Ponds & Waterfalls- Layout & Excavation

First of all: know what you want. If you need some ideas, visit the library or your local book store and browse through landscape books, garden and pond magazines. You can also search the web and read and study as much as possible.

Layout is the most important phase of the entire project. I have heard many complaints from disappointed clients after they had a chance to get used to their new addition to the landscape. “I only wish we had made it bigger ... made it deeper ... added an island ... made it longer and constructed a bridge ... built it closer to the house ... installed a larger water pump for the waterfall … or ... built the waterfall higher or wider.”

Most of these wishes could have been granted for a reasonable cost before or during construction. But waiting until afterward means incurring a major expense that may be cost prohibitive. If your choice is to omit the item or feature because of its cost, then make structural preparations to allow for adding it on later. You can plan and design the landscape to allow for easy additions to the koi pond later just by the strategic placement of trees, sprinklers, drain lines, and much more.

When you decide exactly where you want to place the koi pond, take your time laying it out. A garden hose is popular for this job because it can easily be moved around until the desired shape is achieved. Once that is accomplished, you can use construction paint and spray the ground in the outline of the hose. If there is any doubt about where to locate the koi pond, give it a couple of days and ask for outside opinions. Then walk around the yard while you observe the proposed spot from various angles, especially views from inside your house, from the room where you spend most of your time.

Remember to take into consideration everything around it. How close is the nearest tree? Will its roots pose a problem later? Is there going to be sufficient sun throughout the day? Some water plants require more sun exposure than others, such as lilies. Make sure you know where the main power, water and sewer lines are routed to the house. It is not so good to find out after the fact that the gas or water line runs right through the center, 36 inches below the surface of a 48 inch deep koi pond.

Do not land-lock a section of your yard that may later need drains, sprinklers or heavy construction material. Place in advance or remove such items and install necessary drains and sprinklers. If it is not convenient to run the sprinklers at this time, run 4 inch drainpipe sleeves under the stream or section of pond to enable running low voltage wire and sprinkler lines later.

When it comes to the koi pond depth, if you plan to have it more than 18" deep, you will need to check with the local building codes to determine if a 6 foot perimeter fence is required. You may also need door alarms and self-closing gates at the side of the house. If the koi pond site is not level, do not worry about it; you will have all the excavated dirt from the pond to level out uneven terrain and get creative with terracing for an upper koi pond and waterfall or a sloped portion of the yard for a stream or creek.

A pond can be placed on the side of a hill by constructing a retaining wall to hold back portions of the hill. Drive a stake in the ground until the top of it represents the water surface of the koi pond. Continue with additional stakes in the shape of the proposed pond using a level as you go. Keep in mind how deep the koi pond should be and begin to remove the dirt. As you do so, note the condition of the soil and determine if you will need only shovels and a pick, or if you will have to rent a jackhammer. Also, if the soil is sandy and unstable, you may need to shore up the sides with plywood forms and supports prior to pouring concrete.

Most often the soil from a pond excavation can be used to create berms in the landscape plus mounding for a waterfall. If the koi pond is large the excavated dirt can be used to terrace a level back yard, facilitating a second, elevated koi pond. If there is no access to the back yard for a bobcat or excavator, additional soil will need to be removed by wheelbarrow and can be dumped into a rented trash bin or dumpster.

The most important stage of the water feature project is planning, not layout and excavation. If you have not planned and predesigned your waterfall and koi pond by now, file this article away until you do.

It has been a pleasure sharing with you. Until next time. Happy Koi, Peace & Joy.

Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, master Waterfall Builder, freelance writer and author designer, architect, inventor, engineer, writer, author and builder of over 1,900 waterfall and ponds in California or the past 26 years. Inventor and manufacturer of the "AquaFill" T.M., electronic float control system for ponds, pools, fountains and hot tubs. http://watergardenauthority.com/

A Great Saving Of Cost From Brand Name Used Skid Steers Loader From A Reputed Dealers

Skid steers are amazingly functional equipment. They are very useful both in their capability to execute a variety of different jobs and their flexibility by individual able to sketch in very small places.

Buying a used skid steer could offer you a vast reduction on the cost of a new one. First of all choose the right dealers who sell brand name skid steers. There is some popular brand like GEHL, JLG, JCB and Skytrak for skid steers in USA and overseas. New and used skid steers from these brands are easily available at very cost effective price.

