deep digging with a grand l 4330

[yodi]

i have a low spot in my back pasture that fills with about 2 feet of water drain head is clogged or broke anyway how possible is it to dig a 25 by 25 2/3 foot deep( i guess pond) with the fel ive never tried to move that much dirt what do you guys think

 

[txdon]

25 feet deep!!!! I would not try it with just a FEL. I have been digging ponds about 5 feet deep and the deeper you get the harder the ground is and the longer ramp you need. I'd hire that job out and save my tractor for what it was built for.

EDIT: Hold on, I just re-read your post, are you saying a 25' by 25' pond that is 2' to 3' deep (or even 2/3' deep). With a toothbar, I would do that.

 

[john_bud]

25x25 is easy to do. At 3 feet deep you would be moving 70 yards of dirt, or 486 cu ft. You have about 13 cu ft bucket and that is about 40 buckets full of dirt.

If you haven't done much digging, this will be a great project to get yourself familiar with the controls and build some technique.

jb

 

[Hootie]

You can do that, have fun.

 

[yodi]

thanks for the responce i thought i could do it i'll take it slow a few inches at a time i'll post how it goes i dont have a toothbar but the shallow spot im digging has about 40 inches of topsoil (black dirt) so i will see how it goes thanks again

 

[HomeBrew2]

25x25 is easy to do. At 3 feet deep you would be moving 70 yards of dirt, or 486 cu ft. You have about 13 cu ft bucket and that is about 40 buckets full of dirt.

If you haven't done much digging, this will be a great project to get yourself familiar with the controls and build some technique.

jb

Agree with 70yd3. My calc = 1875 ft3. At 13 ft3 per bucket, my calc = 140+ buckets ... just didn't want the guy to think he'd be done any time soon

 

[Dirthog]

Yes and that number is compacted soil it will expand almost twice when you get it all dug out.

 

[Highbeam]

Also, its not just taking the scoops. It is then hauling the scoops to where they need to go and redistributing them properly.

 

[Dargo]

Agree with 70yd3. My calc = 1875 ft3. At 13 ft3 per bucket, my calc = 140+ buckets ... just didn't want the guy to think he'd be done any time soon

I see I was already beaten to the correction of how many buckets full it would take. Also, from spending 3 years digging my own pond (256' X 283' with an average depth of 7'6" - 20 feet deepest part) I can tell you that you most likely will end up needing to move over 200 buckets full to get what you want. I used a D6 6 way dozer, a Cat 955 high lift, a JD 790 excavator and 2 tri-axle dump trucks. However, your project isn't anything you can't do with your tractor. Just don't plan on doing it in a couple of hours.

 

[3RRL]

Hopefully, you have a toothbar on your bucket and a box blade with rippers to loosen it up. I'd grab a bucket full and drag the boxblade full at the same time.

 

[yodi]

thanks for everyones input .do you guys think i need a tooth bar for this project i have a boxblade with rippers and a i-beam type pulverizer with railroad spikes welded to it for ripping .im hoping to get this done with the l853 loader and boxblade i tested it out the otherday and was able to get down about 3 inches and push that cut until the bucket was 3/4 full ground seemed fairly soft thanks again for your time

 

[Casey1]

You could probably get by without it but it would be a good excuse to get one.

 

[Jay4200]

thanks for everyones input .do you guys think i need a tooth bar for this project i have a boxblade with rippers and a i-beam type pulverizer with railroad spikes welded to it for ripping .im hoping to get this done with the l853 loader and boxblade i tested it out the otherday and was able to get down about 3 inches and push that cut until the bucket was 3/4 full ground seemed fairly soft thanks again for your time

Your best bet is to rip the earth up first, then use your bucket on the loosened soil. I suggest that you drive around the area with that pulverizer thing, then scrape off the torn up stuff. Rinse and repeat. And repeat and repeat...

I use my backhoe to tear up and area then cart off the dirt, but in your case that pulverizer thing will probably work even better.

Jay

 

[john_bud]

I see I was already beaten to the correction of how many buckets full it would take. Also, from spending 3 years digging my own pond (256' X 283' with an average depth of 7'6" - 20 feet deepest part) I can tell you that you most likely will end up needing to move over 200 buckets full to get what you want. I used a D6 6 way dozer, a Cat 955 high lift, a JD 790 excavator and 2 tri-axle dump trucks. However, your project isn't anything you can't do with your tractor. Just don't plan on doing it in a couple of hours.

Hey, so I dropped a "1" ! (thanks for the catch)


Back on topic, I don't think you need a tooth bar to do the work. It would be easier in some ways, but not needed. Put the box blade on the back. Rough the ground up with it, then scoop it out with the FEL bucket just about level. If (when) you mangle the ground up and make lumps and such, use the box to smooth it all back out. Tip the box so the nose is higher than the tail for smoothing. Opposite for digging. All part of learning a new skill


jb

 

[Timber]

I don't know I think you defiantly need a toothbar.not just for this but just because you should have a tooth bar. It is about the cheapest best investment for you tractor and real easy to sell it on you wife as to why you have to have it. Once you have it you will never understand how you lived without it

 

[SkyPup]

Should be not much of a problem, I dug this huge live oak stump completely out of the ground using our Kubota L-3130 with LA723 FEL without a toothbar. A toothbar would have made it a little easier though.

 

[Timber]

Well you can eat a piece of steak without teeth too if you want to sit and take the time to mash the **** out of it before you decide it is time to swallow it

 

[RobJ]

Yep the type of ground you have and if you rip it first are key to the ease of the job. Heck depending on how far you need to move the spoils, you could use a BB to pull the dirt out of the hole. A full load on a 5-6' BB is probably close to the size of a bucket.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Agree with Johnbud and RobJ ... just seems logical and easy to me ... load with the loader, rip with the rippers, scrape with the scraper, dig with a hoe ... if one happens to have a dozer, doze with it. Still haven't found a need for making a toothbar.

 

[Timber]

I guess it depends on your soil condition too. In New England if the dog tips a water dish you get a rock. I could not imagin what my bucket would look like without it