leveling a small yard

[EZTarget]

i have an area of my back yard that is about 20 x 30 which is borded by the following

neighbors fence
pool deck and my house 1/2 and 1/2
my fence
my house

from the neighbors fence the yard slopes down to my house so that any runoff ends up sitting at the foundation of the house.
anyways, i am wanting to level most of this save for a few feet off of the neighbors fence. at this point i would put a small retaining wall (~6inches high) so I don't have to screw with the utility easement.

question is will one of those little bobcat front end loaders be able to evenly scrape off about 3-5 inches of sod/top soil suffciently? someone told me it would have a hard time and just kind of bounce off of the ground and not really shave it off like i need.

[Lombardi]

It depends on how wet the ground is. The mini skidsteers have a lot of power but are limited if the soil is dry. If you have the space, I would use a full size skidsteer and get it done in half the time.

[EZTarget]

Originally posted by Lombardi
I would use a full size skidsteer and get it done in half the time.

thanks for the info. it is wet when i water it! :)

but seriously if that will help i can drench it. as for the size, it is kind of small and it does back up to my hose in the corner, my pool deck, and neighbhors fence. it is a little wider than the double gate (full size panels) so it is about 20 feet wide.

[landscapingpoolguy]

get a back hoe dig out what you need then scoop it up with the bucket and level

Chuck

[Scag48]

Use a skid steer. It will handle it just fine.

[D Felix]

An MT 50/52 will do it if that is what you are asking. Just make sure the bucket has teeth. That goes for whatever you are using. You may want one without teeth for clean-up, but definately one with teeth for digging....


Dan

[RedWingsDet]

what does a skid steer look like?

[EagleLandscape]

You've got to be kidding me...

http://www.bobcat.com/products/images/pro_SSL_S220_03.jpg

[EZTarget]

thanks for the info

[Scag48]

You don't even need teeth on a bucket to take out that kind of dirt. Just a skid steer with a bucket will do just fine. It'll be easy to finish grade it afterwords if you have a bucket with a smooth lip versus teeth on it.

[Strawbridge Lawn]

If dry Yes..If wet see if there is an an ASV dealer/Rental near you. An RC-30 will do the job. They are compact track loaders. I leveled a back yard and spread 15 CY compost in 1.5 hrs and had to move it from the front to the back to boo!
Best to you