Watching these videos is great. It has helped me learn to better use my bobcat to grade and level dirt a great deal. We bought 7 acres in Polk and when we got it unknown to us there were several spots on the property that held large amounts of water. I had started using friends equipment to try to correct the issues but was not able to keep the equipment long enough to make a difference. Also dirt was around $170/load at the time and it was getting expensive. To give you an idea we trucked in 10 loads of dirt and it filled in one spot that was low on the side yard and that was it. We made a relationship with 2 local construction companies for them to dump their scrapings for free. Then the floodgates opened and dirt was coming in 5 and 10 loads at a time and I had no way to move it so I bought an S220 used and have taught myself since then by watching professionals like you and learning. We now have about 180 loads of dirt spread and when it rains now we have hardly any standing water on our property and where it does sit it's only an inch or 2 and goes away within a few hours. It used to pool in the worst areas 10-15" deep and sit for WEEKS! By using the techniques I've learned by watching you guys I've displaced the water from my property and guided it to the ditch on the front and side of our land. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience with us, it DOES help us!
Charles Lewer they’re few and far between, I really think I was exhausted and dehydrated that day. I have had back surgery in 2012 from injuries in the 2011 tornado but it hasn’t bothered me since the surgery. Thanks again appreciate the comment
@@eliteearthworksllc I was hit head on about 28 years ago and continued to operate injured. C4,5,&6 fused do to massive herniation brought about by muscle spasm while laying in bed. I came home the night before dehydrated and with a hell of a migraine. I enjoy watching you work. I hope you can do it as long as you want to.
Charles Lewer oh man I’m really sorry to hear that! Mine was my L4 and L5. Hope things are good for you now or at least not painful every day. Appreciate the kind words operating is definitely my passion
I would have destroyed the driveway and the porch if I were operating the skid steer. That's exactly why I leave this type of work to the professionals. Have a blessed weekend.
A 4in1 bucket, with a grapple might be sure handy, for all the junk you have to pick up, plus alotta rocks! Thanx for another great video. "Gary in Oregon "
In my unlicensed medical opinion 😂the best thing for a headache is to take Mrs. E .2x and call In the morning to let us know you're still kicking.😂If you can't manage that Lol. Two Tylenol Two ibuprofen and slam a Dew or Dr. Pepper ( my go to). Hot humid days are my trigger when I'm in and out of the AC alot. Nice job on the yard!
Brian Webber 🤣 I think your medical advice is spot on! I will let her know I have doctors orders 🤣. Yeah I’m the same way that’s why I try to stay in the cab. Thanks again
Nice job, Brandon. You never cease to amaze me with the tricks you have up your sleeve to get this stuff "ironed" out. I think you were smart to pick up that junk in the beginning with the skid steer - every time you bent over to pick up a piece of wood your head would have felt like it was exploding more!
When you picked up the two boards in front of the porch, you had me tilting my phone back try'n to pick them up also... STOP THAT! 😂😂😂jk. LOL!! Looks move-in ready to me, my friend. 👍👍GREAT job Brandon!!!
Great video. I would love to watch one with you narrating what you are looking at on the ground as far as guides and what you do with the controls. Float push pull drag etc. you make it look easy! Nice job. Definitely subscribed
Thank you! That’s a good idea, I don’t really do the best job at explaining why or what I’m doing when it comes to grading. I need to work on that. Appreciate you watching
I have a side yard with a slope like that. From my house foundation to street fence is 16 ft and is about 60ft long (about 960 sq feet on the side yard space)....still trying to figure out how to make the space as flat as possible so we can use it. the rest of my yard is pretty flat but is just the last 16ft where it starts to drop down towards the street fence.. I live in the city on a corner lot. I don't know if I should take out dirt from the high end to level it out. If I do it this way that piece of land will be below home foundation and my porch. If done this way I probably have to build one or 2 steps to step down from porch to that area ...Another solution will be to fill in the low end with dirt to level it out but then all my neighbors from outside will still be able to see inside my yard since the rest of the yard sits high. I guess I can always put lattice or something for privacy..Another solution I was thinking was to use the same dirt from high end and reuse it for low end and this way my step down won be as deep as if I just take out dirt from high end without adding it to low end.. Today I got a string and run it from porch foundation to the fence where it slopes..I measured from fence foundation (low end) up to the string and it measured a little bit more than 2 feet. so I guess thats how much dirt they will need to add there along fence to level it out if I do it this way...How much slope/pitch should we live so it can be an usable space, for a fire pit with chairs, maybe use it for a basketball hoop..I just wanna be able to use space.
