How to best dig with a backhoe?

[kevin37b]

If you cannot run a case foot swing ,4 stick hoe you are not an operater . Seriously take your time and learn how to make 2"cuts about 6 /8 feet long and level .Practice in the yard with no digging involved over barrels , bucket , , . Learn how to synch those levers . trying to help

 

[xgiovannix12]

If you cannot run a case foot swing ,4 stick hoe you are not an operater . Seriously take your time and learn how to make 2"cuts about 6 /8 feet long and level .Practice in the yard with no digging involved over barrels , bucket , , . Learn how to synch those levers . trying to help

now this is stupid I dont wanna start an argument Just because you cannot run a 4 stick does not mean that your not an operator. Its just not easy compared to a joystick setup or a wobble stick. Its all personal preference. Wanna know whos not an operator a keyboard warrior that never ran a machine before thats not an operator

 

[doublewide]

Practice makes perfect what I learned how to do with the backhoe is don't dig but take your bucket and try and hold the bucket a certain height off the ground and pull it to you while trying to maintain that height. It will help you get used to doing multiple functions at once and slow and smooth is fast

Good advice there. Practice.

 

[Willie B]

If you cannot run a case foot swing ,4 stick hoe you are not an operater . Seriously take your time and learn how to make 2"cuts about 6 /8 feet long and level .Practice in the yard with no digging involved over barrels , bucket , , . Learn how to synch those levers . trying to help

Try a John Deer anywhere from 1970 to the present, then compare it to a case from the 70s or 80s. JD used closed center. All 6 or 7 sections receive equal pressure. You can operate them all at once if you want.

Case open center prioritizes the first section. Open the first section, there isn't much left down valve. End use of that section, suddenly others come to life. Most disconcerting to have swing take off like a bullet. Very good operators can control a Case to equal the best JD operator. I learned on JD controls, specifically excavators. Changing to Case controls was not impossible. I chose a more familiar system.

Willie

 

[franklin2]

I am definitely not an operator. Besides getting the feel for the levers which I haven't mastered yet, I thought there may be some tricks, short cuts and methods people have learned.

For example my ditch/french drain project. I don't have a transit, so I will have to carefully figure on the slope of the ditch. I am thinking I had better get it right the first time since it may be very difficult to back the hoe back over and straddle the ditch and do any depth adjustments. Is that true? Is it pretty much impossible to re-dig a long ditch or could I carefully back over the ditch and dig a little more?

Would there be any purpose in starting in the middle and digging one way, and then go back to the middle of the ditch and dig it the other way and split the job in two?

And then I have to figure on where to put the dirt so I can still get in there with the front loaded and dump the gravel in the ditch.

P.S. I just had a thought; Maybe I can make minor adjustments with the gravel?

 

[Billrog]

Get a 10 or 12' 2x4 & a level start at one end jump in the ditch and check your slope every 10' that way you can adjust before you move the machine. Go approx. 10 or 12' each move you'll be able to judge by the marks left with the stabilizers. Just put the dirt far enough from the edge it won't fall back in you can drive the front wheels up on the pile to put the gravel in and each time you approach the ditch just put one front wheel in the previous wheel mark and the loader will be lined up perfect.
Other than practice to learn something asked the question as each situation arises then some one with experience can coach you on how they approach that given situation.

 

[Willie B]

I would dig from the top down. Put spoils as far to one side as you can. Move them away from the ditch with the loader. If you know ditch length, and fall height, you can calculate pitch. A 20' length of 1/16 x2" square tube aluminum with a spirit level gives you a good notion of grade. I have an old spirit level with 1/4" per foot welded to one. A four foot level needs a 1" square tube spacer under one end. If water is present, you can use water to maintain grade. High spots get removed, if puddle is too deep fill. Maintain a thin layer of water in the bottom of the ditch. Avoid the bottom of the ditch getting too wide or too narrow. Too narrow, you're asking for erosion in fast run off, too wide, gunk will build up. I'd use your bucket to get a uniform width. Stone needs to cover the bottom, and several inches up the sides, grass above that.

Willie

 

[franklin2]

Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Billrog]

After thinking about your plan I'm not so sure a ditch full of rock will solve much for long . The simplest and easiest way to deal with the water would be a (swale)( swail) ? around the house sloping out one end to carry the water away. If it's under ground water then your ditch should have Big-0 or 4"perforated PVC in it with the drain rock covered with landscape fabric.

 

[fast_st]

One helpful tip for digging is a zip tie tied to a hydraulic line, extending out the side of the machine like a flag, as long as your bucket is curled the same way, it'll help you be consistent. For bottom trench work, my usual was to have a short level and a good 8' 2x4. dig 10 feet of trench and then go look at the bottom. Minor issues in 8' can be fixed with a shovel, major issues are still within reach of the hoe. Preserve your measuring pad on the end toward the machine, you can use that as a benchmark for the next 8'. it wont' take too long to get a feel for it.

 

[franklin2]

I thought about making some marks on the side of the hoe at the 2, 3 , 4, etc. foot depths to help me figure how deep I am going.

