Trenching with a Massey SCUT

plowhog · Apr 9, 2020

I need to dig a lot of trenches this spring and summer. Mostly for irrigation pipe such as 1" schedule 40. Lines are drained in fall so they only need to be about a foot deep.

Is there something, somewhere, that will let me modify the bucket to something more friendly for trenching? I only need maybe a 4" width, going down a foot. Or is there another way? I do also have a MF 1758, so if there was a rear implement I could drag that could work as well.

I contacted Brotek a while ago with this inquiry, as they offer a trenching "thing" that goes on the backhoe. But they responded that they are a long ways out from producing such a thing for a MF tractor.

Diggin It · Apr 9, 2020

How many and how long? And do you plan on doing them all at once or scattered out over time?

Thought is that this would be better done with a rental trencher, but they're not cheap. Trenching any distance will be tedious with a BH that can't be driven while being operated. There are trenching buckets available, but word is they pack with dirt quite a bit more easily than they can be unpacked.

plowhog · Apr 10, 2020

Total of about 1,000 - 1,500 ft. I have a Ditch Witch 1030 that does a good job digging through topsoil with no too many rocks.

But at my Nevada property, it tough, rocky soil with submerged boulders up to the size of a basketball. I tried the trencher in those conditions and it nearly broke me and the trencher. The large boulders in the rocky hardpan were too much for it. Several times the trencher jammed up and stopped immediately. Other times it was bucking so hard against a large rock I just knew something was about to break. That kind of stuff needs an backhoe/excavator, but my bucket is too wide.

I did dig about 10 feet in the poor conditions using the bucket, 2 foot depth. It worked, but it also took about 3 hours. Since the pvc pipe will bend a little, if I had a 4" digging bucket for the Massey I could likely go around the biggest obstructions. And digging half the width would go faster. But I can't find anything to replace my factory bucket.

Gofast · Apr 10, 2020

Are you using your GC 1710 to dig it? how deep do you need to dig?

The top part the holds the backhoe bucket is more than 4"

Tompet · Apr 10, 2020

Look at bxpanded...they make a four and six inch trenching bucket which has short sides and more banana shaped to help prevent plugging inherent with a narrow bucket. They seemed to be modeled after a trenching bucket (called the fang) for large excavators.
I ordered the six inch one last week.

ray66v · Apr 11, 2020

Rent a trencher, it will be cheaper, and much faster.

Plus, the removed soil is powered so it's very easy to back fill.

Narrow buckets do not work well in most soils. If you have any clay in your soil, and it's at all wet, it won't come out of the bucket.

Against the advice of almost everyone, I made a 6" bucket. It produces a nice 8" trench. But, I can only use it when the ground is bone day, (like the first week of august). And, even then, I can only dig down about 2' before it starts to be moist enough to cause sticking problems.

Yes, there are all kinds of bucket designs, and things you can do that are "supposed" to solve with the problem of the dirt sticking. I have tried them all. The results will all vary depending on soil content, and conditions. The only real good solution, is to rent a trencher.

LouNY · Apr 11, 2020

ray66v said:
Rent a trencher, it will be cheaper, and much faster.

Plus, the removed soil is powered so it's very easy to back fill.

Narrow buckets do not work well in most soils. If you have any clay in your soil, and it's at all wet, it won't come out of the bucket.

Against the advice of almost everyone, I made a 6" bucket. It produces a nice 8" trench. But, I can only use it when the ground is bone day, (like the first week of august). And, even then, I can only dig about 2' before it starts to be moist enough to cause sticking problems.

Yes, there are all kinds of designs, and things you can do that are "supposed" to solve with the problem of the dirt sticking. I have tried them all. The results will all vary depending on soil content, and conditions. The only real good solution, is to rent a trencher.

If the ground is real bony with a lot of hard rocks the rock wheel is ideal, the chain trenchers with the rock teeth will work.
Used Rock Saw Trencher for sale. Ditch Witch equipment & more | Machinio

plowhog · Apr 11, 2020

Tompet said:
Look at bxpanded...they make a four and six inch trenching bucket which has short sides and more banana shaped to help prevent plugging inherent with a narrow bucket.