Yeah it sounds da like you need a retaining wall either on the low or high to level the area out. Like you said either dig it by the house and build the wall or do it out on the low side and build up on the inside. Hopefully that makes sense
Yes it makes sense thank you for your help..Now I got figure out what to put there once is flat. maybe gravel or concrete or artificial grass. Don't know yet
1:38....dont apologize for not picking it up by hand...as far as I'm concerned...if you have to get out of your machine for anything besides fueling,greasing,and shitting...you're not a very good operator...great job...yard looks amazing...how do you like the taekahochi?...I ran a (think it was a 180)...was loading dump trucks with top soil and the hydraulics would die if you tried turning while lifting bucket...but all in all I found it to be a great machine...it was my first track machine experience
Great looking rough grade for the material you had Brandon. We need pontoons for our equipment, it rained 7-10 inches across all of our sites last night and this morning. It sounds like it is supposed to repeat tonight and tomorrow night as well.
on a central Florida sandy soil lot. Say my lot is level and i want to dig a ditch on one side (80'L, about 3' deep in a V. How much soil/sand will have if i want to elevate a 10x15 carport? How high will the elevation be in the 10x15 spot after compacting if sandy soil? Can skid steer do this job and can it help compact it?
I think you could do all that with a skid steer. It’s tough to say how much material you will need without knowing what the elevation of the site is now
Would like to know how much area an experienced operator would be able to grade per hour of work. I understand it would vary depending on the material to be graded and also many other factors as the shape of the area to be graded but, an average would be really helpful for me. Thanks
How would you define rough grade vs finish grade in terms of scope of work and scheduling, and why wasnt this site ready for finish grading? Thanks and great video.
LiLlouder I usually rough grade right before or after the water and sewer lines go in. It’s when I use the material on site and start shaping what I want the yard to be. This yard is ready for dirt and finish grading now. The rough grade determines how the finished yard will look so you want to get the drainage and slopes established. Thanks for the question hopefully that answered it and I appreciate you watching!
Love the video and I appreciate the explanation around why you still had work left to do bc to the untrained eye, it looked good to me. Total noob question, how do you typically get the specs/expectations for grading? For example, you mentioned a swale in the front and side yard - was that something you decided or something someone else like the architect or builder decided? You mentioned needing to talk with the concrete guys to see what there needs were for the back patio. I appreciate that! Also, any insight or tips you can share on bidding grading jobs would be appreciated. Curious if these jobs are typically “fixed bid” w/exception clauses or if they are variable based on time/effort. Also, for bidding do you typically use a formula? Thanks!!
I usually just eyeball the jobs and grade them how I see fit. There’s no plans or anything I just work it until I’m happy with it. These jobs were time and materials. I try to bid when I can but this builder wanted it done by the hour. I really don’t have a formula you just get to where you know what you can do with your machine in an hour then can figure from there how many hours a job will take. Hopefully that was somewhat helpful
@@eliteearthworksllc thank you - very helpful in taking some of the mystery out of it as i would like to start doing this type of work in my area. Currently just been doing misc jobs. A few other questions if you have time - do you have any advice on how to get more work? I haven’t tried FB ads, Google Ads, or Angie’s List yet but have been contemplating them - not sure if they are a good value or waste of money; or if there are good free alternatives. And, out of curiosity, roughly how many hours did you need to put in to get the grading the way you wanted it for this job? What are your thoughts on a track vs wheel machine for grading work? I have a wheel machine and seem to easily create ruts making a track machine look like the holy grail. I just don’t have the experience to know how true that is.
@@marshallbell9354 I just always used Facebook when I advertised because it’s free. Just post pictures of your work on there. I think this yard took me 10-12 hours if I remember right. You definitely want a track machine for grading. It will hold the grade better. The wheel machine can creat too many dips and don’t have the floatation of tracks. It’s a night and day difference. Best of luck with everything
What you need is a sand bucket, those teeth dont help at all for fine grading.. Also weld a a cutting blade on the bottom rear end of the bucket and you can cut when you back blade and keeps your bucket from wearing out so soon
Rolando 239 I actually prefer a tooth bucket over a smooth bucket on fine grading and rough grading. That’s all I’ve used the last 20 years. That’s not a bad idea on the cutting edge, I get about 3000 hours on a bucket bottom. Appreciate you watching
Yeah it not only saves the bucket from wearing out, but you can cut so much more dirt when back blading. Some skid steer types arent exactly meant for back dragging so the bucket doesnt fully reach the bottom, just something to consider. After you try it you'll be wondering how you've managed without it
Rolando 239 I guess it’s something you would have to get use too cause it seems like it would throw you off at first since it would hit the ground before the bucket does
I swore for you when those two boards fell out at the beginning of the video. Did you see that screen Andrew bought for his skid steer? Might be handy. What ever happened with the paver job you were doing?
Brian Gardiner haha thanks! Yeah I saw that, it’s $16,000 though and I would still have a ton of rock to haul off here. I’ve been waiting on the brick masons to build the fire place then I’m going to run my pavers up to it. Their suppose to be done next week. I need to get that job wrapped up
I was going to ask where that dumpster was... I’m needing a couple of sawhorses... then I saw them on the garage apron! (Wouldn’t have blamed you for scrapping them... especially with a migraine!) Good job of pushing on through it.
