Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Trackhoe???

i was moving logs this morning/afternoon down by my pond listening to the turkeys. when i got one wacky idea. i was lookin at where the banks of where my pond is when i thought wait i can double the size of this pond or triple it by pulling back the banks. i know its a simple concept but my mind hadnt seen it till i cut down a few trees and realized that this 3/4 acre meadow/grassland was that close. my plan is to rent a trackhoe and dumptruck let my dad use the trackhoe while i move the dirt with our tractor and the dumptruck. my question is this how difficult is a trackhoe to operate my dad ran the backhoe fine and my uncle and grandpa own a excavation company in conneticut so my dad has some exsperience but not with something this big. also what does has it cost some people to rent a trackhoe and dumptruck for a day (which here means friday evening, saturday, and sunday? this will push back all my stocking till late-summer or fall but it will be well worth it to make the pond 1/2 or 3/4 of an acre instead of barely 1/4 of an acre. even just 1/3 of and acre would allow it to be such a better pond for swimming and fishing.
Thanks

Renting the trackhoe shouldn't be a problem. Most places rent them in a size that's capable of doing what you want. Prices really do vary around the country, so I won't guess at what it will cost in your area. Daily, weekly and monthly rates also vary on who you rent from. Don't forget delivery. Some charge extra for this. If you can run a backhoe, then it's not that much more to working a trackhoe.

The dumptruck rental is where you'll have problems. I doubt you'll find one for rent anywhere. It's hard enough to buy a used one that's not total garbage. They are just in too much demand and too easy to damage or get stuck for renting.

How good are your roads? I was gonna buy a ten wheel dumptruck, but after test driving them, I realized it would be very dificult to get it around my land. I changed my mind and went with a single axle, five yard dump truck. It took awhile, and I was too late on most that came up for sale, but in the end, I bought a 1983 F600 gas engine dump truck for the farm. Not street legal, but it gets the job done. I've already been offered what I have into it, so there's really no way to lose money on it.

How much dirt do you want to move?

How far do you want to move it?

What are the conditions like for driving around and getting to the area you want to work?

Eddie

You might also consider The Dump Trailer. ML's looks pretty sweet.

i couldnt get my dad to agree that it was worth the effort. it would of been a lot of dirt but i did get him to agree to bring in a back hoe to deepen a part. i liked that dump trailer though. was out clearing trees for 6 hours today got a lot done including getting the tractor unstuck. thanks for all the help though if it would of gone through we would of moved about 10000 cubic feet of dirt or more. i agree it would of been a lot of work and then our pond would of been viewable from the road which means poachers and "long lost" cousins. if anyone really wanted to know i talked over the stalking plan and we have finaled the amount out to 30 6-8" bass, 125 3-5" blugill, 50 5-7" bluegill, 5lbs of fathead, and a big no no but i had to throw in a few bullheads. i can eat them as fast as they reproduce and all the ponds and creeks round here have them and they dont stunt that bad. BG and FH go in May 20th bullhead go in as i catch them and bass go in late-aug early-sept

my bad it would of been 30,000 cubic feet or more pushed the wrong button on my calculator

Just remember this:

...still my favorite action photo!

i dont think ill have to worry bout that. how did they ever get it out?

It was there one afternoon. The next day it was gone. The ground around the area was completely undisturbed, no evidence of other big equipment on site. Obviously, it didn't get out on it's own power. I honestly wonder if it sunk and is still there.

The guy that built my pond told me about a time when he lost his D8 dozer through a floating bog that had 40 feet of water underneath. They got it out by bringing in two large floating barges with winches. The barges were assembled on site and used to lift the machine out. Where there is a will (and enough money) there's a way.

Not to get off topic but there are some good stuck pictures here.
http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1624

We stuck a D9 in my pond with mud up over the tracks. It scared the bejesus out of the owner/operator. We dug out the sides, unhooked the blade from the center hiches and he literally pushed himself out of the hole with only the front hydrolics connected to the blade. It was an amazing site to see. Then we hooked a large cable to the blade and pulled it out re-attached and headed for higher ground!

I suppose the weight of the blade was what help stick it in the first place.

Gator