POLE BARN BUILD (Part 2) STRIPPING SOD + SPEADING 20 TON OF STONE!

#polebarn #tractor Stripping all of the sod from the inside of my new pole barn + Spreading out 20 Ton of stone in its place! Getting 20 Ton of stone delivered for my new pole barn! #stripping #stone #sod #pad #build #building

[@BiffsEquipment]

Not sure if you guys could tell from the vid but the cutting edge on my bucket is shot!! I really liked the factory edge but its just too far gone making the tractor work much harder to dig up sod then it ever use to be.. Curious which tooth bars some of you guys are using and how your liking them! Iv debated just buying a whole new bucket since I liked the factory cutting edge so much and am extremally use to it. Leave a comment below! PS. DONT FORGET TO WATCH MY VIDEOS IN VIDEO IN 4K VIDEO MODE!

[@cowrocket3870]

The edge can be replaced, not sure if its worth the cost vs buying a new bucket. The first thing I did with my BX is make a toothed cutting edge and a straight edge to protect the factory edge. I based my toothed edge on the BXpanded Piranha. Saved a bunch of money by buying some drops from the local steel mill for $12 and an afternoon of cutting and welding. Thank you for uploading your jobs, they really helped me get the hang of operating the BX. I'm not to your skill yet, but much further along than if I was just winging it.

[@jimbecker5675]

I put a BXpanded Piranha tooth bar on my BX-22. They also have a straight blade which can interchange with the same mounting holes. Very heavy steel and decently priced. The Piranha has angular sharp "teeth" so it also helps with cutting small roots and vegetation while removing material.

[@derekbrin4182]

I put on one of those aggressive tooth bars (5 teeth) and man it really tears up the material. Not for smooth cutting but big material movement is awesome. Also works for raking debris like cuttings from the bush hog.

[@jimbecker5675]

@@derekbrin4182 Yes, a traditional toothbar can get pretty agressive. I found that the Piranha cut really well but was still functional when I was back-dragging all that stone I mentioned. One of the things I found attractive about the BXpanded product, in addition to the stellar reviews of the small company and products was the fact that the Piranha and the straight version are interchangeable with only two bolts and they substantially beef up and support the front edge of the OEM bucket at the same time. That could be an advantage over time to the OP because of all the heavy work he does with his BX. Best of both worlds with a quick changeover and no need to replace the bucket because of wear.

[@jeffwilliams4676]

Well done.

[@therealbenjamin789]

Biff is a straight savage with a tractor. You need to teach classes.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Haha thanks buddy I really appreciate the kind words! Some day I would love to do that.. Iv been wanting to make videos on how (I) use my tractor for years now.. and I still plan to do them! I want to make videos showing how I dig/strip sod.. how I grade, how I do some of my techniques and more! Just been hard to find the time these last few years and I need to get a proper microphone setup for my camera to do so which I havnt been able to find a decent mic yet. Thanks for always supporting my channel man!

[@ticklemeorange8328]

Well thats a honest days work... Looking good, re-watching in 4K lol.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Haha thanks buddy, it sure was.. I was spent by the end of it but glad I got it all done and the BX did awesome as usual! Yes def do! All my videos are recorded in 4k so if your not watching them in 4k your not getting the most out of them!

[@MarkWilliams-vp7xw]

Another example of a job where a bx or sub compact prevails . If you had any bigger of a tractor I bet it would have been more of a pita. Nice work Mike jealous but happy for you to have a nice shop finally !

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Mark, your absolutly right, any larger of a machine and it woulda made this job much more difficult and I don’t think I coulda done it as quickly. The Bx did a fantastic job as always, I just wish my cutting edge was a bit sharper going into it! Thanks for watching!

[@theoracle5265]

Good job!

[@macdawg6403]

Looking Good!

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Mac, sorry I’m just seeing this, hope your doing well!

[@HuserHelpers]

Getting closer. Nice work.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Jason! Slowly but surely!

[@thall6076]

Looking amazing friend you are getting it that’s for sure, sorry haven’t been online much been working a lot myself, can’t wait until I see the finished product Biff

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Tom I really appericate that buddy! Seems like everyone gets really busy this time of year with last minute work on their property and side jobs before the weather starts to turn for winter. I know Iv been scrambling myself lately and it’s been a lot to juggle but we are getting there. I hope your doing well man!