Skid Steers are a very fine built piece of equipment and it is significantly considering the construct for excellence when buying a piece of heavy equipment. Skid steer loader also has a lot of very superior protection features.

Skid steer loader is a very high quality machine that will frequently offer various excellent services. It is contemptible to run and very fine built. It also has very excellent safety features and a thicker boom arm. Skid steers also have a dual container bucket design that provides a lot of power.

Another aspect that you should appear for in the skid steer attachments brush cutter is a top envelop that lifts off so that you can stare at the drive parts. If you utilize a new and used skid steer attachments brush cutter then you should be proficient to clear the brush quickly. Skid steer loader uses broad high tensile tubing that is a great deal stronger than most other skid steers.

Skid steer loader has a very good construction that should give you a lot superior work without any hassles. Skid steel loaders used two joysticks at left and right which feels comfortable for the user and increase the efficiency of work. it also reduce the cost of manpower.

for more information about skid steers please contact us

The Top Five Ways to Beat the Competition, Bulldozer Marketing Part I

The competition is fierce and your company is just one in a billion others trying to grab the attention of consumers and the business world. How can you get your company to the top of the pile and start gaining the clout and money you need to succeed? In Part I and II of this article, I will reveal some of the top five marketing and promotion tools that are used by some of the biggest names in any industry. I call it Bulldozer Marketing. First, let me start with the basics.

It's all about marketing and promotion. While there are never any guarantees that your product or service will become the next big thing, one thing is certain: Unless you know the rules of engagement to this game, no matter how unique and urgently needed your product or service is, most people will never hear about it.

The people who have made it to the top got there with great determination, an unwavering belief and commitment to their goal, a big bullhorn and a marketing bulldozer. They didn't get there by luck or even by their talent or a great product. Their talent or product is secondary. An overnight success is only an overnight success because it's the first time you've heard of them. There are only two things that got them where they are: Marketing and promotion.

Another thing is certain: While they may have talent, which may help sustain them, unless they continue with a marketing bulldozer and mega promotion bullhorn, they have a real chance of becoming obscure in the sea of other companies and talent trying to take their spot.

You can be the next Christina Aguilera, Bill Gates, or Tiger Woods, but if you don't shout it out loud and clear, shoving your product in the consumers face, you won't sell much, if anything at all. Have you ever noticed a song on the radio you disliked, but when you saw the video and heard the song repeatedly, it grew on you?

That's what I call bulldozer marketing. They're selling it to you simply by shoving it in your face constantly! You need to use the same strategies. Get your product in the face of the public every chance you make. That's right, every chance You make. Bulldoze the public with the sheer volume of times they've heard about you.

The next step to the top is to know your competition and study them. Find out what they did to make it to the top. Many times if you call up your competition, they will talk to you about how they made it to the top. They won't discuss proprietary information however and they can't spend hours of time talking to you, so don't expect that. If they won't speak with you, go online and read every article you can about how they made it to the top and how they started out. Start calling the names in the articles (marketing consultants, business managers, etc.) to find out if they can offer you any tips and tricks to help you succeed. Once you've researched your competition, make sure you have a stunning package designed. Have you ever seen the shows on television about redesigning homes so they can sell them? Once they repackage the rooms, the market becomes interested and the house sells.

No one will open the package if it's not bundled correctly. A simple example is a word picture. Home vs. House. A home is where your heart is right? A house is down the street with someone you don't know in it. Get the picture? Here's another: A flawless diamond thrown into a garbage bag filled with other garbage and put up for auction will only gain so much attention. Very few people will want to sift through the garbage in the bag to see if there really is a flawless diamond inside. Because the display is poor, the possibility of a bidding war will be very low. However, a flawless diamond displayed on a beautiful black velvet tray with a Diamond Certificate and a recommendation or two, can be sold for quite a bit of money.

To help ensure a great package, talk to packaging experts and look up packaging specialties online. If you have a music or book product, go to your local college and ask the art and graphics department head whom their most talented designer is. Ask if the college has an internship programs.

Remember that if you're ship isn't waiting at the docks for you, you must swim out and get it!

Jaci Rae is known for unique marketing strategies. How to Get Something for Nothing / Collista's Search for the True Meaning of Christmashttp://www.jacirae.comhttp://www.christmaswithlove.com.

