in the dirt again, just can’t wait to get in the dirt again, the life I love is makin’ pond holes with my friends, In the dirt again, seeing places I’ve never dug, makin’ pond holes with my friends, And I can’t wait to get in the dirt again.
Betty doesn't like Mud, remember she is a DIVA. Watching you dig the pond with the grading bucket, shows how important cleaning land right the 1st time is. Once you clear the spot by the stock pile you have started, you'll be able to spread all the mud you are moving now. I hope the weather that came through Tennessee didn't cause too much problems, we don't need anything else slowing down your progress. Robert is A GREAT FRIEND TO HAVE. Thank you so much for the GREAT VIDEO.
I can never decide what I like more.. 1. You saving equipment. 2. You playing in mud. 3. You doing pond work. Thanks Chris for sharing your work. It's been great watching you fine tune your skills over the years., In my opinion, You have truly become a Master of your Craft.
Patricia, I first stumbled upon Chris and letsdig 18 about a year ago, while watching videos about heavy equipment fails. The recommended video was where Chris rescued the rental excavator from the muck and mire, in UNDER 2 hours! Let's just say, I've contributed quite a number of views on that video !
@@classrockin Ive been going for about 4 yrs now maybe 5...Never knew much or kept up with anthing in the field work etc, Though watching this almost daily for lunch or dinner here at my desk has turned into a part of my life. / Highly suggest checking out Shawn over at Gate City Foundation Drainage....He has an excellent channel, he is also a nature lover & a biologist, he saves all kinds of creatures & explains random facts along the way.
@@classrockin That was an amazing save! I've watched Chris since his days of 1 minute videos, His skill is so so sweet. He runs his excavator as if it were his arm and hand instead of a machine.
Every now and then I go back to the 'working on old equipment' videos from a few years ago, like the backhoe or one of the older excavators, the backhoe one I'm thinking of was hilarious with lots of grumbling and sarcasm
@Patricia Baird Oh absolutely! My first full time job was working for a construction company. I drove the Lowboy and operated various types of heavy equipment. While I never operated their excavators, I would occasionally try to run one with the operator coaching me. It is SO much harder than Chris makes it appear! He's truly a master of the trade
That hay field is gorgeous for sure. Betty dear old thing - oh well. Clever ladder work. Whilst watching the beginning of the head section of the pond I thought how lovely to go for a walk through those beautiful trees beside the pond - you really are a sculptor LetsDig18.
Hey Chris, after years of watching your videos I rented a Cat 303 mini this past weekend. I now have an even higher level of appreciation for your skills. You are the Man! It will be a while before I ride a bucking bronco again!
It just seems like yesterday that you purchased the property. Already you have improved & enlarged the rye grass pasture, tidied up around the old pond, put in a road to where the cabins will be, got the fenced moved, cleared the area for the new pond. Now you are actually starting on building that pond. Excellent work Chris, take care & cheers😊
You can tell how wet the ground is when you go to dig a bucket full and the whole machine slides forward as you dig. Can’t wait to see the pond when you are done. Looks like it should have a good water supply.
Seeing the green in the rye field is such a blessing! Excited to see the progress of new pond. Thank u so much for video. God's blessings and be careful!
Do what we do up North, Chris. Sign on the street. Free topsoil. You load, you take an away. Great video, Chris! Again, thoroughly enjoyed the outside the cab part!
From the amount of water that’s already collected in the part you’ve cut out I don’t think it’s going to take long for your pond to fill up. I really enjoy watching you build ponds so I know I’ll enjoy watching you build one for yourself. I’m sure it’s going to take a while to build this one with it being a side project that you work on when you have time between all your paying projects. I’ll be here watching until it’s completed. I’ll be here watching all of your videos just like I have since I found your channel.
I am impressed with how you have developed this new section, and put it to its best use. With each post, I continue to see the vision that you had when you first acquired this new property.
You need an 8’ double rung ladder for fences, we always had one and built a couple from wood to keep at various buildings around the farms and a lot of times we left them over the fence because we forgot them....never had a cow climb over either😂
On your hayfield, I suggest you go with a granular, time-release fert on your next application. You've got the poly spreader and would last longer than the foliar spray. But enough'a that like you said! Love the new pond and road - everything about your place! You're building quite an estate! Enjoy!!!
