Tips for my spring project??

[donconnery]

Mornin' TBN!

If you've seen any of my other posts, you'd know I am a novice at best. I have a bad section of yard I am hoping to renovate/rework, and was hoping the collective experience on here could check out my plan before I cause more work for myself....

My setup - BX23S (TLB), 54'' box blade. Rear Tine Tiller (not implement), just ordered LPGS0548 for the driveway, will be in in a few weeks.

My Problem - My side yard where my garage is (about 100' long) slopes in the wrong direction. The entire yard slopes down from the road to the back of the garage (water problems.)

My Plan - Remove about 30 problem trees from the area, all are less than a foot in diameter. Dig up/pull out the stumps. I plan to till the area by hand or have someone come in and do it (don't have a tractor tiller....yet) Then my plan is to use my box blade to pull from the road to garage to flip the grade to the way it should be. Finish off with LPGS to smooth out and then seed and hay.

Does this sound feasible for someone without a lot of experience but a lot of time on their hands?? Any other ideas?? Let's talk!

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

It will absolutely work. It will just take time. Used to grade new lots for subdivisions with a Case 480 and a box blade. Just make sure any utilities that may be in the area are buried deeper than you need to go.

 

[donconnery]

It will absolutely work. It will just take time. Used to grade new lots for subdivisions with a Case 480 and a box blade. Just make sure any utilities that may be in the area are buried deeper than you need to go.

No utilities back there thankfully. Not sure how big a 480 is, but glad you think it's doable.

 

[swampy6]

I'm not sure how much higher the road is than the back of your garage but this is what we did when we had our new garage built last summer. Because our house we had built 15 years ago is up there pretty good so we don't have water problems, our new garage is lower so the water will drain towards the front of the garage, I made a small gully about 10 feet from the garage door so the water hits that and then runs in the gully to the side of the garage well away from the cement blocks. The gully is 28 feet long which is the width of the garage.

I also waterproofed the outside of the cement blocks last fall, the inside will get done this summer.

 

[Diggin It]

I'm thinking your back, hips, thighs, legs, ankles, arms and shoulders would thank you immensely for the purchase of a 3 point 48" tiller.

 

[swampy6]

I'm thinking your back, hips, thighs, legs, ankles, arms and shoulders would thank you immensely for the purchase of a 3 point 48" tiller.

That's for sure, we're mostly sand on the lot our house is on but the backhoe on back of the 4540 made the job real easy.

 

[donconnery]

I google mapped it, it's between 1/2 and 3/4's of an acre. Hoping to pound it out in a day or two weather permitting. There are also some folks that will till for 60 an hour (2 hour minimum) which I might explore as well. I have another 3 acres that I am hoping to do the same with in the future (relatively flat, just very bouncy on the mower.) A hand tiller is probably all I will need, because the wife would never let me do the whole thing at one time.

 

[Diggin It]

My thinking is you may need to till it (or whatever else you do) several times because each will only cut down a few inches. Till, scrape with blade, till deeper, scrape with blade, till deeper, scrape with blade, etc.

.

 

[donconnery]

My thinking is you may need to till it (or whatever else you do) several times because each will only cut down a few inches. Till, scrape with blade, till deeper, scrape with blade, till deeper, scrape with blade, etc.

.

I知 really hoping thats not the case. A tractor tiller isn稚 in the budget this year. If I知 only tilling it to get rid of the sod socthe dirt drags, what makes you think I値l have to till it mire than once? I was thinking worst case scenario if the ground underneath after the initial till was hard I could drop the rippers on the BB?

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Yep, just keep scarifing the dirt with the box blade, you'll accomplish the same result as a tiller. The soil will definitely be a lot 'clumpier' using the BB.

 

[DMW]

What is the height difference between now and the final grade? Pics would help.

If the water is coming from the road, would it be easier to put in a swale to catch the water and redirect it? I graded my ditches with a SCUT so a Zturn could be used to cut the grass instead of a push mower.

I think you might be underestimating the size of the job with a BX. Once the sod is removed, you only need to take off about 1/2"-1" of soil at a time, the BB will be full in about 20 feet. Great for spreading over bumpy areas. Watch out or tree roots, they will snag the scarifiers, and seem to sense the soft underbelly of the tractor.

 

[donconnery]

Do you think I could skip the tilling? Just keep scarifing until it痴 tilled?

 

[donconnery]

I’m no surveyor. I would say a foor? Maybe two. I figured I would just keep filling at high end, dropping at low end, spreading then leveling. Rinse and repeat.

 

[MossRoad]

You're gonna remove 30 stumps and then hand till the area, that you estimate to be 1/2-3/4 of an acre? And then use a box blade on a 23hp tractor to change the grade on that area? How deep of an area are you going to drag out of there?

1/2 an acre is 21780 square feet. If you're estimated 1/2 acre is only 100' long, it's 217' wide.

Let's look at it from a side angle. And, let's say you want to regrade 6" deep from one end to the other to "flip" that area.

