ditch digging

[jimmyh]

What would be the best attachment for making shallow(1' deep x 3' wide) drainage ditches? I will be using a 35 hp tractor.

 

[AndyMA]

Definately a backhoe. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Unless you have very soft sandy soil and then you could probably drag some type of scraper.

Andy

 

[Glenn9643]

I've been working for a couple of years trying to get this 20 acres of Louisiana delta dirt ditched well enough to eliminate standing water. My implement of choice for shallow ditches is the box blade. At times you'll need the scarifiers to help break up the ground. Using the tilt adjustment on the 3pt hitch you can set a pretty good angle to the blade and end up with a ditch that you can mow through or drive through without any problems. Depending on how deep you need to go, I have used a middle-buster to start and then set the tractor wheels in that furrow and drag it out with the box blade or push it out with the FEL.

 

[rdbrumfield]

If the center of ditch is 1ft in depth with the sides tapering up from that I would recommend a back blade if the soil is not too hard, it will make a cleaner ditch.
If your need is a flat bottom ditch 3ft wide, a backhoe for sure. Just be sure to throw the dirt to the lower side as to not make a dam on the upper side. To my amazement, I have seen that done

 

[JerryG]

As have been said a box blade or a multi position rear blade would work. It would depend on the type of soil that you have as to which one would work the best. If the soil is hard and rocky, you would more than likely be better off with a box because of the rippers. I have used both to make ditches in hard packed rocky clay soil.

 

[jinman]

I think my first choice might be a dirt scoop instead of a boxblade or rear blade. You can buy a 3PH dirt scoop that is 30" wide or 36" wide and they will dig just fine in normal soil conditions. If you have lots of rocks or tree roots, probably the boxblade would be my next choice, but your swath is going to be much wider with the boxblade. I personally think a backhoe is overkill for such a project. If you need to loosen soil, a few passes with a subsoiler will get you started. Scoops blades and scarifiers are going to cost less than $1000 /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif, but a backhoe would be about $5000 /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif unless you rent one.

 

[cisco]

Same question as others - a 3 foot wide swale with a depth of 1 foot, or a 3 foot wide by 1 foot deep ditch? If a swale, then the reply by Glenn is right on (I've done it, same way, and it works well - no steep sides to erode). If a ditch, a backhoe is ideal, but it costs a bit. I've used my FEL, which digs about 1.5 - 2 feet into the ground, working on one side of the ditch to get about 2.5 feet of the width, and then running the tractor around to the other side (can take a while if you've a long ditch to dig) to access another 2.5 feet (for total ditch width of about 5 feet, max; I've an L3410). It's sure not a neat as a backhoe, and it leaves some loose dirt in the center of the ditch.
This stuff is fresh in my mind, as I spent most of last weekend trying to construct a drainage ditch through a 20-30 foot wide boggy part of my property. Box blade didn't work - tractor would bog down with even minor amounts of dirt in the box. Middle buster would have just churned the muck. So, I had to work from the sides with the FEL, and I REALLY got tired of having to also use that blade and 4WD to back out of the bog, near-mud up to my front axle (if I got my back tires deeply into that stuff, I'd still be out there trying to extricate my tractor).
So, I got about 100 feet, of a ditch about 1.5 feet deep by 2 feet wide - and both the tractor and I needed a good bath.
Next weekend I'm renting a back hoe.

 

[Phred]

I bieleve the best option is a rear blade.

I have done this with a miniexcavator and my rear blade.

The rear blade is better for drainage beacuse:
1) If your not going to cover it up like a french drain, the backhoe / excavator will leave a steep walled ditch. The rear blade can make a smooth ditch that you can mow easily.
2) If you are going to make a french drain what happens some day when the pipe clogs or breaks? If the bottom of the ditch is smooth and drains well, and you have taken meausres to keep it from silting up, it will continue to work fine. Its harder to make a smooth ditch bottom with a hoe since you are cutting out a bit at a time and the spaces between the bites you take make little dams if your not careful.

