Hello! I am in need of advice from excavator operators who know what they are doing, unlike a novice like me. About to start my first job at my farm since I purchased my excavator. I have breached two dams in need of a clean out. How do I know when they are dry enough to enter without my machine sinking to China? The dams have been empty for about a month, but still squishy when you walk on them. They have a small trickle of water running in at all times. machine is a Hitachi uh181. Almost 90,000 lbs. We have heavy black soil here, no sand. I plan on using 16 to 20 ft utility poles for mud mats. On utube I have seen guys do amazing things on mud mats. Is this giving me false confidence to enter the ponds now or should I wait a year or so? I do not have a recovery plan in place if I sink the machine. What do you guys think? Start digging or wait a year? Thanks to all in advance for your advice!
How far can you push bucket teeth into dirt ?
Poles separate ? or several fastened together as in a raft ? I think a raft would be more effective than individual poles. A corderoy road works because the logs are jammed together side by side.
Before you do anything; Dig around the edge of the pond from dry ground. Dig down to dry stable soil. Rest your machine on the dry stable soil and reach in toward the center of the pond as you work around the pond again.
I have not pushed the bucket in, but would not have any problem pushing my bucket out of sight.
I will try that. The dam originally was around 12 ft deep, 9 ft of muck now.
I will be fasting 3 or 4 poles together. They are each 8-12" on the large side
Yes, this is the correct procedure.
That is exactly what I don't want to happen!
The only way I'd feel comfortable doing it is going through the dam on the excavator so you don't have to pull yourself out of the mudhole uphill. Might not even have to go out into the pond bottom, have a small dozer push the slop to you, transfer it over the dam. I usually trust the bottom, but I've only done this in a backhoe, and a backhoe can claw it's way out of a mudhole a lot better than a 90,000# excavator. Or do like trashman said, build yourself a level platform around the outside. But wait until January, clear the snow off the platform so it freezes solid, then break through the crust on the much and shovel away. Don't leave the excavator sitting in mud overnight, hope you don't get it stuck because if it sits overnight it won't move till April.
the mud will only dry about a few inchs then go to cracking , i allways go to hard then follow it in then you know, like delmer said pad at dam push dirt to track hoe throw over baclk let dry till you can work it, but sometimes you can not do that. the less times you can move it the better it will work, and have had to move and let dry to move again, no set rule all differant just take time to not get where you should not be that dirt will be like grease and machine wiill side if not flat