What attachment do I need?

[grafpatrick]

I have a 25 HP Yanmar 2WD tractor and need to dig a very shallow drainage swale, about 4-6 inches deep, 8 feet wide or so and a couple hundred feet long. "Dirt" is pretty much sand with a bit of topsoil thrown in for color here in FL, but it has pretty tough grass growing in it. I started back dragging it with the bucket and it works, but is pretty ugly. Am thinking I need a box blade for this or is there some better implement? My tractor is 54" wide, do I get a 4 foot or a 5 foot? Any tricks for making it pretty or is it just a matter of practice?
John Churchill
Sanibel, FL

 

[beenthere]

To deal with grass and grass roots, I find a rototiller (3pt that I rent) works great in the 'pasture' and 'lawn' grass that I have when I want to have a source of good dirt to fill in elsewhere. It mixes it up and makes it easy to pick up with the bucket on the FEL. A few passes makes quick work of the top 3-4 inches, then I scoop it out, and make some more passes.
When just using the bucket the grass, roots, and sod chunks were near impossible to spread out where I wanted fill dirt. And the roots mixed in made starting new grass very quick, as some of them started growing along with the new seed.
Not sure this answers directly for your needs, but maybe worth a thought.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Those Yanmars are fairly small tractors. I'm not sure, having 2WD, that you could easily pull a 5 ft' box through the soil with rippers down. You may need to go with a 4' simply because of the difficulty pulling that much dirt without front wheel assist. I'm afraid you'd just be spinning the rear tires. Best to try a 5' out if you can. Rent one if it's possible and see what you can do.
Hint: if you have 4-5 rippers, raise all of them but two in the middle, and dig with just those. You'll be getting less resistance, and it may be enough cut to loosen the turf enough to remove. Have the rear blade angled with the top link just right to drag right behind the rippers and gather what you've dug. John

 

[chriswheeler]

Don't know what yanmar you have, but I have a YM3000, sounds like you might have a 2500 or so. Mine is a little bigger than a 8N. You ask about trenching for drainage?? I use a potatoe plow, single point. They cost about $100 or so and will cut almost exactly the size trench you are looking for. My tractor will take it to full depth ( 12" or so ?? ) and not feel any load in my sandy soil here in Nevada. I also run a 5' box blade with 5 rippers just fine, more than enough power. The thing that seams to matter here is weight. My 2wd has more than enough power to pull to a full box of dirt. Past that point I can and do spin the wheels. I leave my FEL on all the time for weight. Tractor = 2550 / FEL = 750, total 3300lbs. If I had more weight, think it would take a much bigger bite. What Yanmar do you have??
Chris
Looked at your post again and noticed the 5 FEET wide, my error reading your post, you need a box for that wide. Bet your tractor would handle a 5' box just fine. The bite you could take would depend on how much your model weighs.

 

[Egon]

I also have used the method Beenthere describes. Find it works very well. Loads easily and one has little difficulty keeping the work space level.

Egon