Bobcat or tractor for leveling?

[Hermein]

The area where my mini barns will be put up has a slope of about 10 degrees. I’d rather they all be on the same plane, but haven’t been able to find a person who’s interested in doing a small grading job (73’ x 85’). Sooooo, i can rent a Bobcat from HomeDepot or a small tractor from a local rental place at about the same price.

I have driven a tractor, but not a Bobcat. Bobcats are said to be easier to manipulate than a tractor.

If I can’t find someone this coming week, i’ll have to go the diy route.

Advice, please re: Bobcat or tractor?

Thanks.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=Hermein;8840123]
The area where my mini barns will be put up has a slope of about 10 degrees. I’d rather they all be on the same plane, but haven’t been able to find a person who’s interested in doing a small grading job (73’ x 85’). Sooooo, i can rent a Bobcat from HomeDepot or a small tractor from a local rental place at about the same price.

I have driven a tractor, but not a Bobcat. Bobcats are said to be easier to manipulate than a tractor.

If I can’t find someone this coming week, i’ll have to go the diy route.

Advice, please re: Bobcat or tractor?

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Either will do the job fine, so will a bulldozer, or the ideal for that, a grader, that could straighten that best and fastest, in less than 1/2 hour.

If you have not driven skid loaders before, get one and have fun with it.
If you rent for the day, think about other places you can use it while you are paying for that time.

[Jim_in_PA]

I agree with Bluey…both can do the job. Do keep in mind that while you generally want the area level, you also need to grade/contour appropriately so that surface water coming off the hill is redirected away from where the buildings will be. There still also needs to be a very slight slope through the building area to insure that surface water also drains from there when it’s raining, etc. “Contour” matters!

[2miniB]

Skid steers tear up the ground more than a tractor, no matter how gentle you try to be. That said, we use ours when redoing the footing in the dry lots we have since it has the biggest bucket. Then we use the tractor to come smooth over what the skid steer tore up. If you’re maneuvering near a structure, it’s easier to get yourself into trouble with a skid steer. Especially if you’re not used to driving it.

Personally, I think going with a tractor would be better. You’ll have less clean up to do after, and it might be safer.

[neversaynever]

If you are just doing some simple grading, a tractor with a fel and a box blade (best if you can get one that tilts) would do the trick. If you are proficient with a tractor with a fel, you could probably do a pretty good job without the box blade. If you have to do a lot of excavation and dirt moving in compact and hard ground, a bobcat will knock it out a lot faster then a tractor. In this case, size does matter. The fel on a small tractor is just no match for one on a bobcat. The bobcat will also handle any tree roots or rocks a lot easier then a small tractor.

[clanter]

a slope of about 10 degrees.

did you mean 10 inches drop? a 10 degree slope is kind of steep

a 9.6 inch drop over a distance of 80 feet is a 1 degree slope

(just wondering as if it 10 degrees I think an earth mover and bulldozer would be better)

[tangledweb]

My high school trigonometry is a rusty, but I think an 80’ square at a 10 degree slope is 14’ higher at one end than the other. That’s not a trivial earth moving project regardless of whether you are moving half or bringing in fill.

[Hermein]

Thanks for your answers. The slope looks like 10 degrees, start to finish, if you’re visualizing a circle’s 90 and 45 degree angle marks from center to edge. I haven’t done the level tests (You Tube), but should before I do anything more.

Asking around, I’m told that it might be better to leave it as is for run off. It’s been so long since we’ve had actual rain, that I can’t imagine having run off–but, Murphy’s law being in control, it’ll probably be 40 days and 40 nights.

If anything, I think I should raise the low parts. Ideally, I’d make a pad for the whole horse area, but none of the neighbors seem to have done that.

[Color_of_Light]

[QUOTE=Hermein;8840123]
The area where my mini barns will be put up has a slope of about 10 degrees. I’d rather they all be on the same plane, but haven’t been able to find a person who’s interested in doing a small grading job (73’ x 85’). Sooooo, i can rent a Bobcat from HomeDepot or a small tractor from a local rental place at about the same price.

