Hi folks. I will try to keep is short. Just got out of Navy and bought 2.5 acres to build a house on. I hired an excavation company to dig out and haul 130 damaged pine trees rootballs and all, that’s done. What is left is dirt and 2.5 acres that looks like it was bombed. Still have 15 trees on perimeter. I am planning to use a landscape rake to clean up the property then I need to bring in approximately 100 truck loads of dirt. I plan to do 10 loads every 2-3 weekends or so until the job is done and will take a few weeks off of work during the summer to work. Instead of hiring any more excavation guys, I’m considering buying a tractor that I can tackle the raking annd dirt spreading and have during the house build (doing house owner-builder). Once the house is done I’ll probably buy a zero turn for mowing and just buy a used brushhog for now. I have lots of questions, but here is the main. I think I narrowed it down to an lx2610. I doubt I will use the mid pto, but seems like better resale value in future. It’s all flat florida land.
For the dirt moving I’m thinking I’ll use a grading scraper and 60” bucket and lots of practice. The lx is overkill once the house is done I know, but I have a lot of heavy work to do first so I don’t want to go too small. I like the idea of the creature comforts like the seat on lx, which should be good since I’m planning to do 20 hours each weekend.
Is the LX2610 to big or small for the dirt work?
Should I consider the larger R-14 tires with spacers and filled with water (mid mower would be out of question) or will the smaller R14 tires filled with water be good enough?
Well, your post initially raises several questions. An average truck for fill is 10 yards so you're saying that you're raising the elevation with about 1000 cubic yards of fill dirt. That's quite a job for a tractor of the scale mentioned using a bucket and blade. You have a 108,900 square foot lot and although unlikely that you'll elevate the entire lot, it yields 27000 cu. ft. not including compaction rate. Just curious where 100 trucks, either 10 or 16 cubic yards, came from in your estimate. You''ll be pushing around enough dirt that drainage will be a definite consideration for you and any next-door neighbors if they exist. You also will have your ingress-egress to consider and any compaction that's going to be required for access and the home's footprint, typically required in one-foot lifts. If your lot requires a septic rather than a sewer tie-in, the rules and regs for both the septic and the leach field can give you a run for your money if you plan on doing it yourself. You mentioned Florida so you'll have soil bore tests unless already completed to determine the composition of the virgin soil and what your finished soil can support. If there are organics in the compaction areas, it will almost certainly require excavation and brought back to height with compacted soil. If you're already skilled in shooting grades with a transit, then you're likely good to go but if not, then you could easily find yourself pushing a great amount of material around only to find yourself overworking it time and again to reach your goal.
An L series with the implements mentioned will certainly top $20k out the door. The scope of the work you're mentioning is generally addressed with a small dozer that you can rent and save yourself a good deal of money in the process, regardless of whether you want a tractor for chores and maintenance after your home is finished.. If you're going to perform the compaction yourself, then you can rent one as well. Depending upon the fill type, you may also need a water truck in order to obtain proper compaction. It all depends on whether you have past experience in earthwork and preparing a lot. Florida's codes are among the most strict around, so to keep your costs under control you'll want to get it right the first time around. The soil found most typically in areas where 10-yr pines exist in FL is sandy loam and it's fairly easy to compact, so in your calculations for what you're having trucked in you'll need to make sure to include the correct compaction rate to have the necessary fill. The other issue to consider is that among other relevant FL codes, your below-grade footings typically require establishment in virgin soil, so if you're elevating the home on grade and some degree of the immediate surrounding soil with trucked in fill, you may require a spread footer and stem wall configuration to achieve the necessary height for your slab on-grade. I don't know what your architectural plans specify, but a great deal can change when you elevate the footprint of the home on a lot. You don't mention whether any portion of your lot is marked in the floodplain and whether that constitutes the reason for elevation.
You mention owner-builder but nothing regarding experience in earthwork and preparing the lot for a home other than "a lot of practice." I suppose my point is that all the considerations mentioned are just part of what makes a successful use of time and equipment in tackling a job like the one you're contemplating. As mentioned, if you have experience in that regard then all of my points are somewhat redundant. You could be a civil engineer for all I know. But if not, then you may want to spend a lot more time in your planning phase before your trucks start rolling into your job site with all that fill.
Incidentally, a grader blade can do a good job leveling a discrete area of land or unpaved roadway but doesn't move much earth compared to something like a 72" box blade for a tractor that size. Again, the right size rental dozer is a far better choice for both moving earth and grading it, particularly where you'll have proper drainage and ingress-egress to consider. Just some points to consider as you prepare your lot and build your home.
