Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe

   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #1  

gabby

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Georgia y'all
It seems that poly (roll) pipe is the default choice for anyone wanting to install pipe with a subsoiler. I have installed both poly and PVC with my subsoiler and PVC wins hands down.

Here is a picture of my pipe puller in action with 3/4" PVC pipe. I have installed about 2 miles of pipe on my farm with it.

Here are some uninterrupted run lengths that I have installed without problems:

3/4" PVC pipe - 1200 feet

1" PVC pipe - 900 feet

2" PVC pipe - 400 feet

All it takes is a ring at the base of the subsoiler foot to tie the rope to. You pull the pipe underground like a long rope instead of feeding it through a tube. It has surprisingly little resistance.

I think PVC is much better pipe with much better fittings, and the last time I compared prices there was very little difference.

Gabby
 

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   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #2  
how do you fasten to the pvc pipe? lets say you have 200ft of 1" pipe glued and laid out on the ground: you tie one end to the subsoiler, stick it in the ground and start pulling the pipe?? is that how it works?
heehaw
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Hey Heehaw,

Make a pulling head out of a 1" cap with a hole drilled in it. Run a rope through the hole and knot it so it can't pull out. Then just glue it on the pipe, tie it to the subsoiler, and start pulling. It helps to dig a starter hole with a sharpshooter shovel. At the end, cut off the cap with about 2 feeet of pipe attached for next time.

Another tip - put a sharp knife edge on your subsoiler shank to slice neatly through the sod.

If the ground is hard or your tractor is small, you will need to make a pass or two with the subsoiler before pulling the pipe to get full depth.

You won't believe how easy it is to lay pipe this way. I have also pulled electrical cable the same way.

gabby
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #4  
Now you've got me wondering if this method would be good for laying in pipe for an underground sprinkler system? How do you determine how deep the pipe is getting buried ahead of time?

Thanks!
Jon
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #5  
Good question Jon!

When I get around to laying sprinkler pipe, I'll have several areas where the lines will cross other lines.

I'm planning on putting a gage wheel consisting of a jack stand with a swivel wheel on my subsoiler, and hopefully in our hard ground, the shank will pull hard enough down to keep the gage wheel on the surface. Then I'll have to plan out my system so I can run the first lines deepest, and where they cross, raise the shank 2" to clean.

I might chicken out and hand dig where they cross to insure I don't mess up and break them.

Ron
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe
  • Thread Starter
#6  
6or7dazeaweek said:
Now you've got me wondering if this method would be good for laying in pipe for an underground sprinkler system? How do you determine how deep the pipe is getting buried ahead of time?

Thanks!
Jon

Hey Jon,
Usually I'm running it as deep as the shank will allow or as deep as it will penetrate. If you have a small tractor you will have to be careful about spinning your wheels and tearing up too much grass. You can control the depth with the lift arms if it wants to run too deep, but that's not usually necessary. Getting it to run deep enough might be more of a challenge unless you make a dry pass first.
gabby
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #7  
i like this idea a lot better than trying to feed the pipe thru a tube as your going: thanks
heehaw
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #8  
Sounds very interesting. I'm trying to visualize the set up just before you drop the sub-soiler down and start pulling.
For your 1200 foot run, did you make up 1200 feet of pipe and lay it out on the ground straight for 1200 feet on the opposite side of your starting hole?
Meaning - did you have 2400 feet of space to work in. Or did you glue - pull - glue - pull ....etc.?
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Hey WVBill,
I've pulled it stop-and-go one stick at a time, several sticks at a time, and hundreds of feet at a time. The 1200 foot run was about 300 feet at a time. It depends on the space available. 3/4" and 1" pipe is flexible enough to curve it around if necessary in order to pre-assemble it or feed it into the hole.
gabby
 
   / Pipe plowing with poly (roll) roll pipe vs. pipe pulling with PVC pipe #10  
gabby said:
Hey WVBill,
I've pulled it stop-and-go one stick at a time, several sticks at a time, and hundreds of feet at a time. The 1200 foot run was about 300 feet at a time. It depends on the space available. 3/4" and 1" pipe is flexible enough to curve it around if necessary in order to pre-assemble it or feed it into the hole.
gabby

Question: have you ever pulled PVC pipe that had tees and risers inserted in the line for sprinkler heads? Just wondering if this is possible without shearing off the risers when pulling the pipe into the trench.

The other option is to pull the PVC pipe the standard way with unions connecting the sections and, once the line is in the trench, to use saddle tees to connect the risers. Problem here is possible leaks in these joints.
 
 
 
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