The key to a good ditch is a very heavy blade and plenty of hp to pull it.
My blade weighs more than 1000 lbs, see attached. You will be disipointed if you go with a tractorsupply special.

just my opinion.

www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/37-218325-bladeinaction1.jpg

Fred

 

[narcnh]

Fred, I have blade envy. But, I did manage to ditch both sides of my drive this past fall with a smaller combo, using my Woods RB72 on my B7800. It pulled up some pretty decent rocks without complaining, but for the really big ones I popped 'em out with the FEL. I only went about eight inches deep and a foot across, but as has been posted, I could have kept on going by setting the rear tire in the channel and working lower and lower. This makes a nice, smooth-sided ditch that you won't bust an axle in, if your F-150 goes into it, when sliding down your drive on an icy, December morning. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[jimmyh]

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

 

[sweettractors]

I think this is what jinman is talking about--New or used, They are not expensive and you can push or pull--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment LLC *Just South of the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky*

 

[Currmudgeon]

Our local Case dealer has a Hurricane Ditcher that cuts a slightly smaller ditch than you're wanting. It basically a PTO driven impeller with a hefty frame that hangs from the 3 PT. The impeller spins and slings the dirt out a chute, like a snow thrower. It's an evil looking machine. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

http://www.hurricane-ditcher.com/main.html


Their smallest model requires 50 HP.

 

[Phred]

narcnh,

I agree. I like to make ditches that are wide and shallow.
That way you don't need to worry about ending up in one.
Also they drain just as well.


Fred

 

[Glenn9643]

If the ditch is going to serve its purpose it can't always be shallow, and the deeper you go the wider you have to make it if you want to be able to drive through it to mow. The ditch in this attachment goes from nothing at the far end, about 600 feet, to about 4-1/2" at the near end where it discharges into a bayou. If you can't run a bush-hog through a ditch in this country the vines will take it in a little while!

 

[BigEddy]

If you plan on doing a lot, see the swale bucket in the attached. Fantastic for creating long even ditches.

Fluney Welding

 

[djradz]

Jimmy, I cast my vote for the back blade. Even one that is not all that heavy can did big-time if you get it angled enough. Use your 3-pt leveling (tilt)mechanism to set one side way up or down from the other side and then angle the blade as far as it will go. I've even gone past the last pin so that the blade is angled at something more than a 45 degree angle. Essentially, the blade ends up working like a single-bottom plow, except that the ditch ends up with much more gradual sides. A couple of passes in each direction and you've dug a pretty deep ditch. You'll be amazed at how fast it will go!

 

[Inspector507]

jimmyh,
As soon as this hits the market Terrain Contour Control , it combined with a back blade or a box blade will do the trick all from the operators seat.

 

[avorancher]

Did something similar with my B7800 and box blade. Worked out nicely and took little effort to do about 200 ft.

First I put down the rippers and took out the foot of dirt for the base (in my case it was 54" wide) by making several (many) passes in the same area.

Then, by putting one wheel in the ditch and the other on the higher ground, I used the box scraper again to cut down the edges. I just left the box set to level because the tractor was already tipped.

After a couple rains, the edges are smooth and looks like a natural drainage area.

 

[del]

<font color="blue">Its harder to make a smooth ditch bottom with a hoe since
you are cutting out a bit at a time and the spaces
between the bites you take make little dams if your
not careful.</font>

I've been getting better at this by floating the backhoe
bucket and evening out all the previous "bites" as I go along.

Sometimes I just hop in with a hand rake and can fix up 20
feet of ditch in 10 minutes.

I try to do this about the start or end of the "rainy" season
(here in NW that's ALWAYS) so I have a some water to work with
to "test" my slope before laying the pipe. Water lets you know
right away if your slope is OK. Best to have constant even
slope so water is always running in pipe. Not always possible
though.

I've heard there's some kind of laser level that shoots a
red beam on the ground or side of the ditch, maybe then I
could hang up the rubber boots!

As for the ditching, I use a combination of a backhoe and
a rear blade to fix the sides with the backhoe setting the
depth. Depends on ground hardness.

I would think a rear center plow point and a rear triangle
box would work good too. I can't remember where I saw the
triangular shaped rear implements. I see from another's
attachments these are called "swale" buckets.

I have a rear blade that tilts up and down and side to side
and also can be offset so it is sticking outside far more than
the usual rear blade. Ground has to be fairly soft to use
it effectively offset to the max though.

Makes me jealous to watch the "real" blades work on
a roadgrader. Lots of weight and HP.

I'm also done with deep narrow ditches. If I want it left
open to be SURE it is draining I'll slope down a 20 foot wide
section so I can mow it. I must be getting old or tired
because I'm sure I hear the blackberry vines and scrub bushes
whispering when I get near them. "We'll foul that ditch
before he can do anything about it.."

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif<font color="blue">D</font><font color="orange">E</font> <font color="green">L</font>/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif