Excavator/pond/thoughts?????

[Fuddyduddy1952]

On my place I have a really good spring. It's about 60 feet uphill from my creek. If I follow upstream along creek I put in a large culvert pipe and there's a road going through woods across it to another pasture. Also next to spring is a road I put in, RR ballast & gravet that crosses creek. Creek is on bedrock and that short road is very steep but ok (you can walk up it).
A few years ago I had a friend/neighbor put in a very small pond (about 30'x60') that WAS about 10ft deep. 6" PVC overflow pipe down 11ft, Y elbow, out 20ft.
I pump out of it to a tank when we had a drought, water trees, etc.
The problem is it's filling with dirt, the overflow pipe is leaking around it and since he trenched down to pipe it's washing out. At pond height my road branches off and it's washing out.
I had another excavator fix the homeplace driveway, then I had him look at this as I want to make pond bigger. He said it was never done right, he would dig down to bedrock and larger overflow done properly.
Then our area had a flood, washed out homeplace driveway, I paid all over again (not his fault)...but free tractor time. So now I've called a few times, never returns my calls, I think he's pixxed at me.
(Sorry so complicated).
So I'm faced with a few choices:
1) Probably get the guy eventually talk to me and small but better/larger pond will be $15K-$25K.
2) Friend/neighbor do it by my instructions (I know him...he'll do it but prefers "his way"
Probably $10K (? may be ok?)
3) I can buy a mini-Ex, do it myself, this one has a Kubota diesel motor...great reviews, $20K but will it do it?
4) I can buy a new Kubota at cost (another friend)...wife says who cares the price...it's always worth $$$.
My point is I can use the Ex for lots of other things. I have a tractor with FEL & 9.5' backhoe...but not like an Ex.
Thanks any thoughts.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Disregard last schematic picture.

 

[Jstpssng]

Why are you even asking? Anytime you can buy a new piece of equipment the answer is obvious.

 

[jjeff]

Ok I have a mini x jd 26 g and ponds I use the mini x to dig and angle caving pond banks from solid ground along shore. And digging out the channel that connects the two small ponds. I didn't do it this year cuz the Water was so low. Both ponds are fairly deep and unlined. Local fruit growers irrigate with ground water and several active sand mining operations have decimated water levels imo. Anyways the minix despite having rubber tracks does not have close the the traction or stability as my former 326 steel track over tire ss. My point is if your using a small excavator to dig or repair a pond be extremely cautious or you may bury the thing or worse. I use my mini x for pond restoration and it's smaller size excels at other projects where smaller equipment is way better to accomplish tasks. but if it had a longer boom it would be much easier and better to work on my ponds. I dig along the banks and channel making piles than use the loader on my old l2850 to move the nutrient rich sand to about 10 acres of fields grading it with loader, back blade or my new cheap Chinese box bladefor future planting of Xmas trees.

 

[Carl_NH]

Fuddy - Door #4 would be my choice a new Kubota mini at cost and get one with at least 10' reach or digging depth (U35 KX33 or KX40 8-10K machines) You can run it for 2-3 years and sell it for what you paid. Yes, its going to cost 2X the Typhoon probably but a lot more machine.

The Typhoon 2.7T is a nice machine but 8' digging depth is a limitation since your BH is 9.5' (I have the 1.8T 3500Lbs) Typhon min ex and a Kubota B21 7.5' digging depth and both are similar in digging depth. The quality of the Typhoon is good but not refined like Kubota - things like flow rate 35LPM or 9GPM. Another option for China a mini $26K is CFG STE 35SR made by Shantui a big Mfg in China 2.8 Ton, Yanmar Diesel Engine Mini Excavator w/ Hydraulic Thumb | CFG-STE35SR

In my case the mini is the lifting and digging tool, and the TLB is the transport tool. For larger jobs best to have two people - one to dig the other to transport spoils.

 

[EddieWalker]

Digging is easy, the real work is in moving the dirt to where it needs to be. I've always wanted an excavator, but it's too limited at what it can do for me. I went with a full sized backhoe. It doesn't dig as good as an excavator, but it still digs really good. The big advantage is that I can carry a yard of dirt fairly quickly on tires to where I want it. If you have an excavator, you need something else to carry the dirt. I can also remove my front bucket and put on a grapple or pallet forks. The grapple gets more use then the bucket because I use the backhoe to clear trees more then anything else since digging my two ponds.

 

[gsganzer]

When I had my pond dug, they used an excavator and dozer in tandem. The excavator digs and loosens, while the dozer spread the spoils. The dozer pushed the spoils out in a straight line from the pond, like the spokes on a wheel. It was really efficient.

 

[D&D]

On my place I have a really good spring. It's about 60 feet uphill from my creek. If I follow upstream along creek I put in a large culvert pipe and there's a road going through woods across it to another pasture. Also next to spring is a road I put in, RR ballast & gravet that crosses creek. Creek is on bedrock and that short road is very steep but ok (you can walk up it).
A few years ago I had a friend/neighbor put in a very small pond (about 30'x60') that WAS about 10ft deep. 6" PVC overflow pipe down 11ft, Y elbow, out 20ft.
I pump out of it to a tank when we had a drought, water trees, etc.
The problem is it's filling with dirt, the overflow pipe is leaking around it and since he trenched down to pipe it's washing out. At pond height my road branches off and it's washing out.
I had another excavator fix the homeplace driveway, then I had him look at this as I want to make pond bigger. He said it was never done right, he would dig down to bedrock and larger overflow done properly.
Then our area had a flood, washed out homeplace driveway, I paid all over again (not his fault)...but free tractor time. So now I've called a few times, never returns my calls, I think he's pixxed at me.
(Sorry so complicated).
So I'm faced with a few choices:
1) Probably get the guy eventually talk to me and small but better/larger pond will be $15K-$25K.
2) Friend/neighbor do it by my instructions (I know him...he'll do it but prefers "his way"
Probably $10K (? may be ok?)
3) I can buy a mini-Ex, do it myself, this one has a Kubota diesel motor...great reviews, $20K but will it do it?
4) I can buy a new Kubota at cost (another friend)...wife says who cares the price...it's always worth $$$.
My point is I can use the Ex for lots of other things. I have a tractor with FEL & 9.5' backhoe...but not like an Ex.
Thanks any thoughts.