You have done a amazing job with the Rough Grading a yard work 💼 I love ❤️ your video 📷 the are best thing I can't wait for the next video 📷 #RoughGradingYard
Do you typically have carte blanch on the finish grading, elevations, and water mitigation for all these building sites? You certainly plan each job and recover the site debris, then immediately establish your finish plans for each job. Much respect for your planning and "mental picture" of the finished job. It amazes me the amount of "leave it for the next guy" debris and material that is left in your way. Suffering from a migraine and being in the loader must have been brutal, I'm impressed you filmed any of your day at this job! Well, Happy Friday Brandon, hope you enjoy your weekend and don't succumb to any more migraines! Doug@ the "ranch"
lakesideranch I do fortunately, that is the part I really enjoy being able to build these as I see fit. This one didn’t have as much trash as the others so it wasn’t bad. Appreciate the comment and support. And thanks for the shoutout on your video! Have a great weekend!
Does your tooth bucket sit flat on the ground when the arms are at the stops? I just bought a 72" tooth bucket for my tl230 and it sits lower on the quick attach than my smooth finish bucket. Its good for biting in below grade but difficult to get a good finish grade.
It takes time once you figure out what you can do with your machine in an hour that will help. You may start out working by the hour on a few to give you an idea what it will take then you can go from there
Rough grading is leveling and shaping what’s in the yard or even fill dirt if you have to bring some in. It sets the shape and grade of the yard. The finish grade is when you spread the topsoil over the sub grade. I tell everyone it’s like painting a car whatever the subgrade is is pretty much how the yard will look
Nice work bro! Have you ever used a soil conditioner/ power rake to to rough grade? Some guys around here use those for everything and seems to work rather well
Elite Earthworks LLC sound alike every builder. I’ve been thinking of buying one to make jobs go a little faster but at the 10k price tag, really wondering how much time I could save
I used it on every job back when I did landscaping. It really does cut down on hand raking. To me it’s well worth it but I was the same way tough to spend 10K
No! You should absolutely not pick that stuff up by hand! Do you even machine, bro? "pick it up by hand"... sounds like something I'd tell my children lol!! Annnyway... Looks great! It turns out so smooth! Amazing! Luckily it looked like a totally different situation than the tight little spot you were working in last time!
You’re welcome and good luck. It takes a bit to figure that out. I’ve been doing it 20 years and I still have a tough time on some. Just starting I would do more hourly until you can learn how long it takes to do certain tasks. I would still do a 3 hour minimum too.
I'm thinking of getting into the business but I'm not too sure on how the qoutes would work out. What do you say some thing like this would go for? I would really appreciate it brother
Ahhh yes, the “rough grade” guys... the bane of a finish guys existence... most of the time I just refer to myself as an operator as oppose to saying “finish guy”... but rough grade guys never forget to use the phrase “rough grade guy”
@@eliteearthworksllc 😉 I enjoyed your video. I am renting a T550 this weekend and dozing in a 1300 ft roughed-in driveway. I'll try hard to make it as beautiful as your flat yardscaping
Why would wanna pick anything up by ha d. You bought a machine to do that work for you. It would have taken much longer by hand and you have that tiny chance of hurting yourself.
I’d be fired if I left a swell going through the front yard…don’t be scared knock that b down to have it all flow nice…someone left a swell like that in another community and we had to go fix it once the owner saw how it puddles. Had to rip up all the new sod re grade shoot with the laser then resod🤣🤣
That’s about all you can do when the house is lower than the road. Have to make it work with the lay of the land. I get that I’ve had to fix several peoples yards and swales they’ve put in
Dude today we were doing maintenance on a 20 year old bed of trees. We found a toy...... yes a toy...... a very dirty toy.... you get what I’m saying. Never grab anything by hand cause bro you never know
@@eliteearthworksllc You've inspired me! I'd love your coaching and feedback: Gravel Driveway Installation - Base Layer Work - UA-cam m.ua-cam.com/video/Mx-JIi8yelY/v-deo.html
Thanks how’s Business been is your trade site prep like rough grade frame cleans ,sheet rock cleans,brick clean And final gradings and if you could share how do you come up with bids thanks
Rewatched! The GOAT in action!
Thanks!
Looking good my friend
Thanks buddy!
There's something satisfying watching this stuff. I love heavy equipment and dirt.
Information Technology Q & A Show awesome! I feel the same way! Thanks for checking it out!
Dirt ball
Watching these videos is great. It has helped me learn to better use my bobcat to grade and level dirt a great deal. We bought 7 acres in Polk and when we got it unknown to us there were several spots on the property that held large amounts of water. I had started using friends equipment to try to correct the issues but was not able to keep the equipment long enough to make a difference. Also dirt was around $170/load at the time and it was getting expensive. To give you an idea we trucked in 10 loads of dirt and it filled in one spot that was low on the side yard and that was it. We made a relationship with 2 local construction companies for them to dump their scrapings for free. Then the floodgates opened and dirt was coming in 5 and 10 loads at a time and I had no way to move it so I bought an S220 used and have taught myself since then by watching professionals like you and learning. We now have about 180 loads of dirt spread and when it rains now we have hardly any standing water on our property and where it does sit it's only an inch or 2 and goes away within a few hours. It used to pool in the worst areas 10-15" deep and sit for WEEKS! By using the techniques I've learned by watching you guys I've displaced the water from my property and guided it to the ditch on the front and side of our land. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience with us, it DOES help us!
