howdy,
i need to redo my backyard for the my 1-1/2 year old daughter to play in this summer. it’s just weeds right now. i’d like to do a nice job, and one of the issues is that the back yard slops down towards the house. it’s not bad, maybe 18inches over 30 feet. i’d like to “fix” this grade the other way and put in a low retaining wall near my back fence.
now, i’d really love to use a bobcat or some other power beast to do this, but i have limited space around the side of the house. can i use one of those 3 foot wide mini bobcat’s to grade the back? and if so, how do you actually do it (never having using a loader)? do i need to till up the dirt and then drag it backwards with the loader? can i just cut in going forward with the loader? is the little loader to small?
also, as far as the 2 foot retaining wall, i was planning on interlocking blocks. do i need to install a drainpipe behind the wall, or is a wimply enough situation where that doesn’t matter? along the 50′ fence are planted a row of 20 trees, so it’s very “rooty” behind the desired wall location.
thanks!
Replies
I was picturing in my mind a pile of old Ryobi, dewalt, b&d, harbor freight, skil, generic chinese, and Odd Lots power tools filling in the low spot.
What kind of soil? Rock hard, sandy, rocky, etc, etc?
How big is the area?
If the soil is really hard the little machines can have a hard time breaking it up, it's possible, but time consuming. When we have limited access and can't fit the skid steer or the power rake on our New Holland, we rent a walk behind dingo (bobcat makes a similar version to the dingo, forgot the name/numbers for it) with a grading blade, if the soil is really hard, we also get the rototiller attachment for the front. till up the soil then push or pull it with the blade to create the desired grade. If your moving 18" of soil you may have to keep switching attachments, the tiller can only go down so deep. Till, move, till, move.
As for the retaining wall.........I'd put in the drain, better to be safe then sorry. You've allready got the area dug out, get the drain pipe and a role of filter fabric (maybe 100 bucks) and back fill with some 3/4" stone. You'll sleep better at night.
"a row of 20 trees........very "rooty"", If you want the trees to have as long a life as possible, do what you can to not disturb the root systems. Like moving the retaining wall away from the root system. In 20 years your trees will be happier. But if you have to cut into the tree roots, make as clean a cut as possible.
thanks for the info. it's a clay soil. the rough area is 55'x30', but there's a patio and giant tree that isn't moving a whole lot. i'll need the tiller attachment anyway, to prep for the new lawn, so i'll try going back and forth with attachments based on how rough it is going.any hints on how long to wait after rain before going at the mucky muddy dirt?and, i'll do the right thing with drainage behind the wall. should know better than to skimp on things. ;-)
DYI, I couldn't touch the price or quality I got in my back yard from an experienced bobcat pilot. Now, I didn't get the fun of driving the thing around, but the slope was perfect. Also, it's always a pleasure to watch an artist at work!
As a general principle, drainage is always a good idea. Weather and soil conditions will dictate just how critical it is in your situation. For a 2' wall the interlocking blocks work great, and some of the split-face blocks look great.
I considered this to fix my backyard. I really wanted to play around, but I got a contractor with a trackhoe with a blade on it, and he did it in a day and a half, and did a great job.
It's unlikely I would have gotten as good of a job as I did, and I'm pretty sure I would have paid as much or more in rental fees.