Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Dam repair

Wow! I don't want a topic like the last guy, serious trouble. I have recently finished cleaning out a pond. To drain it I trenched through the dam and now it is time to repair it. I have roughened up the bottom of the dug out area and plan on packing it back with the soil I removed from it in increments, wetting it, driving over it with a tractor and so on. What I dug out was not clay per se but was heavy orange/red soil without any sand content. It was not leaking beforehand.

I was wondering if I would be better off going ahead and adding bentonite since it is a small area or just packing the soil back.???

Thoughts? Craig

This is Meadowlark's expertise. He has perfected the "pack the trench" method. Hopefully he checks in soon.

Craig,

Congrats on completing the project! What happens to the track-hoe now? Having done this project, would you do anything differently? Maybe too soon to ask that.

I'm finally successfully getting necessary equipment lined up for the construction of Ponds "X" and "Y" very soon. Any thoughts you may have on the track-hoe's utility would be appreciated.

Regarding repairing the dam area, my approach has been very similar to yours and has always worked for me. I use a tractor w/front end loader loaded & back-hoe to drive over the area repeatedly...that in addition to the dozer does the job for me. (Edit...I also feed range cubes to about 30 cows right over the spot )

I've never used bentonite personally but have researched it considerably. My thoughts would be it isn't necessary in this case, but it may offer some cheap insurance and make you feel more confident that you've done everything you can to properly restore the integrity of the dam.

I noted with interest and some concern your comment on the soil removed not being clay. However your description sounded like clay and if it wasn't leaking before, it shouldn't leak now either...assuming you are very careful to not inadvertantly mix in some sand in the process.

Congrats again...nothing like the great feeling of a project successfully completed. Like Hannibal used to say to the "A" team, "I love it when a plan comes together"!

Meadowlark, Just wondering if you have a ripper valve on your dozer? If you do you may want to consider purchasing a fasse selector valve that uses your current ripper valve(if you have one). This would allow you to use a pull scraper and make life alot easier and faster. I would think your 450 could pull a 7 or 9 yard scraper.

JBL,

Funny you should mention that. Just this past weekend I was talking to a veteran pond builder who is going to help me with my next pond projects about that very topic.

No, I don't have the ripper...and wasn't smart enough when I bought my dozer to understand the need for one. I think you are right about the scraper. I was lamenting to this veteran pond guy about how difficult it had been for me to cut clay in the dead of a dry summer with the 450. He fully understood and said he didn't understand why more dozers don't come with the ripper. Live and learn.

Meadowlark,

The track hoe gets parked probably through the winter until the engine, I mean wife, cools off and will start on the second pond in the spring. Do anything different? Hmmmm. Even with what I thought was adequate size equipment I underestimated the time, horsepower, size of equipment needed, etc that it takes to do the job right. I used a D6 (wish I had had rippers but had the track hoe instead thankfully), and a Hitachi 150 (I think brand doesn't really matter) with a 7' clean out bucket and a 3' bucket with teeth to dig the hard stuff. I could not have moved the muck without the 7' bucket, it would have been like using a wheelbarrow.

I really wouldn't do anything different except buy a dozer with rippers. I am in the process of locating back up rippers for the blade, better than nothing. I have come to realize that this is a pond a year sorta deal.

I will add that if you plan on doing this yourself you will have to at least be able to do some minor repair work. For example, I will give you the breakdown of my repairs:

Hydraulic line on dozer-replaced after blowing and washing radiator from the oil that had collected dirt.

One inch hydraulic hose replaced on trackhoe-lost about 20 gallons in a few minutes.

Gaskets on leaking injector pump.

Rotted out excavator radiator, new thermostat, etc.

Change oil, filters, etc.

Wow, I am starting to ramble. Anyway, I had fun the first 3-4 days of this project but then realized I am glad I don't do this for a living. Those guys that do deserve their pay-from the breakdowns to fuel to the expensive equipment. It is definitely hard work-and I grew up farming but my wife informed me that I am not as young as I used to be.

I have to get some photos posted and thanks again for your input.

craig

cwooten, the only place I have seen the backup rippers is at vail products.

http://www.vailproducts.com/products/products.html

The only drawback to backup rippers is that your blade will become looser than a goose in no time.

JBL, do you mean loose from wear? Thanks for the tip and link. craig

Yeah with the backup rippers it puts exactly the opposite pressure on the blade as pushing. So I guess you could say that you are doubling the wear on the balls and pins. We had a D6D with backup rippers and the blade got real sloppy in a short time. I guess you could look at from another point though.The backup rippers probably save on undercarriage since you are spinng and burning up cutting edges on dry hardpacked material.

JBL,

Thanks for that info. I appreciate reading it. On my 450, I can't put very much "pull" pressure at all on the blade without bad things happening....as I painfully discovered getting it unstuck one time. I'll pass on the backup rippers.