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Mark Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 188 Virginia

2001-04-23          27113

Looking for some help grading a space for a shed. I plan to build a 16'x20' shed on land that currently has about a 5% pitch to it. The area is covered with grass and weeds and has not been touched in probably a hundred years. I have a B7500 with loader. Can I use a box blade or tiller in combination with the loader to excavate and level this space? Or would I be better off trying to rent a bobcat or small dozer for a day? Appreciate any thoughts.

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Alan L. Lewis Join Date: Posts: 1

2001-04-23          27114

Unless you have some really nasty soil (rocks etc) you should be able to handle it with your tractor. I dug about 6" out of a 16 X 20 area in heavy clay for a deck in about an hour with my 2710 - didn't even use the box blade because of space limitations. All I did was pull the dirt backwards with the loader. If you have a 5% slope I guess that means it drops a foot in the 20 feet. You could dig 6" from the high end and put it on the low end if that will work for you. ....

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mark Join Date: Posts: 1

2001-04-23          27116

I recently built a 40x60 shed. The ground that this sat on was fairly level but there was about a 12" drop from one corner to the other (across the 40' side). I used my tiller and box blade exclusively to move the necessary dirt around. I basically staked out the corners where the shed was to be built and strected a string level across to these stakes. I got the ground level to within 2" all the way around. So in my opinion a tiller, box blade, and a loader should be more than enough to get the job done. BTW I spent about 6hrs leveling out this 40x60 area without a loader.

Mark ....

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TomG Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley

2001-04-24          27147

I built a gravel pad for our 40' construction trailer last summer. I used 6' box and loader with 24hp. There was over a foot drop along the 50' length and side to side slope as well. Couple of comments: I cut the pad level as mentioned by moving material from high places to low. The grading left one end about 6"-8" below grade level. I used enough gravel to build the entire pad level and above grade. Otherwise, water would pool in the below grade area. I did almost all the work with the box. The loader was used mostly to lower a pile of gravel the dump truck hadn't spread and for some final compaction. I cut the side grade with the box by using the 3ph side-leveler. You can't cut a side grade different from the slope a tractor is on with a loader. The only way I can think of to cut a side grade with a loader is to go in a bunch of times from the side. I cut the pad before I got a hydraulic top-link to go with the box. It took awhile since I was hopping on and off the tractor to adjust the top-link as much as I was running the tractor. I got a hydraulic link in time to do the gravel work. World of difference--hydraulic top-links and box scrapers go together. All together, a fun project. Guess I like grading. Good luck with the project, but plan to take some time. It takes awhile to develop an eye for grading and a knack with the box. ....

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JonB Join Date: Posts: 1

2001-04-25          27198

Mark, I built a small "barn" two years ago. Like tractor size, sometimes I wish it was bigger. Anyway, the ground was rock hard and my tractor couldn't scratch it. But it only cost $250 cash to have someone with a big machine level and dig the foundation footings. There was a discount for cash but I think it was well worth it. Best of luck. JonB ....

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