That’s cool! Glad to hear they are helpful. Sounds like you had quite the project glad you are getting it under control. Appreciate the comment
UA-cam university
Always enjoy your gradinf with the skid strer!
Thanks man! I appreciate that!
I guess that's called working smarter not harder better for the migraine this way. Nice job on leveling that out
Mrdan lol that’s right! 😉 thank you!
Dude,,,, you are indeed a master with that skid steer,,, picking up a pair of long 2x8s on the teeth and not losing them. Talent !!!! Good job sir.
bluemtnsman lol thank you! Lots of practice I guess
I operated for 26 years.
If you have persistent migraines.
I suggest you get into see a spine surgeon.
Nice work.
I wish I could still operate...
Charles Lewer they’re few and far between, I really think I was exhausted and dehydrated that day. I have had back surgery in 2012 from injuries in the 2011 tornado but it hasn’t bothered me since the surgery. Thanks again appreciate the comment
@@eliteearthworksllc
I was hit head on about 28 years ago and continued to operate injured. C4,5,&6 fused do to massive herniation brought about by muscle spasm while laying in bed.
I came home the night before dehydrated and with a hell of a migraine.
I enjoy watching you work.
I hope you can do it as long as you want to.
Charles Lewer oh man I’m really sorry to hear that! Mine was my L4 and L5. Hope things are good for you now or at least not painful every day. Appreciate the kind words operating is definitely my passion
Rewatched, one of my favorites!
Nice!
This was exceptional work! Move watching qnd listening to the grading process.... the grounds look amazing!
Thank you! I enjoy the grading process as well
Great video and better work. Thanks for sharing.
Myers Tree Farm thank you! Appreciate you watching
Awesome!
@@aaronburford5701 thanks!
Nice 👍🏼. Have a good playlist and good headphones and work away
That’s what I do 😁 gets me in the groove
Great video!
Thank you!
I would have destroyed the driveway and the porch if I were operating the skid steer. That's exactly why I leave this type of work to the professionals. Have a blessed weekend.
William Matthews lol I’m sure you would be that bad. Thank you! You have a good weekend too!
Looks awesome!
j taylor thanks buddy!
very nice. I had a guy level my side yard using a 4 in 1 bucket. he did it super fast.
Yeah it doesn’t long on some of them
A 4in1 bucket, with a grapple might be sure handy, for all the junk you have to pick up, plus alotta rocks! Thanx for another great video. "Gary in Oregon "
Gary Maris yeah I’m looking into getting one. I’ve got a grapple bucket but I don’t always carry it with me. Thanks again
Looking good!
arkansas13 thank you sir
In my unlicensed medical opinion 😂the best thing for a headache is to take Mrs. E .2x and call In the morning to let us know you're still kicking.😂If you can't manage that Lol. Two Tylenol Two ibuprofen and slam a Dew or Dr. Pepper ( my go to). Hot humid days are my trigger when I'm in and out of the AC alot. Nice job on the yard!
Brian Webber I’ve got my nurse costume ready to go 😉😁
Mrs. Elite Earthworks yes!!! 😃
Brian Webber 🤣 I think your medical advice is spot on! I will let her know I have doctors orders 🤣. Yeah I’m the same way that’s why I try to stay in the cab. Thanks again
@@eliteearthworksllc " Son grab your things, you are going to Grandma and Grandpas house"
Brian Webber lol that’s right! 😎🤣
Nice job, Brandon. You never cease to amaze me with the tricks you have up your sleeve to get this stuff "ironed" out. I think you were smart to pick up that junk in the beginning with the skid steer - every time you bent over to pick up a piece of wood your head would have felt like it was exploding more!
Dale Premo thank you! I appreciate the compliment. Yeah that’s what I was afraid of so I took the easy way lol
Those 2x boards could’ve paid the entire dumpster fee.
🤣 not when this video came out in 2018
I was thinking the same thing
Professional!!! Looks great.
skidsteerdrew thank you sir!
great job
Thank you!
Looks good and I would have done the same thing picking up the debris. I’m surprised they actually left the job site like that
Junkyard’s Garage thank you! That was actually clean compared to normal 🤣
Very nice job friend👍👌😁
Thank you! 👍🏻
Hey guys do use 4 in 1 buckets and leveling bars
No most people here don’t have 4in1 buckets guess they haven’t really caught on yet lol
@@eliteearthworksllc that's interesting we use them all the time and leveling bars to get near perfect accuracy
When you picked up the two boards in front of the porch, you had me tilting my phone back try'n to pick them up also... STOP THAT! 😂😂😂jk. LOL!!
