Trencher attachment for tractor?

[jymbee]

I'd like to dig several fairly long trenches and am wondering how well an attachment like this might work:
https://tinyurl.com/ydddbncb

The ditch the backhoe makes is way too wide and messy and the length of the trenches I want to dig make a manual labor solution unattractive to say the least.

In one case I just want to get a 2" plastic pipe under the ground that I use to connect a macerator to a long hose. Another use is to get a long water hose to the other end of the vegetable garden from where the faucet is now.

Pretty rocky around here so one of my concerns is how might it deal with that situation?

 

[buck12]

Have you checked the price to rent a trencher? My BIL and I trenched over 500 feet of 30 inch deep trench in a few hours last week for my cabin.

 

[wcampbell47]

The subsoiler will probably not clear the trench enough to lay your pipe. Suggest renting a mini skid steer with trencher attachment. I suspect it will do a much cleaner job allowing you to lay the pipe with out a lot of manual clean out of the trench.

 

[Aquamoose]

For the love of God, get a trencher. Using a backhoe is like eating cereal with a garden shovel. I rented one that trenches down to 4 feet and made a very nice clean trench with the spoils on one side, ready to go back in. Trenched 400’ in one full day.

 

[Stimw]

I have one of the Middle Busters like shown and have used it for a water line. It did loosen up the soil making it easier to remove but it left something to be desired. I also hung a waste line for washing machine and created 4 hours more work!
I made a 6" bucket for my backhoe attachment for trenching and have used it for 2 drain fields and many water and electric lines. It works so well that trench being oversize is not a problem.
Also vote for renting a trencher. I have used them, owned a couple and it took longer to go pick up and return than to make the trenches!

 

[jcummins]

I put in a 2200 foot water line using one of those. I glued the 1 1/2 inch PVC pipes together above ground and in three sections. I run the subsoiler through the area that I wanted to pull the pipe into a couple of times before I actually pulling the pipe. I attach the pipe to the back of the trencher and pulled the pipe right in underground no open trench it work great. This was in Texas not sure that would work as well in Northern climates you might not have it deep enough.

 

[jymbee]

Using a backhoe is like eating cereal with a garden shovel.

While perhaps without such a colorful analogy, I made a similar comment re. my lack of interest in the idea of using the backhoe.

 

[jymbee]

I put in a 2200 foot water line using one of those. I glued the 1 1/2 inch PVC pipes together above ground and in three sections. I run the subsoiler through the area that I wanted to pull the pipe into a couple of times before I actually pulling the pipe. I attach the pipe to the back of the trencher and pulled the pipe right in underground no open trench it work great. This was in Texas not sure that would work as well in Northern climates you might not have it deep enough.

Interesting approach.

As for the other suggestions to rent a trencher, I can't argue with that idea and likely would have offered the same advice without knowing the circumstances. Also, I have rented a power trencher on other occasions to bury cables and such.

In this case, I'd like to bury some small conduit in multiple locations over a period of time as each area will be ready at different intervals. If all could be done in one day then, yep-- trencher would be the way to go. Don't really want to have to make three or more separate trips to the rental outfit.

Cutting through the sod is main challenge as the trench only needs to be a few inches underground. The reviews for this product seemed to be generally favorable but of course we all know the problem with relying too much on online reviews.

 

[Dadnatron]

Actual depth would likely be your issue with the one shown. The drop of your 3pt and the length of the shank should be measured before you try. But as jcummins said, it can be done.

I just had water to a barn and pasture waterers put in with a vibratory plow. about 1/2mile 2" They were 4ft deep, but it is the same basic idea. I'd much rather do it like this than with a trencher, which you then get to fill... refill... fill again... as it continually settles. IMO

 

[jymbee]

I made a 6" bucket for my backhoe attachment for trenching and have used it for 2 drain fields and many water and electric lines. It works so well that trench being oversize is not a problem.

