Thanks,
I have had my fair share of time in the seat. My bro in law works for CAT and he is getting me his rental rate which is 50% off. I can get the machine for about $400 per 10 hrs it is the delivery that hurts. Trying to work out a deal with one of his customers to drop off their machine and give them a grand for an entire weekend Fri,Sat,Sun. I helped bro. in law dig his pond a few years back and I started with the dozer shaping and pushing the soil, making a bowl shaped area. Once it became to deep I moved into an excavator and worked my way around the edges while sitting on a shelf that I had carved with the dozer about 4 feet down the side of the pond. We had it about 12-15 ft and still hadn't hit water and ran out of boom reach. The soil just wasn't firm enough to get way down inside. He ended up getting an extend-a-hoe (sp) and eventually hit water at about 20 ft.
I did all that work in one day. He ended up re-shaping one side because we didn't have a people friendly slope to get in and out.
I plan on storing the soil around the pond site while it dries. Once it dries out then I will move it to needed areas with a Bobcat. I was in the Landscape business most of my life and I dread the hours in the Bobcat moving all that soil but one must sacrifice for the greater good of the land.
If I can get the excavator delivered at a decent price, right now I'm looking at $500 bucks for delivery and pick up, I will adjust my dig time. I plan on digging a kidney shaped pond so I think I will start on one side of the bean and dig it completeley and if I run out of time I will finish the other half next year. I absolutley have to have the fill dirt for around the house and i will spend just as much buying it as i will digging it so I am willing to be patient.
I will try the ducks as the wife and kids are looking forward to it. There is so much waterfowl around the area I will end up with wild geese and ducks anyways. I am really looking forward to this venture and am already thinking of building a "log cabin" man cave out by the pond. What is the minimum water depth for fish survival in the winter time?
Thanks,
Jeff

http://bushman-asimplelife.blogspot.com/