Trenching with a Kioti

[Up to the Axles]

A friend has a Kioti with FEL and 3Pt; I'm guessing it's a CX but not sure.
This is for a Ground Source Heat pump which would need 3 ft+ depth.

Would he be better off to rent a 3pt hitch trencher, or a skidsteer attachment for the FEL?

 

[RjCorazza]

Unlikely the Kioto is going to have adequate hydraulic flow to operate an ssqa trencher.
I think you should just rent one of the walk behind trenchers that are a dime a dozen at rental companies.
I trenched a power line last year to my pile barn with a Toro walk behind, and it took no time at all.

 

[paulsharvey]

Unlikely the Kioto is going to have adequate hydraulic flow to operate an ssqa trencher.
I think you should just rent one of the walk behind trenchers that are a dime a dozen at rental companies.
I trenched a power line last year to my pile barn with a Toro walk behind, and it took no time at all.

Many Many of those have a max trench depth of 24-30", and that's with the trencher buried. If you really Need 36", a good sized ditchwitch, or a weekend with a JD-27 type hoe, 12" bucket, is likely the way to go.

 

[paulsharvey]

Also, not knowing anything really about geothermal, the system is pressurized, right, not gravity fed? Reason I ask, a trencher will not leave a level trencher bottom, for give you slope control, if that's needed.

 

[Up to the Axles]

Having trenched in too many thousand feet of 3" electrical duct with DitchWitch's, I know how much work it can be. I'd think a tractor with hydrostatic drive would have sufficient GPM, but I'm no expert.

It would be slow work with the Kioti's backhoe, and wider than we need/want. I built a "fang" for another friend's Kuboto that was as narrow as feasible [<3"] and it did a good job but was far slower than the DW.

A GSHP well loop is positive flow; slope is not an issue, but depth very much is.

 

[grsthegreat]

Also depends on soil type and time of the year. In my rocky soil you'd never get a trencher down 36”… never. The geo systems ive been around are 4 to 5 foot deep here.

 

[crazyjake8493]

My poor man's trencher - and I know it's not really ideal - is using my pallet forks for trenching. I remove one fork and put the other as close to center as possible. I've dug a few hundred feet of 24" deep trenches this way, though I've seen others online who have gone deeper. A shorter fork would be ideal, mine are 42" so I take shallow bites to avoid bending anything. I'd love to find an old 24" fork just to use for this purpose. We have heavy clay here and only occasional rocks bigger than a softball.

A walk behind trencher would be the best solution. Faster and cleaner.

 

[Tinhack]

I rented a trencher and dug about 1300 feet of trench 3' deep for my water line. That was about as deep as it would go. That was hard clay and rock soil, and I did it in one day. Laid 2" pipe in it the next day and had "city" water before dinner.

 

[Up to the Axles]

I'd assumed the 3-pt trencher would be PTO-driven; it takes a lot of hydraulics to equal that.

This is in eastern WV. Finding one will likely be a major challenge.

 

[Fallon]

L4060hstc. 40hp & 6 speed Kubota HST+ tranny is barely slow enough. A geared machine wouldn't be slow enough & a normal HST may not be as well.

Bradco 612 trencher I got off Craigslist, some propane company stopped using it for installs. 3' by 6" blade. Due to angles it would dig a trench a little under 30" if I recall.

I've done a several hundred yards on a couple projects with it. Projects are done & I haven't used it in a few years so I need to take it to an auction or sell it. I also have an in with an ISP plowing fiber in all over the area if I need to do any more trenching. It got the job done ok. Not that much more problematic than any other trencher, but a 3pt on a tractor isn't as well setup as a real trencher. A fraction of the price though.

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