Greetings to all: trenching question,

   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #1  

fandango99

New member
Joined
Dec 19, 2015
Messages
1
Location
Suisun Valley, CA
Tractor
Kubota L 40
I've been enjoying our almost new (300 hours) Kubota L4060HST to work our 10 acre parcel in Suisun Valley, CA just over the hill from Napa.
for the past year and a half. It's made a huge difference in what we can do with the land... wish I had done it way back... but here we go.

I registered to particularly get any/everyone's advice on a crazy scheme I'm thinking of. I need to place geothermal hose ~1" diameter
down about 6 feet deep into a trench. But I only need 1" trench width. No rocks/pipes in soil. Most trenchers only reach 4-5' and for
geothermal exchange 6' is just better depth for heat exchange. But typical trenchers claw up a foot-or-two wide trench which at this depth
brings in OSHA! OSHA requires reinforcing walls all along such a trench to prevent cave-ins burying workers/kids. But I just need to bury
a less than one inch hose. My narrow trench will probably need to be 600 feet long, placed into parallel rows, say 6 x 100'. Sooooo....

Is it possible to affix a long blade, honed like a 6-7 foot long axe blade, heavily weighted down, to the back of a **** powerful tractor or
caterpiller and slice through the soil to create my 6' deep, 1" wide trench, without any fear or worry about someone falling in? Any thoughts out there
or should I direct this question on to a specific forum that I need to get in touch with.

BTW, yes I'm in earthquake country and these hoses are proven survivors out here. I just want to tap the ground's constant temperature to cool
in summer and heat in winter.

Thanks,
Charles C
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #2  
Having watched my contractor install my underground grass sprinkling system with a vibrating trenching machine, I'd suggest a similar hydraulic driven attachment. It could be extended to 6'. The vibration minimizes the force required. In my case , they pulled the hose with the coil at the starting place, instead of feeding it down as the machine progressed.
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #3  
I just reviewed some tile plowers videos. The heavy weight works for sail boat ballast in à fluid. Pulling against the earth doesn't need bottom weight, just lifting force (displacing pipe dirt) and the ability to deliver it 6 ft down. Branco makes a 5 ft chain trencher. Dig a one foot wide trench and run a 5 ft bradco , then fill in??
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #4  
Look into a pneumatic mole or similar. You just dig down at each end and shoot it through. It works great if there are no big rocks.
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #6  
Check with local heavy equipment dealers to see what might be available.

[video]http://www.constructionequipment.com/static-plows-deliver-simple-speedy-installation[/video]

[video]http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/157265-trenching-8-feet-deep-4.html[/video]
 
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   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #7  
You don't have to worry about shoring a deep ditch as long as you aren't working in it. A simple barricade tape is sufficient for OSHA requirement on a construction site and even this is not required on your own property. Just make sure anyone walking around the worksite is aware of the trench. A 8-12" wide trench is to narrow for any adult to fall into and children shouldn't be allowed outside when the work is in progress.
A 6' deep trench is not going to be easily done with a trencher anyway as most don't have that long of a tail piece.

Likely your best bet is going to be a vibratory type of pipe laying machine (if you can find one)
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #8  
The vibratory machines scale up in size as you go deeper. I've seen how big they have to be to go 2' down, and imagine the ones that could go 6' down (if they even exist) would be the size of mining equipment. I know a guy who is a subcontractor for the utility companies here, and they use a small vibratory machine for telephone/internet lines, a giant one for power lines 18-24" down, and anything deeper they use a trencher or backhoe. One of their big machines has a vibratory plow on one end and a trencher on the other. It's about the size of a large compact utility tractor. That one only vibrates down to 24", but can trench down to 48".
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #9  
Welcome to the forum!

:welcome:

I've moved your thread over to the attachments section, but it could easily fit in any of several categories.

You might want to check out the build it yourself , Kubota and customization sections as well.
 
   / Greetings to all: trenching question, #10  
How about a directional boring machine, like they bury utilities with..?? I'm assuming they will be connected by some sort of manifold on each end, buried too. Maybe a V trench on each end to lay, and connect the manifold line, wide enough to specs for the area, to work in. Shouldn't take them long to bore 6 runs.
 
 
 
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