Pond cleaning with excavator

[Shimmy1]

I'll apologize in advance for not having more pics, but I work alone and don't like stopping too much. The little bit left in the middle makes me right angry, but I could not get to it. The whole south and west sides (the side I'm taking the pic from is south, the left side of pic is west) were just about impossible to sit on. When you grab the levers to back out, and the tracks push mud out from under you instead of moving the hoe, you know that it's pretty shady.

 

[2grit]

No bottom? I've been fortunate enough around here to push through 3-5 feet of muck with a solid clay bottom that made it easy enough to clean most ponds

 

[slwbid]

I realize you probably already know this trick, so please dont think im patronizing you.
If you have any logs around there that are 12 ft or so long (the longer, the better), take 10 to 15 of them and make you a ramp leading towards the pond middle. Turn logs crossways to your tracks of course.
Won't always,work, but spreading the excavator weight out over 100 or more square feet will often let you work for a while...although I have seen some really wet and stirred up clay that was more like quicksand. I come nigh of losing my cat 311 B in some of that muck a couple times. I was drawed up so tight, I had to have corrective surgery before I could go to bathroom again.

 

[Shimmy1]

I was drawed up so tight, I had to have corrective surgery before I could go to bathroom again.

That's funny right there. I've used mats before, don't have them anymore. Logs are nonexistent in the parts where this pond is located. Luckily, the guy was completely amazed I got what I got, now wants two more cleaned. Only problem is they have about 3' of water in them. Would have to pump them out.

 

[245dlc]

I know that gumbo and yellow silt you have in North Dakota being from Manitoba. Being to dredge what you did get there is a feat in itself. Hope that Case excavator is treating you well I ran a brand new 210B a few years ago and thought it was a well set up machine and quite a nice cab to sit in.

 

[Shimmy1]

I know that gumbo and yellow silt you have in North Dakota being from Manitoba. Being to dredge what you did get there is a feat in itself. Hope that Case excavator is treating you well I ran a brand new 210B a few years ago and thought it was a well set up machine and quite a nice cab to sit in.

As nice as the cab on a B is, the C is even better. I'm a pretty big guy, 2 summers ago I rented a B before we bought the C. I would get a little cramped by the end of the day; always wanted just the seat to go back a little farther. The seat in the C goes back at least 3 more inches. BTW, I liked a couple of posts on the Canadian page. Some good pics on there.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

Shimmy1

This is the application for the "goop can" jigger I spoke about here . . . https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?53580-Cleaning-out-ponds

No one seemed to like it, not one single response. (big grin)

Cheers.

 

[Shimmy1]

Sorry, Scrub. I remember reading it, but then forgot about it. Only problem I can visualize is having the stability to utilize it. The ponds we have usually have 3:1 or 4:1 slopes and it's a challenge to maintain a workable area. I will say that I have tried cleaning waterholes with the excavator before, and this was the most successful I have ever been. Reason for that, surprise surprise, is my use of this forum over the last year. What I did this time was pull the spoil banks back, and leave a dike about 3' high around a channel about 10' wide. The slop could run away from the edge, and with a couple of pushes from the hoe when it got high I was able to keep the area I was setting on free of the slippery stuff that would have ruined my ability to sit on the slope. Back to your slop scoop. Where I think you might run into trouble is trying to maintain an area where you could dump it. Maybe someone smarter than me might realize something I'm not.

 

[cdm123]

As nice as the cab on a B is, the C is even better. I'm a pretty big guy, 2 summers ago I rented a B before we bought the C. I would get a little cramped by the end of the day; always wanted just the seat to go back a little farther. The seat in the C goes back at least 3 more inches. BTW, I liked a couple of posts on the Canadian page. Some good pics on there.

There's a Canadian page ?

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

Shimmy1

Oh for sure, goop control would be an issue. Even with the silt scoops I nerp on about provision has to be made to bund the stuff or drain it away . . . incidentally a pond/stock dam like in your pictures is obviously tailor made for a silt scoop.

You did well not to get stuck.

Cheers

 

[Shimmy1]

There's a Canadian page ?

245DLC posted this in the vegetable gardens thread. https://www.facebook.com/groups/116603725112682/

 

[Shimmy1]

I probably won't get the views by having three different threads, but who cares. This is a pond project I just finished today. New construction. The slough in the background had about a foot of water left in it. The cattle were sinking up to their bellies when they would come in to drink. Now, the new "tank" (for you, Scrub) has about 7' of water, and will hold about 400,000 gallons when it fills up will runoff next spring. The pond is about 30' by 50' at the bottom, and the top is about 100' by 130'. I never shot it, but I figure it's around 12' deep. Three sides are about a 3:1 slope, and one end I gave a 6:1 to make it easier for the cattle to get to the water. I would have put more slope, but I just have my little 210, and no dozer presently, so getting rid of the dirt was a challenge. Most of it I had to move twice. Also, was on a budget. Any guesses on how long it took? I figure the excavated area around 2000 yds.

 

[Shimmy1]

Oh, and a side note. This ground was more of that yellow silt clay that was leaching water at about the 3' mark, so there was no getting down on the slopes to pretty it up. Had to be cut to where you wanted it, after that you weren't getting to that spot again. I was pretty thrilled that I was able to pull the slopes in four tries. The fourth one I was able to sit up on the spoil pile and just barely reach where I needed and clean the edge to the spoil. I have about 6-8' from the top edge to the spoil pile. Sitting on that pile of muck was an adventure, too.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

That's a good looking little tank Shimmy1 . . . I dislike the way some excavator built holes are left untidy with random piles of dirt.
I wouldn't even hazard a guess on time but as mentioned up thread that type of construction is a perfect application for a silt scoop a few years down the track.

Cheers.

 

[245dlc]

Love the work you do Shimmy your making me miss the flatlands of Manitoba a little bit.....at least till the snow flies. lol

 

[movindirt]

Looks really good Shimmy! :thumbsup

 

[cheddarbob56]

Looks great Shimmy... I've got to dig 2 of those in a few weeks for a guy around me. Have been thinking of how to keep the dirt away from me too. I think we'll end up with my payloader moving it away from the excavator. I can have dad in the payloader pushing it away while I dig I think. We also bought a Link-Belt 3400Q with a 60' long reach on it this year for doing ponds like you showed earlier. I had the same problem last fall with one I did for a guy, couldn't get the middle out, it made me so mad I went back this summer with our long reach and about 2 hours pulled that little bit of center left out. Made me feel a lot better about the finished job This isn't that one but another one I did with our long reach. It's nice not having to be as worried about being to close to the muck

 

[cheddarbob56]

Forgot to ask you... how long did it take you? I'm guessing around 20-25 hours? I bid the two that we have to do at around 18 hours each, we have an 85,000 lb machine so hoping I can move a good amount of dirt in a hurry.

 

[Shimmy1]

Forgot to ask you... how long did it take you? I'm guessing around 20-25 hours? I bid the two that we have to do at around 18 hours each, we have an 85,000 lb machine so hoping I can move a good amount of dirt in a hurry.

Sorry Bob. Didn't know you had posted. The new pond I did in 16 hours. The clean-out I did in 9.
That's the good looking job you did as well.

 

[Shimmy1]

First pond out of 9 that I have to clean out. Someone was in there earlier this fall and started the project. More pics tomorrow. We rented D6K to help. We'll see how it goes.