Grading with an excavator

I'm having a heck of a time.

I bought a small excavator in good shape.
I'm in the process of clearing a couple acres of heavily timbered land on my property..the excavator has done that very well.

But now I need to make the area graded and walkable...it doesn't have to be like a golf course but at least like a cow pasture. I've tried using the blade on the front of the excavator and that does OK but I keep gounging the ground and making more of a mess than what I started with. I tried cutting out a section of steel I beam to grab with the thumb/bucket and wave it around across the surface...but that doesn't seem to work (for the same reasons).

Is it just that I'm a crummy operator? I only have about 40 hours on an excavator but dang...I don't feel like I'm getting any better with it.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Take your time and learn to do what you need at a slower pace and with practice will come the speed. If that thing has a blade you could make it look like a fairway but it takes time. When trying to grade work small areas at a time and start at the back and work your way out of the area your cleaning up

That sounds like great advice jr!!! I'll try it! Small areas...take my time.

I use a 10' steel ramp to smooth some areas. It's roughly 18" wide built with 2"x2"x.25" tubing and 5lb 3" channel, 225-250lbs.... Works pretty well in loose material, smoothed 1k yards of mud on a job last year.

I normally use the ctl to grade firmer materials. The blade on the ex works, but it's slow and wears the under carriage more.

get you a piece of old chain link fence or old 4' wide drag harrow throw it out with your bucket and pull it to you that works pretty good if it tries to dig it just pick on boom

does the blade have hydraulic float? i find back dragging on float to be how i do my nicest grading.

Good day Mudnducs
You don't say which excavator you operate?
Kind regards
Uffex

mudnducs like others have said with time comes skills. One thing to remember though is that dirty dirt won't spread and be pretty. By dirty dirt I mean soil that has lots of roots, grass, vines, sticks, etc. blended in with it. Also, if you happen to have wet clay soil it won't spread and be pretty either. Same it probably true with rocks, but we don't have many rocks here in MS.

If you have clean, loamy soil, try to carry some dirt with the blade while making passes across your work area. Get the blade loaded and let it skim across the top of the ground as you travel. Go slow. As you pass over a low spot dirt will fill it in, and as you pass over a high spot the blade will shave it off (within reason). Just imagine that the blade in front of you needs to leave behind it a level smooth surface for the machine to drive on. If not, the machine will dip side to side and front to back as you pass over rough ground, and you will never be able to control what the blade is doing.

Good luck.

Hey guys...thank you all SO much for the help!!! All good ideas....These suggestions will keep me going!

The excav is a little Bobcat 442...plenty for what I need. It does have a floating blade but never considered using the float while backing up! That would even cover up (some of it) the steel tracks left in the mud/dirt.




You guys rock! :thumbsup

Update.
Thanks to you guys I got done. Backing down with the blade set to hydraulic float, working small areas until I was satisfied worked well. Only thing left is about a half hour with a shovel.
I'd been trying to go too fast and working in small 20' x 20' sections really help me to focus. A final pass to smooth transition areas finished it off. I was amazed at how much dirt, root balls, sticks, fern clumps etc that little thing can push. The advice was all solid and earnest...THANKS!