And let's say its a perfect slope, so it's a 6" high wedge at the far end and 0" at the other end. You really only need to move an area of dirt 50' long by 217'.

50' x 217' = 10850 square feet with an average depth of 3", or 1/4 of a foot.

So divide 10850 by 4 = 2712.5 cubic feet.

There's 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so 2712.5 / 27 = 100.46 cubic yards of dirt you have to move.

You're not going to do that with a hand tiller and a box blade on a 23hp tractor in a couple days. You have probably a 1/3 yard bucket. That's the equivalent of about 300 bucket loads of dirt that you're gonna try and pull with a box blade, which won't pull 1/3 of a yard at a time.

Someone can check my math, as I suck at math, but I'm pretty sure that's what it comes out to.

You're way underestimating the size of that job.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

You're gonna remove 30 stumps and then hand till the area, that you estimate to be 1/2-3/4 of an acre? And then use a box blade on a 23hp tractor to change the grade on that area? How deep of an area are you going to drag out of there?

1/2 an acre is 21780 square feet. If you're estimated 1/2 acre is only 100' long, it's 217' wide.

Let's look at it from a side angle. And, let's say you want to regrade 6" deep from one end to the other to "flip" that area.

And let's say its a perfect slope, so it's a 6" high wedge at the far end and 0" at the other end. You really only need to move an area of dirt 50' long by 217'.

50' x 217' = 10850 square feet with an average depth of 3", or 1/4 of a foot.

So divide 10850 by 4 = 2712.5 cubic feet.

There's 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so 2712.5 / 27 = 100.46 cubic yards of dirt you have to move.

You're not going to do that with a hand tiller and a box blade on a 23hp tractor in a couple days. You have probably a 1/3 yard bucket. That's the equivalent of about 300 bucket loads of dirt that you're gonna try and pull with a box blade, which won't pull 1/3 of a yard at a time.

Someone can check my math, as I suck at math, but I'm pretty sure that's what it comes out to.

You're way underestimating the size of that job.

Good post Moss, I agree, I have a BX and done some similar projects. I still have not seen the OP post what elevation change he is trying to do. If it more that a foot I would be looking for a different drainage pattern. Ditch digging goes a lot easier and faster than re-contouring. I have a hunch though that his house is the low spot in the terrain. Shame on the original planner/builder it that is so. We see that a lot around here with subdivisions.

I do not understand why the county permit process does not eliminate such drainage problems. I had a house once on a hill side and no drainage problem till builders started building above. County said it was not their problem and my recourse was sue the builder. Took my loss and ran. wasn't worth the hassle.

Ron

 

[dragoneggs]

Good post Moss, I agree, I have a BX and done some similar projects. I still have not seen the OP post what elevation change he is trying to do. If it more that a foot I would be looking for a different drainage pattern. Ditch digging goes a lot easier and faster than re-contouring. I have a hunch though that his house is the low spot in the terrain. Shame on the original planner/builder it that is so. We see that a lot around here with subdivisions.

I do not understand why the county permit process does not eliminate such drainage problems. I had a house once on a hill side and no drainage problem till builders started building above. County said it was not their problem and my recourse was sue the builder. Took my loss and ran. wasn't worth the hassle.

Ron

Agree with Moss and Ron... sounds like a big job and no way in a day or so with a BX. That said, I would tackle it with my BX as I am rarely in a hurry and like to DIY vs. hire out.

Not knowing the specifics I will suggest another alternative... a 'French' or curtain drain. With your backhoe you could knock this out in a day.

 

[MossRoad]

And that 100 yards of dirt is only based on 1/2 acre 6" high on one end. He said it could be as much as 3/4 of an acre, which would be 150 yards of dirt.

Boy, I hope my math is wrong. :thumbsup:

 

[dragoneggs]

And that 100 yards of dirt is only based on 1/2 acre 6" high on one end. He said it could be as much as 3/4 of an acre, which would be 150 yards of dirt.

Boy, I hope my math is wrong. :thumbsup:

Saturday night and I ain't... gonna argue with you, Moss. For some reason this is stuck in my head tonight.

Sam Cooke - Another Saturday Night (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

I did mention a French drain but if you can correct the slope, that is the best solution.

 

[DMW]

Do you think I could skip the tilling? Just keep scarifing until itç—´ tilled?

Scarifiers and sod do not mix well. It will plug up the boxblade and be a PITA to clear out. Tried it once. The loader is better at removing sod. Then you need somewhere to place the clumps, as they will not spread well.

 

[donconnery]

Thats some serious math! Thanks guys! I should have posted a picture but I was at work and anxious to get the conversation going. I’ll post one when I head out this morning. I mis spoke a little. The entire area im going to till and smooth is that size, the slope area is probabaly 100 ish by 50ish. I too would rather take three tines as long before hiring out. Lots of mandatory prijects this summer I’m not qualified for that we have to hire out. Not that I’m exactly qualified for this but dirt is dirt and time is infinite.