Digging Ditches?

[tommcintire]

Did a quick search and didn't come up with much. So, here it goes...

I'm in the process of ditching around the horse paddocks on our farm right now in my spare time. I'm cutting them about 2 feet deep, and about 3 feet wide (bordering on being a swale, but not quite), which past experience and observation says will be sufficiently "big" for my project... My question to the community is how do I cut reasonably angled sides on a ditch with a BH? I can cut something that looks much more like a trench easily, and have even made a terraced trench, but a true sloped ditch (something like this: \_/ or like this \/ ) eludes me... I can always do some shovel work afterward, but would like to let the machine do as much of it for me as possible...

Its fun soil to work in, the previous owners (or someone before them) clearly buried "junk" in it in spots, especially trees... Every 10 feet or so I haul up yet another piece of wood about 5 feet long and 6 inches in diameter... Good thing the wife suggested up front (before I could) that we get the hydraulic thumb with the BH). Even hauled out a boulder that was roughly round and 2 feet in diameter at lunchtime today...

Thanks!

-Tom

 

[Egon]

Use the backhoe bucket for backsloping.

 

[tommcintire]

Use the backhoe bucket for backsloping.

Can you explain "Backsloping"? Sorry, I am a bit ignorant on this term...

 

[ChuckinNH]

It sounds like you are digging with the tractor in alignment with the axis, or length of the ditch. You will probably have to position the tractor at an angle to the ditch to create the shape you are looking for. You can actually dig some length that way if you can get pretty close to where you are digging. I got used to that with the BX I had since the boom swing is limited, and it worked pretty well.

 

[Scooby074]

Hmm... Are you trying for a rounded bottom? or more vertical sides?

If you want a round bottom you can try rolling the bucket from "open" to "close". Depending on your bucket size it should result in around a 2-3 ft round bottom ditch.

Using the stick in combination with rolling the bucket will give you a wider round bottom.

A tip is to keep the pin where the boom and stick meet, centered over the path you want your ditch.

If you want more vertical sides you could try making a small round bottom then go back and use your bucket to "cut" down the edges..


Dont know if this will help... good luck.

 

[rexcramer]

The angle you want will require a nearly right angle to the ditch, which means a whole lot of practice at setting, digging, and moving the machine, setting again, etc.

A bigger machine with a longer reach or extendahoe would save a lot of moving and resetting, but you wont get away from it unless you use a mini excavator.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Dig a trench and take the loader bucket and angel the sides to catch rain water. Scoop out what you can with the loader and clean it out with the backhoe. From this |_| to this \_/ .

 

[tommcintire]

Thanks to everyone for the good suggestions. I think my strategy now will go something like this... Dig the ditch "on axis" with the backhoe, remove the spoil, then go back perpendicular and "clean it up a bit" when I can temporarially relocate the horse paddock fencing. We are using roundpen (we have a horse who LOVES to chew wood, so steel is good )

Thanks for all the replies. I love this forum, it is very helpful for sure!

-Tom

 

[Egon]

From the sounds of things you may be able to dig the trench just using the bucket as you may be using it for sloping the sides. Two ways to do it, either dig the trench and then backslope or dig from the side backsloping as you go or a combination of the two. This only works for shallow trenches.

[Backsloping] the side angle on the trench. John Deere's pictures shows it.

Picture of a trench with no backslope being dug with the bucket. Side slopes can be added later.

 

[BXpanded]

You can get \_/ by tilting the machine with the outriggers as you dig. How much slope do you need on the side?

 

[bearmtnmartin]

there are two ways to ditch with a TLB. You can drive parallel to the ditch and reset every bucket width, or perpendicular to the ditch and use the bucket to swing yourself along until your bucket no longer cuts at 90 degrees to the ditchline. All are a pain in the posterior, and an ex is way better for that job. Actually you can also set up at about 30 degrees with your steer wheels parallel to the ditchline and use the backend to push yourself along, maintaining that angle. The best thing if you haven't or don't ditch much is to paint a line for the ditch centre and one each for the edges. Remember to go wider as the cut increases or the side angle changes and it looks funny.(unprofessional)If you go to Lawnsite and look in the Heavy equipment forum, bobcat rob is a video a holic who runs a hoe and he has some nice footage of ditching. There is a process for making the volume cuts and the finishing cut, and if you get it right, you get a really nice result.

 

[Wis Bang]

The early 'pros' had a machine just to finish slopes & grades...the Gradeall...the bucket curled and the boom went up/down - in/out - and also rotated side to side...

On a shallow trench get one side down in the hole for the angle may work too...

 

[jdfire]

You might want to consider using a boxblade. 3RRL has some great posts on using his boxblade to create ditches along his road. Just another option....

 

[newbury]

You might want to consider using a boxblade. 3RRL has some great posts on using his boxblade to create ditches along his road. Just another option....

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/116316-various-boxblade-uses.html
/edit - seminal thread

 

[MikeD74T]

Tom, Weld or bolt cheeks onto your backhoe bucket at the angle of the side slopes & dig parallel with the ditch. If you've really got a lot to do get a v shaped bucket made or adapt a used one. Something like this: http://www.exac-one.co.uk/products/buckets/v_buckets/ MikeD74T

 

[tommcintire]

Tom, Weld or bolt cheeks onto your backhoe bucket at the angle of the side slopes & dig parallel with the ditch. If you've really got a lot to do get a v shaped bucket made or adapt a used one. Something like this: V Bucket MikeD74T

I had wondered about doing something like that. I have a good pile of steel staring me in the face, including a good amount of 1/4 inch plate... The catch is that while I learned to TiG weld in college (long story, but suffice it to say I got to work with a nuclear certified welder in a research lab for a while), I never have learned to stick weld. I now have a welder (inherited it along with the steel from my grandfather), but need to tackle some projects

Since you are relatively nearby, can you suggest good places beyond CraigsList, etc, to go looking for used buckets? I live in Pepperell, MA and work in Manchester... I see you list seacoast NH and Coos County, which lucky for you takes you up towards Nash Equipment...

-Tom

 

[NH_Dave]

Tom,
Check out Chappel Tractor in Milford, NH
Home - Chappell Tractor Sales
Dave

 

[tommcintire]

Tom,
Check out Chappel Tractor in Milford, NH
Home - Chappell Tractor Sales
Dave

Thanks! That is actually where we got our machine... Great people to deal with, I highly recommend them.

 

[NH_Dave]

Tom.
If you check their website under used equipment you will find a number of different buckets for sale. That being said, I don't know that any will fit/adapt to your machine. Good Luck.
Dave

 

[MikeD74T]

I had wondered about doing something like that. I have a good pile of steel staring me in the face, including a good amount of 1/4 inch plate... The catch is that while I learned to TiG weld in college (long story, but suffice it to say I got to work with a nuclear certified welder in a research lab for a while), I never have learned to stick weld. I now have a welder (inherited it along with the steel from my grandfather), but need to tackle some projects

Since you are relatively nearby, can you suggest good places beyond CraigsList, etc, to go looking for used buckets? I live in Pepperell, MA and work in Manchester... I see you list seacoast NH and Coos County, which lucky for you takes you up towards Nash Equipment...

-Tom

Tom, you've left out a crucial detail -what are you digging with??? Nothing listed in your profile? Miked74T