I like that kind of DIY approach! Something like that could also work for some ditching here where I want to create a narrow ditch along a 900' downhill gravel drive. Doesn't carry much water at all but even so as it is now when it rains the water spreads out over the field causing a fairly large area near the bottom to remain wet much of the time. The backhoe would be overkill making a mess.

I remember a contractor told me once that even a flow of water no larger than the width of a pencil can create a "swamp" over time.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

This is similar to how I did a waterline to my garden.

 

[jjp8182]

Have a ripper and I wouldn't use it for burying any thing larger than electrical wires (if that) as they don't leave a clean trench -- and aren't intended to either. Also, not likely to get the lines deep enough without a lot of additional work to prevent waterlines from bursting anywhere where the frost line gets to be more than a foot or so deep. While it might be capable of dealing with rocky soil, it wouldn't take all that large of a rock/boulder to stop a <5,000lb tractor and it's very unlikely to deal with any solid rock formations as rippers/sub-soilers/middle-busters are intended more for use in fields to break up hardpan.

Renting a trencher if at all available would likely be the more cost effective and labor efficient method.... and depending on the area they may/should already be set up for dealing with rock (wouldn't make much sense for the rental company to do otherwise in a rocky area). ...and depending on your local rental market you may very well be able to rent a trencher for not much more (or possibly even less) than that implement costs.

Might just be me, but anything 1" or over I'd actually lean more toward a mini-excavator or backhoe over a 3pt ripper (even where frost lines aren't an issue), and a trencher over any of them for any sized piping/wiring where the trencher could handle digging a wide enough trench. But, I also don't like having to use a shovel in the clay soil/loam I have on my property either (it's not a lot of fun when it takes >300lbs to drive a shovel fully into the ground).

 

[Fallon]

I got my 3pt trencher for $1,500 from a propane company via Craigslist. I think it was simultaneously to big & to small for them. To big & needed a tractor for home tank setting jobs & not really big enough for water.

It does 3', which is the frost line around here (Colorado). But personally I wont use it for water as I want more safety margin than 0". Its worked good for handful of electrical projects. It's nice to bury my conduit 3' down rather than the required 18". I know there will be an idiot with a box blade working over some of that stuff. I dont want to have to ever worry about catching & fixing it.

I'm guessing I'll be selling it in a year or 2 when all potential projects are done. Probably get what I paid for it. But even if I only get $700-100, that's still 2 days rental of a riding trencher. Not as capable as a rider, but way more convenient to have this one laying around for a few years.

HST is a requirement for a 3pt trencher. I'm unaware of any geared machines, even the big 21 speed geared machines that go down to a yard a minute or so. HST+ with the extra low/low range is really nice over a normal HST for this too.

 

[MossRoad]

You don't need to put water pipe to a garden below the frost line. No underground sprinklers are anywhere near below the frostline, and most are less than 1' under the sod. You do have to either blow it out in the fall to clear if of water, or put a self draining valve in the lowest point and it'll drain itself after each use.

 

[lennyzx11]

Fallon,
You said that you wanted it deep to “avoid an idiot using a box blade”.

But old friend, I thought you were the only one that does that kinda work on your place...

Tongue in cheek of course!

 

[jymbee]

Very slick!

 

[kthompson]

The subsoiler with the pipe on the rear setup is sold today and has been for years. This is with Agri Supply: Single Tine Ripper 3-Point Pipelayer Attachment | Agri Supply 73622

I have known many who used subsoiler for small lines but not two inch ones. If you are considering going this way, look for a true farm single row one. They will have a shear bolt most likely, be much stronger and longer shank thus deeper. Ones I have used or seen will plow about two feet deep. You may need to run two trenches beside each other before laying the pipe to have the soil soft enough. At same time they use to me think they called it a "mole" that was built like oval but round that attached by short chain to the bottom rear of the subsoiler to press a tunnel in the ground for water flow.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon,
You said that you wanted it deep to “avoid an idiot using a box blade”.

But old friend, I thought you were the only one that does that kinda work on your place...

Tongue in cheek of course!

I'll let you figure out the order of operations that occurred on these photos...