well - back to the topic at hand. if you recall i was trying to share my plans and solicit comments- about having 3 ponds planned and that I was about to begin construction on the first pond, which will be about a 3/4 acre extension of a one acre pond that is in my backyard, and that i was going to do it my self. the fourth was D day and i set out at dawn to begin my pond carving adventure- armed, i hoped with knowledge of my machine ( JD 260 skid steer with 72in construction bucket- 84" blade and steel tracks to be installed this week and the plan was to have this equipment in place before digging began.) i have owned this tractor three years - about 275 hours of using it with a brush cutter clearing mesquite and other "lite", non sustaining digging operations - so i had never really put this machine to the digging test - however when i bought the machine the pond building plans were in the mix for a verstile tractor that when it came down to it COULD DIG- well the 260 can, and when fitted with the tracks the traction will be the cat's meow; or "sick" if it were a chopper .knowledgeable and aware of safety precautions( for goodnesss sake )and a knowledge of the soil - the soil, the dirt at this site is , thank the earth;it is the most beautiful clay one could imagine - just perfectly perfect
so we set out yesterday at dawn - cleared a set of three mesquites that were in the line of the dam. this, is courtesy of "earth ponds" by tim matson,is a dug and dammed pond:the dam is at the south side of a sloping piece of land so the the dam is like filling in the missing rim of an earthen bowl. judging by the appearance of a freshly dumped 8yd truck of decomposed granite- for which i have judged many- that corresponnding pile in my mind was the judge of the earth i moved, and by that calculation in about four hours i had moved 200 cu yards of material- and believe me it did not make much of a dent in the amount of earth yet to be moved to complete this project. just scratched the surface,quite literally and figuratively ; however as i work more - 5 hours today, i can see in my mind that at a steady pace it should take 5 weeks or possibly til labor day- taking my time and having fun.
anyone in the area is welcome- email me
