Cutting a ditch

[Teamjefe]

I need to cut a ditch along a road to move water to my wetland units. The wetlands are at the low end of a corn field. The water discharge is at the top end. I want to cut a ditch around the corn field basically so I don't waste water when I try to flood. I have a M7040 with a box blade and a rear blade(non hydraulic). How would you guys suggest I do this? It will need to be about 400-500 yards long. I know it will take a long time but I don't care. Or should I rent a motor grader(maintaner) to do this?

Thanks,

John

 

[grapple man]

all depends on how deep the ditch needs to be. i would suggest finding someone with a laser and shooting the path you want to take with the water and figuring how much dirt you need to move to make the ditch. if it is minimal and jump taking out some highs then the rear blade on a angle would work great if the ground has some moisture in it

 

[Teamjefe]

I have a laser. It doesn't need to be that deep. Just enough to keep the water from entering the corn field. There is a road through the middle of the field that is built up about 3 feet. I was planning on using this as one side of the ditch. Then kind of scraping out a ditch along the road to guide the water into the wetlands. Right now when we try to flood the water runs over the entire corn field so we lose a lot to absorption. Plus in the summer I don't want to interfere with the farmer's crop when trying to flood my wetlands. I will try to draw a picture and post it online.

I tried to attach a drawing below. Sorry for the highlighter colors. I am stuck in the office and only had those. The blue is the wetlands I am trying to flood. The pink lines are where I want a ditch. The water discharge pipes are where the water comes out of our underground irrigation pipes.

 

[Teamjefe]

I have a laser. It doesn't need to be that deep. Just enough to keep the water from entering the corn field. There is a road through the middle of the field that is built up about 3 feet. I was planning on using this as one side of the ditch. Then kind of scraping out a ditch along the road to guide the water into the wetlands. Right now when we try to flood the water runs over the entire corn field so we lose a lot to absorption. Plus in the summer I don't want to interfere with the farmer's crop when trying to flood my wetlands. I will try to draw a picture and post it online.

I tried to attach a drawing below. Sorry for the highlighter colors. I am stuck in the office and only had those. The blue is the wetlands I am trying to flood. The pink lines are where I want a ditch. The water discharge pipes are where the water comes out of our underground irrigation pipes.

 

[Egon]

The grader with a competent operator would be a good choice!:thumbsup:

If you do it yourself set up a few stakes for grade and use the loader full width for making the trench. Get started on the slope you wish and keep maintaining it.

 

[Teamjefe]

Forgot to mention I also have a Kubota SLV 75 skid steer...could I use this and the tractor with a box blade to cut a ditch?

 

[john_bud]

Do you have a one or two bottom plow? I would plow and toss the dirt to the left, then come back the other direction and in the same furrow, toss the dirt to the right. With a 2 bottom, you will have to go up and down twice, moving over one furrow width each time, but the ditch be wider. If that makes sense? You can use the back blade with a sharp angle to push the dirt away from the ditch, then repeat the process to go deeper if needed. The box blade can pull the dirt orthogonally away from the ditch and into the field. You will probably need to do that to allow the water to drain from the field into the ditch, otherwise you may have a lip around the ditch that keeps the water out!

You should be able to get the job done in a day this way. Just plan on you needing to plow, then change to the back blade to clean the dirt, then go back to the plow then the back blade and repeat as needed to get it deeper. If you try to scoop it out with the FEL, it's a long slow operation.

Good luck!

 

[grapple man]

Do you have a one or two bottom plow? I would plow and toss the dirt to the left, then come back the other direction and in the same furrow, toss the dirt to the right. With a 2 bottom, you will have to go up and down twice, moving over one furrow width each time, but the ditch be wider. If that makes sense? You can use the back blade with a sharp angle to push the dirt away from the ditch, then repeat the process to go deeper if needed. The box blade can pull the dirt orthogonally away from the ditch and into the field. You will probably need to do that to allow the water to drain from the field into the ditch, otherwise you may have a lip around the ditch that keeps the water out!

You should be able to get the job done in a day this way. Just plan on you needing to plow, then change to the back blade to clean the dirt, then go back to the plow then the back blade and repeat as needed to get it deeper. If you try to scoop it out with the FEL, it's a long slow operation.

Good luck!

this was going to be my next suggestion as well we have buit many surface drains, waterways, and terraces with plows. they can move lots of dirt just takes time.
but coupled with your other tools you will have no trouble if you could get the dirt loose even with a ripper or chisel plow the skidsteer would make short work of the ditch forming

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Rear blade in my opinion. Here I dug a trench in a very short amount of time back when all I had to do it with was a manual rear blade. The trench is about 18" deep. :thumbsup:

 

[Daver1963]

Here's a video from Everything Attachments on using a box blade. Click to the 5:10 mark to see them adjust the box blade and cut a ditch.

 

[Ford850]

I created a ditch using the blade like MtnViewRanch, but worked it into a wide swale that was then seeded with grass. The initial ditch part, just like he shows in his pictures, was surprisingly easy. You can continue to make it as deep or as wide as you'd like. Once you get it started you can move quite a bit of soil.
Also, my blade is lighter than his, my soil is heavier, and I don't have Top N Tilt. So, it can be done.

 

[jenkinsph]

You might wan't to check with your local NRCS office and see if they can help you with the project. I do a lot of work for them in my locale. Usually the NRCS will pay about 75% of the cost of the project directly to the property owner and you are allowed to do the work yourself if you have the means. In most cases they would install schedule 50 or 80 pipe for a gravity flow line with alfalfa valves, hydrants and lately gated pipe on the surface to spread out the water..

 

[Gary Fowler]

Since you have a back blade, just follow the way Mountainview Ranch did. Since you only want to direct the water so that it doesn't go into the field, you really don't need to V the ditch unless you want to for smooth crossing with equipment. A couple of passes with your 70HP tractor would have the ditch plenty deep. Flatten the blade and smooth the spoils out on the sides. Open your water discharge and check out the flow.

 

[PhysAssist]

Here's a video from Everything Attachments on using a box blade. Click to the 5:10 mark to see them adjust the box blade and cut a ditch.

That was going to my suggestion, as you can scarify to lossen if necessary, the angle the box blade and ditch out thecloosened soil. If you don't have Brian's TNT, you just have to tighten one side of your 3-pt hitch's adjusters to get to the proper angle

Good luck,
Thomas