Pole shed prep site with mf275?

[hellothere123]

Building a 40x60 pole shed. I need to remove the black dirt about 1 foot to be removed in the high side.

Question is do I hire it out to contractor with a skid steer or save the money and do it with my 1978 mf275? I’ve been told my tractor isn’t really meant for that kind of job, so that’s why I’m asking.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I'd hire it out the fergie is not meant for that work and will be a lot of dirt to move with it and dirt like snow both take power and weight to move them. You will be a month doing it and the skid steer or dozer will be hours. then if you planm it right they can spread your fill for you for probably not much addtional cost.you can play with the fine leveling to get some seat time in. ARe you planning on doing this before or after the poles are set? I would dig it out then set the poles. IF you fill with stone you don't want expensive stong going down your hole as you dig them. Then back fill with stone when you set the pole. The stone will have the poles solid as if they had been there about a year if tamped as they are filled. Did some for dad last fall that way and they were a lot better than just back filling with dirt.

 

[560Dennis]

I Would suggest hiring out to someone that will landscape the building and surround area, best money you can spend.
If not then water will come into the building, freeze and heave the doors you won’t be able to get into the building as example. Can think of more ,but one should be good .
that building needs to be a foot above grade in my opinion, good luck .

 

[Aaron SEIA]

I prepped a 20x104 lean to with an Allis Chalmers D17. Dirt scoop and a lot of hours moving dirt. Saved me a bunch of money. A couple years before I had the 60x104 main building prep hired out. That took a lot of fill and a dozer.
AaronSEIA

 

[hellothere123]

Experience is really what I’m paying for. Knowing slope and how to grade is worth something. Thanks

 

[MarkB_MI]

You can do a lot of site preparation with your tractor and a box scraper. I prepared the site for my 30x40 shop with my Ford 4000 and box scraper. BUT the important thing is to do it right so you have proper drainage on all four sides. I had some previous experience because my dad was in that business, and the site was reasonably level to start with. I had several truckloads of fill hauled in to get a proper building pad. Your building is much bigger than that and it sounds like it's on a hillside, so it might make sense to get a contractor to do the work.

As for hiring 'a contractor with a skid steer', let me you about my BIL's pole barn. He hired some random guy with a skid steer to prep his site, which was on a hillside. The guy just scraped off the topsoil and called it good without once getting out a transit or level. One side was two feet higher than the other. I tried to tell my BIL it was no good but he wouldn't listen. (He's a bit of a cheapskate.) We got it built, although a couple of the posts ended up too short and needed to be spliced. After the first rain, the low side was full of water! He ended up selling the place, so it was never fixed right.

Do it right. You need an elevated pad so water can drain away from the building on all four sides. It's much cheaper to build a proper pad before you've put up the building. Good luck.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Building a 40x60 pole shed. I need to remove the black dirt about 1 foot to be removed in the high side.

Question is do I hire it out to contractor with a skid steer or save the money and do it with my 1978 mf275? I’ve been told my tractor isn’t really meant for that kind of job, so that’s why I’m asking.

I did the dirt prep work for both my pole barns. What you need is a rotating laser. I bought a DeWalt laser, tripod and stick with a detector for around $800 about 20 years. I used my Ford Jubilee with disk to break up the sod and my little terramite to move the sod to a compost pile.
I built 30x40 pole barns, If I did the math correctly every inch the grade is off is 100 cubic feet of concrete. 27 cubic feet is a yard of concrete. A yard of concrete costs about $100. So, it doesn't take long to pay for a rotating laser level. After I got the ground laser level, it takes a good rain to settle the dirt. I used my 5000 pound roller to pack the dirt. I hired a good friend and concrete finisher to put down a 6 inch floor with wire after the pole barn was built. He used a Georgia buggy and my rotating laser to set the concrete grade with. I have yet to have any of my concrete finishers work crack or settle. Both floors were a continuous pour, The only forms were the boards on the side of the pole barn. Don't go cheap on the floor. My concrete finisher won't use concrete with fiberglass or rebar. He only uses wire.

Make sure the pad of your barn is the highest point so rainwater will run away not towards the barn.

I wanted to build a pole barn on an empty lot next to my house.
Area planning said no pole barn unless there is a house on it.
I had my empty 3/4 acre lot attached to my houses lot.
So do your homework before building.
I know a man who didn't do his homework and was forced to remove his pole barn after it was built.

Talk to your county assessor first, I wanted a bigger pole barn than a 30x40.
The assessed value of a large pole would cost me more in property taxes than my 3 bedroom brick 2000 ft house with basement and 2 car garage.
I settled for going taller and adding a loft. I use my Kubota to lift objects to the second floor.
That cut my property taxes in half. Go taller vs bigger.
If I had it to do again, I would have gone 14.5 feet vs 14.
I strongly recommend having vented eaves, ridge vent, and clear siding under the eves,
The Amish built this barn in 2 days. The cost in 2019 was $16500 without the floor. I did the wiring.
Please do your homework,

 

[used red MN]

If you decide to do any of this I would recommend having a well weighted 2 or 3 bottom mold plow on the back of your tractor. Run a couple passes with the plow and then scoop what you have turned over and is loose, much easier on your tractor. If you get down very far and there are trees within 50 to a 100 feet of the area you will encounter tree roots.