I looked at their website and they do not show any product like that for a Massey. For a Deere, yes. Did you order this for your Kubota?

CB65

For several who advocate to use a trencher, that's good advice in the soft soil in N. California. But not good advice in the hard soil of N. Nevada. At least not for my specific trencher, a Ditch Witch 1030 walk behind. I hauled it 100 miles on a trailer thinking it would be perfect. It wasn't. I nearly broke the trencher and/or broke me, getting only about 30-40 feet done before I threw in the towel. To finish that job, I had to hire a manual labor crew who hand dug using shovels, large bars, and an electric jackhammer. They pretty much jackhammered every inch of trench, with more workers coming behind with a bar and a shovel to finish.

I will look into the rock saw, or rock saw teeth that might fit my trencher. The submerged boulders, basketball sized, cause my walk behind trencher with standard teeth to buck all over the place at the edge of going out of control. And the cantaloupe sized boulders get jammed in the worm gear that is supposed to pull the soil away, causing instantaneous shutdown. Getting started again means prying those out using a 6 foot iron bar, sometimes a very difficult task.

I might also need to look into a mini-X with a small bucket. I think there are submerged obstacles that would be very difficult for my SCUT to handle, but I was hopeful to try with a narrower bucket.

ray66v · Apr 11, 2020

plowhog said:
I looked at their website and they do not show any product like that for a Massey. For a Deere, yes. Did you order this for your Kubota?

CB65

For several who advocate to use a trencher, that's good advice in the soft soil in N. California. But not good advice in the hard soil of N. Nevada. At least not for my specific trencher, a Ditch Witch 1030 walk behind. I hauled it 100 miles on a trailer thinking it would be perfect. It wasn't. I nearly broke the trencher and/or broke me, getting only about 30-40 feet done before I threw in the towel. To finish that job, I had to hire a manual labor crew who hand dug using shovels, large bars, and an electric jackhammer. They pretty much jackhammered every inch of trench, with more workers coming behind with a bar and a shovel to finish.

I will look into the rock saw, or rock saw teeth that might fit my trencher. The submerged boulders, basketball sized, cause my walk behind trencher with standard teeth to buck all over the place at the edge of going out of control. And the cantaloupe sized boulders get jammed in the worm gear that is supposed to pull the soil away, causing instantaneous shutdown. Getting started again means prying those out using a 6 foot iron bar, sometimes a very difficult task.

I might also need to look into a mini-X with a small bucket. I think there are submerged obstacles that would be very difficult for my SCUT to handle, but I was hopeful to try with a narrower bucket.

Then, I suggest you lay out your trenches, and bore them for explosives. Because, that's going to be the only easy way. :thumbsup:

Let us know how you make out.

MF RED in MT · Apr 11, 2020

plowhog said:
I looked at their website and they do not show any product like that for a Massey. For a Deere, yes. Did you order this for your Kubota?

CB65

For several who advocate to use a trencher, that's good advice in the soft soil in N. California. But not good advice in the hard soil of N. Nevada. At least not for my specific trencher, a Ditch Witch 1030 walk behind. I hauled it 100 miles on a trailer thinking it would be perfect. It wasn't. I nearly broke the trencher and/or broke me, getting only about 30-40 feet done before I threw in the towel. To finish that job, I had to hire a manual labor crew who hand dug using shovels, large bars, and an electric jackhammer. They pretty much jackhammered every inch of trench, with more workers coming behind with a bar and a shovel to finish.

I will look into the rock saw, or rock saw teeth that might fit my trencher. The submerged boulders, basketball sized, cause my walk behind trencher with standard teeth to buck all over the place at the edge of going out of control. And the cantaloupe sized boulders get jammed in the worm gear that is supposed to pull the soil away, causing instantaneous shutdown. Getting started again means prying those out using a 6 foot iron bar, sometimes a very difficult task.

I might also need to look into a mini-X with a small bucket. I think there are submerged obstacles that would be very difficult for my SCUT to handle, but I was hopeful to try with a narrower bucket.