Trenching attachment???

[Rail Dawg]

Rather than rent a Ditch Witch for $250 a day I was wondering if there was an attachment for my Kubota L-3800 sized-tractor that could be used to dig a trench for an electrical conduit that needs to be buried about 3 feet down in sandy/clay soil.

Any suggestions are welcome. I'd rather spend the money on an attachment and have it forever than rent a Ditch Witch for a day.

Thanks!

 

[sdkubota]

I am certain I just saw a trencher for tractors at my local Kubota dealer. I didn't look good enough to see if it was pto driven or hydraulic powered.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I am certain I just saw a trencher for tractors at my local Kubota dealer. I didn't look good enough to see if it was pto driven or hydraulic powered.

The chain trenchers that I have seen for a 3pt setup have been around 6k. Any rigid setup like a ditching plow to plow 36" deep, an L3800 wouldn't even move. I think that for what the OP needs, it is better to just go ahead and rent.

 

[radioman]

Well - you know that a subsoiler is a nice attachment for narrow trenching or a middle buster for semi wide trench. The problem is it only goes about a foot or so deep and you are well short of your goal. A 3 pt backhoe is a nice attachment for your tractor and is more versatile then a trencher.

Renting something like a excavator is nice if you have other projects to do to do man4y certain digging in one weekend if you have the need. Once something is dug up - you can always finish work with your L like backfilling or moving stumps or etc.

 

[KenKubota]

Bradco makes a chain type trencher for a three point hitch. Mighty expensive though.

 

[sdkubota]

I got thinking a little more about it and even though my 1st gear in low range is turtle crawl...it is still way to fast to trench. Maybe an HST could go that slow but I would think it would be hard on the tranny.

 

[JDSvcMngr]

HST would be a requirement in a three point trenching situation. The Bradco 625 Trencher with a 36" boom will effectively give you a 30" deep cut. Trenching would not be too hard on the HST, that's exactly the type of work it is made for.

 

[indianaEPH]

HST would be a requirement in a three point trenching situation. The Bradco 625 Trencher with a 36" boom will effectively give you a 30" deep cut. Trenching would not be too hard on the HST, that's exactly the type of work it is made for.

I agree. While trenching you need the variable speed that the HST offers and the very low speed. There is very little load on the drive system while trenching

I have a Kubota 48" trencher that I use to use on a 16 speed shuttle shift. Even the lowest gear was to fast.

I picked up a used Kubota trencher for $700. It needed a little work like a new lift cylinder. It is very heavy duty and works very well

It is very nice to have my own trencher but if I did not get a good deal I don't think that I would buy one for $4K.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree. While trenching you need the variable speed that the HST offers and the very low speed. There is very little load on the drive system while trenching

I have a Kubota 48" trencher that I use to use on a 16 speed shuttle shift. Even the lowest gear was to fast.

I picked up a used Kubota trencher for $700. It needed a little work like a new lift cylinder. It is very heavy duty and works very well

It is very nice to have my own trencher but if I did not get a good deal I don't think that I would buy one for $4K.

View attachment 284865

That is a nice setup and a pretty place to work you have there.

 

[rustythe4x4]

I run a trencher at work, and unless you have infinite hydro drive, you will burn up clutches in a geared machine, or even the hydrostatic unit in a lesser tractor.
Rent if its a one time thing. If you have several jobs over a summer to do, buying may make more sense, but I would say find a used trencher, like a Ditch witch or Vermeer then sell it when you are done. Money ahead.