I would rent/buy a fullsize TLB extendahoe. Travel and cycle times on those smaller machines is slooow, not enough reach, etc

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

My close friend/neighbor is an excavator by trade...he just doesn't know about ponds. He has a 19ft Kubota steel tracked excavator and Bobcat skid steer.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

The guy I want to do it has this and just texted me, he's putting in a pond now. He said it may be March '26 before he could do it.

 

[Carl_NH]

That pic from "lisa" appears to be an extendahoe - can't really tell but they are very handy - neighbor has an older CAT TLB with the extendahoe 8000 hours and still going.

If that local guys is a reasonable cost then go for it and you do the moving of spoils, plumbing etc needed to get it done. Where your on a slope it's maybe best to have a guy that does ponds.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Any good dynomite guys around that could create an instant pond for you, and spread the dirt at the same time ?

 

[nyone]

At the cost of a new chinese machine you could prob have a prety nice name. Brand 1,000hr machine that will hold its value and still have parts available in 30yrs.

I own a 3,500lb kubota that's 35yrs old and would only tackle a big job like that if I was retired. It's going to take alot of time but definitely doable. One thing il say is no matter what machine you get make sure you get a really wide grading/smooth bucket. They move aloy of material really quick and with a small machine your going to have to stage dig that.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I am heavily leaning towards Kubota. The closest dealership is on the front part of my other property and they have a large selection.
I've been retired so no time considerations.
Mainly my problem is knowing how to properly install the overflow pipe.
I'm thinking a small pond, like 1/4 acre an 8" PVC would be fine.
Upstream there may be a better choice because there's another spring coming into the creek which is already washing out that part of a pasture. It's down about 10-12 feet from ground level.
It's on a rock bed, the hard part there would be figuring out how to dam it.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Ever thought about renting a few beavers, to give you a hand ?

 

[dodge man]

The problem with a smaller excavator is what do you do with the dirt? They have limited reach. They are great for digging a trench but not a pound in my opinion, you need a big one. I think I could out dig a mini excavator with a tractor and a box blade.

 

[ponytug]

I am heavily leaning towards Kubota. The closest dealership is on the front part of my other property and they have a large selection.
I've been retired so no time considerations.
Mainly my problem is knowing how to properly install the overflow pipe.
I'm thinking a small pond, like 1/4 acre an 8" PVC would be fine.
Upstream there may be a better choice because there's another spring coming into the creek which is already washing out that part of a pasture. It's down about 10-12 feet from ground level.
It's on a rock bed, the hard part there would be figuring out how to dam it.

Ever consider precast concrete pipe rings for the upstream spring? Dig down, put a layer of clean gravel in, start stacking the concrete rings, adding fill back as needed, compacting the fill as you go, until you are as high as you want?

I've also seen it done manually by putting the first ring down on the soil, then excavating (shoveling) out the material in the ring, allowing the ring to drop, and then adding another. Works best in soil or soil and small gravel. It's no fun if you have stones.

I've even seen folks do it with large diameter corrugated HDPE pipe, but that method doesn't store a much water and maintenance is really tough.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Ever consider precast concrete pipe rings for the upstream spring? Dig down, put a layer of clean gravel in, start stacking the concrete rings, adding fill back as needed, compacting the fill as you go, until you are as high as you want?

I've also seen it done manually by putting the first ring down on the soil, then excavating (shoveling) out the material in the ring, allowing the ring to drop, and then adding another. Works best in soil or soil and small gravel. It's no fun if you have stones.

I've even seen folks do it with large diameter corrugated HDPE pipe, but that method doesn't store a much water and maintenance is really tough.

All the best,

Peter

You mean dig to solid rock, then gravel on top (few inches?), pipe straight up...backfill...another pipe ring...etc. Then short overflow pipe on top horizontal all covered with fill and some gravel, so a "waterfall" out of overflow to continue creek.(?)

 

[paulsharvey]

So, im not against small excavators, but this really seems like a job for a "midi" not a sub-mini. Think Komastsu PC-85, JD-85, Cat-307/308 class machine. What is a month rental on a Sany SY80U? Probably between $3200-4800/month. You can probably get more done in a week with that, than a year with one of these micro minis. Even a JD-27, Cat-302.5, class machine is really too small for earth work; if your patient, maybe a JD-50 or even if you have the patience of a saint a JD-35?

 

[paulsharvey]

So, you think you can over come volume with time; but what you can't do is over come water or gravity. What I mean is, it sounds like the pond is partially or even totally pumped down. You can out dig ground water or rain with a larger machine, but at 0.25 cf per scoop, you can't. On the gravity side, time doesnt over come physical weight of the objects to be dug/lifted (rocks, clay balls, stumps, ect).

In my mind, rent the right machine, and then buy the right machine for daily tasks. Meaning, if this is the only project that will require a 5-8 ton class machine, and then after that, a 2-2.5T machine is right; rent the 8T, return it, and buy the 2T; rather than buy a 3.5-5T to do both.