Looks move-in ready to me, my friend. 👍👍GREAT job Brandon!!!
Silver Grizzly 🤣🤣 appreciate you trying to help! Thanks again
Watching again! Your videos are needed and loved!
Thank you! I appreciate you watching
@@eliteearthworksllcwatched, rewatched, Liked, shared, subscribed.....you are rhe BEST sir!
You transformed this yard with your skid stzer!
Looks good man.
SLC Farms thanks buddy!
Great video. I would love to watch one with you narrating what you are looking at on the ground as far as guides and what you do with the controls. Float push pull drag etc. you make it look easy! Nice job. Definitely subscribed
Thank you! That’s a good idea, I don’t really do the best job at explaining why or what I’m doing when it comes to grading. I need to work on that. Appreciate you watching
Nice job
Batterson Lawn Care thank you!
I have a side yard with a slope like that. From my house foundation to street fence is 16 ft and is about 60ft long (about 960 sq feet on the side yard space)....still trying to figure out how to make the space as flat as possible so we can use it. the rest of my yard is pretty flat but is just the last 16ft where it starts to drop down towards the street fence..
I live in the city on a corner lot. I don't know if I should take out dirt from the high end to level it out. If I do it this way that piece of land will be below home foundation and my porch. If done this way I probably have to build one or 2 steps to step down from porch to that area ...Another solution will be to fill in the low end with dirt to level it out but then all my neighbors from outside will still be able to see inside my yard since the rest of the yard sits high. I guess I can always put lattice or something for privacy..Another solution I was thinking was to use the same dirt from high end and reuse it for low end and this way my step down won be as deep as if I just take out dirt from high end without adding it to low end..
Today I got a string and run it from porch foundation to the fence where it slopes..I measured from fence foundation (low end) up to the string and it measured a little bit more than 2 feet. so I guess thats how much dirt they will need to add there along fence to level it out if I do it this way...How much slope/pitch should we live so it can be an usable space, for a fire pit with chairs, maybe use it for a basketball hoop..I just wanna be able to use space.
Yeah it sounds da like you need a retaining wall either on the low or high to level the area out. Like you said either dig it by the house and build the wall or do it out on the low side and build up on the inside. Hopefully that makes sense
Yes it makes sense thank you for your help..Now I got figure out what to put there once is flat. maybe gravel or concrete or artificial grass. Don't know yet
Hope you're feeling better
Louisiana Dirt 218 I am thank you!
Pretty house
They build nice houses
Your a beast!!!!
Juan Hernandez thanks man! 👍🏻
The tracks definitely help. I’m using an S70. It makes so many holes and ruts.
Yes they do. Tracks make it so much nicer
great job once again krrp up the good work love your videos
todd fraser thanks man I appreciate you watching
lol, your rough grade looks better than a certain coworker of mine final grade. Nice open lot to work on as well, good job.
Lol thank you! Yes I like these bigger yards vs the tiny ones. Appreciate you watching
You should see my grade. Man it sucks
Damn always amazed at your work....
Juan Hernandez this is I appreciate that 👍🏻
Shoot I don’t blame ya one bit for using the skid steer to pick up the trash. If you’ve it there, might as well use it.
That’s how I see it 😁
Nice work
Thank you!
Nice job Brandon, especially with a nasty headache. Drink more water and take magnesium sulfate. Be Safe 👍👍🐕🇨🇦
Dermot Byrne thank you! Ok I appreciate that didn’t know about the magnesium. Thanks 👍🏻
1:38....dont apologize for not picking it up by hand...as far as I'm concerned...if you have to get out of your machine for anything besides fueling,greasing,and shitting...you're not a very good operator...great job...yard looks amazing...how do you like the taekahochi?...I ran a (think it was a 180)...was loading dump trucks with top soil and the hydraulics would die if you tried turning while lifting bucket...but all in all I found it to be a great machine...it was my first track machine experience
Thanks man! That’s weird must have been something wrong with it. Appreciate the comment
Nice work, I have tried this a few times, you make it look easy!!
Thank you! Lots of years of practice 😁
A quick question mate do you have to do slob level from the site of the house the footpath
I just do everything but eye sight. Sometimes I will my laser level if my tolerances are close but mostly by sight and feel
I know i should pick these up by hand😂 hey whatever’s easy on the back but still gets it done
Levi Jones that’s right got to work smarter 🤣
Damm Brandon..my gazebo is bigger than those houses out there ! Lol... hope your doing well buddy ! Keep up the great work
Tom Del Casale lol that’s a pretty big gazebo then. Doing good hope all is well with you
Great looking rough grade for the material you had Brandon. We need pontoons for our equipment, it rained 7-10 inches across all of our sites last night and this morning. It sounds like it is supposed to repeat tonight and tomorrow night as well.