[@tombyorn8278]

Wow you made short work of that. You weren't sure if you were going to get to the stone. Really good for 1 guy. That will be a nice man barn - oops I mean Pole Barn.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey thanks Tom! Agh yah it was a long day for sure! Moving, speeding, and grading 20 ton of stone at the end of the day was a lot of work as well but the Bx and I are always up to the task! I’m glad that part is done as it’s a big thing to check off the list! Glad you enjoyed, stay safe!

[@jeffwilliams4676]

Great video

[@EverythingElliott]

You’re gunna love having the workspace man!

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Elliot! Hope your doing well buddy, it’s not as big as your beautiful barn but it should get the job done (for now!!) haha

[@garymonsarratt6048]

Looks Great MIKE My place had a 35x65 pole barn with dirt floor ,Did the same with mine and the bottom board is there already for the concrete .... made it easy to pour. There's nothing better than a new work shop , You must be over the moon hahaha . Cant wait for the next video .

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Gary! Oh yah man I'm filled with excitement for sure! Cant wait to get it all wrapped up so I can start using it this winter! I agree having the base boards/backer boards up already does make it much easier.. Not only does it help to keep a level grade but also helps when pouring the concrete as you already have it mostly framed in. Thanks for watching!

[@toddcaskey9984]

Great job, it is coming along nicely. I can't wait until the next video. I bet it will be great also . Keep your brother hydrated with water until after 🤪todd

[@BiffsEquipment]

Haha thanks Todd! It’s coming along slowly but surely, hoping I can get it all done before winter time is flying by! I’ll be sure to keep him hydrated just for you 😂

[@tomahawkjo8574]

I have a heavy hitch tooth bar and love it! I would never go without it!

[@BiffsEquipment]

Good to know! Does it come on and off as easy as you'd like? My biggest issue with toothbars is that I do a lot of back dragging with the edge of my bucket so having to remove it each time sounds like a pain to me but when it comes to digging hard ground I hear there is nothing better! Thanks for your comment!

[@tomahawkjo8574]

@@BiffsEquipment I rarely remove it but its not to hard. Its just a matter off loosening the bolts with an allen key then sliding the bar off. I think it is worth having. Its also nice because the extra teeth help hold things in the bucket. I have had several logs that would normally roll out of the bucket but the extra length of the tooth bar holds the logs in.

[@ritterjon]

💥 I was finally able to do some binge watching to catch up with your different projects. Nice find on the trailer that will sure be great to haul with! I’m sure you’re busy with work and every spare minute working on that building. That is going to be so nice to have room for all your tools and tractor. I’m really looking forward to seeing you making videos this winter from inside your new shop! 👍 *Keep on tractoring!*

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Jon! Agh man busy is an under statement! Things have been crazy and I feel bad I havnt been able to even keep up with my channel or comments. We currently have the roof completely done on the pole barn as well as 2 sides fully finished and all the windows and doors installed (minus the bay doors) so we are making great progress but it’s been a ton of work! I’ll upload another video this weekend getting you guys nearly caught up with the progress. Glad to hear your all caught up for now on my videos and thanks for the support! Stay safe and god bless!

[@TimMcArdle]

Won't take you long to get use to driving in and out a big door! congrats on the building man! I love my shop and don't know what I'd do without it!

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Tim I’m super excited! Can’t wait till it’s finished. Actually having full sized doors to get equipment and vehicles in and out of is gonna be so nice too. I bet you love your shop as much as I’m gonna love mine, there’s just no replacement for a nice dry place to work on your equipment!

[@michaelsheeder148]

I always look forward to seeing what you end up doing with your Kubota BX and getting your pole barn put together so you got a nice big garage to work in. Thanks Michael

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Mike I appreciate that! I feel bad I havnt been able to stay as consistent with my videos lately and when I upload as it’s been a lot of work but it will all be worth it in the end. Thanks for sticking around and enjoying my videos!

[@jimbecker5675]

You are fortunate to be able to just remove a little soil and use "only" about 30 ton of stone. LOL I had to bring in and layer 115 ton (with my BX22) for my site prep. Your base looks great!

[@BiffsEquipment]

haha thanks Jim, yah by the sounds of it I did get quite lucky. I think 30 ton will about do it.. It woulda been alot less than that tho had I not lived on a hill. Sounds like your BX really put in the work on that project, they are tough machines!!

