Speaking of ponds!!

[Widgeonus]

Realistically, How big and deep of a pond can I expect to make with a FEL attached to my L2800DT 4WD? Can't you tell that I am a newbie!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[N80]

I guess that depends on how much time you have! I have a new L4400 with a FEL and I'm extremely impressed with its strength and capabilities, but I don't think I'd even attempt making a pond unless it was 'easy' soil and I had a LOT of time. I think even a shallow, one acre 'cow pond' would take a long time.

It will be interesting to hear from others here who might have done this.

 

[penokee]

Might be better to have someone come in with an Excavator or Crawler Tractor (dozer) and have them do the heavy work and do the landscaping and finising with your tractor - just a thought. Either way you'll still get seat time and have a good time.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[LittleBear]

This is not practical. All you will do is beat the **** out of your tractor. I have a JD6400 with a FEL, and several years ago I investigated the same question with engineers. After getting good advice, I never even tried to dig my pond with the 6400. Instead, I hired a guy with a large dozer and a pan. He worked all summer and dug a 125 yard by 125 yard pond 12 feet deep. After wathing him work, it is clear to me that tractors are not practical pond diggers unless you need a very small very shallow pond.

 

[theboman]

Wow!!! Great, beautiful pond.

Someone figured out how much dirt needed to be moved and then figured bucket size etc here for a pond once and it was staggering the trips needed for even a small pond.

The other thing is when you get a hole that hole will get water. Water and dirt turns to mud. All the water draining to the lowest spot means deep, deep mud and water... That means tow truck, bull dozer etc to get the tractor out (that too has been documented here a few times).

Save your tractor, hire a dozer or excavator....then use the tractor to clean up, landscape.

 

[jmc012]

Come on guys, of course you can build a descent size pond with a little tractor. Everybody told me the same thing and 300 hours later I had a nice catfish pond. I drove the tractor another 10 years with out a bit of problem. Didn't try it with a FEL, just a rear scoop. So if I did 30 scoops an hour that comes out to 9000 scoops total. I did buy a water pump to keep the water out while I was building it.

 

[wushaw]

I did as jmc012 did basically. I had an existing pond that would dry up by July and I needed fill dirt for other projects so I just dug in the pond using a BB till I ran out of filling in low spots. It has been a three summer job and I think I am done.
The last time I removed the water to begin at the beginning of this summer it took my water pump all day to empty the pond(11,000 GPH).
It can be done it will just take a long time.

 

[LittleBear]

Rear scoop? How much dirt in cubic feet can you move with one scoop?

 

[jackl]

Like George said, a lot depends on the type of soil and size of the pond. 2 years ago I actually started a small pond approximately 80x60 using a scoop and my 52 Ford 8n. Where I live, once you get through the 6-8 inches of rocky top soil, you hit 4 inches of soft clay and then begin to run into glacial till consisting of rocks ranginig up to 1,000 pounds or more.

In the fall I plan to get an excavator and dozer in to do some real digging. In the meantime, when I get the itch to play with my Kubota, I head out back and do some digging. However, first I make a pass with my 8n and a 1 bottom plow. Then I go in with my Kubota and scoop up the loose dirt with my FEL. I've been working around several large rocks, but I'm making progress and having fun doing it! Maybe I'll post a picture.

Jack

 

[jmc012]

LittleBear
I'm thinking maybe a 1/2 a yard at a time if you have heaping scoop full. It's pretty much all clay and no rocks at all in southern Louisiana so digging was pretty easy. I thought it was a great little project.

 

[FL_Cracker]

Man, that's not a pond. LAKE say it better.

 

[have_blue]

You would be surprised at how many people buy a small tractor with pond digging in mind.

You can do it, but it's a monumental project, and you must be patient. Don't dig with a FEL. Use a disk harrow and break up the soil 3" 4" deep at a time. Scoop it with the FEL, and load it on dump trucks or trailers, and make piles just outside the pond to give away or spread later. A small tractor can dig a pond really fast that way. However, the real problem is not in the digging. My little tractor with a 6' disk harrow could keep a dozen big loaders and dump trucks busy. The Devil is in the hauling!

I'm 1/2 finished with a 150'x400'x6' average depth pond. It's been a real adventure. I've gotten some help from neighbors, who bring their tractors, trucks, trailers, and wheelbarrows to get the free dirt. In the end, you can only count on yourself.

The first 2 feet are murder, because nearly half of the digging is in it. As the pond grows deep and slopes to the center, each successive foot of depth consists of a lot less digging and hauling than the previous foot. Don't dig 2 feet and give up! Unless you hit hard clay or rocks, you are half way there at 2' or a little more.

All that said, if you can afford it and are in a hurry, hire it out!

 

[Bird]

The disk is a good idea. I didn't dig a pond with a little Kubota, but I tore down the dam and filled in a 15' deep one with one. And it was hard clay; you wouldn't have done much with just the FEL, but I used a box blade. There was a pretty nice pond in the area. I never met the owner, but some other neighbors told me he built it with "a little Kubota", so I'm not sure how little. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[penokee]

Follow-up to my previous post. Attaching a picture of a pond I had dug last fall - excavator in background. Dug the 10 ' deep pond in 2 days. Using my Kubota to landscape, etc.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jmc012]

Here's my pond, it's a about 6 feet deep in the middle, I used some of the dirt for levys on the side's so when it's full it adds another 3 feet of depth for a total of 9 feet. It's pretty easy to keep full with all the rain we get down here.