BH tricks to dump clay?

[Volnavy]

Does anyone have any tricks to dig in mosit clay soil? I'm digging a 400 foot long 4' deep ditch for an electrical line and the gound is moist (time of year). Because of this, the dirt sticks in the 12' bucket. I bang it on a rock and it still stick in often. Can I lube the bucket or do anything to help out? Or do I need to wait for much dryer weather?

Thanks,

 

[MarkLeininger]

Clean the bucket really good, scrape off any hardened concrete, grind down scrapes from rocks so the inside surface is smooth, make sure the mouth of the bucket isn't bent closed at all. You can beat it back out with a sledge hammer to open the mouth of the bucket.

Part of the problem is the suction created when you try to empty the bucket. I tried drilling a few good sized holes to let air get in behind the clay, which worked until the sticky clay plugged the holes up. Good way to make Jimmy Dean clay sausage.

This is why God made laborers: to scrape the clay out of the bucket while you sit in the warm cab.

 

[beenthere]

I know what you mean, and don't know of any lube that will work in the bucket. I think waiting, or hoping, for a drier time to do the digging would be one of the only ways to do it with any success.

It reminds me of having had a similar problem, and also remember once having to dig a 6' deep ditch for a water line in wet clay. Had to attach a water line to a hydrant (the kind that drained back everytime it was shut off so the stand pipe wouldn't freeze) and it was buried 6' down.
I couldn't throw the clay off the shovel, so I used two shovels, and loaded them both with clay mud, threw the shovels out of the trench, climbed out, and cleaned off the clay mud with a scraper. Threw the shovels back into the trench, and repeated - time after time after time. Eventually finished the trench. It ran alongside a pig pen, which didn't make it any more pleasant being in the trench, and all the dirt had to be along one side so the pile was pretty high.

Wish you luck.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> Or do I need to wait for much dryer weather?
</font>

Unfortunately, probably yes... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I know my 16" bucket is a lot better in our clay soil when it is wet/damp than my 10 inch is, but it sticks too.

Aside from getting a larger bucket, I don't know what I would do. Wet/damp clay sticks so well!

 

[btolle]

When I used to work on water treatment plants around Dallas, TX they had serious trouble with the "black gumbo" and track backhoes. That stuff will not come out no matter how hard you bang the bucket.

The soution was to weld logging chain inside the bucket. The chain was welded to the top and bottom of the inside of the bucket and was longer than the inside radius of the bucket. When they would "bounce" the bucket with the hydraulics the chain added enough weight to knock the gumbo out of the bucket. I would put 2 sets of 5/8 or 3/4 chain about 2 1/2' or 3' long for starters.

If you don't have any real heavy chain you could weld some type of weight to the middle of 3/8 chains to act as a battering ram. Just be sure you use something with round edges or it will hold the gumbo in instead of knocking it out.

Bill Tolle

 

[BoneheadNW]

My property is dense, pottery type clay starting at 2 inches below the surface. When our house was being built, the excavator operator told us that he had never seen anything that bad and claimed that using bar (as in chainsaw bar) oil to coat the bucket and dump truck bed was the only way to get the stuff to come out. He also claimed that it was biodegradable, if you can believe that.
Bonehead

 

[Stef]

I've had the same problem /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. I know it doesn't sound ecological, but a professional told me once to put some fuel on a rag and lubricate the bucket's interior with it. So I tried and it worked very well /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Though, I'm still looking for something better for the environnement. But it works. You have to lubricate it every now and then, but at least you can go on with the job.

I remember the first time... trying to empty the bucket with a shovel... swearing and cursing bucket and clay. I tell you, the way to go is to lubricate the bucket.

 

[radair]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...I'm still looking for something better for the environnement. But it works. You have to lubricate it every now and then, but at least you can go on with the job..... )</font>

Try PAM cooking spray, should work quite well.

 

[teach]

I spray my snow plow with no-stick cooking spray and it keep wet snow from sticking to the scraper blade. I wonder if something similiar wouldn't work for your situation? It might be worth trying.
Teach

 

[SkyPup]

Good luck, I spent a good half an hour crowbarring a thick packing of wet clay out of the 18" bucket on my L39 this past weekend, the stuff is like cured cement..... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif