Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Hello! From Austin, TX

Hi! My family and I just moved from SE Florida to Austin, TX for work and we signed a contract on a 6.25 acre lot /w house and I'm guessing a 2/3 of an acre pond. We close in a week so I've been madly researching how do I mow 5 acres and how do I care for a pond! This forum has been a great primer on getting started.

The pond has been around for about 8 years and has been previously been stocked. The pond has suffered from the 3 year drought here and seems about 6 feet lower than prior to the drought. It still seems to have 6-8 feet of depth. The water seems pretty clear of weeds, but has a green color with no smell.

What should my todo list be for the first months in getting started?

Thanks, Mike

Welcome WhiskeyMan, The first order of business is to get settled in, pour a JD and coke, relax and enjoy your new BOW. If the ponds been there for 8 yrs without you and "seems pretty clear of weeds, but has a green color with no smell" you may be lookin ta fix something that ain't broke. The longer you're here the more you'll want to do but ya don't wanna get ahead of your research and screw things up. Two yrs ago I thought KOI would be cool for the grandkids, caught hell from BC over that and have been shootin at em ever since. Got em down to one and man is it smart. Good luck and be patient, lot of big brains here that will help you a bunch.

Mike, the first step is to actually back off and learn what you have.

The green look is actually planktonic algae which is good for the pond. If it were me, I would probably take a water sample and send it to TAMU for analysis. That will tell you the chemical make up of the water. Actually, it sounds like everything is OK from a water standpoint. But, I would still want to know.

Next, go fishing and keep a log of the fish caught. Not, just for predators but also the forage base. That includes bluegills, cats, bass, etc.

It takes a little time to figure out just what you have.

BTW, learning the new types of rain dances don't do much good.

Welcome to Pond Boss, and welcome to Texas, WhiskeyMike. Congratulations, on the acquisition of the pond. And let me extend my condolences for the 5 acres of mowing that came with it. That's an awful lot of mowing. God, I hate mowing.
Sort of a catch 22. When you get rain for the pond, you also get to mow again. Oh well, that's life in the country. Gotta love it!

PS... Perhaps, you could get some goats. They like to mow.

Welcome to Pond Boss WM glad you joined in.

You have made a big move - from lots of rain and water to very dry. There are some big differences in climate from SE Fla to Austin Tx. Culture and climate come to mind. Both good places just different.

One big one for ponds is drought/water level to consider.

If it were me, I would let a few acres "go wild" and instead cut a few trails. Just periodically mow/hog to keep brush out once a year or twice a year. we could have mowed 16 acres when we moved in, and instead only mow 1, with about a mile of trails. 12 years later, we love how things have changed and filled in. Wildlife extravaganza! We periodically mow 8 acres of it.

WM, be sure and check into ag exemptions when you get settled. I believe DD1 has the wildlife exemption and he can tell you more about that. All TX can do is turn you down, so it's worth a shot.

I would also check into the Timber Exemption.

Thanks for the warm welcome! We are excited to be in TX and are looking forward to the adventure on many fronts. I'm glad it doesn't sound like there is a lot to do immediately. One we close and move in, I'll post some pics.

I'll take a water sample and send it off. When they test the water, will they test for pollutants so you know if fish taken are safe? I'm sure it's fine, but would be good to know.

There is a fair amount of brush and weeds around the front of the pond obscuring the view from the house. A good portion is sloped pretty good. Is it safe to use roundup 10 feet or so from the water? Or is there a better way to clear the area selectively? (Weeds and scrub, but not the trees)

On the mowing, we are going to think about the goats and growing a portion wild. I did bring my 13 year old boy from FL that has a mistaken idea that mowing the lawn on a riding lawn mower is FUN! So I may make it into the beginning of summer next year before he catches on.

If anyone is in the Austin area, it would be great to have you over for a beer once we get settled in.

Water test

I'd just mow near the pond. I wouldn't use round-up. Not because it's bad, but because the plants that are there have roots in the soil that help hold it from washing into the pond when you DO get rain.

I'd mow it, and right before it gets wet out, throw down grass seed.

I second on letting some of it grow up, and checking into what Fireishot suggested.

If it's sloped too much for the mower, they make gas powered weed whackers.

I attended a meeting about 10(?) years ago on wildlife exemptions. At that time, you could only go to wildlife from an AG exemption. And, it had to be actually grazing livestock for profit. Of course, you didn't have to actually make a profit. I certainly didn't. In Montague County, and maybe/probably others, you have to be actually raising animals for 5 years prior to filing for the wildlife exemption. If the land has been leased for grazing, that usually qualifies. If the land you are purchasing has an Ag exemption, the new seller can immediately file for the wildlife exemption. It has to be done ASAP upon purchase. A lot of Texas Counties have different requirements. Check it out. It makes a huge difference in taxes. That said, the Counties are seldom wild about the idea. I would look into it immediately.

Mike, if you decide to mow, consider investing in a serious zero-turn commercial mower instead of one of the rinky-dink MTD mowers. I recommend Scag or Dixie Chopper, but base your decision on the best service closest to you. I use a Scag, 27 hp, 61 inch cut but find that it is underpowered. I intend to stay with that machine but my next one will have the 35 hp engine. I would like to try a Dixie Chopper but the nearest dealer is about 35 miles from me versus 2 miles for the Scag. You'll need an "A" frame with tackle to lift it for greasing, changing blades and cleaning under the deck. You'll also want an impact tool with at least 450 ft.lb. of torque for changing blades. I've also found that FUSION blades (sold by many suppliers on ebay) will outlast the blades supplied with the mower.
Congratulations on acquiring your property and count your blessings as to location. You'll find the Texas and Oklahoma people to be unmatched in kindness and generosity and they'll work harder helping you than they will for themselves. Try to avoid saying "I need" to any of them because you'll likely find it on your doorstep in the morning.

Mike, my mower has been in the shop for repairs and maintenance (I'm getting it this morning), so I'm going to let you know what you can probably expect regarding after purchase expenses, and after expiration of the two year warranty. I've had this mower for 30 months. Stand by.

Dudley:

That's a very high torque value for a bolt. In looking at my charts, that bolt should be anywhere from 7/8" to 1 1/8" diameter!

Thanks for watching out for us, esshup. I'm working with cordless equipment. I tried to loosen the nuts on the blade bolts (5/8 in) with a 300 ft lb tool and all I got was a bunch of clicks. My friend's 450 ft lb tool took 'em off. I figured that if that amount was needed to get the nuts off, that same amount is what should be used to put them back on. I asked the dealer how much torque should be used when bolting down the blades and he said "tight". Could it be that there's a difference in torque applied with an air tool versus that with a battery powered tool of the same rating?

Definately. Just because a tool is rated for a particular torque spec doesn't mean that it actually produces that much torque. Also, inertia has something to say about the torque that is actually applied too.

Here's the engineer in me coming out:

Torque (pounds/feet or pounds/inch) is a poor way to measure how tight you have a bolt, but it's what is typically used for most applications. What you are actually measuring is the resistance to turning. The correct way is to put a measuring device on the head and "tail" of the bolt that is in question, and measure how much it stretches as it's tightened. That's impossible in a lot of applications, so they use "torque". What they are trying to tell us is how much to stretch a bolt so it clamps the things together without vibrating loose. For the bolts that we are used to, that's called the elastic stage. When the bolt is loosened up, it shrinks back to it's original length. The newer bolts that are called "torque to yeild" or TTY bolts are a one time use. You tighten them down so far, then go 1/4 or 1/3 turn more. That gets them into the plastic stage, and when they are loosened and removed, they are thrown away because if they're reused, they won't achieve the same clamping force and quite possibly will break before reaching the required "1/4 to 1/3 turn more".

Torque specs are determined by bolt size (actually root diameter), grade or alloy of the material, and the coating or lubricant on the bolt.

Take a look at this chart:
torque starting recommendations

Take a 1/2" diameter bolt for instance. Look at the difference between the specs of a SAE Grade 2 bolt and a SAE Grade 8 bolt. While you are looking, also look at the difference in torque specs whether the bolt is waxed, galvanized, lubed or plain. Wax or a lubricant allows the bolt to turn easier. (going back to resistance to turning) If you put the same torque on a bolt that is waxed or lubed vs. galvanized or possibly even plain, you might twist it in half before you reach the torque spec.

Use a torque wrench to properly torque bolts/nuts, and after you've used it turn the torque setting back to "0". The tool will last MUCH longer that way. I worked in R&D/Testing for a truck mfg. and had to have the torque wrenches calibrated every 6 months. Tools that weren't turned back to "0" were replaced or sent out for re-calibration while I don't remember one that was turned back ever getting sent out.

Mike, I got my repaired mower this morning and cut about 3 1/2 acres of 4 to 6 inch tall grass (mowing height set at 1 3/4 inches) in about four hours. Very happy with the way it worked. This is the mower I drowned two weeks after I got it on 5/4/2011. I had it serviced then and not since. I change oil and oil filter and grease it every 40 hours.
Brought it in for service on 7/29/13
2 inner tubes for rear $96.26
3 blades 27.00
3 blade bolts 23.67
1 blade bolt nut 0.98
1 cutter deck belt 79.68
4 bearing 78.68
4 seal 36.16
2 spark plug 8.98
grease 10.50
carburetor cleaner 8.20
total parts 370.11
labor 296.00
tax 53.20
TOTAL 719.40

On 9/19/13 it was again repaired for a broken deck drive belt and recommended maintenance.
primary air filter $26.89
secondary air filter 29.82
fuel filter 11.19
2 spark plug 8.98
deck drive belt 35.31
pump drive belt 71.52
3 cutter blade 75.15
3 blade bolt 23.67
oil filter 13.99
2 quarts oil 14.86
oil filter 22.07
20w50 oil 23.16
idler pulley 28.62
pulley38.64
gas damper 71.79
ball bearings 24.58
carburetor cleaner 8.20
grease 10.50
shop fee 3.50
Total parts 542.44
labor 296.00
tax 67.08
TOTAL 905.52

I hope you can use this as a gauge for expectations, Mike.

I'll have to remember to thank Robert for the price break on the blades that he evidently gave me on 7/29 (9.00 per blade) compared to the blade price of 25.05 each on 9/19.

My Scag mower is my most used and most valued piece of equipment. Without it, I would never finish cutting grass, while with it, I can finish up in about 16 hours. Wet or dry (mostly wet this year), and sometimes I have to triple cut, my Scag wades through it. It is truly a very fine machine.

Goodness, esshup, I'm glad that I didn't have a question about the modulus of shear. Please forgive my being a smartass and instead accept my thanks for letting me read your thesis. I'm comfortable now that I now know everything about bolts, nuts, plasticity, TTY, etc., etc., etc. Sheesh.

Be careful what you ask for!

FWIW, from your repair invoice it looks like the blade bolts are TTY. (maybe the spark plugs are too? Only 2 month life??)

That blade price ($9 per) has got to be a mistake.....I'm not in the shop right now, but that sounds well under cost. I also have a Scag, and I second Dudley's sentiments...they are tanks.

I love seeing what other areas charge for repairs, as it varies considerably among dealers.

What I can compare off the top of my head, prices in my shop:

2 spark plugs...NGK's, 6.00
Oil filter...10
2 quarts engine oil....7
2 inner tubes for rear tires, 26"??....42

A typical service, without any repair, on a Scag like Dudley's would run in the neighborhood of $170.00 (Changing all fluids and filters, air filters, fuel filters, spark plugs, greased, adjust tire pressure, sharpen blades, inspect all belts, test battery, adjust carb if applicable, test run for proper operation) Additional repairs are billed accordingly.

Also off the top of my head, John Deere specs 55 ft lbs blade torque on most of their mowers. They should not be put on nearly as tight as most folks think.


Well, I had to go back out to the shop and look....Scag specs 75 ft lbs on the blade bolt retaining nut.

Sprkplug, thanks for not asking esshup a question.
I think I'll send him a copy of my thesis: Misconceptions Regarding Misconceptions of Misconceptions and How They Affect Your Spiritual Wellbeing. We'll be able to discuss it if we're ever face to face.

Mike,

Another option, is to hire someone to do the mowing. At least, a bulk of the field mowing. There are probably plenty of people in your area who do tractor work (weed shredding, finish mowing, disking, plowing, tilling, road work, trenching, etc.) for around $50 per hour. (Craigslist)

This may save you a lot of headaches and money. Also, with these droughts we've been experiencing in Texas lately, I've only had to mow my fields once or twice a year.

Dudly:

Send it and we'll discuss it when I buy you a beer at the next PB Conference!

I warned you that it was the engineer in me coming out!

Thanks for the advice guys. I've been looking at bad boys ZT mowers. I'll add these others to the list to check out.

This is not pond specific, but you guys might have some advice. I have a pergola that is probably 12x15 free standing around the rear of the house. I'd like to move it closer to the pond and replace it with a patio and roof. I'm assuming I should be able to disassemble it or better yet pay someone to move it. Would it be better to tear it apart completely or move it with heavy equipment cutting the cost a great deal?

If it's free standing, jacking it up and putting a sled under it might be the easiest way to move it.

Is a sled something you build or something a contractor would have?

* Never mind, looked it up on youtube and found some examples. More straight forward than I was expecting.