Financing for Your Bulldozer

Bulldozer Financing

Ok, you’re ready to go out on your own. You’re tired of working for the man. You have been grading and clearing land for years and know what it takes. You have great contacts that have plenty of work for you but you don’t own your own dozer. And you certainly don’t have $100K or $60K or even $30K to buy something decent that will keep working for you.

So what are your options? Borrow money from a friend? We all wish we had friends with this kind of money ready to hand out. How about a loan from the bank. Well, it might be worth a try. But banks are not usually interested in lending to new businesses and would likely require excellent credit and a huge down payment. Even if you were able to convince them to take a closer look they would probably require a rock solid business plan and financial covenants to oversee your progress.

There is another option. Equipment Leasing. Getting a lease for the bulldozer you need may be easier that you think. If you have decent credit you could be making money with that bulldozer next week.

What is Equipment Leasing?

Equipment leasing is essentially a long-term rental agreement with a buyout clause. The equipment is owned by the leasing company during the lease while the business has possession of and continual use of the equipment. Since the lender owns the equipment, the equipment itself is usually the only collateral. The buyout clause determines the business’s options at the end of the lease. Typically, buyout options are based upon a percentage of the original sale price (e.g. 10% or 20% buyout) or a fair market value (FMV).

Why would you want an equipment lease instead of a loan?

1. Easier to qualify. Banks usually require financial history of at least 2 or 3 years. Some leasing companies will finance equipment for start-ups with a simple credit application.
2. Improve your cash flow. A new or growing business needs to control cash expenditures. Equipment leases rarely require a down payment. -- if anything, only a few payments in advance. Loans require a significant down payment of up to 25% or more.
3. Tax advantages. Leases are frequently 100% tax deductible. If you are shopping the cost of a loan vs a lease, this is a very important factor that can make the lease a significantly better financial solution.
4. More for your money. Since the initial cash outlay is lower you can get more or higher quality equipment.
5. Other advantages. There are some other advantages depending upon specific situations including balance sheet impacts, seasonal payment options, protection from equipment obsolescence, to name a few.

Who provides equipment leases?

Many large institutions and small companies provide leases. Some of these lenders are focused on credit (good or bad), a specific type of equipment (e.g. bulldozer financing or medical equipment), large or small ticket equipment, or leaseback financing.

Many lenders specialize to be more competitive. If they are working with clients who have less than perfect credit they need to effectively manage any defaults. If a typical bank were to give out a loan on a bulldozer and the business defaults, the bank would likely loose a lot of value when trying to sell it. To offset this risk, banks usually require a significant down payment. A specialized leasing company can minimize this default loss and can therefore provide better terms.

How do you find an appropriate lender?

A good small business loan broker will have access to many funding sources and will be best able to find the right lender for a client. These brokers are similar in function to a mortgage broker where they select the lender and process the paperwork to facilitate the entire lending process.

Back to your Bulldozer.

So, looking for some bulldozer financing? You may want to talk to a business loan broker regarding the advantages of leasing your bulldozer. A lease may help you get started sooner, get a better dozer, and save more of your cash. And it might just save you a lot of money in the long run.

Tim Lawless is President of Unionwide Financial Services. Unionwide provides small businesses nationwide with financing options including: equipment leasing, SBA loans, and accounts receivable financing. One area of specialty for Unionwide is Bulldozer Financing.

Skid Steers - Powered Lifter For The Smallest Of Spaces

When you need to load or carry things in an industrial environment, whether on a construction site or in a loading situation, you sometimes do not have the space that is needed for a conventional lifting device such as a large forklift. You need a smaller vehicle that is both capable of lifting heavy loads and also does not need a lot of room to work in. But that is only half of the problem. There is no point in have a vehicle that fits the environment that you are working in if it is not able to work effectively. As well as being able to fit into the area that you are working in, it needs to be able to move efficiently and to be able to lift heavy loads even if there is not they room to extend the arms for leverage. It was this and many other situations that the skid steer was built to work in.

Skid Steers is a powered lifter that is able to work in the smallest of spaces and to operate effectively in them. Skid steers can even work in spaces where the only room that is available for the machine to maneuver in is the space in which it is situated. This makes the skid steer a very practical machine to own if you are working in small spaces, or need a high degree of maneuverability.

The main reason that the skid steer is able to be so adaptable is the drive system. The wheels are not attached to each other by means of a conventional axel arrangement. This is where the front two wheels and the rear two wheels are connected to each other. This means that the front two wheels cannot turn independently of each other and both need to turn in the same direction at the same time. This limits their ability to turn in a small area and means that they need a much larger area than that which they stand in, to turn. But a skid steer can turn in its own length as the front and rear wheels of each side are attached to each other and so can move the vehicle by turning one side so that the other skids round.

