Backhoe digging a pond with kubota bx

DarkBlack · Nov 17, 2013

I can't imagine digging a 1 acre pond with a small FEL. That's going to be huge wear/tear on the machine. You might come out ahead of the game by leaving the tractor parked and rent an excavator.

Tractor Seabee · Nov 17, 2013

It is hard to visualize your project w/o pictures of the terrain and knowing the resistance factor of your soil. If this is flat ground a 1AC pond of any depth is way beyond by BX and my available hours. Sloping ground where you are just damming across one end is a different ball game. I have dug out 12" alder stumps with my BX but can't lift out of the hole; so, have to build a ramp and slide them out. That is a 1/2 day job. Some of the roots are 4"+ in diameter. I found the 8" bucket cuts roots better. Ditto on the tooth bar. 12" bucket is the largest K makes. A larger one could be modified to fit the pins (I am looking for one now) to move larger volume of loose soil. I am in the process of adapting a 42" lawn tractor snow blade to fit over the teeth of my BH bucket for dressing ditches and banks.

Ron

dougtrr2 · Nov 17, 2013

Ken45101 said:
We had a decent sized (100') pond built at that location. The contractor used a big excavator and two earthmovers to carry the dirt and spread it. The day they finished, ground water started seeping in the bottom. I think we had a foot or so by the next morning.

Sounds like it could be a fun project with a lot of seat time. The only caution I would have is base on the above quote. If you are digging and it starts getting mucky, GET OUT. It will only get worse and you could be majorly stuck.

Take Care,
Doug in SW IA

Ken45101 · Nov 17, 2013

dougtrr2 said:
Sounds like it could be a fun project with a lot of seat time. The only caution I would have is base on the above quote. If you are digging and it starts getting mucky, GET OUT. It will only get worse and you could be majorly stuck.

Take Care,
Doug in SW IA

Well that's the advantage of using a big excavator: they dug the bottom with the ex sitting on a bench. Then they dug out the bench from the top.

I didn't do it, a contractor did. IIRC, it was 12' deep at the bottom. There was a bay that was only 5' deep. Unfortunately, (well, fortunately, really) I went through a divorce and only lived there for a year.

sdd1986 · Nov 17, 2013

Deano said:
Do you have a toothbar for the FEL?

no I do not. I'm hoping I can find a box blade with teeth before I start.

94BULLITT · Nov 17, 2013

sdd1986 said:
no I do not. I'm hoping I can find a box blade with teeth before I start.

You may be better off with a ripper for a backhoe. It would be a pain taking off the backhoe and putting on the the 3PH.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using TractorByNet

sdd1986 · Nov 17, 2013

Here is a pic of were I'm going to put the new pond. It will be down hill of the small one. You can see the bank that was build for it. And there is a pic of my boxer in the small pond. It ground is rocky but this pond holds water great it never dries up I don't know how deep it is but I've never seen it more than a foot low