Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Seven years after we dug our 1-acre pond, the massive dirt berm created from all of the pond excavation spoils is finally getting some much-needed attention.
When we originally built the pond, this berm was roughly 300 feet long, 80-90 feet wide at the base, and around 35 feet tall. We had a John Deere 9 Series tractor pulling a 30-ton Holmes dump wagon, Caterpillar bulldozers, and plenty of heavy equipment running across the top. Seven years of rain, runoff and erosion have changed it quite a bit.
Today I'm putting my 2016 John Deere 4052R compact tractor and heavy-duty Gannon box blade to work repairing deep erosion ruts, widening the trail, reshaping the dirt and trying to make this giant pond berm usable again.
We'll also take a look back at footage from the original pond build, put the tractor's top-and-tilt setup and box blade scarifiers to work, deal with a massive hornet nest, let the Deere work through a regen, and eventually build a completely new trail for the Can-Am Defender.
It isn't quite back to what it was when the pond was built — I may need another bulldozer for that — but it's a whole lot better than where we started.
Should I put together a full recap of the original pond build using all of that old heavy-equipment footage? Let me know in the comments!
00:00 7 Years of Erosion
00:15 Where This Giant Berm Came From
01:22 Flashback to the Original Pond Build
02:12 The Repair Plan
02:35 John Deere 4052R + Gannon Box Blade
03:45 Extreme Box Blading Begins
05:20 Massive Hornet Nest!
06:09 Tractor Regen on the Berm
07:39 Fixing the Monster Ruts
08:13 Why I Love Top-and-Tilt
09:12 Widening the Trail
10:19 Remembering the Pond Build
11:26 Dropping the Scarifiers
13:12 The Berm Is Back
14:14 Building a New Can-Am Trail
15:52 Testing the New Climb
16:17 Can-Am Defender Test Run
#PondBuild #JohnDeere #indyfarmlife
Visit our Amazon Affiliate Store: amazon.com/shop/indyfarmlife. This storefront provides links to many of the products we use around the farm.
Disclaimer: We participate in affiliate marketing programs and we may receive a small commission for any purchases made through the above links. There is no upcharge to you for this service. We appreciate your support!
Seven years after we dug our 1-acre pond, the massive dirt berm created from all of the pond excavation spoils is finally getting some much-needed attention.
When we originally built the pond, this berm was roughly 300 feet long, 80-90 feet wide at the base, and around 35 feet tall. We had a John Deere 9 Series tractor pulling a 30-ton Holmes dump wagon, Caterpillar bulldozers, and plenty of heavy equipment running across the top. Seven years of rain, runoff and erosion have changed it quite a bit.
Today I'm putting my 2016 John Deere 4052R compact tractor and heavy-duty Gannon box blade to work repairing deep erosion ruts, widening the trail, reshaping the dirt and trying to make this giant pond berm usable again.
We'll also take a look back at footage from the original pond build, put the tractor's top-and-tilt setup and box blade scarifiers to work, deal with a massive hornet nest, let the Deere work through a regen, and eventually build a completely new trail for the Can-Am Defender.
It isn't quite back to what it was when the pond was built — I may need another bulldozer for that — but it's a whole lot better than where we started.
Should I put together a full recap of the original pond build using all of that old heavy-equipment footage? Let me know in the comments!
00:00 7 Years of Erosion
00:15 Where This Giant Berm Came From
01:22 Flashback to the Original Pond Build
02:12 The Repair Plan
02:35 John Deere 4052R + Gannon Box Blade
03:45 Extreme Box Blading Begins
05:20 Massive Hornet Nest!
06:09 Tractor Regen on the Berm
07:39 Fixing the Monster Ruts
08:13 Why I Love Top-and-Tilt
09:12 Widening the Trail
10:19 Remembering the Pond Build
11:26 Dropping the Scarifiers
13:12 The Berm Is Back
14:14 Building a New Can-Am Trail
15:52 Testing the New Climb
16:17 Can-Am Defender Test Run
#PondBuild #JohnDeere #indyfarmlife
Visit our Amazon Affiliate Store: amazon.com/shop/indyfarmlife. This storefront provides links to many of the products we use around the farm.
Disclaimer: We participate in affiliate marketing programs and we may receive a small commission for any purchases made through the above links. There is no upcharge to you for this service. We appreciate your support!
