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I think we are pretty good on moisture for right now. Our portion of the state really likes a dry fall, winter and spring. Unlike the central and western parts of the state, we do not have subsoils that can store the water (clay pan) and we generally get a lot more water than they do. So it is not uncommon for us to be too wet in the winter and spring to get any field work done. So right now, a little dry is a "good" thing for us. I go south for the winter, so the younger generation at home takes care of the home front, but right now I know they are not in the fields so they have plenty of moisture.

Thanks for the compliment on the pond. I started work on my daughters pond right after finishing that one, and I have pictures. Just have not got around to posting a thread on that particular renovation. Don't know what got me started off on the "pond renovation" mode, but being semi-retired guess I just needed a "project" and I always have liked running a dozer. Just seemed like a fun thing to do and something the kids and grandkids will remember and use long after I'm gone from this world.

I think this one turned out well for the time frame I had to work in. I think they will enjoy the pond and I will enjoy taking the three young grandkids and fishing for some adult BG to stock it with next spring out of our own pond.

The harrow really works pretty well that way. At home it was just on a drag drawbar and it was ok, but when I needed to move it down to son's decided just to make the adaption to the box blade. I could have just put a 3pt on the harrow, as they are available that way commercially. But after thinking about it, I already had the box blade that hooked to the three point, and I nearly always pulled the harrow behind the box blade anyway so I could take off high spots and fill in low spots. Only takes three bolts to remove it, the way I built the quick-tach part.

If you get around to doing the same thing, let me know and I can take some close up pictures of the way I attached it. Not saying I did it the perfect way, but do think I came up with some ways that makes it easy to attach and take off when I just want to use the box blade by itself. At least they are ideas, then you can tailor them to suit your own needs.


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Thanks, I'll remember to ask for those pictures when time comes. It seems like there is always more that I want to get done than there is time to do it.

I know what you mean about the desire to build something (ponds) that bring so much joy to the young'uns, and has the potential to do so for generations hence. My little pond has matured to the point that I'm very happy with maintaining it, and it is sort of a focal point when friends and family visit...especially the grandkids!

Right now the big pond is a source of awe in that it is a big hole in the ground. But, Lord willin', one day it'll be full and mature like the small pond. One thing that working ponds does is to teach patience, and cultivate hope. I think when others are part of the journey from beginning to that first catch, a great deal of the lessons we learn in building the pond are passed on. Keep up the pond building/renovations...I think you're making a great impact on this ol' world.

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One heckuva job. But, the one thing that sticks in my mind is still the size of the 4wd tractor it would take to drag a stuck d6n out of the mud.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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We use several of the 4wd tractors in our farming operation as well as large rubber tracked tractors. The dozer is really not too bad to pull out of the mud unless it sinks down too far and becomes a dead weight. Years of experience has taught me that once I'm stuck, stop spinning and get a tow. As long as the tractor will move back and forth in the rut it doesn't take too much to give it a little boost to get the tracks to get some new traction and lift itself out.

What I see novice operators or duffless operators do is long after there is any chance of getting unstuck without help they just keep spinning it deeper. Once the mud is up to the top of the tracks and sitting on the belly pan and will not budge, then getting it out becomes a serious un-fun job. That goes for any type of tractor. Most very young farmers (I was probably ten at the time) get a severe butt chewing when the first time they get stuck they manage to continue spinning the tractor down and get it seriously stuck.


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Getting a dozer unstuck the first time is what I call a character builder.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Then there is cleaning the tracks out....................... cry


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The real joy is when you throw a track and find that 2 objects really can't occupy the same physical space. That's when you start hating everything colored yellow.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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to get a dozer unstuck is very easy, I have a d6c, 10 k model and its been stu ck a few times but what u do is cut a tree about 18in to 2 foot around and long enought to go from track to track chain it up to the tracks one chain on one track and the other to the other track put in gear and the tree will give u tracken dont let it hit the hitch on the back of dozer its a ride u will never forget

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Good tip Brian. That works for tractors as well.

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Good idea, I've also done it on a tractor.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Mobilus #391636 11/04/14 12:52 PM
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This is an update to this thread. It seems like its taken forever for this pond to fill up. It has adequate runoff area but this year has been a year of little runoff. We have had just enough rain with good timing that the crops are great but not much water added to ponds until recently.

Well finally it is full, and has turned out nice. A little ragged looking around the edges because son does not have a tractor and mower yet to maintain the grass/weeds but he will.

Their kids swam almost daily all summer even without it being full. It definitely has been a worthwhile endeavor and their family is getting great enjoyment out of it. Stocked it with BG and FHM out of our pond and some RES from a fish truck. A few CC out of our pond. I think he probably will put LMB in next year.

Below are the updated pictures of what it looks like full. Guessing about an acre but will determine when google earth updates.

It is kind of a redneck pond, but hey, if the shoe fits?........


Attached Images
002.JPG 003.JPG 005.JPG 007.JPG 008.JPG 009.JPG 012.JPG 014.JPG
Last edited by snrub; 11/04/14 12:58 PM.

John

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About an acre or?


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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I'm guessing it at about an acre or slightly under.

My old pond is an acre and big pond 3.1 acres, so based on what I know about them I would guess it is about an acre.