I have driven a tractor, but not a Bobcat. Bobcats are said to be easier to manipulate than a tractor.

If I can’t find someone this coming week, i’ll have to go the diy route.

Advice, please re: Bobcat or tractor?

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Instead of having it all on the same plane, you’ll want the slope to run away from all sides of the building to keep water from running inside. Picture crowned in the middle. Paddocks would also have a slope running away from where the gate is.

Given the choices of equipment, I’d go with a tractor with a 3 point hitch (easily adjust and angle the blade) and either blade or a box blade. I would not recommend doing the job yourself if you have not done excavating before, have never dealt with creating drainage, if you are not really proficient at handling a tractor and implements, or have barely driven a tractor. It’s too easy to gouge the ground and create low spots to trap water.

You might be able to hire a person with a decent size tractor and blade for $65-$100 an hour.

[Jim_in_PA]

The area when the pads have to go should be leveled (and slightly raised in most cases), but you should still be putting in swails and other accommodations to insure that ground water is directed away from the prospective buildings.

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=tangledweb;8842928]
My high school trigonometry is a rusty, but I think an 80’ square at a 10 degree slope is 14’ higher at one end than the other. That’s not a trivial earth moving project regardless of whether you are moving half or bringing in fill.[/QUOTE]

To put in perspective for anybody that skis. A beginner run is maybe 10 degrees at best.

Expert black diamond high 20’s to low 30s’ Double black diamond 35+ at best at most ski areas.

[goodhors]

You should probably rent a laser level to KNOW the correct degree of angle you truly have to start with, end with.

You really can’t tell level by looking. Features of the ground and dirt, where you stand, can fool your eyes pretty easily.

We put our barn on a raised pad area. It has been truly helpful in draining the volumes of rain water the roof collects, along with putting barn ABOVE the ground height for flooding. None of the flood water has gotten close to the barn doors because they are raised. This stays true during really heavy rainfall, 6" in a couple hours. Over 12" of water in a short time, plus the added drainage water from higher surrounding areas coming to fill our drainage ditches as water leaves. Makes you glad to live on the high side of the river!!

I know you want to save money, but how you build the “under pinnings” of your barn is a big deal. Drainage, both natural with the raised pad, French drains around the outside barn walls, leading roof water away, can make your barn fun to live with or a constant headache with mud inside and out.

I would definitely hire the work done, they KNOW how to move things because of much practice. They are good with angles, drainage of land surfaces because they have done a lot of it. Watching the guys come here to fix our drain tiles was amazing. They were so smooth, got things done quickly. We got excellent results in drainage and how the top surface looked when refilled. They made it look like it was such easy work! I have well over 40 hours with my tractor in ONLY moving dirt piles, leveling and smoothing things. I still have a lot to learn to be even close to a “good” earth mover.

Gravel pits often offer earth moving services. Lots of local contractors or small operations will work small jobs for you. Ask around for good contractor names that do good work.

[Hermein]

I found a man who is retired from the business of grading and excavating, but who has sons who took over his business. They can, they say, do it all. I am in the process of hiring them asap.

It’ll be expensive, but the bright side is I’ll lose some weight from living on small portions of ramen noodles for the next six months.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=Hermein;8846850]
I found a man who is retired from the business of grading and excavating, but who has sons who took over his business. They can, they say, do it all. I am in the process of hiring them asap.

It’ll be expensive, but the bright side is I’ll lose some weight from living on small portions of ramen noodles for the next six months.[/QUOTE]

That is smart, let the important jobs be done by those that do that for a living.
It will save you money and performance and aggravation if you were to do it and need to live with what didn’t work quite right afterwards.

[Jim_in_PA]

Yea, that’s probably a good decision. Grading is really, really difficult to change after the fact if it’s screwed up and the intervening water damage can be painful.

[goodhors]

Good choice.

[allons-y]

I’m glad you went the pro route. My horses and I still shudder over my “how hard could it be” grading debacle.

[Hermein]

I am the QUEEN of How Hard Can It Be. :lol:

Thanks for all the responses.