I was planning my ditch to be about 5 to 6 ft away from the house. If I get near the house I have been told I need to stay at least 2ft away, it has stepped footers and I will need the ditch to be somewhat deeper than the footer of the house. It's a stone house and was built in 1923. Someone hand dug the basement out, but they stayed 2ft away from the inside walls, so I have a 2ft "shelf" all the way around the inside of the basement.

I was going to make a large "U" around the whole back and sides of the house, and I was going to lay fabric in the ditch and up the sides, put a little gravel in place on the fabric, lay corrugated pipe with the holes in it in the ditch, pour more gravel to cover the pipe, and then fold the fabric over the gravel. When I back filled I was going to leave it a little shy, and try and slop the top edges of the ditch inward to give me a swell. This should help during summer time deluges, the french drain should help with the slow seeping water.

It can rain very hard, and my basement will be dry till about a day later when the water finally seeps under the house and through the basement walls. I am not trying to finish this basement for a living area, just trying to get rid of the water so I can keep up with any mold or dampness problems. Right now there is no way a dehumidifier can keep up with all that water seeping in.

 

[fast_st]

Well, if its a stone foundation, its likely pretty solid overall. I think you're on the right track and I'm willing to bet, somewhere in your digging, you will find an underground source of water, some hidden natural drainage. I did one much the same, we found a 2' deep swale filled with clinkers and cinders that ran past the original house but then was broken by a small addition. It made a natural pipe into the basement.

 

[Willie B]

Figure out where your water is coming from. If it's an underground ****** of water of limited flow, intercepting it before it gets to the house will work well. If your cellar is below water table periodically, you must be below the footing with your perforated curtain drain. If on a bit of a sidehill, you can dig lower than your footing, pitch it slightly downhill to daylight. Stone is expensive, but a very good investment. I suggest laying 12' wide landscape fabric on the bottom of the ditch, lay a bit of stone, then drain hose. Top it with as much stone as you can afford. Wrap the stone with the landscape fabric, and cover with soil.
I'd stay as far from the footing as I could. 8 feet would be fine! I don't know your situation, but catch basins can transport run off rain to the drain without leaving it on the surface. It is critically important to filter this surface water to keep debris from plugging underground drains.

 

[Willie B]

****** is a dirty word???

 

[Willie B]

$tream is a dirty word???????

 

[Billrog]

Sounds like you have it figured pretty good if possibly I would stay more than 2' from the foundation like Willie said. I don't know and never heard of landscape fabric on the bottom of the ditch or what purpose it would serve but not saying it would hurt.Fabric on top of the rock is important & best size of rock for this purpose is 3/4" to max.1.5". Putting very much rock under the pipe and the ground will stay wet if clay every soft spot Big 0 will sag.Using 4" PVC perf sewer pipe would be much more likely to stay on grade. If you decide to use it keep the writing on top holes will be at 4 & 8 0:clock.
Measure your bucket from the bottom of the teeth to the top with the face vertical ( probably around 3') this will give you something to judge your dept by.

 

[Willie B]

Water is often carrying in suspension lots of mud. If mud infiltrates the crushed stone, it fills the space between the rocks. All your work, and expense putting it there goes to waste. Unless you dig to clean ledge, you want to keep mud from getting into the stone from all directions. That's why I suggest wrapping your "tube" of stone, and drain tile in filter fabric.

Might your problem be surface water sinking into the ground after rain? Does your house have a gutter system?

Willie

 

[Billrog]

Good point Willie they sell Big O already wrapped which is used here to dry up fields with water problems and I hadn't remember ed that. It's installed with a big cat with a ripper on the back that lays the pipe and installed directly into the ground with no stone for $ 1,000 and acre. 10 years ago I was hired by a company to do a repair in a farmers field & was amazed at how much water was flowing in the big 0. This was in a field of straight clay. That big 0 may be an option.

 

[fast_st]

Willie, have you seen the new stoneless drain? its a 6" corrugated perf pipe wrapped in about a foot of styrofoam peanuts in a fine mesh drain sock. It really looks like something, I'm not sure how it'd ever work if just buried in clay rich soil. I put a drain in clay heavy soils, 2' wide trench, fabric, 8-10 inches of stone, pipe wrapped in sock, foot of stone and flattened it off. I made a trench box out of plywood and some 2x4 blocking on the ends, I'd put the mini trench box in, centered atop the fabric wrapped stone, backfill just enough to hold it, put a loop of fabric down inside and back up again, spring clamp to the sides of the box then slowly fill the box with stone, backfill the rest of the way then pull the box out of the hole, leaving a 4" wide, 4' tall, fabric wrapped channel to make like a mini wall, where I was only down 4-5' it carried the stone to daylight. I did have to block the ends to keep everything from slipping back but with a couple more scraps, I was able to move right along and solve the surface and underground water issues.

 

[franklin2]

I looked at the styrofoam peanut pipe. Lowe's carries it, about $53 for a 10ft piece. Too expensive for me.