Originally Posted by SkunkedAgain
Very good information, thank you both very much. Since I don't have clay, it's more of a sandy loamy soil, so it looks like I'll need to go with a flatter slope or just plan on things adjusting to a flatter slope over time. Maybe I should remove as much soil as I can from the middle and let the water and gravity work out the edge slope since it isn't the best soil for compacting. I just don't want too steep of drop off in case someone falls in sometime, I want them to be able to get out okay. I'm hoping the weather doesn't turn wet too soon so I can still get it dug out in October when I have the machinery lined up... Wish I was digging today, but oh well... Later J
I kinda like your idea, as I understand it none of these slopes will be exposed and most of the time will be in the bottom deeper areas of the pond, and with ground water pond you are not worried about compaction, Id take an excavator and just remove a bunch of dirt quickly out of the bottom while I could and let nature do your sloping, if it sloughs off to 1-1 3-1 or even 4-1 so be it,
Excavators are reasonably hard to get stuck as they have the ability to pull themselves out most of the time, although when they do get stuck to the point of not being able to get out it will take a good bit to get it out, dont ask me how I know. I have found out over the years that unless you do have another big piece of equipment on site with heavy enough cables you are time and money ahead to call the man with a big wrecker and have him snatch it out of there and you are ready to go back to work rather then breaking a bunch of chains and ruining a bunch more and spending half a day and asking several guys to help. Good Luck!


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.