to use to spread the materials for drying. It's working just as I expected when I first got the trailer.



I'm leaving one spot open where the water drains. I've sloped the filled area so water will not go over the edge, but moves to the center swale and then flows off over rip-rap and ends up in my first pond.





One of these days, we'll get some rain and I can go back to showing some ponds instead of just all the dry land around them. Until then, I'm just 'stuck on stupid' while waiting for rain.

 

[ben2go]

Between your thread and Eddie Walker's,I am learning a lot.

 

[RDrancher]

Thanks for the update Jim. Great photos!

 

[bindian]

Jim,
I know it's hard digging out in a muddy area with a BH. When moving dirt out with the loader, keep your butt higher than the nose of the tractor.............don't ask me how I know that! Have you thought about using mud matts to put the rear tires and outriggers on when digging? But you need a hydraulic thumb to make moving them easier. Don't remember if you have one.

I have been following an excavation company's operator's thread on using mud matts for his full size excavators and mini ex. They specialize in building and mucking out ponds. The mini ex uses treated or oak 2x8s bolted together with cross 2x8s. I gather you can buy them, but not sure if they have the smaller ones. I think they are called oil field matts also. Youtube has some neat videos by letsdig18 on getting excavators unstuck with mud matts.
hugs, Brandi

 

[ronjhall]

Now you have a good project for the trailer. You need someone to unload trailer while digging.

 

[20 20]

Looking Good Jinman I started another pond this year on our other land, it has been tough 3-4 foot of lose dirt and mud for the top layer. Had to drop trees to make a landing in order to drive out with the excavator.

I have been following an excavation company's operator's thread on using mud matts for his full size excavators and mini ex. They specialize in building and mucking out ponds. The mini ex uses treated or oak 2x8s bolted together with cross 2x8s. I gather you can buy them, but not sure if they have the smaller ones. I think they are called oil field matts also. Youtube has some neat videos by letsdig18 on getting excavators unstuck with mud matts.
hugs, Brandi

I built a set of matts for my baby mini they work great. The biggest issue with a smaller mini is center of gravity they can be tippy and if they're not squared and mostly level on the matt they like to slide around. A bigger machine is easier to operate as far as tipping, I've owned and operated a few over the years. I made my pads out of rough cut 4X4's and threaded rod. I've used them a lot and they seem to be holding up decent. They sure come in handy when in a muck filled pond or swamp.

 

[jinman]

Now you have a good project for the trailer. You need someone to unload trailer while digging.

Ron: I filled and hauled 18 trailer loads in 2-1/2 hours. That's not too bad. Since the dirt was piled up, loading and doing a turn-around went very fast. The time consuming thing was driving the tractor with the load. With only one trailer, I would have to wait between trips anyhow, so I might as well have been driving. With an excavator, I could dig and load the trailer by turning 180 degrees, but with the TLB, getting dirt to the trailer is a multi-step process.

I could pull in next to lowest range (low rabbit) for most of the road up the hill, but in a couple of places I had to shift down to low/turtle range. Using my GPS, I measured the change in elevation at 75' of rise over 1200 feet of run. That's a bit over a 6% grade on the average with some spots being a 10% grade and others a bit less than 6%. A smaller tractor would not have been able to pull the trailer. I got some wheel slip even on my gravel road.

Brandi and 20 20: I could use muck mats a few times with my TLB, but my problems always happen when using the loader bucket instead of using the backhoe, and often where I don't expect it to be slippery. Sometimes I dig into muddy muck, and it gets spread on top of the ground. When I get a full bucket load (almost 2 yards heaped) the weight of that wet soil is so much that mud on top of firm soil is like driving on banana peels. The whole machine slips and slides around. It doesn't happen often. I think I only had to dump one FEL load because I could not move. I can get to plenty of soil without any danger of sinking if I just use my head and think about what I'm doing. I've had a rental TLB stuck several years ago and the memory of how hard it was to get that machine out of the muck is still fresh in my mind. That memory and 4WD keeps me safe.

 

[bindian]

Brandi and 20 20: I could use muck mats a few times with my TLB, but my problems always happen when using the loader bucket instead of using the backhoe, and often where I don't expect it to be slippery. Sometimes I dig into muddy muck, and it gets spread on top of the ground. When I get a full bucket load (almost 2 yards heaped) the weight of that wet soil is so much that mud on top of firm soil is like driving on banana peels. The whole machine slips and slides around. It doesn't happen often. I think I only had to dump one FEL load because I could not move. I can get to plenty of soil without any danger of sinking if I just use my head and think about what I'm doing. I've had a rental TLB stuck several years ago and the memory of how hard it was to get that machine out of the muck is still fresh in my mind. That memory and 4WD keeps me safe.