 

[Ray,IN]

I hired an expert in ground work, it was well-worth the money. If you get some low places DIY, they must be filled-in of course. That creates some problems, untouched dirt is already compacted and settled, it takes the right equipment to compact fill dirt and even then it will further settle after concrete is poured. This can create a void under the concrete. The rest I leave to your thoughts.
OTOH, if you are planning on a dirt floor, have at it!

 

[moresmoke]

Depends what you have to work with. Various pieces of tillage equipment can be used to loosen the soil and make it easier to handle. Some loaders are easier to control than others. Box blades work well for final finishing. If budget is an issue, there is also the option of renting a skid steer depending where you are. You can also rent things like a laser level. Level can also be measured with a clear hose and water.

Now if you have the budget and time is of the essence, by all means hire it done if you want. The only reason I have most of what I do is because I have been willing to do the work myself.

 

[da.bees]

Your question is simplistic to say the least. People over at Orange Tractor Talk cheer owners of 18-25 hp tractors on for much larger jobs than yours. Then the experts here at YT pass the MF275 off as a weak kneed machine incapable of meaningful work. Out here in the real world a busy 3 truck family sand and gravel operation hands cards out for a retired neighbor with a Ford 1920 equipped with fel and box scraper.

A track-hoe teamed up with a crawler tractor can't make a dirt man from a soda jerk but a 2400 sq ft pad is easily within capability of a MF275 and competent operator.

 

[Not db4600]

Building a 40x60 pole shed. I need to remove the black dirt about 1 foot to be removed in the high side.

Question is do I hire it out to contractor with a skid steer or save the money and do it with my 1978 mf275? I’ve been told my tractor isn’t really meant for that kind of job, so that’s why I’m asking.

Use your 275.
Back in 75 when the 275 was introduced 90% of the world was using a Case 580 or reasonable faccimile to do this job because the best skid steer was a 610.

 

[MarkB_MI]

If you decide to do any of this I would recommend having a well weighted 2 or 3 bottom mold plow on the back of your tractor. Run a couple passes with the plow and then scoop what you have turned over and is loose, much easier on your tractor. If you get down very far and there are trees within 50 to a 100 feet of the area you will encounter tree roots.

If you decide to do any of this I would recommend having a well weighted 2 or 3 bottom mold plow on the back of your tractor.

The extendible ripper teeth on a box scraper will do a good job of breaking up hard soil and tearing out smaller tree roots. Any tree root too big for the scraper's teeth you won't want to hit with a plow. Or skid steer, for that matter.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I did the dirt prep work for both my pole barns. What you need is a rotating laser. I bought a DeWalt laser, tripod and stick with a detector for around $800 about 20 years. I used my Ford Jubilee with disk to break up the sod and my little terramite to move the sod to a compost pile.
I built 30x40 pole barns, If I did the math correctly every inch the grade is off is 100 cubic feet of concrete. 27 cubic feet is a yard of concrete. A yard of concrete costs about $100. So, it doesn't take long to pay for a rotating laser level. After I got the ground laser level, it takes a good rain to settle the dirt. I used my 5000 pound roller to pack the dirt. I hired a good friend and concrete finisher to put down a 6 inch floor with wire after the pole barn was built. He used a Georgia buggy and my rotating laser to set the concrete grade with. I have yet to have any of my concrete finishers work crack or settle. Both floors were a continuous pour, The only forms were the boards on the side of the pole barn. Don't go cheap on the floor. My concrete finisher won't use concrete with fiberglass or rebar. He only uses wire.

Make sure the pad of your barn is the highest point so rainwater will run away not towards the barn.

I wanted to build a pole barn on an empty lot next to my house.
Area planning said no pole barn unless there is a house on it.
I had my empty 3/4 acre lot attached to my houses lot.
So do your homework before building.
I know a man who didn't do his homework and was forced to remove his pole barn after it was built.

Talk to your county assessor first, I wanted a bigger pole barn than a 30x40.
The assessed value of a large pole would cost me more in property taxes than my 3 bedroom brick 2000 ft house with basement and 2 car garage.
I settled for going taller and adding a loft. I use my Kubota to lift objects to the second floor.
That cut my property taxes in half. Go taller vs bigger.
If I had it to do again, I would have gone 14.5 feet vs 14.
I strongly recommend having vented eaves, ridge vent, and clear siding under the eves,
The Amish built this barn in 2 days. The cost in 2019 was $16500 without the floor. I did the wiring.
Please do your homework,
View attachment 115284 View attachment 115284

I used my 5000 pound roller to pack the dirt.

A well-ballasted tractor dragging a box scraper will do a decent job of compacting loose soil. For the final compaction of my floor after putting up the posts and rim boards and before pouring concrete, I rented a vibratory plate compactor.