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snrub #391667 11/04/14 10:19 PM
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Thought it might be interesting to post a before and after picture from roughly the same direction.

First picture is of old pond basin before starting renovation. Notice the two oak trees to the right center on opposite bank in the first photo. One on right is water oak and on left is burr oak.

You can reference these two trees in the second photo. They are in the upper right hand corner of the second picture because the shot is from a different vantage point but covers roughly the same area. I should go take a shot from the exact same place.

Quite a nice change from what it was before to what it is now.

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snrub #391681 11/05/14 05:18 AM
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Heckuva difference. I wouldn't get too attached to those oaks. Mine don't like to have their roots submerged for long periods.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
snrub #391687 11/05/14 07:29 AM
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Snrub, very nice work.

Dave, it still amazes me that an oak can live for 100 years in all types of weather, but slowly die via flooding or a Cat blade too close to the roots. We're still losing one or two a year that are near the water's edge.


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Ya'all need some pin oaks. They like having their feet wet. The woods behind the house is predominately pin oaks - it used to have standing water in it until June. They are a characteristic tree of wooded wetlands.


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
snrub #391700 11/05/14 08:56 AM
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Maybe so. I have post and black jack oaks.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Info on Pin Oaks. Pay particular attention to the "flooding" statement.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/quercus/palustris.htm


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esshup #391705 11/05/14 10:02 AM
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Are yall calling a water oak a pin oak?

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I believe a water oak and a pin oak are not the same tree?


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
sprkplug #391712 11/05/14 10:50 AM
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No they are not the same but a lot of people get them mixed up- both like water


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Yes, I figured the water would eventually get to both of the oak trees there.

I don't know if the names I'm giving the trees are correct. It is just what they are called locally.

What we call water oak are extremely common, especially in creek bottom areas. The wood is not much good as it splits as it dries out because the tree has a lot of water content when it is cut down. About all they are used for is making pallets and split and dried for fire wood. Very low value for logging.

The Burr oak on the other hand is a good lumber tree and has very large acorns. Maybe an inch or an inch and a half acorns, and a very large pretty leaf. They are nice trees and much less common.

The alternative was to take the trees out now and have a bare bank, or leave them till they went bad. Son cuts lots of firewood in the fall/winter and sells it (as well as burns it himself) so as the trees goes bad he will have no problem removing them. His family fits the red neck description pretty well. They hunt deer, fish in the creek, spend a lot of time in the timber camping, garden ect. (He is also big into solar power and is thinking of putting solar aeration in the pond)

I know trees around and leaves in the pond are not the best for the water environment, but they sure add to the aesthetics of the pond. That and the fact that I had already spend several times as many hours on the dozer as I originally planned cleaning out this pond, leaving the trees was just easier. Notice I did take a pole saw and clean up the lower branches so it was easy for the kids to play around the trees and mow around them.

Thanks for all the comments.

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esshup #391716 11/05/14 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted By: esshup
Ya'all need some pin oaks. They like having their feet wet. The woods behind the house is predominately pin oaks - it used to have standing water in it until June. They are a characteristic tree of wooded wetlands.


I'm no expert on trees. Know enough to know which ones make good fire wood and which ones are hard to split. These could be pin oaks for all I know, just know they are called water oaks around here. But they fit the same description for growing conditions as you state. Very often found in areas that have a lot of water, but are also common in tree rows in upland. At least I assume they are the same tree. Might not be but look very similar.

I know some of the ones in flood land area are really hard to push out with a dozer. The tree grew as a sapling then a flood silted it in. Repeat. Root crown might be down six feed under compared to the same tree grown upland.

My very first experience with a dozer was with one of these oaks probably 4' in diameter (seemed like it was 5 but been so long ago probably exaggeration is setting in). I was still in high school and a local contractor had hired me to custom bale some of his hay for him on his farm. He had me run his old D7 3T cable dozer (1950's vintage) to do a few odd jobs. He also had a D8 later model machine and his operator was there and this guy thought he would have some fun with me and told me to get on the old dozer and push this tree out. Thought they would both have a good laugh at my expense. What he did not realize is that although I had not ran a dozer but for a few hours, I'd been driving tractors since 6 years old and had been observing not only his operator but another neighbor operator for some time. So although I had not been on a dozer much I knew a few things about how to use one.

I took off with it, dug about six feet deep all the way around the root crown, then built up a ramp about 8 or 10 feet high up the side of the tree with dirt. In about an hour, over it went. The root ball was so big it nearly hung me up as it went between the blade and the front of the tractor but I managed to back off it.

Needless to say the guy was impressed and hired me to run the old dozer that next winter (after graduating high school) clearing trees and leveling strip pit dumps. Below freezing with tarps on the sides and the fan reversed blowing hot air from the radiator back over the open operators station. Those were fun days.

That is how I learned to operate a dozer. Later in life bought an old dozer about like that one I ran (D7 17a cable operated). Now I'm in hog heaven retired with a D6N XL (hydraulic 6 way blade) to play with.

More than you ever wanted to know.

Last edited by snrub; 11/05/14 01:11 PM.

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Read the description of the tree in the link. Does it correspond to a water oak description?

Pin Oak here has LOTS of knots. PITA to split to a uniform size, but it is in the Red Oak family, so it has the same firewood burn characteristics - long to season but burns good and puts off heat.


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