[@jimbecker5675]

@@BiffsEquipment Yea, I can't complain about completing that work with a 20+ year old machine...thanks to your hydraulic pressure mod, it went pretty smoothly. After removing a lot of top-soil that was unsuitable to support things, I had to fill in the space with stone and level; 16" at the top of the small slop and 28" at the bottom of the small slope. Many compacted layers but it's solid and not going anywhere! Unfortunately, I now need to do the tie rod ends as I mentioned to your previously as they are super sloppy after all these years. That will be in my copious free time, of course. My building goes up in a couple weeks and then my focus is on the interior build-out so I can have a real shop space again, rather than the temporary "gara-shop" I've been crammed into since we moved here a year and a half ago. So the tractor fixes will likely have to wait until the spring.

[@timothyflynn5233]

bxpanded has a bolt on straight edge as well as a serrated tooth bar

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Tim, This is one ov been debating to buy for years.. Not sure how I feel about the teeth tho for all the back dragging I do but the regular cutting edge they make might be a great option.. Kubota also sells a bolt on cutting edge that I have debated but it sticks out quite a bit farther than the original and is quite thick. Ill have to keep you guys posted with which one I go with!

[@pauljelen2330]

I was surprised that there were very few roots and no big rocks when scraping up the top layer. Looking forward to seeing the next step. Keep up the good work.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Paul! Sorry I’m just seeing this! Yah we got lucky there weren’t many holes we dug with massive roots but Belive me we def did hit some. Digging out the sod wasn’t too bad tho like you said , basically the worst area was in that back right corner but i just used the sawzaw to take care of them when I found them :p hope your doing well!

[@ryanp1331]

I threw a bxpanded piranha tooth bar on this year and have been very happy. I was worried about back dragging but it hasn’t been an issue for what I do with it.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey Ryan thanks for the comment on your experience with the piranha toothbar! Iv heard so many good things about it and have been debating on buying it for years now. My biggest worry was with back dragging as I do a LOT of it.. but sounds like it hasn’t been too bad huh?

[@stevestock2439]

Nice work as usual, fill puddle and compact in lifts was meticulously done. You will have a great floor base, for sure. Good luck on the trusses.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Steve that means a lot buddy! I know you know your stuff! I tried to make as solid of a base as I could working by myself, I don’t think it’s gonna go anywhere! Thanks for watching 👍🏻

[@aarondillon3880]

That looks awesome man. Congrats on the building, what a game changer.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Aaron! Hope your doing well buddy, can’t wait to wrap this project up so I can get back to tractor work!

[@calewarner06]

Dude that's a lot of stone, awesome job man excited for you and the videos to come from this shop

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Cal! I appreciate all your help with the pole barn as well!

[@calewarner06]

@@BiffsEquipment thanks dude no problem

[@johnlottes7440]

Great work as usual. I was a bit surprised that you didn't put down a geotextile fabric to help with controlling the gravel. I know you're going to put down concrete but it does help if you have any chance of water infiltration and undercutting the slab. DAMHIKT.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks John! That woulda been a great thing but I honestly can’t afford it right now.. money has been tight as it’s prolly been with most Americans and with these rising material costs it’s been tough but we are getting it done. Thankfully where I put my barn the ground is extremely dry all year round.. even in the spring and fall the front yard never held any water which was a big basis of why I put the barn where I did. I don’t think I’ll have any issues because of this. Thanks for watching!

[@davidmartin7660]

Nice dry weather for building. Tough digging though. Interesting the vid shown the ground drying fast after you got the sod off. Nice job.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks David! That’s funny I think you were the only one who noticed that! Yes it’s been very dry! We had to use the garden hose quite a bit in the beggining as the ground was not only super dusty but also like concrete! But that’s why I chose this area for my barn because I know it will stay nice and dry where it’s at and I’ll never have to deal with mud or things settling. Glad you enjoyed the video, I’ll have another coming this weekend as we made some great progress these last few weeks so stay tuned! 👍🏻

[@chuckcurtin]

It looks like a nice project. I'm wondering why the pad wasn't done first? We always had the site ready and level and then set the poles.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks Chuck! As for why we didn’t grade the site first.. I was going to but ran out of time before we started building it.. we also figured that having the posts in the ground and the base boards set that it will help show the grade much easier if we did that before digging and grading for a pad.. it actually worked out quite nicely as I was able to keep an eye on my base boards while digging it out and making the pad so I knew I was at the perfect grade when doing it and didn’t have to worry about digging out more material than I needed to or making it wider than I needed to but it was a bit of a hassle digging around all the posts so there is def pros and cons to doing it each way.. some contractors wait and dig after, some like to do it all before which was my plan.. but in any even it’s all done now thank god! 😅😅

[@tekker8308]

I can't wait for the next one. Nice job! When I bought my tractor I got the bolt-on cutting edge and one of the first things I bought aftermarket was a bxpanded toothbar because I wanted to do things like cutting up sod, but I quickly noticed that I sucked at digging sod compared to you. I've always been impressed with your use of the bucket, and you might remember I've asked about it a couple of times until I realized you don't even have the bolt-on, just the bucket edge. That might be why you are so good with it, it's thin and doesn't go too deep like I feel the toothbar does, I start at the level I want but then digs in deeper until I notice I've gone too deep. I have kept my bolt on cutting edge but I keep wondering how much closer I can get to your level if I took that off. Buying a bucket can't be cheap, but you are really good with just the bucket edge.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey thanks Tekker I really appreciate the kind words man! Haha yes I do remember you kept asking me what cutting edge I had on the bucket.. I was like.. huh? None.. just the factory one lol. That’s funny. I can see why you thought that tho..many people ask the same question and now I can see why. Yes I’m totally with you on the factory cutting edge.. everyone has been screaming at me for years “you need to buy a tooth bar!” “You need a Piranha tooth bar!” But I havnt got one and that’s because the factory edge IMO does a great job! It’s extremely thin and cuts in like butter, and because it doesn’t hang so much lower from the bottom edge of the bucket (like Kubotas bolt on cutting edge) I feel this helps it work better.. this is one of the main reasons I can’t decide what to do.. because I just like the factory edge so much I’m kind of afraid to buy an expensive cutting edge just to find out I don’t like it as much.. but reguardless im gonna have to do something soon because my factory cutting edge is shot.. and it’s starting to really affect the way I dig. I may just end up buying a whole new bucket.. from there I’ll buy a tooth bar for my old bucket and this way I’ll have both styles and will be able to easily swap between the both. Once I do this I’ll make a video on it and keep you all in the loop!

[@tekker8308]

@@BiffsEquipment That sounds like a good choice. It will obviously cost a little more but having both will definitely show you if one is better than the other. I have 2 factory cutting edges (one has never been used) and I would happily send it but it would probably cost more than buying one from your local dealer. 😀 Keep up the great work.

[@cameronmurray4479]

Killing it as always, Biff. Hey, what do you have rigged on the 3pt hitch (the whole setup)? I want to get something like that to add more weight to have an easier time scraping sod or lifting anything heavy.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey Cam, so on the back of my BX I have a “RanchEx” quick hitch.. it’s one of the cheapest (true Cat 1) hitches you can buy.. but it has to be the RED model.. the black model is not a true cat 1.. attached to that is my custom heavy hitch weight bracket that I built myself.. you can order one tho from “heavy hitch.com” just pop the name into Google.. on the heavy hitch weight bracket I’m running 8x42lb suitcase weights which is plenty.. most guys only run 4 of them but because I have my hydraulic pressure cranked higher and because of the type of work I do o added more.. I also have both rear tires filled so If you havnt done that yet then that’s a great place to start as it adds a lot of weight and gives the tractor much more pushing power.. any ballast on the back will help with that and will make your tractor be much more productive. I made a video years ago on my custom rear hitch setup.. I’ll see if I can leave you a link for it LINK: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3WypnZodtGXn5o

[@michaelcorbeil81]

I was debating on getting a piranha tooth bar for my bx but ended up getting the kubota cutting edge from my local dealer. I think it was about 130 bucks. I thought the kubota cutting edge would be better for back dragging than a tooth bar.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Thanks for your comment Mike, I totally agree that a flat edge would be better for somone who does a lot of grading and back dragging work like we do.. this is why I also debated just going with the Kubota bolt on cutting edge as well. How are you liking it? My main concerns with it was how thick it was and how wide it was.. it sticks out much farther from the edge of the bucket than the original.. have you found any issues with this compared to the factory welded edge? Thanks!!

