How to Use a Backhoe to Dig Up a Basement
Digging a basement is a big task requiring big equipment. A backhoe is a specially equipped tractor that utilizes a hydraulically powered shovel to remove soil. The configuration allows the removal of dirt to depths of up to 20 feet, depending on the size of the backhoe. Backhoes are classified as heavy earthmoving equipment and are not always available to do-it-yourselfers. The task of excavating a basement is most commonly left to professionals. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Stake out the basement excavation. This commonly includes a space around the planned basement size to allow for a workspace. Mark the space with paint on the surface of the ground and stakes driven completely below the ground surface in case the aboveground stakes are covered with soil removed from the basement.
-
2
Place the backhoe where it can reach the center of one end of the planned basement. Use the shovel to remove soil from the basement area and drop it to the sides. Depending on the size of the backhoe and basement, the soil may be deposited on the area that will ultimately be excavated for the basement.
-
-
3
Move the backhoe along the center line of the basement, excavating the central part of the basement. Reset the braces or supports of the backhoe at each location.
-
4
Use the loader portion of the backhoe to push the soil already excavated away from the planned basement area. Clear enough work area to excavate the rest of the basement space.
-
5
Move the backhoe to the same end of the basement where you started the excavation. Continue to excavate the basement space, widening the excavation to the planned dimension of the basement. Repeat the process on the opposite side of the initial excavation. Continue the excavation process until the entire basement space, including the workspace outside the basement space, is excavated.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure the dirt piles created by the excavation are kept away from the excavation by 3 or 4 feet. This maintains a working space for the basement construction process. Also maintain an alley way for cement trucks and other construction equipment to the basement excavation.
