Cleaning ditches along driveway

[coolbrze]

What's the best implement for cleaning out the drainage ditch (of leaves, sticks, & debris) that runs parallel to the side of my driveway?

 

[leonz]

I am unsure if it even possible to do this but a Harley rake attached/strapped to a backhoe bucket would work in a small drainage ditch; as long as your careful about the use of the retracting force of the bucket once you have the upper boom lowered into the ditch.
Short of that an asphalt or thatching rake would work. The only limitation would be the rake handle length as relates to how deep below the grade your ditch is. The thatching rake will pull everything out that it can reach.

 

[mercdv]

It kind of depends on the ditch and the debris in it. Can you post some pictures so everyone can see the ditch and what you are trying to clean out? I could throw out some suggestions but without seeing the ditch I could be recommending the wrong thing for the job. I know pics will probably help everyone make a more tailored suggestion to address your specific issue.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Pictures with some kind of scale like a 5 gallon bucket setting in it or idea of ditch depth, width, distance from drive, slopes of banks, etc.

 

[oosik]

Pictures would sure help. Where I have ditches along my mile long gravel driveway - I clean them and return "lost" gravel to the driving surface with my rear blade.

Its a Rhino 950 - 96" wide, will offset, angle, tip, aggressiveness is adjustable with hydraulic top link and reverse - weighs 1050 pounds.

 

[/pine]

I also use a rear blade where I can...but I back the tractor perpendicular to the road and the blade is parallel with the ditch...lower the blade on the far/back side of the ditch (it gets a little tricky)...
...I then slowly move forward at the same time I am using the hydraulic top link to curl the blade all the while slowly raising the 3ph...dragging the debris up and out of the ditch to the shoulder...

My blade is 6' so I clean 6' of ditch on each pull after repositioning...I then use the FEL to scoop up the debris along the shoulder

 

[FTG-05]

Pictures would sure help. Where I have ditches along my mile long gravel driveway - I clean them and return "lost" gravel to the driving surface with my rear blade.

Its a Rhino 950 - 96" wide, will offset, angle, tip, aggressiveness is adjustable with hydraulic top link and reverse - weighs 1050 pounds.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..... Translation: OP, you need a new tractor implement. Surprised it took 5 posts to get to it!


OK seriously, prolly not a bad implement to use; it's what I would use. But then I have the EA ED 8 grader blade where you can really reach out and touch someone, like 6' or so.

And In for the pics.

 

[Thomas]

I have good luck w/rear blade that angles...just go slow.

 

[Deerherd]

Rent an excavator, with a ditching bucket. Dump the dirt/debris into your tractor’s bucket and put it where you want. If you do this every 5-7 years, you can do a much better job and cheaper than buying an implement that does a mediocre job.

 

[kthompson]

There is an implement for this. 3 pth mount run by pto. Some counties or cities use them. Some farmers use them to dig shallow ditches in fields after a crop is planted. They are very fast compared to any digging will if you can find one or hire one.

 

[coolbrze]

Thanks everyone. It's just a normal drainage ditch but my DW is .6 mi. long & very steep in 2 places (300 yds.) plus I've got trees/hills almost the entire way so backing up perpendicular won't happen. Just need to clean leaves, sticks, & a little washed dirt here & there from it. Will take some pics & post them...

 

[Gary Fowler]

Thanks everyone. It's just a normal drainage ditch but my DW is .6 mi. long & very steep in 2 places (300 yds.) plus I've got trees/hills almost the entire way so backing up perpendicular won't happen. Just need to clean leaves, sticks, & a little washed dirt here & there from it. Will take some pics & post them...

SO you have trees between the road and the ditch?
How about cleaning it from the other side then?
Can you drive the tractor parallel to the road and straddle the ditch?(if not too deep) If so that would be the quickest and easiest with a back blade to clean the whole ditch in just a few minutes.

 

[CobyRupert]

OP just wants sticks and leaves gone. He's not moving dirt and stone, or excavating.

We don't know the specifics of the ditch (tree lined? depth? width? slope? etc...).

Maybe a power broom or a big *ss (3pth?) blower would be sufficient. :confused3:

 

[TheMan419]

clearly one of these is needed.....

Ditch Cleaner - Klose Engineering

 

[DieselBound]

clearly one of these is needed.....

Ditch Cleaner - Klose Engineering

If one has a high enough pump flow rate.

Here's something that I ran across a while back that piqued my interest. Might be of interest to someone stumbling across this thread.

J & I Power Equipment

I rent excavators to do ditch work. Working around ditches is hairy; having distance (boom) helps keep you from soft edges.

 

[Piston]

Sounds like an offset landscape rake angled and tilted would do just fine?

 

[Gary Fowler]

If one has a high enough pump flow rate.

Here's something that I ran across a while back that piqued my interest. Might be of interest to someone stumbling across this thread.

J & I Power Equipment

I rent excavators to do ditch work. Working around ditches is hairy; having distance (boom) helps keep you from soft edges.

Those are not new. My Dad bought one that ran off PTO to use for drainage across rows. It dug a nice clean ditch while dispersing the removed soil several yards away. This was in the late 1960's so they have been around a long while.

 

[TractorGuy]

I too use a grader blade and back into the ditch to pull it out 5' at the time. My blade has an offset and tilt option but I have never tried to use it.

 

[oosik]

I got the heavier rear blade because where I do have ditches along the driveway - its a LOT easier and faster to offset & angle - then drive forward. If I had to back into the ditch and pull up and out every eight feet, on both sides of the mile long driveway - I don't have that kind of patience.

The heavier blade will stay down - do the work it is supposed to do - not bounce along behind the tractor like a rubber ball.

 

[/pine]

In my experience if the (road side) shoulder of the ditch is not close to the same pitch as the scrape blade...it is only going to take a short pass before the blade/rake is loaded with earth/gravel from the shoulder and along with any accumulated debris just falls/rolls back into the ditch...