A skid steer is not just maneuverable, but is also very versatile as well. There are any number of applications that can be helped by using a skid steer with the right attachments. They are one of the most useful pieces of small machinery that is available for construction, loading and general maintenance.

Skid Steers Sale - Your online resource for skidsteers including Bobcat skid steers!

Skid Steers Attachments For The Right Job

A Bobcat skid steer is a very versatile piece of equipment and if you have the right skid steer attachment, then there are a lot of different things that you can do with them. The angle broom is a very useful skid steer attachment, especially if you are trying to keep a site clean but do not want to go to the expense of hiring a full size road sweeper. A skid steer is able to work in small spaces and the angle broom skid steer attachment can also be used to keep every bit of the site clean, unlike a regular road sweeper which is limited as to where it can go because of its size. There is also a water kit skid steer attachment available.

The brush cutter skid steer attachment is very useful if you might have to clear areas of brush. It is a very powerful saw that could quickly clear areas that are overgrown. This skid steer attachment also has a steel deflector as a safety attachment so that the operator is protected from the blades. The brush cutter skid steer attachment is also very useful for cutting fire breaks and clearing field edges.

A very useful skid steer attachment is the digger. This can be attached to the front of the skid steer and used to dig and move large quantities of earth or gravel or rocks. The digger skid steer attachment can also remove tree roots and loosen soil that is too hard to work. Using a skid steer attachment to do your digging can let you get a lot more work done and help you to finish jobs quicker. This is undoubtedly one of the most verstile of the skid steer attachment and will be useful to most people.

Another very good skid steer attachment is the bucket. This means that you can carry much larger quantities and make fewer journeys to move the same amount of stuff. Saving time like this can help to increase profitability and allow you to get the job done more quickly. If you get the right one for your needs then a skid steer attachment can make a real difference to the way that you work. And the more time you save, more that you can do and the more money you make. There are a great many skid steer attachments that can make a difference to the way that you work and they can mean that you can work quicker and more effectively.

Skid Steers Guide - Your online resource for skidsteers including Skid Steer Attachments, and Caterpillar Skid Steers.

Basics of the Skid Loader: Heavy Agricultural Machinery

What is a skid loader?

A skid loader is a stiff frame machine with mechanical arms that can be fitted with attachments for a wide variety of different tools, including a backhoe, hydraulic breaker, pallet forks, angle broom, sweeper, auger, mower, snow blower, stump grinder, tree spade, trencher, and a wheel saw.

Modern skid loaders come in two varieties, a four wheeled system and a rubber track version. Wheeled skid loaders are typically are four-wheel drive and for additional maneuverability, the left and right wheels systems are independent. The track version also referred to as a track loader provides for better digging and pushes performance in higher end models due to less ground disturbance and better traction in un-ideal environments like mud and sand.

History of the skid loader machine

The first three-wheeled front-end loader was invented in 1957 by two brothers, Cyril and Louis Keller, in a small machinist shop in Rothsay Minnesota. The brothers conceived the idea to help a nearby farmer with the ignoble task of cleaning up manure for a pole barn. They wanted to help him, and out of this collaboration the first skidder was born.

This early machine was eventually purchased by Melrose Manufacturing Company and the Kellers brought on to continue development. Since then it has spread to become a highly valued piece of heavy machinery at construction and engineering site around the globe.

What are these machines used for?

Due to the wide array of attachments available for these vehicles , they have many uses, but mostly are employed for scrape material from one place to another, carry materials in a bucket and proceed to load them into a truck or trailer.

Skid loaders can also be used in tight digging situations where factors limit the practically of using a large excavator, like digging a basement under an existing house. In this situation a skid loader would make use of a ramp at the edge of the site. The loader would proceed to use the ramp to carry materials out of the hole. The skid loader would reshape the ramp by making it steeper and longer as the excavation deepened.

Differences between a front loader machine and a skid loader machine

The pivot arms on a skid loader lay behind the driver, alongside the side of the vehicle.

Major machine manufacturers

Major manufacturers for skid loaders include the Bobcat Company, Mustang, Case, New Holland, Komatsu, and Caterpillar www.dunkelbros.com

http://www.dunkelbros.com