Dirt E Diggin thank you! Wow that’s crazy, we only 2” here but more on the way. Crazy weather this year, rain has been a killer
nice hat lol! looking good
Joe Southern thank you! Lol yeah I was really playing the part that day 🤣
Good job Brandon! Very clean! support from Croatia ;)
FORESTER Croatia thank you! I appreciate the support!
on a central Florida sandy soil lot. Say my lot is level and i want to dig a ditch on one side (80'L, about 3' deep in a V. How much soil/sand will have if i want to elevate a 10x15 carport? How high will the elevation be in the 10x15 spot after compacting if sandy soil? Can skid steer do this job and can it help compact it?
I think you could do all that with a skid steer. It’s tough to say how much material you will need without knowing what the elevation of the site is now
Would like to know how much area an experienced operator would be able to grade per hour of work. I understand it would vary depending on the material to be graded and also many other factors as the shape of the area to be graded but, an average would be really helpful for me. Thanks
I think I did that whole yard in 5 hours and it was almost 3/4 of an acre
@@eliteearthworksllc Jumping in here. How much would that cost in 2022 dollars?
How would you define rough grade vs finish grade in terms of scope of work and scheduling, and why wasnt this site ready for finish grading? Thanks and great video.
LiLlouder I usually rough grade right before or after the water and sewer lines go in. It’s when I use the material on site and start shaping what I want the yard to be. This yard is ready for dirt and finish grading now. The rough grade determines how the finished yard will look so you want to get the drainage and slopes established. Thanks for the question hopefully that answered it and I appreciate you watching!
@@eliteearthworksllc Thanks a LOT, no pun intended, lol.
LiLlouder lol your welcome
Love the video and I appreciate the explanation around why you still had work left to do bc to the untrained eye, it looked good to me.
Total noob question, how do you typically get the specs/expectations for grading? For example, you mentioned a swale in the front and side yard - was that something you decided or something someone else like the architect or builder decided?
You mentioned needing to talk with the concrete guys to see what there needs were for the back patio. I appreciate that!
Also, any insight or tips you can share on bidding grading jobs would be appreciated. Curious if these jobs are typically “fixed bid” w/exception clauses or if they are variable based on time/effort. Also, for bidding do you typically use a formula?
Thanks!!
I usually just eyeball the jobs and grade them how I see fit. There’s no plans or anything I just work it until I’m happy with it. These jobs were time and materials. I try to bid when I can but this builder wanted it done by the hour. I really don’t have a formula you just get to where you know what you can do with your machine in an hour then can figure from there how many hours a job will take. Hopefully that was somewhat helpful
@@eliteearthworksllc thank you - very helpful in taking some of the mystery out of it as i would like to start doing this type of work in my area. Currently just been doing misc jobs. A few other questions if you have time - do you have any advice on how to get more work? I haven’t tried FB ads, Google Ads, or Angie’s List yet but have been contemplating them - not sure if they are a good value or waste of money; or if there are good free alternatives.
And, out of curiosity, roughly how many hours did you need to put in to get the grading the way you wanted it for this job?
What are your thoughts on a track vs wheel machine for grading work? I have a wheel machine and seem to easily create ruts making a track machine look like the holy grail. I just don’t have the experience to know how true that is.
@@marshallbell9354 I just always used Facebook when I advertised because it’s free. Just post pictures of your work on there. I think this yard took me 10-12 hours if I remember right. You definitely want a track machine for grading. It will hold the grade better. The wheel machine can creat too many dips and don’t have the floatation of tracks. It’s a night and day difference. Best of luck with everything
@@eliteearthworksllc thank you so much for taking the time to reply again - greatly appreciated!!
@@marshallbell9354 you’re welcome and good luck
What you need is a sand bucket, those teeth dont help at all for fine grading.. Also weld a a cutting blade on the bottom rear end of the bucket and you can cut when you back blade and keeps your bucket from wearing out so soon
Rolando 239 I actually prefer a tooth bucket over a smooth bucket on fine grading and rough grading. That’s all I’ve used the last 20 years. That’s not a bad idea on the cutting edge, I get about 3000 hours on a bucket bottom. Appreciate you watching
Yeah it not only saves the bucket from wearing out, but you can cut so much more dirt when back blading. Some skid steer types arent exactly meant for back dragging so the bucket doesnt fully reach the bottom, just something to consider. After you try it you'll be wondering how you've managed without it
Rolando 239 I guess it’s something you would have to get use too cause it seems like it would throw you off at first since it would hit the ground before the bucket does
I swore for you when those two boards fell out at the beginning of the video. Did you see that screen Andrew bought for his skid steer? Might be handy. What ever happened with the paver job you were doing?
Brian Gardiner haha thanks! Yeah I saw that, it’s $16,000 though and I would still have a ton of rock to haul off here. I’ve been waiting on the brick masons to build the fire place then I’m going to run my pavers up to it. Their suppose to be done next week. I need to get that job wrapped up
I was going to ask where that dumpster was... I’m needing a couple of sawhorses... then I saw them on the garage apron! (Wouldn’t have blamed you for scrapping them... especially with a migraine!)
