Adjustable width backhoe bucket (Kubota BX24)

[Sodo]

start trenvching, stop thinking.
.........You won't get nothing accomplished by thinking for a week.........Just start digging.
--->Paul

If I could start today, I would have started yesterday instead! I'm anxious to get going.

In any case, it's 3 hours drive out there, getting prepared (while I have the time) makes sense. The little digging I have done makes me think that studying options to reduce the load on the little machine is useful.

Some folks with bigger machines seem to be fairly optimistic regarding the power available.

 

[tessiers]

If I was traveling 3 hours each way and had to dig a 700 foot trench I would hire a local excavator, they are faster because they have the right machine and know what they are doing. Roots are tough on a small machine. The other factor is depth, much under a 2' trench is hard to work in if you are going deep. And a 7 foot hoe doesn't like 7' deep trenches, mines 7 1/2 footer and 5' is about all I would want to dig any distance of.

 

[swick1]

I have a 1026r and I cut a 200ft trench 24" deep in 6hrs in clay. If you can only be there 1 day rent a cat 302 or Jd 35 and give it ****!

 

[Sodo]

I would hire a local excavator, they are faster because they have the right machine and know what they are doing.

Understood, I can go at it for a few days and I'm looking forward to it. In fact my wife is afraid that once I get going I won't come home! I've hired pros for other parts of the job, but this is different. I have ruled that out, for 2 reasons. One reason is I've owned this BX24 for only 3 weeks now and am pretty anxious to see how it pays back some of my investment.
The other is that I bought my little BX24 so I could tiptoe thru my pretty woods and disturb the landscape at my own pace and discretion. It would require a very small excavator to go thru the woods how I need to go, but of course it would be the better machine.

It still seems like spending a few $$ to get the right digging implement is the way to go. And I have a digging-chain 6.5hp trencher too (24") which might work for some sections. There is no chance of burying my pipe deep, I suspect 24" will be about average, and certainly it will freeze on the years. 200 feet in 6 hours....thx for the measure. Some parts of my 700' will go like that.

Red Dirt (see his thread) built this 'banana bucket' for his BX23:

It would spill dirt, but I bet it digs easier. This is interesting, but I won't get that built in a week.....

 

[Groo]

200 feet in 6 hours....thx for the measure. Some parts of my 700' will go like that.

not a very accurate one. I don't think he was dealing with tree roots.