I'm in the middle of renovating my lawn, and I've discovered a pocket of heavy, compacted clay measuring about 15 meters by 6 meters. I've tried using a pickaxe, but it barely made a dent, and I ended up sweating a lot. I also attempted to use a heavy rotavator, but it just bounced off the clay without managing to break it up. I'm looking for some effective options to deal with this clay without having to rent an excavator. Any suggestions?
4 Answers
You might want to try leaving a hose running on the clay for a day to see if it softens up. If that doesn't work, then it might be time to consider hiring an excavator, unfortunately!
Honestly, besides using heavy machinery, you're kind of limited. It's either a lot of manual labor with a pickaxe and shovel, or you might need to learn how to use the right machinery to tackle this effectively.
In case you didn't know, dried clay has some value! Potters and brick makers might actually be interested in what you have. You could let a local potter know, and they might come dig it up for you!
Have you thought about using propane? I saw a video where people inject it into the clay and light it up to create a small explosion that breaks the compaction. It looks kind of wild, and you definitely want someone experienced to help if you try it!
That actually sounds like a crazy but fun idea! Just make sure to be super careful if you go this route.