Backhoe Digging small trenches without a backhoe

[MikeR 2018]

I could not justify the cost of a backhoe because I don t need it that much. However I often need to dig small trenches to bury 4 inch drain pipes of to create a French drain in wet spots of my fields. The FEL will dig, but does not do well with narrow trenches. I need something to help dig narrow trenches up to a foot deep. I know nothing about plows but it seams to me that there should be a type of plow that I could drag a couple times to get a rough trench. What do you think would work for me? How about a middlebuster?

 

[wawajake]

I use my middle buster for that sort of job...……...and it is a cheap attachment.....and bury it all when done with FEL sideways to ditch. Middle buster takes some trial and error to get right angle into ground. But note you wont get deeper than a foot.

 

[oosik]

There is a "shovel" attachment that clamps on the bucket of your FEL. I think it's JEFF9366 that has one. He has pics of it to boot.

I take everything off my single bottom moldboard plow. It leaves me with a single "tooth" with a carbide tip. With my Kubota M6040 I can pull it thru unbroken ground to about 8" to 10" deep.

If I want to bury something to the full depth - I have to clean it out with a shovel. If I only want to bury to 6" or so - the "tooth" opens to that depth easily.

 

[sandman2234]

Subsoiler would be better than a middle buster, as it is narrower... takes less HP, and good luck with 4 inch pipe a foot down in hard ground...
David from jax

 

[k0ua]

There is a "shovel" attachment that clamps on the bucket of your FEL. I think it's JEFF9366 that has one. He has pics of it to boot.

I take everything off my single bottom moldboard plow. It leaves me with a single "tooth" with a carbide tip. With my Kubota M6040 I can pull it thru unbroken ground to about 8" to 10" deep.

If I want to bury something to the full depth - I have to clean it out with a shovel. If I only want to bury to 6" or so - the "tooth" opens to that depth easily.

I built my own. It will easily dig a foot deep even in rocky soil.



https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...vel-ready-project.html?highlight=shovel+ready

This thread goes thru the development and improvement of my shovel. I have used it for several years now.

 

[/pine]

On larger tractors with beefier loaders you can get away with some digging/gouging of undisturbed material...but on smaller compact and sub compact tractors there is a good possibility of damaging the loader etc...front end loaders are called "loaders" for a reason...

 

[k0ua]

On larger tractors with beefier loaders you can get away with some digging/gouging of undisturbed material...but on smaller compact and sub compact tractors there is a good possibility of damaging the loader etc...front end loaders are called "loaders" for a reason...

Ain't broken mine yet.. And all we have here is rocky "soil". Could you break your loader? Sure, if you were careless. But use caution and you will be fine. In good soil, I don't think you could break it if you tried...

 

[/pine]

Ain't broken mine yet.. And all we have here is rocky "soil". Could you break your loader? Sure, if you were careless. But use caution and you will be fine. In good soil, I don't think you could break it if you tried...

Loaders get damaged all the time...racked booms, frames, pretzeled cylinder rods (on lots of smaller machines the rods are .75" or less) mostly from abuse... FELs are generally not designed or meant to be used for ground engaging tasks...

 

[Stancoll]

I'd recommend the implement that is both a subsoiler and a middlebuster. A little more upfront but all you'll be changing is the blades on the foot of the implement. Use the subsoiler first. Drop your tractor down into low gear and pull it slow. If it stops the tractor while pulling odds are you won't break the implement plus the subsoiler will bust up any roots you may encounter. After that change to the middlebuster and again pull slow, you're not in a drag race in this. Unless you have nothing but rocks it should provide you with a suitable trench for a pipe. A turn plow would work, but you can bend them also if you don't know what's underground where you're planning your drain tiles. Slow and steady is the key. Trenching any deeper, you're going to have to get a backhoe, consider a rental.

 

[jeff9366]

I use my middle buster for that sort of job...……...and it is a cheap attachment.....and bury it all when done with FEL sideways to ditch. Middle buster takes some trial and error to get right angle into ground. But note you wont get deeper than a foot.

VIDEO: MIDDLEBUSTER TRENCHING - YouTube

 

[mike48130]

I welded a pipe on the back of my middlebuster, and hung 45 LB weights on if for down force. I took the blade off and welded a chain link to the rear, and buried 1" sprinkler line 6-12" deep in mostly clayish soil. Worked great.

 

[Tennsawdust]

I welded a pipe on the back of my middlebuster, and hung 45 LB weights on if for down force. I took the blade off and welded a chain link to the rear, and buried 1" sprinkler line 6-12" deep in mostly clayish soil. Worked great.

I have a furrower blade on a subsoiler (it has a longer shank than a lot of the middle busters). I can sink it 12-18" deep in most soil.

The only problem with that method for French drains is that most of the areas I need to put a drain are so wet I can't run a tractor across it without sinking out of sight.

 

[Howling]

I used a combination of mid-buster, FEL from side and forks pushed together to dig trench for french drain.

 

[Richard]

Always amazes me how creative people can be/get!!

Hat's off to all of you.

:drink:

 

[SmallChange]

I have a CountyLine "subsoiler/middlebuster", but have used my auger to drill a row of close holes and then hoe and shovel to get the remaining dirt out. You can make a pretty big trench, though making it long is a huge amount of work.

I'm not proud.

 

[dasranger]

Probably not going to help the OP, but I removed one fork from my set and it worked beautifully.

 

[tomplum]

I made this a while back to install on the frame of the back blade. Unbolt the blade and put this on with a concrete ball for a weight. I think that it could be made better, but putting in 4" flex drain was its purpose. I just needed it under enough ground to protect it from tractor traffic. The 3 forward edges are sharpened. It pretty much will take 3 passes in easy going soil. Then a quick clean with a small spade to clean the trench.

 

[shooterdon]

Digging drainage trenches with a FEL mounted shovel will be time consuming. Finding something you can pull like the subsoiler/middlebuster will be easier.

 

[DieselBound]

On larger tractors with beefier loaders you can get away with some digging/gouging of undisturbed material...but on smaller compact and sub compact tractors there is a good possibility of damaging the loader etc...front end loaders are called "loaders" for a reason...

Complete opposite for me. My B7800's loader is indestructible. The stuff that I've done with it would send many into cardiac arrest! There's little flexing with it. My NX, on the other hand, flexes a lot and feels relatively a lot less sturdy.

I've used my middle buster to create many trenches. If going shallow I'll have the plow/blade on it. If deep then I use just the shank (and shovel, or put the plow/blade back on and clean up).

This is more of a shallow ditch digging attachment:

DT35 Series Ditchers | Land Pride

 

[Texasmark]

I use my middle buster for that sort of job...?...and it is a cheap attachment.....and bury it all when done with FEL sideways to ditch. Middle buster takes some trial and error to get right angle into ground. But note you wont get deeper than a foot.

+1 and straddle the ditch with a rear blade at a good angle to cover it back up. Walk in the park.