$10.00 Slicer/Trencher

[MossRoad]

I was at TSC the other day and saw these plow shares for about $8.00. I bought one and bolted it to an angle iron that I had previously welded onto a quick attach plate for experimentation. Total cost was under $10.00(if you don't count the $100.00 quick attach plate /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif ) and it bolts on and off so I can still use the quick attach plate for experiments.

Also notice that there is a bolt hole in the bottom of the plow share that I will try to use to attach a cable/pipe layer to in the future.

 

[MossRoad]

How well does it work? Well, I originally only wanted to slice about 3-4 inches to edge the infield at the little league park. I took it out and tried it in the back yard and it worked so great that I set it down as deep as I could and was able to slice a full 10 inches with no problem. It was really nice to have the slicer facing forwards. I could draw a line in the sod and follow it with great precision.

 

[MossRoad]

Oh yeah, don't laugh at my welding! It was dirty steel, old rods and I haven't welded in 15 years /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[pajoube]

Looks great, no reason why you couldn't also use a shovel type to make it wider and pull the dirt up for a narrow trench.
PJ

 

[bubenberg]

i better go and buy some attachment ... you are way ahead of me .... hihihihi ..... mr you forget to say that it vibrates ...like the very expensive ones do (moving slightly the steering wheel back and forth. this time i am not jocking. that is a great and and inexpensive other future in hard ground. CONGRATULATION on your invention

 

[davesisk]

He he he...unless you weld for a living (which is not the case), if it sticks, it's a "good" weld.../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

This looks like stick. I'm thinking about buying a TIG machine. I started with a wire-feed welder that uses self-shielding wire (like MIG but no gas), and that makes about the ugliest weld you've ever seen (especially with me doing it). I've spent a little time with TIG machines at demo racks, and I really like TIG. Off-topic I know, but does anyone know of a good place to get a inverter-based AC/DC square-wave TIG around the 150-200 amp range at a good price, new or used? I've found a few used ones, but folks want as much for the used ones as a new one costs (and for a $1500 or so price-tag, I'll buy a new one).

Dave

 

[DelW]

So...how much do we owe you if we use the exact same design but only SLIGHTLY different ???? (Ha,ha)

Great idea ! When you get the cable/irrigation pipe puller design down, sign me up ! I was wondering...don't you think there's got to be a lot of old, rusting trenchers out there that you could pull (or torch off) the pieces you need and then weld your quick attach plate to them? Might be easier then creating the whole unit (but maybe not as fun or gratifying to someone as talented as you !)

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[MossRoad]

<font color=blue>So...how much do we owe you if we use the exact same design but only SLIGHTLY different ????</font color=blue>

All power trac owners on TBN get royalties from everything that I and anyone else think of in the form of invaluable fun /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

As for the cable/flex pipe layer, I might go back and look for a longer plow share, since this one cuts in so nicely, I think it will handle it with no problem. Multiple passes at greater depths is no problem with the unit out in front. I tried it and went over the same slice three times with no problem. Very accurate. I measured and this on will get it down 10 inches. The only reason I bought this particular plow share was because it was the cheapest /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. They had others all the way up to $15.00 /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif (hey, I'm frugal). I'll take a one to two inch diameter pipe and bend it in a 90 degree bend, not too tight, and put some bracing on it. Then I'll attach it with bolts, so that it is removable. I should be able to feed the cable down the pipe as I go if I make a reel stand and attach it to the top of that angle iron that I left sticking up for automatic feed.

As for operation, I first tried it with the edge slanting back from top to bottom, thinking that it would slice down into the ground. It tended to bunch the sod up a little, but not much. I then changed the angle with the joystick so that the bottom of the edge was out in front of the top by about an inch and it worked even better, with hardly any sod tear.

When I finally decide to make the cable layer, I think I'll make one pass with just the blade, then go back and lay the cable. That way, I'll have less resistance and I will solve any troubles that might pop up if I run into roots or rocks before I have a spool of cable or pipe to deal with.

As soon as I get a chance, I'll video tape it in slicing mode and post it to my website. Probably in the next week or two.

Oh, yeah, one more thing. After I made multiple slices in my back yard, I just drove the PT over the slices and that pushed them right back together, leaving a small line of dirt that could easily be washed away with a hose or the next rain. That was nice.

 

[MossRoad]

I'll look into those as well. Probably have to weld or bolt it to a piece of 2 inch by 1/4 inch flat steel and bolt it to that angle iron that is welded to the quick attach plate.

I thought about drilling multiple bolt holes for different depths, but then I rembered that I have hydraulic lift arms that could vary the depth up to 54 inches depending on how big I build the implement /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Boy, sometimes I just amaze myself when I can't see the obvious /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color=blue>CONGRATULATION on your invention </font color=blue>

Thanks. My soil is very easy digging, so I don't know how it will fair in hard stuff. We'll see in a few weeks when I help remodel the T-Ball diamond at my kids' little league.