The ground thaws, the to-do list comes out, and half of it involves moving dirt. Here is the season's project list matched to the machine that turns each one from a month of weekends into one.
April: drainage and grading
The first dry week is when you can see where the water went. Regrade away from the house, add a swale, or trench a French drain. Loader for grading, U17 for trenching. Our drainage guide covers the options.
May: driveway repair
Frost heave and spring rain leave a gravel driveway rutted and washboarded. Regrade the crown with the SVL75-3 or the LX2620 tractor and top up with three quarter crush. Half a day.
May and June: fences and decks
Auger on the loader for post holes, U17 for deck footings. Sand and clay both dig easily now, before the summer bakes the clay hard.
June: patios, walkways and retaining walls
Strip the sod, excavate the base, spread and compact gravel, move pallets of stone with forks. Loader and U17 together for a weekend is the usual pair.
June and July: ponds and water features
A garden pond or a dug pond for a rural property is excavator work. U17 for a garden pond, U35 for anything you would swim in or stock with fish. Check with the conservation authority if you are near a creek or wetland.
July: shed and garage pads
Strip, level, gravel, compact. Our pad guide has the steps. Loader work.
August: stumps, brush and lot cleanup
Dry ground is the easiest time to pull stumps and clear brush. U35 for stumps, loader with grapple for brush. See stump removal.
September: topsoil, sod and seeding
Spread topsoil with the loader and seed before the fall rains. Best time of year to establish a lawn in this region.
Before every one of these
Ontario One Call locates, free and required by law, five business days ahead. A quick look at where the septic bed and the well are. And a call to us with the job and the postal code so the right machine, with the right attachments, shows up on the right morning. Weekend rentals run Friday to Monday from $350 for the BX23s to $600 for the U35 or SVL75-3, delivered across Georgina, York, Durham and Kawartha Lakes.
Call or text 905-251-2521 to get on the spring calendar early; the first dry weekends book up.