![]() The idea of the paddle boat is brilliant. Now that I've seen what has been done, my plan is to extend the handle to twice its length using a removable piece of conduit, to get leaves within 8-10 feet of the shore line. I'm going to get a couple of those rakes before I head out to the farm tomorrow. I'm staying in town tonight, and I'm right near a Lowes. Both ponds get one heck of a lot of leafs each season. My other smaller pond (about 0.3 acres) gathers a lot of leaves. While doing so I took out a lot of leaf muck, which is my ponds' other nemises. I was out with my backhoe today taking out my annual crop of purple loosetrife on my main pond (0.7 acres). I want to really thank BDCANETTI for posting what he has been doing with these rakes. Hopefully by hand but if it's too heavy we will use a 4-wheeler to tow.Īnyone here ever seen or heard of this idea? I will post pictures of the contraption and hopefully results this weekend. Then we will drop that in the middle by boat and pull it to shore. Creating one large 9 foot version of the common lake rake. The plan is to fasten all 3 rakes side by side by bolting them through the face to the heavy duty angle iron and use the shorther piece at the end of the handles to stop them from moving side to side, strengthen the assembly and hold the eye bolts. (1) 6 foot piece of heavy duty aluminum "angle iron" (1)9 foot piece of heavy duty aluminum "angle iron" I just returned from Home Depot where I bought Good idea only that it will take forever doing this with a 3 foot rake. One of my neighbors who I share the pond with suggested we tow it out with a paddle boat to the middle and drop it. The problem is my pond is approx 300 ft across in some areas so I cannot cast to the middle. I cast it, let it sink and since I have a muddy bottomed pond, the weeds come right out with ease. ![]() Just a 3 foot aluminum landscape rake attatched to a rope. ![]() When the bottom is cleared of silt and debris, refill the pond.I have been using the commonly seen "lake rake" with some success. Remove the silt and relocate it to another area where it can be mixed with soil so it does not recontaminate the pond. Scrape the bottom of the pond with the excavating blade. Do not drain the water into a sewer system or other waterway, such as a local stream.Īllow the pond bed to dry out so the machinery does not become stuck while cleaning out the silt. Direct the flow of water toward an area that can accept the water without flooding any roads, driveways or other features. At first, this will be after each pass eventually, you will need to empty the bucket every few passes as you collect most of the silt from the bottom.ĭrain the pond using the pump to expose the bottom surface of the pond. Empty the bucket after it is no more than half full. The barrel scrapes silt as it goes across the bottom, and the water escapes through the lid. Use the machine to drag the barrel back and forth across the pond. Secure the cable to a bobcat, or to the ball of a tow hitch on a truck. Drill a large number of holes in the lid of the barrel with a 3/8-inch to 5/8-inch bit. Do not just deposit it on the bank of the pond silt is light and is not true soil, so it will wash right back into the pond with any rainfall.Īttach a heavy-duty steel cable to a 55-gallon metal drum with a lid. Mix the dredged silt with compost or other soil to re-use the material. The silt will feel soft and mucky, as opposed to the true bottom of the pond, which will be thick mud that gives some resistance when the shovel contacts it. Take care not to dig too deeply unless you desire to increase the depth of the pond past the built-up silt layer. Scrape the silt off the bottom of the pond with a shovel and deposit it in the wheelbarrow.
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