Grading advice.

[RCW]

Had the house tore up pretty good last fall. Foundation work.

More to come this spring.

I need to re-grade and clean up part of the back yard. Pictures don't always show grade well, but the photo is the area I need to deal with. It's pretty steep.

Not a big area. Thinking of doing it with the box blade, and without the loader on at first. Probably go up-slope, not straight up, but at an angle.

House is not far off from the pic, and loader doesn't reach far enough...figure box blade is better choice.

Once it gets smoothed out some, put the loader on....but really can't traverse that area with the loader on at all - raises center of gravity too high.

Any other advice?

 

[D2Cat]

Looks like you need one of then ratchet rakes or a Piranha tooth bar on you loader. Then go up with loader a few inches off the ground, lower implement and ease back down. Repeat until you're satisfied.

I don't own either of those attachments, so I'm just going by what videos I've watched lately.

Are you going to plant some ground cover, or try to mow this when you're finished?

 

[RCW]

Cat - Thanks.

I do have the Piranha tooth bar, and they do work as advertised, as you have heard here. Problem is the house is only ~8-10' from the toe of that slope, so it's tight working from the bottom up with the house behind me. Unfortunately, didn't get the house in the picture.

I do mow this area cross-slope all summer long.

There's some ruts and spots that are apt to be soft come spring. Of course, that's the steepest part, which is the farthest away in the picture.

Just thinking if it's leveled and/or cut/filled first, might be easier to deal with.

This work has changed slopes some now, but not steeper than before. Looking to make it less of an incline when done.

My thinking is pull/smooth up, with some "bite" of the box - top link a little short - then pull some over to the steeper part in the back of the pic.


Given the dirt I'm working with, everything is probably going to need topsoil after grading..then, the loader will come into play.....

 

[Bmbbm]

I think you have the right idea. Backgrade with the loader bucket. Back up and hit it with the boxblade. Rops up, seatbelt on and take it easy. I've had 2 friends killed in rollovers back filling around their homes!

 

[RCW]

This is a better picture. House included.

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[bcp]

And leave/make a drainage ditch about where the gravel meets the hill.

Bruce

 

[Bulldog]

Drag from the top down leaving the dirt at the foot of the slope. This will decrease the grade and allow you to use the chunky dirt where you need it. Then it will be ready to spread some top soil, seed and straw.

Are your tires filled? Makes a big difference if not already done.

 

[RCW]

Drag from the top down leaving the dirt at the foot of the slope. This will decrease the grade and allow you to use the chunky dirt where you need it. Then it will be ready to spread some top soil, seed and straw.

Are your tires filled? Makes a big difference if not already done.

My tires are loaded, and I will still have chains on for a while after this stuff thaws.

With the house right there, I don't have much room to maneuver dragging down, especially if things get slippery.....most of this stuff is a silty sand with some big stone mixed in.

With a little BX, I'm also concerned about soft spots - they don't have much ground clearance.

Thanks to the Kubota, I know it will get done. Just a matter of how.

 

[RCW]

I've had 2 friends killed in rollovers back filling around their homes!

Holy jeepers!

So sorry your friends met their demise in such a way.

I've run tractors for more than 45 years, and am always careful and willing to get advice.

Case in point this thread.

Trust me, some of my father's advice came with a knock on the head!

That still does not guarantee safety.

 

[D2Cat]

Looks like you have a path/lane in the middle of your second picture.

Maybe you could take your tractor up that path using a "rock rake" and drag downhill, driving at at a angle to give you better control. Then continue that circling around until you get it all graded.

 

[luketratts]

A small excavator would knock that over safely in 2mins flat if you have access to one or if your going to have one there in the near future.

If not I would use rear blade dragging backwards as slow as poss...I don't have a box blade so can't offer much advice on that piece of equipment.

It looks pretty flat in the bottom of the v drain, keep an eye on the heights to make sure you have falls the right way to avoid any drainage issues. I would be using a dumpy level, laser level or long straight edge with level.

Careful of any underground services....if any. Post photos of the progress and results.




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[groomerbuck]

You you dont mind loosing 2" of drainage swale around house, bring in a little fill in and take some pitch out of the hill side.

 

[groomerbuck]

Edit^
2ft'

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Not a big area. Thinking of doing it with the box blade, and without the loader on at first. Probably go up-slope, not straight up, but at an angle.

House is not far off from the pic, and loader doesn't reach far enough...figure box blade is better choice.

Once it gets smoothed out some, put the loader on....but really can't traverse that area with the loader on at all - raises center of gravity too high.

Any other advice?

Box blade on the rear and no loader on the front might make the front end too light. More likely to get stuck with out good 4wd and trouble steering.

 

[RCW]

Box blade on the rear and no loader on the front might make the front end too light. More likely to get stuck with out good 4wd and trouble steering.

Yeah - Larry, I was thinking that.

I've gotten pretty good with the box blade, but some of the big stone in there might make traction a problem.

If I were to overlap my passes, whether up or down, was thinking at least one side of the tractor would have level footing?.?.?

Like Cat said, think I will need to go downslope some. Will need to be real slow, and adjusting 3PH height, since box will want to dig in as tractor levels.....

 

[bcp]

Like Cat said, think I will need to go downslope some. Will need to be real slow, since box will want to dig in as tractor levels.....

I found the opposite when cutting down a hill with a box blade. The concave curve caused all the weight of the box blade to be on the rear blade, and it wouldn't cut no matter how aggressively adjusted. When the front wheels hit the level for a foot or so, no more digging. I had to put on the rear blade to cut at the bottom of the hill.

Bruce

 

[RCW]

The concave curve caused all the weight of the box blade to be on the rear blade, and it wouldn't cut no matter how aggressively adjusted.

Bruce - never thought of that, and never worked on such a slope with my BB.

Makes perfect sense, though.

In my case, might be a good thing - I don't want to pull a bunch of crap dirt close to the house anyway.........if I pull it far enough down, then can pull it away cross-slope.....I think!

Appreciate the heads up!

 

[cerlawson]

I had a steep slope made by just shoving earth over the bank, leaving maybe a slope angle of 30 degrees or steeper, natural angle of repose. I made a slip scraper (you surely know what that is??). It was about 20 inches wide. I attached it to my tractor which was beyond the slope top edge via a strong rope. I put two men to work, steering it and dumping at the proper place as I puled the rope with the tractor. They had to manually drag it down the slope to make another run up doing the "grading" going up. When they comp lined (it was my son and his friend), I tried it and yes it does take some energy to follow along, but the job got done, even with obstructions there such as trees, etc. Total height of slope varied from about 6 to 15 feet. The slip scraper was made from an old hot water tank, along with pipes for handles, etc. Hey, it isn't always possible to use machines without some labor involved.

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search...us29&param4=google~Firefox~slip+scraper+photo

 

[Lencho]

Hi RCW - When you say you are "regrading" the slope, do you plan to terrace it or just smooth it out?

 

[RCW]

Hi RCW - When you say you are "regrading" the slope, do you plan to terrace it or just smooth it out?

No plan to terrace. It will be smoothed out, and re-profiled to take some of the steep out.

Doesn't show well, but there a couple "crowns" there farther away that I want to eliminate.

Like I said, I've mowed this for 25 years with a tractor. Now that it's a mess anyway, be a good opportunity to make it better. I hope....