Backhoe Digging A Ditch Without Backhoe

Bird · Sep 11, 2000

Driving through moving water is a no-no, unless you're absolutely sure of the depth, texture of bottom, strength of the flow, etc. And I'm very cautious about even still water, and don't forget that if it gets deep enough most vehicles have vented drive axles, including the front axle on my tractor. It's bad news to get water in there./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

Harv · Sep 11, 2000

Gordon -

Sounds like you've been there, done that. Thanks!

I didn't know box blades came in rotating / offsetting models. I hate to ask, since I'm already looking at $750 for a good 5-foot brush hog and $600 for the bucket rake, but just what ballpark are we in here? Be gentle ...

gordon · Sep 11, 2000

The rearblade I have rotates and offsets I bought it used, its a Landpride series 35 rearblade. Price of used blade http://www.landpride.com/lp/products/rb35_specs.html$325.00---new is about $900 going price unsure of list. There is a story in itself about the blade but I got a killer deal on that one!!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

My box blade is a Woods HB-72 http://www.woodsonline.com/nothing fancy about it. It doesn't rotate or offset. What I ment about cutting a v with the box was using the side link on the tractor to put the box at a heavy angle where one end of the box is cutting and the other is in the air on the first couple of bites. Cost of boxblade was in the $600. range unsure of list price

Gordon

jyoutz · Sep 12, 2000

We use the "rocked crossing" or swale approach fairly often on our forestry roads, due to cost and dependable performance. One thing to remember about culverts is that if they are improperly sized or installed, they will blow out during heavy runoff and will create lots of erosion and future problems. If you get any kind of heavy flow at all, then it's best to either engineer the install and design or not do it at all. You're always safe to use the rock crossing method and you don't have to be an engineer or hydrologist.

roysallis · Sep 12, 2000

Harav,
If you install the culverts it is a good idea to pour cement around the sides and underneath the end that the water flows into to prevent erosion around the pipe. Or you can use rocks or anything else that will deter erosion.

Harv · Sep 12, 2000

Roy -

You're right about the inflow end of the culvert. I've had a variety of suggestions on how to do that. An underground construction guy told me to use either sandbags or those sandbag-like sacks of concrete mix which harden in place when the first moisture sets in.

I'm opting for the natural look since rocks are plentiful and tractors make such good wheelbarrows. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

gerard · Sep 12, 2000

I've dug some shallow trneches with my loader without a problem as long as the rocks aren't too bad. If doing a lenthgy trench I'd try an borrow a one bottom plow and just drive the trench. That would loosen things up a lot and make for easy digging with the loader. Just remember about the sizing as mentioned in an earlier post. Also a swale will take much more flow than a culvert depending on the size of each. just picture taking a cross section of the culvert pipe (ie looking down the end of it) A 12 in pipe has 113 sq inches of area for water to pass through. [ 3.14(6x6)]. A swale just 12 inches high by 12 inches wide has 144 sq inches. When you consider swales are usually much larger than that there's no comparison. The only issue is being able to drive over it.