For a small time pond builder like me, it is just a perfect tool...[/QB]
The reason my pond is going so slowly is that we are using small dump trailers to remove the spoils. (no heavy trucks allowed on my road)
A friend just got a 1 year old Lone Star 25000 gross gooseneck dumper. He got the trailer *and an old F250 Ford truck to pull it both for 14K. Tandem dualies. What a monster dirt mover. I can't wait.
Another friend and me are in the "cocktail napkin drawing" stage of creating a "pond digging machine". It starts life as a dumper like yours, a modified tiller, and a conveyor loading mechanism. It digs the pond, loads the trailer, and dumps (or spreads) the dirt in a continuous operation. It should work fine with with any 20 HP or better tractor. Only down side we can think of is the soil must be slightly damp to dry.
