Digging with FEL?

[Thorny]

My current project is to move a retaining wall back about 3 feet to expand my driveway / parking area. the existing wall has been there for 30 years, but is failing.

Using my L2501 and FEL, I've been removing the wall and then cutting back into the hillside as best as I can. The challenge is that some of the dirt is soft(ish) and easy to remove, while other parts of it is packed clay.

Question:
-am I going to damage the tractor by trying to use the bucket to lift soil that's so compacted that the hydraulics don't move the bucket? Sometimes the rear end comes off the ground, other times the bucket just stays put. I can usually break it loose by backing up a few inches and lifting again, but each scoop is different depending on how far into the hillside I'm able to push before lifting. I'm running the engine at PTO speed, so not full throttle. I assume there are bypass valves to prevent damage to the hydraulic system, but since this is my first tractor I figured I should ask before I break something.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You should be fine, just stay on top of lubing all the joints on the FEL.

If your lifting the back of the tractor off the ground, increasing the rear ballast weight will help the FEL work more efficiently.

Also if possible change your angle of attack to something like a 45, shaving off the material is much easier than a flat dig.

 

[FrozenInTime]

Lifting the back end off the ground normally does not hurt it. I have 400lb on the back of mine and still lift up when trying to lift too much. I just tried to lift a rebuilt 4cyl tractor eng off the stand with my loader, the only thing that lifted was the rear tires. Sometimes when I'm digging, and it does not want to lift/break it loose, I will give full power and do a small curl up on the bucket. That sometimes breaks it free.

 

[cerlawson]

On the subject, why is the wall failing? Civil engineer here with offer of free advice. Post a shot of the site and wall.

 

[al m]

Maybe you could loosen the soil first ,rip with a 3 point impliment ,or teeth on the bucket?

 

[Thorny]

On the subject, why is the wall failing? Civil engineer here with offer of free advice. Post a shot of the site and wall.

The original wall was built 30 years ago from 6"x6"x12' pressure treated timber, with no water drainage mechanism on the back side. So failure is mostly due to wood rot.

Here's a question for an engineer though; The run of the wall is about 140', and it sits on the uphill side of my driveway where the driveway was cut into a hillside. The slope of the driveway is maybe 2 feet over the entire 140 foot run. The original wall was not built on a level base, they just allowed the bottom layer of the wall to rise at whatever angle 2' is over 140' run. Is this a problem? For the replacement wall I'm going to use 80# cement wall blocks with the lip on the lower back edge to create a lean into the hillside. I'm going to set the wall on a rebar reinforced concrete slab that will be about 2-4" thick and 8-12" deep. Hoping this kind of base will allow me to build the rest of the wall more easily. But is that base layer slope okay? Or does it need to be level? Oh, max wall height will be under 4', due to local code.

 

[Thorny]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'll need to get some grease into the FEL joints. It's been a while since I've done that. I also learned today that the tractor actually has a fair bit more hydraulic force than I though it did when I run the motor at WOT. But it's only got 35 hours on it, so I'm trying not to push too hard unless I need to.

 

[D2Cat]

Need a tooth bar on the bucket.

 

[bxray]

You want to watch your break in time and not run wot.
And like wolfman said attack on an angle and try for smaller bites to break it up and then scoop it out

Need to grease it every 10 hours as well.

Ray

 

[Thorny]

Here's some pictures of the wall thats being replaced.

 

[Thorny]

struggling a bit with the photo uploader

 

[Greenhead]

A backhoe would be ideal. But you run what you got. I would look into retaining wall block. They can move a little. What ever you use, back fill with clear 3/4 stone for drainage. https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...wall-block/1794083/p-1444441419726-c-5787.htm

 

[Thorny]

I was looking at a rental backhoe yesterday. As for stones, I Just ordered some similar to that last comment, except twice as big.

 

[sgtboz]

Even on the L2501, your digging power can really get a boost from adding weight to your tractor. The difference can be pretty dramatic. And hitting it at an angle will make a huge difference as well. Good luck and thanks for the pics.

PS - a backhoe might not be absolutely necessary but it will be very effective and it sure will be fun if you can make it happen.

 

[Rdrett]

I did into the side of a mountain with my l2501 containing nothing but rock and clay and have not broken anything yet!
When it gets too hard to dig I point my bucket down a little and scrape the soil to loosen the soil.
You don’t want to point it straight down. Not quite 45 degrees.