Matt,
We're the same. I've built a few homes and barns, but mostly do remodels and repairs on homes. I needed a bunch of work done on my land and figured it was cheaper to buy the equipment and do it myself. Granted, it takes an awful lot longer!!!
Taking out trees and brush is the hardest thing to do on a dozer. Too many booby traps out there trying to take out a hose or bust something. I've had tiny little pines snake there way through my bottom plates and bust an oil line on the side of my engine block!!! Every time it's something new, and everytime it's one of those one in a million situations.
Digging dirt is easy, leveling it is allot harder, but like anything, it takes patenience and attention to detail. My Dad just doesn't get it. He focusses on one side of the blade and forgets the other end. 12 feet doesn't sound like a big distance, but for him it's huge.
The friend who was out here visiting had problems keeping his trenches level. He'd dig down too far, then over compensate and build a hill. In just a few passes he had a roller coaster!!! hahaha
Fortunately it was the bottom of the lake and there is no right or wrong way to dig it out, so I let him have fun. Afterwords when he was on the backhoe moving dirt, he said that was the first time he actually was able to see the land because he was focussing so hard on the blade!!!
Eddie