Jim,
This is the exact reason I finished my last pond with a Bobcat T700.

I am going to talk to Bobcat, tomorrow, about an invitation I got in the mail for a free demo on an excavator. I will try it out on mucking out new silt in the pond. I think I would consider buying a Bobcat excavator, but not a Bobcat track loader, after renting the T700.
hugs, Brandi

 

[hunterridgefarm]

:thumbsup:Nice work Jim.

I could really use a TBL

 

[ronjhall]

Have you had any more problems with hydraulics on trailer? Hope you can find the extra tee fitting if you ever need it.

 

[jinman]

:thumbsup:Nice work Jim.

I could really use a TBL

Thanks David. The only problem with a full-sized TLB is it makes you take on much bigger projects.:confused2: It also makes you everyone's 'new bestest friend' on the block. I really do love this LB75.B New Holland. The only major repair I've had has been two brake master cylinders. They were an easy job, but over $300 ea and both bad.

 

[EddieWalker]

Great project Jim!!! It's always fun to follow your adventures and see how much use you're getting out of your backhoe. It really is the single best piece of equipment for doing so many things!!!

Do you have enough room to load the trailer with the backhoe? I've found that digging, then loading the pile to move it takes three times as long compared to just loading it when you dig it the first time.

Eddie

 

[jinman]

Have you had any more problems with hydraulics on trailer? Hope you can find the extra tee fitting if you ever need it.

Ron, I have not had any problems with the dump trailer since it broke the first time. It was just pickin' on you. If you remember, when I found the guy in Bridgeport with the "T", I got two of them so I'd have a spare. Because I have a spare, it will never break again in a million years. The hoses and quick connect fittings work perfectly. I'm saving the shuttle valves for another project where I can orient them properly.

 

[jinman]

Great project Jim!!! It's always fun to follow your adventures and see how much use you're getting out of your backhoe. It really is the single best piece of equipment for doing so many things!!!

Do you have enough room to load the trailer with the backhoe? I've found that digging, then loading the pile to move it takes three times as long compared to just loading it when you dig it the first time.

Eddie

Eddie, this backhoe has just tremendously expanded my capability. I'm so glad I bought a fairly new TLB that hasn't really had anybody mess with the mechanics or wiring. I do wish the previous owner had invested in more grease. The fact that all greased joints now ooze grease is a badge of pride to me. All parts are available when I go to order something. Just last week I ordered both front flashing amber lights and one rear light to replace the missing ones. All the white worklights work perfectly, but the flashers need replacing. I want to be able to run the flashers while on my county road and if I ever drive out on the paved roads. The front lights were $38 each and the rear light (dual red-amber) was $49. That's cheaper than I could find similar universal replacements and they are the right part that bolts right up to the mounting holes. The lights should be in today or early next week.

I'd love to be able to load the trailer from the backhoe, but that is just not possible with the amount of boom swing and orientation I have to be in when digging. If I put the tractor along and parallel to the bank. the low side outrigger wants to sink as I reach out on the low side to dig. A bucket full of wet soil out at the side of the backhoe is a VERY heavy and makes everything feel tippy. Since the FEL cannot sit flat on the slope, the high side outrigger lifts up and the low side buries itself. I try to not dig out more than 45 degrees when I'm in that position.

If I back the tractor down onto the dry bottom, I can put it much farther out and reach an additional 6'-8' or so out with the backhoe. I also can place the digging spoils on each side of me near to the bank where I can then get them with the FEL without the front wheels sinking because the soil is firmer. Being able to make two big piles and dig in a complete wide arch means I can move a lot of material without having to move the tractor. To me, I'm far less likely to end up with my tractor stuck in the lake. Once I stack the dirt in big long piles on the bank, I can still get to them if/when the lake rises. Getting the silt out of the lake before it fills is my priority. Also, when I start hauling with the blue tractor and trailer, I can drive down and turn to go back up in one big sweeping circle. I don't have to back the trailer into a tight spot or deal with that first pull up a steep grade. With the space I have to work and the terrain, I feel really comfortable doing it the way I'm doing.

BTW: I can dig down in the lake silt about 18" and it is wet muddy soil. I only have firm soil out 8' to 10' from the normal shoreline. That much room is just enough to build big piles and move them with the FEL and never sink. However, if I get 2" of slick muck on top of that firm soil, it's like banana peels. When I see my front wheels spinning, I know it's time to reach down and step on my differential lock to get both rears pulling. A huge heaping bucket of wet sticky sand/soil is extremely heavy. I don't think I'd even attempt this job without a 4WD TLB.