Farm's looking great! That hay field is gorgeous, wish we had some land around central IN that rolled and drained like that, even pastures around me are just a muddy mess right now. (Guessing Chris already knows this, and it doesn't really apply to cows, but I've spent too much time reading about this and I gotta share it) Alfalfa and Timothy-heavy pastures can be dangerous for some horses - if they eat too much wet, sweet grass they can colic, causing gas and bloating in the stomach (the #1 killer of horses!). When baled it loses almost all the water, down to about 8% moisture, and a good portion of the sugars. Horses in the wild rarely eat short grasses - sugar content is high especially in the afternoon, and they get no more benefit from sugar than we do. They tend to eat the seed pods off of tall grasses for a large portion of their diet, lots of fats and proteins that their bodies process into short- and long-term energy. I've spent the past few years working with a local vet and a few horse owners on various diets for horses, mostly gathering info on what works best for them and sharing a few recommendations. High-fat, high-protein diets work amazing especially with a few supplements, flax seed, etc. As a side benefit to a low-sugar diet, there is little or no fermentation in their stomachs and the by-products (crap) is amazingly less unpleasant. Yeah, I know, nobody asked, but I think it's cool.
That pond is going to be sweet when done. I have a question: have you thought of having a waterfall where the creek enters the pond? When the creek is dry, yeah nothing but when it's running, the sounds are so soothing and would be so nice for the guests in your cabins. You are creating a place I would love to visit. On another note, I loved the camera angle you first used on Betty. Watching you move those levers and pedals like a conductor directing an orchestra was so fascinating. You are so skilled and are a pleasure to watch. Glad Robert was available to assist, and I thank you for sharing.
He is going to have to keep the pond level really low or back the creek up so it’s higher than the pond when it enters the actual pond so it can fall. Pretty challenging. I like the falls idea and maybe an artificial set of falls would work. It would still be very nice. 😊
@@Vickie-Bligh - that might just work and it would be a simple little safe waterfall for the guests to enjoy. (I tend to overthink things,,, heh heh. Sorry.)
In Florida with typical shallow groundwater we would dig the entire far slope cut and make a large windrow. That rim ditch drains out the work area for truck access. Keep it pumped down a week or two before hauling and you can usually drive everywhere.
Best part about clearing a spot that will be fill, no need to burn. Cut the logs you want, leave the rest lay. Push the fill right on to top of them. Quick and easy
Being as I grew up on a farm, I can’t say as I’ve ever seen a farmer use a ladder to go over a fence! I suppose it might be totally horrible to bend that woven wire a little! Also, wouldn’t want any dirt on the gravel road I just put in! 😊😈. Best wishes, Kevin
Grass looks Fabulous - yes it does . Give Betty some Workout . Poor Betty ! Ash Hauling Work - a little Tricky but You are always up for a Challenge and Mastering it - well done - Good Ladder Idea ! Start of the Pond Work and it will be the Perfect Spot for that Pond ! Great Camera Angle ! Good Progress . Many Cheers from Australia !!!!
The way you know you property I didn’t even notice the fence was moved! Everything looks great though my friend! 👌🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻. You almost need the mats! Everything is still soft! Probably hard as a rock during the summer! That grading bucket does such a awesome job cutting the new pond bank! Good thing you’re the expert, I’d get nervous the first time the excavator slid! lol 😂
I admire your technique dealing with the wet conditions. It can be surprising how soft ground can hold up at first and then just break down. I have found myself using that trick you used with Betty. It was just with a farm tractor, not as heavy as your your Kitty Cat.
Howdy Chris i do believe you will have no problem getting the pond full no matter how deep you go you have good run off most every where in the area and your field dose look promising 👍😎🇺🇸NY
Stuck is when you require another machine to pull/dig you out ,that was just a RU-vid demo on how to 😅 Maybe build some mini mountains of soil,make some areas interesting for the people who stay in the cabins , especially children. Looks like your pond will fill quicker than the BealyGood 5 acre 😅
My guess is that the rock layer is an underground stream that keeps things wet down below. Might have to find where that goes to be sure to dam it as well when doing the core trench.