[@michaelcorbeil81]

@@BiffsEquipment So far I've had no issues with the Kubota cutting edge on any of the projects I've done. I bought my BX2380 in June of 2021 and installed the cutting edge in May or June of this year. My only complaint is the bolts that came in the kit seemed a little long. I cut them down with a hacksaw.

[@D70340]

Mike, great job brother! Was that 40 tons of stone they dropped in your driveway? As for the bucket, i decided on just the factory add-on straight cutting edge for our BX23s. I do alot of back dragging and also snow plowing in the winters with ours. I didnt want one of those tooth bars because i knew i would lose the smooth back drag ability that a smooth cutter edge would give me vs the toothbar that wont. For all the different kinds of work that you do, i would have both types of cutter edges. Maybe find another bucket, and have 2 buckets, one with a toothbar, the other one for just smooth work. Though it doesn`t really take long to change the cutter edges out. But on the other hand, for you, time is money, where for me, its not.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey that’s actually a great idea man! Maybe I’ll buy a Piranha or heavy hitch tooth bar for my current bucket with the worn out cutting edge and then buy a brand new Kubota bucket for all my regular grading jobs.. I actually like this idea because although more expensive.. switching between buckets is much easier and faster than swapping out tooth bars/cutting edges every Job or during a job. This may be what I do! Thanks for the comment and glad to hear youv been liking the Kubota bolt on cutting edge.. this was one I was highly debating on buying because I feel in most cases the flat regular cutting works fine for most the jobs I find myself doing. 👍🏻

[@jeremyhallam9806]

Looking good. I am always amazed at how easy you make it to remove sod and level areas with your FEL. Shows some real skill with it. As far as the polebarn build, is there a reason why you waited until after the poles were set to remove the sod etc? I am looking at adding a building here in the near future and was planning on removing the sod from the site first as prep work.

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey thanks Jeremy! These little tractors can certainly get a lot of work done specially if you know how to use it and how to manipulate the loader.. in this video my cutting edge was super dull too and it wasn’t cutting for crap, I have to buy a new one asap. As for why we waited till after.. you can do it either way.. prepping the site first works well but then you have to take account for the material you removed when setting the posts in the ground and setting the grade for the posts.. me and my builder found it easier to take the grade first and get the posts installed and then putting up our bottom boards because then we knew exactly where the floor of the barn was gonna be and the bottom boards told me exactly where my grade should be on the inside so I wasn’t messing around after the fact.. I used the back boards as a guide and was able to get the grade just about perfect the first time for the inside of the barn. If you graded it out before you dug the posts (which a lot of people do) you’d have to make sure your tin siding wasn’t gonna be below the ground level and take stuff like that into account. Tho if you do it the way I did it it does make digging it out alot harder because you have to dig around each post and you don’t have as much room to work.. so it’s really all on the builder which direction you wanna go. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!

[@jeremyhallam9806]

@@BiffsEquipment Thanks for the reply. I agree a lot can be done with a BX. I have been able to do a ton with mine. Just have to be a little creative at times.

[@RossOnTheLand]

Hey Mike great work as usual. Any thought of putting a man door beside your garage door close to your house? Would make access easier? Looking forward to the next video!

[@BiffsEquipment]

Hey thanks Ross! Yes there is going to be not 1 but 2 man doors! One right next to the garage door in the front by the house and one right next to the garage door in the back in the same/matching location just on opposite sides. You will be able to see us frame the doors and windows in during my next video or two.. we already have the roof done and 2 sides of the barn sheeted and finished.. been so busy I havnt been able to go through and edit all the footage just yet but next weekend I will! Hope your doing well Ross!

[@hardware10231]

wondering why didnt you build the pad first?

[@BiffsEquipment]

I actually wanted to but I ran out of time to do it before my buddy helping me out the posts in the ground could help.. we were both on a tight schedule so I had to dig it out afterwords.. otherwise I woulda did it before hand honestly. Either way tho it still works out.. the nice part is with having the posts and bottom boards in already is it helps you to get a nice grade as you follow the bottom boards and you don’t have to use a laser since you know your bottom boards are level.. so that’s one benifit of doing it after.