STO...

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PHPaul
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Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:43 am
Location: Downeast Maine

STO...

Post by PHPaul »

Small Time Operator.
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The State DOT cleaned out a ditch across the road from me, and I managed to get all the spoil - about 60 yards, more or less. 6 dump truck loads in any event.
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I put the rock bucket (skeleton bucket) on the Cabota and used it to screen out the big chunks of roots, sod, rocks weeds and debris. Trash went in my home-built dump trailer.
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Then "Guido", my Pasquali 986 hauled the trailer down to a big hole on the back of the property...
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And dumped it.
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The "screened" spoil was hauled a bucketload at a time and dumped in low spots that hold water in the pasture. I'll let Mother Nature take care of seeding it, I'll just level it up with my box blade and pack it down a little and then mow around it for the rest of the year. We've had enough rain that I've been mowing around the puddles anyway.

I "screen" until the trailer is full, dump it, switch buckets and lug off what I've screened, switch back to the rock bucket, screen...rinse...repeat. I've got more than enough places that can use the fill, it'll all be gone in a couple of days if the weather cooperates,
Patria
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2019 9:21 pm
Location: Puerto Rico

Re: STO...

Post by Patria »

Good plan, fawteen, and nice pics!
GeneMO
Posts: 297
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:52 pm
Location: Speed Missouri

Re: STO...

Post by GeneMO »

I like that dump wagon set up. I have an old John Deere farm wagon, with hoist, but of course, have to have it hooked to the tractor for hydraulics.

Gene
PHPaul
Site Admin
Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:43 am
Location: Downeast Maine

Re: STO...

Post by PHPaul »

GeneMO wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2024 12:02 pm I like that dump wagon set up. I have an old John Deere farm wagon, with hoist, but of course, have to have it hooked to the tractor for hydraulics.

Gene
That went through a couple of iterations before I got it right, but it works slick now. Do wish I'd designed in a little more dump angle, but it works okay.
PHPaul
Site Admin
Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:43 am
Location: Downeast Maine

Re: STO...

Post by PHPaul »

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There is a drainage ditch that runs right next to my house. Several years ago, I had a 20 foot culvert installed near the road so I could get between my front and side yards without going out into the road. Works perfectly, but the bozos that installed it used ditch spoil as backfill and called it "loam". Bull-dooky. It's sand, gravel and rocks and never grew grass worth a damn. Even WEEDS struggle to survive. Got tired of looking at it and decided to fix it. Ran my 4' tiller up and down over the top of the culvert a couple of times and started scooping 4-6 inches of the crap off the top.

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I backfilled with good compost and some actual loam stolen from the garden. Topsoil tends to be pretty thin here on the "rockbound coast of Maine" and therefore quite precious. I'm blessed to live in an old river/creek delta and have several inches of good loamy topsoil.

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It's the wrong time of year to be trying to start grass, but I seeded it anyway and will water the dickens out of it. If it takes, good, if not I'll hit it again in cooler weather this Fall.
Patria
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2019 9:21 pm
Location: Puerto Rico

Re: STO...

Post by Patria »

Paul, for me, it's the wrong time of the year for anything as it's so warm/hot the only flower gardening I'm doing is indoors, containers' garden in the porch and it's looking goooood.

Thanks for your follow up!
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