Always glad to see you being able to work on your own place and being able to do it for yourself. (That effort going into your own pocket,) Cheers Not sure what your final intention for your place is, but I heard you mention cabins at one stage. If you have so much extra material, is it worth considering using the extra material to create some elevated sites for the cabins to give a small view (only 2-3 meters high). It always seems better to look out over and down around the area you’re in. just a thought….
That new cut is filling up pretty fast. It is unfortuanate that the 977 wasn't able to do any work today. Great video, I will watch it again tonight :)
Definitely no place for Betty at the start. That’s a nice start to the pond and i will be watching it progress, wish you the best sir, stay to the plan, its going to work.
So Chris starts his Pond on April Fools weekend and even has a witness that it’s Official…!!! 👌🥳 Don’t mess this pond up now Chris, as Everyone Knows you are the Pond Master. 😎👍✅
The good lord has really blessed you Chris. Love seeing your progress on your farm and your land! How much land do you have and curious about if you hunt on any of it if you have any that’s not occupied by cows? Also how many cows do you have and do you have any other animals like horses or other farm animals. I seen you had a new calf born back in the cold months! How’s it getting along now?
Po Betty, she got turned into a mud bath Queen. Almost needed a rescue. It's always a goody gumdrop Sunday evening when a new Chris Letsdig18 episode pops up in my feed and Chris is working on a pond. Especially if it's his pond. It's definitely nice to get a little help from a friend like Robert. Thanks for the entertainment Chris. Wife wants a Sunday movie night later so this'll fill in some time till she's off her phone later.
Chris you are the pond King as soon as you start digging the water flows from the ground a little muddy but great start to your new pond oh by the way did you bring scuba gear for the 220
I think the only problem you're going to have with this one is that nature wants to fill it up faster then you're digging it. That means it should be beautiful when it's done.
You need a couple of those spring loaded handles to put on your fence wires, that way when you need to cross with a piece of equipment or a 4 wheeler all you have to do is unhook that section, and you have a automatic gate. Really inexpensive and only takes seconds to take down and put right back up. Farm is looking real nice. May have to hire you in a couple years to build a pond, because my wife and I are going to be building our retirement home on some family farm land on the outside of Fuquay Varina!
Ol' Betty was going down quick !! lolol... But, you saved her in the nick of time...lolol... Yeah, I was wondering myself just how long the it would take the Off Road truck to mess up your trail you had in there, figured you would have to make another one pretty soon...lolol.... May be by opening up the Head Section it will let all the water drain on out of the ground above it ?? we'll see next time, I guess !! lolol... Oh Man, I just knew you was going to get covered up , when you dropped that first bucket into the Off Road Truck but, ya got lucky and had the window down !! lololol... Great as always Chris !! Have a Great Evening Man, And, On too the Next !! " I'm Sinking, I'm Sinking" !! lmao.....
Beautiful hay field! Thick stuff Chris! Pond Master attack brother! Good to see Betty on the job and she’s awesome! WOW, That’s some soft stuff and good save brother, that’s what you call EXPERIENCE my friend! That’s why you’re the MASTER !
Chris: Pray tell why didst thou not put in a strategic gate between the two farms. Sure would save driving all the way around. Also, it appears you could use a rock screen, probably with a 4-5 inch mesh. Thanks for the video. Jon
Ole Barney has his own pond going there Chris! At least you didn’t get your windshield brother, nothing comes easy brother! I have that down Pat with everything I do my friend! lol used to someone driving! 😂😂😂
Topsoil could almost be a crop!! Great episode. Especially warmed to the sequence of events and the narrative taking us on the journey. Would like to see some plant life on that fence. Maybe the kind that low grows and bushes out for a great wildlife habitat. Hawthorn springs to mind. A good herd animal deflector, looks pretty in white in spring and gives a great undulating greeness through the summer. Also keeps out unwanted humans ;-) . Forgot to add - RU-vid Gold
