Middlebuster for a trench, rocky soil

[jenkinsph]

Phil,
If you are running a polypipe that will fit behind the subsoiler you may be able to pull it in about 100 to 200 ft at a time. Use a cone or steel ball shape to open a small tunnel like opening behind the subsoiler that the pipe will follow through. If you have had some of the recent rain in the last week this would be a good time to try it. Other than that I have used trenchers in T or C with good success but that would be a more expensive and time consuming route since you already have a tractor and subsoiler.

You should be able to pull ranch tubing and or small pvc sch 40 pipe this way.

 

[Jules083]

I needed to run some polyline across a packed down dirt road on the property and happened to run across this thread before heading up there yesterday. The sub-soiler sounded like just the ticket and so made a quick side-trip to Tractor Supply on the way up to the property to pick one up. Figured worst case was that I'd be out $160 bucks.

It did a fine job of cutting through the packed dirt and kicked up some good sized rocks. One of them stopped me dead when I first hit it but a second pass just pulled it up to the surface. When I took it off later to put the box blade back on it seemed to have come through unscathed.

For some reason I was expecting it to actually make a trench though. While some small amount of dirt was displaced through the action of breaking it up it wasn't really a trench. The good thing is that it only took a few minutes of work with a shovel to scoop out all the now loose dirt and rock so that was a great time and back saver. Getting the line across the road without have to worry about it being run over was the goal and that mission was accomplished.

So was I, in my ignorant newbie state, expecting too much or did I use it wrong (also highly likely)? Would using a middle buster after the sub-soiler give me a more trench-like result? I've got about 950' more of polyline I wouldn't mind burying if I don't have to do it by hand.

That's kinda why I bought the middle buster instead of a subsoiler, the middle buster makes a trench.

You're halfway there though. See if you can buy just the plow part of the middle buster, and bolt it on the front of your subsoiler. You'll probably be better off, because you'll already have the ground loosened up. You still will need to clean out the trench though, after you get through the first 8" or so it doesn't throw the dirt out of the hole anymore.

 

[pwright]

@Steve - Not getting much of the rain around here or at the property unfortunately but still more than last year thank goodness.

@Jules - I'll have to check and see if I can get the plow part of the middle-buster by itself. Though the middle buster is also pretty cheap and it would probably be faster to swap out the two implements than unbolt the cutting edge and put on the plow.

I can take the time to experiment now that the line across the road is buried.

Thanks.

 

[medic0648]

If you have a subsoiler and are running flex pipe you can either buy an attachment that bolts onto the subsoiler, or make 1 using some steel pipe to lay the pipe in 1 run. It also works for wire.

 

[pwright]

I'll have to investigate these attachments for pulling tubing/wiring. I've got the King Cutter sub soiler. Who makes/sells these items?

 

[jenkinsph]

Phil,
Look at the bottom of this subsoiler plow, this opens up a small tunnel if you will that leaves a space for a tubing to be pulled in behind the plow.

 

[medic0648]

I can't find any right now for sale. I can find threads where people have made them though. Most are a subsoiler with a 1.5" id pipe bent to lay it behind and welded or bolted to the subsoiler shank.

 

[sdkubota]

Purchased a subsoiler manufactured by Behlen Country at TSC for $159 today. Seems to be extremely well made and has a long heavy shank. Due to its length, my Kubota L3400 only lifts it 3" off the ground when the 3PH is all the way up although the counter point is it digs to like 19" deep. I will be loosening up some very hard packed clay areas I plan on doing some dirt moving in.

 

[sdkubota]

I'll have to investigate these attachments for pulling tubing/wiring. I've got the King Cutter sub soiler. Who makes/sells these items?

Talk with a contractor who installs Cable TV or telephone...they plow wire all the time.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Just to show some of you what can be done IF the soil is right. One pass 10" wide x 18"-20" deep. :thumbsup: The middle picture is about 300 feet in length and took less than 5 minutes. When it takes longer to install the PVC pipe than it does to dig and backfill the trench, something IS WORKING RIGHT. :cool2: