6' trencher for mini excavator?

Tim5801 · Feb 12, 2011

I am needing a trencher attachment that will dig 6' deep for a mini excavator. I am installing 1" pipe and dont want to disturb the ground any more than I have to. Has anyone seen a trencher that will cut that deep and if so where can I find one? Thanks

brain55 · Feb 12, 2011

That is going to be a good sized mini-ex to run a 6' trencher. I've put a 3' trencher on a Bobcat 334 and it was lacking in the power department.

Brian

BruceWard · Feb 12, 2011

6' is a huge trencher.

To get that deep you are looking at something like one of these 99 HP beasts

Kays Supply · Feb 13, 2011

How far are you going? We have a contractor locally that will bore in a line about as cheap as you can dig it. He can go up to 300'. All you have is a hole on each end.

Haoleguy · Feb 13, 2011

Tim - Why so deep? Lots of choices in 3-4ft range.......Gary

Tim5801 · Feb 13, 2011

I am starting to realize that 6' is going to be hard to do. I am a geothermal contractor and in order to do horizontal loops a 6' depth is needed. I have looked into HDD and vertical rigs and they are just cost prohibited. My goal is to have a machine that is as compact as possible so we can manuver around excisting yards and make as little of a mess as possible. I also need to be able to do a small amount of digging at around 5' to 6' so thats where the mini ex and trencher came from. I have even given thought to a walk behind trencher and a mini ex but i havent found a trencher that will give me my 6'. I know there are larger trenchers with backhoe attachments but they apear to be pretty large and not very manuverable. Guess im wanting my cake and to eat it also???

BruceWard · Feb 13, 2011

Tim,

Where are you located?

I am building a house with geothermal in Arkansas. Initially I approached contractors about a horizontal loop system. No one wanted to install a horizontal loop. There is too much rock here. To dig my basement to 9' we used a 80,000 pound Komatsu PC300 which was able to dig as deep as 6' to 7' then we jack hammered out the rest. In open farm land it would be possible to use such an excavator to create horizontal loops.

Perhaps the ground is much softer where you are located?

Haoleguy · Feb 14, 2011

Tim - It sounds like you are trying to place a horizontal system in a small footprint, with little ground disturbance, where most people go vertical. Is the idea to decrease excavation costs and be able to cost effectively retrofit older homes with geothermal? If so nice idea. Would love to get rid of my oil bill....Gary

Kellerhvac · Sep 26, 2011

Give me a shout at kellerhvac@gmail.com. I install horizontal loops and am Certified to do so. If you have not already got it figured out, I will sure help you out.

Fixemall · Sep 26, 2011

You are going to need about 40-50hp. My trencher is a Vermeer 4150 with 40hp diesel and has a 60" boom on it, it digs whatever I ask of it without lugging. I imagine you could get a comparable machine and go longer on the boom.