Good job of pushing on through it.
William Harris lol their still there if you want them 🤣 I almost did. Thank you!
You have done a amazing job with the Rough Grading a yard work 💼 I love ❤️ your video 📷 the are best thing I can't wait for the next video 📷 #RoughGradingYard
Thank you appreciate the support!
Do you typically have carte blanch on the finish grading, elevations, and water mitigation for all these building sites?
You certainly plan each job and recover the site debris, then immediately establish your finish plans for each job. Much respect for your planning and "mental picture" of the finished job.
It amazes me the amount of "leave it for the next guy" debris and material that is left in your way.
Suffering from a migraine and being in the loader must have been brutal, I'm impressed you filmed any of your day at this job!
Well, Happy Friday Brandon, hope you enjoy your weekend and don't succumb to any more migraines!
Doug@ the "ranch"
lakesideranch I do fortunately, that is the part I really enjoy being able to build these as I see fit. This one didn’t have as much trash as the others so it wasn’t bad. Appreciate the comment and support. And thanks for the shoutout on your video! Have a great weekend!
God job broo👍
INDO Equipment thank you!
Why don't you have a smooth bucket?
Just never seen the need for one. The tooth bucket is so much easier on the machine. Plus our soil is so rocky everything is easier with teeth
Cool video I want to buy a skid steer
Thanks! They are handy
What is the ballpark price for a job like this?
I think it was around $1200-$1500 I’d have to go back and look
Here to backup that price. Give or take $1500, for on day and a machine
Does your tooth bucket sit flat on the ground when the arms are at the stops? I just bought a 72" tooth bucket for my tl230 and it sits lower on the quick attach than my smooth finish bucket. Its good for biting in below grade but difficult to get a good finish grade.
Yes I believe it does. Are they the same brand of buckets? That would make it tricky
The finish bucket is a Paladin and tooth is Express steel. What brand is yours?
Mine is a Paladin it’s the bucket that came on the machine. I’m guessing if you had a Paladin tooth bucket it would be no problem
What’s the best was to estimate grading land
It takes time once you figure out what you can do with your machine in an hour that will help. You may start out working by the hour on a few to give you an idea what it will take then you can go from there
Elite Earthworks LLC thank you that helps
Do you ever use a quick attach landscape rake on something like that?
donato 1026 it for that builder and on the rough grades. I have a preparator I use to finish the yards when I get the dirt
Elite Earthworks LLC Oh. Nice! I actually need to do my yard this spring. It’s a bit of a mess. Lol.
They make a big difference
What's that Bobcat called?
Takeuchi TL250
So what is the difference between "rough" and "finish" grading?
Rough grading is leveling and shaping what’s in the yard or even fill dirt if you have to bring some in. It sets the shape and grade of the yard. The finish grade is when you spread the topsoil over the sub grade. I tell everyone it’s like painting a car whatever the subgrade is is pretty much how the yard will look
@@eliteearthworksllc Thanks so much for the clarification! You do both grades very well sir!
@@aaronburford5701 you’re welcome and thank you
@@eliteearthworksllcSir! You are the best grading operator I have seen... exceptional job!
@@aaronburford5701 thank you! I appreciate that!
Nice work bro! Have you ever used a soil conditioner/ power rake to to rough grade? Some guys around here use those for everything and seems to work rather well
Thank you! Yes I have a soil preparator I just quit using it on these jobs cause the builder got real cheap. They work great! Appreciate the comment
Elite Earthworks LLC sound alike every builder. I’ve been thinking of buying one to make jobs go a little faster but at the 10k price tag, really wondering how much time I could save
I used it on every job back when I did landscaping. It really does cut down on hand raking. To me it’s well worth it but I was the same way tough to spend 10K
Elite Earthworks LLC thanks man, really appreciate your input.
Capital Stumps you’re welcome
Great
Thank you!
@@eliteearthworksllc 4 years later lol
Total elapsed time on grading the front yard?
Maybe an hour
Thank you!
Your rough grading looks like a lot of companies finish grading.
Morgan Hatfield thank you! That’s what I strive for!
I wouldn't pick that trash up by had. Whenever possible I use my equipment
Jeff Reid it’s just way easier
Can't believe u throw good lumber away
It had nails through it and concrete on them
Turned out pretty good ..... u got your new hat all dirty 🤣
Thank you! Lol yes I did 😁
No! You should absolutely not pick that stuff up by hand! Do you even machine, bro? "pick it up by hand"... sounds like something I'd tell my children lol!!
Annnyway... Looks great! It turns out so smooth! Amazing! Luckily it looked like a totally different situation than the tight little spot you were working in last time!
BurningDinosaurs 🤣 that’s true what was I thinking! Thank you yes it’s nice having all that room 👍🏻
How do you qoute a job? Hourly or by the job thanks!
