digging a 20m by 50m pond?

About 600mm of dry peat over stiff clay, stripped peat simply to be levelled over the adjacent fields, the underlying clay to be dug out to build a bank around, so no clay being re-located or carted away.
Is it worth hiring in a 20 tonne digger, for the extra reach?
As opposed to the usual 10/13 tonne machine.
cheers
marcus
 
About 600mm of dry peat over stiff clay, stripped peat simply to be levelled over the adjacent fields, the underlying clay to be dug out to build a bank around, so no clay being re-located or carted away.
Is it worth hiring in a 20 tonne digger, for the extra reach?
As opposed to the usual 10/13 tonne machine.
cheers
marcus

Need to be careful, had a similiar job in mind last year, local plant operator gave me a decent quote, started the job, got a more lucrative offer for his plant and buggered off leaving the job half done.
Plant operators apparently look for these 'little jobs.' To keep their machines and operatives 'ticking over' between big jobs.
They know the our protests and howls over a 2/3k project wont register in the 'big boys' scheme of things.
barstewards, that they are, I'm left with five acres that look like the Somme battlefields.
 
Thanks for the above, I was of the opinion that a Bulldozer was the best tool for stripping and moving soil at anything up to 100m.
And had planned to put in a larger, i.e. about 50m by 60m pond using a bulldozer, but took cold feet,
mostly due to being unsure if my roof water runoff would keep the larger pond fresh/refreshed.
However with my revised 20m by 50m I figured a 20 tonne digger was prob the best tool for both excavating and shaping the banks.
and on our subsoil i.e. stiff impervious "blue/gray" clay, bulldozer type compaction should not be needed to ensure water retention.
Still pondering, but getting unsettled/anxious due to our current inordinately dry weather leaving ground conditions perfect for such excavation works.
BUT
No doubt the day I start will bring the rain on !
cheers all
marcus
 
If I use my usual local contractor, I know who I want, one Jack Christie, but der Bossman is more than a little evasive about the likelyhood of getting young Jack.
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
Bigger the better - find out in your area who the best operators are mind! A awesome operator on a 13t machine will outperform a crap 20t operator anyday! Having someone with style and finesse is worth far more than what’s between their legs!
Agree completely. We did a similar pond with 6 feet of peat, some clay and rock at one end. The bucket smears the clay layer making it seal and the peat compacted over the exposed rock worked too. Still holding water 15 years later with ducks, moorhen, oyster catchers and swans all hatched young there this year
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Agree completely. We did a similar pond with 6 feet of peat, some clay and rock at one end. The bucket smears the clay layer making it seal and the peat compacted over the exposed rock worked too. Still holding water 15 years later with ducks, moorhen, oyster catchers and swans all hatched young there this year
It very much depends on the quality of the clay and wetness if smearing works. There have been many ponds dug and never held a drop.
In days of old when making a pond, they would dig it out , spread clay then straw and after a good rain you drove cattle round and round in it, to puddle it.
Judging by the oudoor pig units round here having some pigs in the pit would do the same job they can make breckland sand hold water, only on somee units I hasten to add , before a certain pig man pulls me up :)
 
No need to worry about land drains, they are all just on top of the clay, not more than 600mm down.
And regardless of the machine or its tracks or wheels "our" clay is virtually self-puddling.
cheers
mth
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Need to be careful, had a similiar job in mind last year, local plant operator gave me a decent quote, started the job, got a more lucrative offer for his plant and buggered off leaving the job half done.
Plant operators apparently look for these 'little jobs.' To keep their machines and operatives 'ticking over' between big jobs.
They know the our protests and howls over a 2/3k project wont register in the 'big boys' scheme of things.
barstewards, that they are, I'm left with five acres that look like the Somme battlefields.

Give them notice to complete the job and, if they don't, get someone else and invoice the first contractors. "Rogue Traders" has heaps of examples of this.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
When the contractor dug a duck pond for the shoot I managed, he said no lining was necessary. He'd done a lot for the RSPB and had never once had to line it. His advice was just to dig it deeper than the water table.

I was dubious because the site for the pond was on higher ground above my farm. To reassure me, he dug test pits and we left them a few weeks to see what would happen. They filled up, the pond was dug, and it has held water ever since. With peat and clay, the pond will be sealed anyway. No need for straw or cattle. I've photos somewhere and will see if I can dig them out.
 
My putative pond will be more a reservoir, in that I intend to fill/replenish it from roof run-off, otherwise only acidic, and significently sub-surface peaty run-off water from the Moss.
Simply because rather than pay to cart the clay away, I calculate I can usefully use it to build banks around the pond, within certain perimeter/size constraints.
We currently got 3 roofs, the house, about 15m by 10m and 2 sheds, each nominal a 10m by 20m, about 550m2 in total, plus rainfall over the surface area of the pond.
I also intend to erect another 10m by 20m shed.
I attempted to do research for nett rainfall, i.e. less evaporative losses for our Co. Antrim climate without much success.
Fingers crossed.
Marcus
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
My putative pond will be more a reservoir, in that I intend to fill/replenish it from roof run-off, otherwise only acidic, and significently sub-surface peaty run-off water from the Moss.
Simply because rather than pay to cart the clay away, I calculate I can usefully use it to build banks around the pond, within certain perimeter/size constraints.
We currently got 3 roofs, the house, about 15m by 10m and 2 sheds, each nominal a 10m by 20m, about 550m2 in total, plus rainfall over the surface area of the pond.
I also intend to erect another 10m by 20m shed.
I attempted to do research for nett rainfall, i.e. less evaporative losses for our Co. Antrim climate without much success.
Fingers crossed.
Marcus

If there's a moss, that would surely indicate a high water table? Dig some test pits.
 
Well, ackeurley, since me like,
as a long-time-studied-but-failed-der-finals like,
Civil Engineering student, Ex. fermers Son like,
an wot as lived ere for some 22 years,
"does not compute, like!" re ground water/Moss run-off, as the above suggestion.
p.s.
surplus clay/subsoil is intended to be pushed* up into banks above current ground level, to provide an "infiniti" type pool/pond, I hope!
And will still be below eye level viewing from the garden room
*(That is to "lose" the clay/subsoil in these superimposed banks/berms.)
 
Location
Suffolk
It very much depends on the quality of the clay and wetness if smearing works. There have been many ponds dug and never held a drop.
In days of old when making a pond, they would dig it out , spread clay then straw and after a good rain you drove cattle round and round in it, to puddle it.
Judging by the oudoor pig units round here having some pigs in the pit would do the same job they can make breckland sand hold water, only on somee units I hasten to add , before a certain pig man pulls me up :)
Called 'oxing about'!
SS
 

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