Digging with an L39

[TripleR]

Very nice work. We needed our ponds for erosion and flood control, so we brought dozers in. Our largest is 8 acres with the next at 5 acres and 6 much smaller ones.

 

[bikerdib]

Very nice work. We needed our ponds for erosion and flood control, so we brought dozers in. Our largest is 8 acres with the next at 5 acres and 6 much smaller ones.

I wish I owned enough land to have ponds that big.




Hey Newbury, do you know what the distinction is between a tank and a pond?

 

[TripleR]

I wish I owned enough land to have ponds that big.

We truly are fortunate and sure couldn't do it today with the price of land.

 

[Mande1992]

We have 22 acres and have a spot that would make a nice pond, but there is no way our ground will hold any water. We live on a sand and gravel hillside. Lots of big rocks, 'nuggets' as the excavator operator called them when digging our foundation.

 

[TripleR]

We have 22 acres and have a spot that would make a nice pond, but there is no way our ground will hold any water. We live on a sand and gravel hillside. Lots of big rocks, 'nuggets' as the excavator operator called them when digging our foundation.

Yeah, you definitely have to have the right soil makeup for a pond and even then one can leak down. We had to drain one down completely, muck it out and repack the bottom to get it to seal properly. We also hauled in a little clay.

 

[crazyal]

We truly are fortunate and sure couldn't do it today with the price of land.

If I lived down there and had a pond that big I would have friends driving down to fill it with millet and other "good" duck food to attract them. Somehow your deck would become a hunting blind, lol.

 

[bikerdib]

We have 22 acres and have a spot that would make a nice pond, but there is no way our ground will hold any water. We live on a sand and gravel hillside. Lots of big rocks, 'nuggets' as the excavator operator called them when digging our foundation.

Just for kicks, I looked at a piece of property that was for sale recently. They had a similar situation; mostly gravel and sand and the location where they put the pond is on the side of a hill. They excavated it, put in some type of liner (sorta like an above ground pool except black) then put gravel and sand back on top of the liner. Only thing I wonder is how nutrient rich it can befor fish without actual ground contact and how long the liner will last? Theirs was about 1/3 acre.

 

[crazyal]

Just for kicks, I looked at a piece of property that was for sale recently. They had a similar situation; mostly gravel and sand and the location where they put the pond is on the side of a hill. They excavated it, put in some type of liner (sorta like an above ground pool except black) then put gravel and sand back on top of the liner. Only thing I wonder is how nutrient rich it can befor fish without actual ground contact and how long the liner will last? Theirs was about 1/3 acre.

I've heard about people doing that with the same type of liner thy use for dumps. I would think as long as there was enough soil on top of the liner it would grow the same vegetation as any other pond would.

 

[TripleR]

If I lived down there and had a pond that big I would have friends driving down to fill it with millet and other "good" duck food to attract them. Somehow your deck would become a hunting blind, lol.

And don't think we haven't had offers of "help" with just that.:laughing:

 

[ryer]

Triple R,
Now that is a nice view, all that pretty blue water right off your deck. That is about pretty close to perfect.

Bikerdib,
You are right I remember the instructions with the load handler said it would not work with a bed liner. My old Tacoma was a '92 with no liner...just bare metal and boy did that drag sheet remove all the paint and possibly even some of the metal itself :laughing: I understand what you mean about leaving the trails natural. Where I am digging now is also confined and hard to get to. I wish I could supply everyone on this forum with all the clay they need because after building a 1/2 mile road with it, I still have 3 massive piles of it way back in the woods where you could never get a dump truck. At this point I probably have enough to dam up the Grand Canyon. The biggest mound of clay is 5 ft tall and 200 x 300 ft. Our pond is sort of different. We tried to make it as natural as we could...so we have creek areas, deep areas, wide, narrow with islands and flooded tree areas...you name it. So there is no way to get a picture of all of it at one time. I have included an aerial Google shot of some of my property and you can see how heavily wooded we have left the place. You can see how the water narrows and widens as it works its way through the property. Also, you can just make out our metal roof on our house and the orange of a Kubota in the driveway. The darker green water by the house was sand bagged off as were other sections as we drain and expand them. This photo represents about 2/3 of the current excavation. The Google shot is sort of dated so I drew a red line where the current excavation is and a yellow line where the next phase will be starting this summer, if this project ever ended I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

Crazyal,
I rented a Case 580 for the weekend one time and it made my L39 seem like a lawn mower with a shovel taped on one end and a spoon on the other.

 

[bikerdib]

I hate you Ryer (just kidding of course).

BEAUTIFUL place you have put together there!!

I really like the shot of the feral hogs and the coon looking over the brush.

You have a place to be totally proud of.

 

[crazyal]

I'm jealous of both of you two. That raccoon looks like he thinks it's his pond and wondering why you didn't ask permission to be there.

I've always wanted to put a screened in gazebo overlooking a pond. I have a small stream that has a natural waterfall that could look real nice with some work. It would probably mean larger equipment than I have though.

 

[TripleR]

Triple R,
Now that is a nice view, all that pretty blue water right off your deck. That is about pretty close to perfect.

Thanks, sure wish it was by our house. The picture was taken off of a fishing/lounging/swimming deck. No houses are close to any of our ponds unfortunately.

Very nice pictures of your property.:thumbsup:

 

[newbury]

I wish I owned enough land to have ponds that big.




Hey Newbury, do you know what the distinction is between a tank and a pond?

Tank

Pond

Amy Pond

 

[bikerdib]

Newbury, what gives? I can't see your pics.

 

[ryer]

Pushing a river of pond goo with a Kubota...is this more fun than a man should have? :thumbsup:


Digging With a L39 - Tractor Videos - Kubota, John Deere, New Holland and More

 

[newbury]

Newbury, what gives? I can't see your pics.

Don't know, they were three links off the web.

 

[bikerdib]

Wow ryer, I'm surprised you were able to get enough traction to push that goop. :laughing::thumbsup:


Newbury, did you fix the links? Now I can see them.

 

[mike69440]

Triple R,
Crazyal,
I rented a Case 580 for the weekend one time and it made my L39 seem like a lawn mower with a shovel taped on one end and a spoon on the other.

Be nice now. the L39 is an good machine for its size cosidering the weak front axle reduction gears and spindles, the tiny tires, little 3 cyl. etc.

I know I am crazy to have pushed my L39 like I have, but 2-1/2 acres with an L39, dirt pan or not, is just pure insanity!

Ryer
Just how did you get traction to push that mud? I've got chains and would not try that.

 

[bikerdib]

Be nice now. the L39 is an good machine for its size cosidering the weak front axle reduction gears and spindles, the tiny tires, little 3 cyl. etc.

I know I am crazy to have pushed my L39 like I have, but 2-1/2 acres with an L39, dirt pan or not, is just pure insanity!

Ryer
Just how did you get traction to push that mud? I've got chains and would not try that.

And you are saying to be nice. :laughing: I'm using a B7300 to work on my pond! Course I'm only going to have .4 to .6 acres of surface water. I'm still leaning toward getting the preliminary work done with my little bull then renting a larger one or maybe even a small dozer to finish doing the excavating. It's slow going with the FEL and dump cart. Then again, I'm in no rush to get the pond done. I just would like to get it in before it starts raining; that's if this drought ever does end.

BTW, Newbury; your pics have disappeared again, at least for me. And thanks for the clarification, I'll see if I can get a tank like that for my place. Let the neighbors complain about the noise I'm making with my tractor then...