It’s a mix of both I try to do it by the job whenever I can but sometimes it has to be hourly
@@eliteearthworksllc Thanks Im just starting my skid steer business and Im not sure how to qoute on jobs yets. Thanks for responding to my questions!
You’re welcome and good luck. It takes a bit to figure that out. I’ve been doing it 20 years and I still have a tough time on some. Just starting I would do more hourly until you can learn how long it takes to do certain tasks. I would still do a 3 hour minimum too.
@@eliteearthworksllc Thanks!!!
I'm thinking of getting into the business but I'm not too sure on how the qoutes would work out. What do you say some thing like this would go for? I would really appreciate it brother
I think this was around $1300-$1500 if I remember
What about land clearing?
In today’s time that’s $500 worth of lumber
🤣🤣 no kidding
What you charge for that?
I’d have to go back and look it’s been a few years
Or roughly. Thanks
@@adanr150 I think it was around $1500
How much do you think it would cost roughly to level/grade a half acre parcel?
Derek Kent really depends how rough it is or how much stuff is in the way. Probably $1000 I would guess
why pick it up when u got the machine
That’s right 😁
You do great work, Mike might disagree with you lol
Man With A Plan thank you! Haha you may be right!
Ahhh yes, the “rough grade” guys... the bane of a finish guys existence... most of the time I just refer to myself as an operator as oppose to saying “finish guy”... but rough grade guys never forget to use the phrase “rough grade guy”
Lol that is true! I do the same thing I’m just an operator 🤣
you ran asv?
I have they’re not bad, the cab is pretty small compared to the Tak
Wow, reuse the forms much?
Maybe I’m not sure I don’t pour concrete
What state are you in
Craig Thompson Missouri
Great video as always! Where are you located? Seems to be a lot of new homes in your area
Powerhouse Productions thank you! Joplin Missouri we’re still building back from the 2011 tornado
Kind of expensive to use a machine to pickup two 2x4s? 😆
Maybe so but I was already there 😁
@@eliteearthworksllc 😉 I enjoyed your video. I am renting a T550 this weekend and dozing in a 1300 ft roughed-in driveway. I'll try hard to make it as beautiful as your flat yardscaping
@@johnnywalker5635 oh nice! Sounds like a fun project 👍🏻
When you have a hammer, everythings a nail
Brandon, are you hauling in dirt from another location or are you able to pull from other lots in the area?
The dirt gets hauled in from another location. We are running out of good dirt here so we have to travel further away to get it
Hey how should I bid grading jobs? Please, I need some help
That’s a loaded question it depends on the job and what the site looks like. They all differ so it’s tough to help with a price
Why would wanna pick anything up by ha d. You bought a machine to do that work for you. It would have taken much longer by hand and you have that tiny chance of hurting yourself.
FishFind3000 lol that’s true don’t want to take that chance
Good rough grading. Be nice if people would pick up their crap.
Thank you! Yeah they are a little messy
If you were able to operate a piece of equipment like this, you didn't have a migraine. There's a big difference between a migraine and a headache.
You are correct but it was definitely a migraine. Sometimes you just have to sack up and go to work
Migraine sufferers know the difference. I'm pretty sure he had a migraine.
I’d be fired if I left a swell going through the front yard…don’t be scared knock that b down to have it all flow nice…someone left a swell like that in another community and we had to go fix it once the owner saw how it puddles. Had to rip up all the new sod re grade shoot with the laser then resod🤣🤣
That’s about all you can do when the house is lower than the road. Have to make it work with the lay of the land. I get that I’ve had to fix several peoples yards and swales they’ve put in
Dude today we were doing maintenance on a 20 year old bed of trees.
We found a toy...... yes a toy...... a very dirty toy.... you get what I’m saying.
Never grab anything by hand cause bro you never know
😳 yikes yeah I wouldn’t touch that
Who would have thought that the lumber you threw away at the beginning of your video would have been worth $5,000.00 in 2021.
🤣 no kidding
@@eliteearthworksllc great videos BTW. Thanks for taking the time to make them.
Thank you! I appreciate you watching 👍🏻
@@eliteearthworksllc You've inspired me! I'd love your coaching and feedback: Gravel Driveway Installation - Base Layer Work - UA-cam
m.ua-cam.com/video/Mx-JIi8yelY/v-deo.html
Need yourself a 4in1 mate
Yeah that’s what I hear. I may try one out one of these days. Appreciate you watching
@@eliteearthworksllc You inspired me to look into takeuchi. Buying a Tl6R soon
Awesome man! Good to hear! Those are nice machines. Congrats
Video is way too fast I'd like to see the techniques. And more commentating while that's happening
Ok I can do that one. Thanks
Awesome work bro I’m in the same Business. I need help with silt fence price per feet can anyone help thanks 😊
G.A s Lifestyle thank you! Sorry I don’t really deal with silt fence I have no idea on price.
Thanks how’s Business been is your trade site prep like rough grade frame cleans ,sheet rock cleans,brick clean
And final gradings and if you could share how do you come up with bids thanks