Best way to level a large area?

[Max78]

I have a 30x40 slab that needs to get done and I'm doing all of the prep work. I have an area that is flat, but not level. One corner is about 5 inches lower than the other.

I have an old Mustang 440 with too large of tires and a bucket that is rounded on the bottom so it works poorly for dragging backwards to cut the bumps and fill the lows. I have managed to improve the grade, but I'm still 2 or so inches away and I have run out of skill on the skid steer.

I have thought of tilling it up and just manually using something like a screed board to get it level, but that seems a bit over the top?

If anyone has any tips or tricks to getting a somewhat large area to the same grade any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I use a water level and a story pole to check grade.

 

[The Cobbler]

I wouldn't want disturbed soil under a concrete pad. I would use compacted stone to fill the area to level it out.

 

[Daveyclimber]

Yes, build up the grade with crushed stone, level and compact. You may find it easier to rent a better bucket or grading attachment for you skid steer. I would rent a plate compactor while your at it and compact what you have done prior to building up pad for stone and then use the same compactor to compact the stone in small lifts.

 

[mcbane]

Not sure I fully understand where you are having trouble. When leveling an area the technique I use is to set up the laser level and then mark a 5’ x 5’ grid of measured points for cut or fill, so I can tell from inside the machine where I need to cut or fill. My marking system is one, two or more dots of paint for tenths of a foot of fill required, one dot per tenth. A circle for a spot that is dead on for finish grade. And dots of paint inside a circle for areas needing fill.

Might take a couple of iterations, painting then grading, to nail it.


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[Max78]

And I left out some important info, my bad. I had to remove a large ironwood tree as well as the larger roots, that resulted in a lot of the soil already being disturbed, I wont disturbed it any more for sure. I borrowed a plate compactor, filled and compacted in 3" or so lifts where I pulled the stump as well as the areas I filled. The soil on my property is mostly caliche, it was a bear to get the stump out and the soil turned to powder. I soaked the stump hole over night and it settled, so I filled compacted and soaked the following weekend. I also soaked the whole area over night with one of those sprinklers and it went from a silt like powder to concrete now that it dried. The skid steer leaves no impressions, not sure how good of an indicator that really is on compaction? Hopefully its not just surface level strength.

With the soil already mostly disturbed my thought process was I wanted to get it as close to grade before I spread 25 tons of ABC I have. I plan to compact in 2" or 3" lifts. Should I have just went straight to the ABC, or purchased additional crushed stone?

Not sure I fully understand where you are having trouble. When leveling an area the technique I use is to set up the laser level and then mark a 5’ x 5’ grid of measured points for cut or fill, so I can tell from inside the machine where I need to cut or fill. My marking system is one, two or more dots of paint for tenths of a foot of fill required, one dot per tenth. A circle for a spot that is dead on for finish grade. And dots of paint inside a circle for areas needing fill.

Might take a couple of iterations, painting then grading, to nail it.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

I like that approach, I will give that a shot for sure. As for my issues I think the skid steer I'm using might not be optimal. The tires are oversized so when the bucket is touching the ground it is not actually perpendicular, the end closest to the driver is slightly elevated, as a result likes to cut down more than shave. Dragging it backwards doesn't cut because the back of the bucket is rounded and the doesn't even touch the ground. At least that's my excuse. I'll get it one way or another. Thanks for the sharing your technique.

 

[Bighead38]

Don’t even worry about 2”. At work when I’m digging footings, foundations, driveways, etc it’s close enough. I could make it dead on but why waste the time when it’s getting stone anyway. Other guys will call it good when it’s +/- 2”. I prefer to be from -2” to + 1/2”. Even when we do the stone there’s no point wasting time trying to get it dead on because the concrete is going to do it. I try to leave the stone a little low, it’s what the masons we work with prefer.

 

[Higgins]

Our property has all sorts of bumps, small holes etc. When smoothing all this stuff out I have several RR ties. One is 5Ft, 8 Ft, and a 12 Ft. that i attach to the S70 Bobcat and drive backwards as I'm getting too old to attempt to do that by hand. It's amazing how smooth that will make the yard or driveway !!!!