Do I need a sub soiler?

[Todd_C]

I have posted several times and everyone has provided excellent advice. Once again I need more advice. My homeowners association maintains a one mile gravel road. Our road is in need of repair and additional gravel because of the flooding from the summer. We also need to make a few additional ditch lines in a few areas.

The homeowners association has a Ford 8N with a quality rear blade, a neighbor has a L3130, and I have a TC 30 with a medium duty Linebaugh rear blade. I know we can dig a ditch line with the rear blades but I wonder if this will place too much stress on the blades. Would a sub soiler work better to creat a 8"-10" ditch over to a creek bank? If so does anyone have an opinion on the sub soilers sold at Northern Tool ?

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Todd, I've got a sub soiler from Northern, it is made by Howse. The sub soiler will not actually dig the ditch, but it will do a nice job of breaking up the ground in a narrow band so that you can tilt & angle the corner of your blade to dig the ditch. I'd think you'd want to make a couple passes with the sub soiler, so that you break up the ground in 2 parallel lines. Then go over it with the corner of your blade to remove the dirt (the sub soiler will break it up but not move it). Then continue to shape the ditch with the corner and edge of your blades. I've never done that, but that seems to me like it would work.

My neighbors wants me to dig a ditch for him along his driveway to prevent water from pooling and spilling over his drive, that is how I thought I might do it. It just seems that carving the ditch with the corner of the blade alone won't allow very much of a bite. Pre digging with the sub soiler should loosen enough that the blade can then just come through in a few passes and carve a ditch. I think???

 

[Glenn9643]

A subsoiler is designed to shatter the hard pan below the topsoil and generally won't make a very wide trench. A middle-buster or potato plow is similar but has a sweep attached that will throw the soil out on both sides of the trench. I would recommend the middle-buster to dig a trench and then drop one tire into the trench and continue to shape your V-ditch.

 

[JerryG]

Do either one of you have a box blade? If you do, they are good for making a ditch. Tilt the blade to one side. Go down one side and back up the other side.

 

[Bird]

Yep, I'd just simply go with a box blade for that kind of work. If the ground is really hard, you might use the scarifiers; if it's soft ground you won't even have to use them