Using a rear scoop as a tree spade?

Mosey · Aug 29, 2002

Has anyone tried using a rear scoop as a tree spade? I'm thinking maybe I could angle it all the way down and dig down as far as I can from one side, then pull it back out and do the same thing from the other 3 sides. When I get to the last side, then I could level it out (I have a hydraulic top link) as I gradually back up and use the 3pt lift to pick it up out of the ground. I'm guessing I could get a 1 to 2 inch dia tree this way with about a 2 foot dia root ball. Any thoughts or experience on this? Thanks.

Tinkerman · Aug 29, 2002

Mosey, I'll also be interested to hear if anyone has tried this. Do you think you'll need to sharpen an edge on the scoop?

JohnMiller3 · Aug 29, 2002

Ahhhh... the rear scoops I've seen are kinda thin steel and I'm afraid... you'd end up crushing the unit as you "pushed" into the ground/root area...

Most of the scoops are more for carrying/dumping purposes versus digging purposes... /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

cchoate · Aug 29, 2002

My dirt scoop ( KK 30") digs very well. Wet clay / dirt, hard dirt and rock all have presented no problem. The steel used is as strong as a fel in my opinion. I would love to get a hydro top link for it. What was the total cost to install one?

Mosey · Aug 30, 2002

cchoate - Bad news. It's expensive! I had no idea what they cost and was shocked when I found out. Anyway, it cost me $533 to get the rear remote hydraulics installed. I got dual remotes installed so could add another hydraulic cylinder later on for one of the side links. If you just get one rear remote for the top link it will be about half that and if you install it yourself you can save labor costs. If you already have rear remote hydraulics, then all you need is the cylinder and hoses. I paid a total of $330 for the hydraulic cylinder and hoses. So, my total cost was $863! Related links:

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=nhown&Number=89244&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=all>Remote Hydraulics Install</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=113742&page=8&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=all>Where to buy Cat 1 Hyd. Top Link? </A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=125257&page=6&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=>Finally Got My Hyd. Top Link</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=161782&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=>Spence, hydraulic top link questions</A>

bsauter · Aug 30, 2002

My dealer qouted me $1100 for a dual setup with everything installed. Wow! I guess I really don't need it that bad.

I kindof interested in the Jiffy Hitch self-contained top link for around $250 though. Not as good as the real thing though.

cchoate · Aug 30, 2002

Sounds like I stay with my manual top link. I guess I would rather drop $800 on another implement. Thanks for the info though.

duanet · Aug 31, 2002

Mosey, I was impressed with what one of our TBNers, TraderMark, made for his 3PH. It's at http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=projects&Number=40261&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1. He also describes it and has a closeup later in the same thread.

<font color=green>Duane</font color=green>

karmakanic · Aug 31, 2002

Don't anyone use my reply as a reason to keep them from buying a dirt scoop. All tractor owners need and deserve any implement which has the slightest chance of saving them at least $3.00 in the next 3 years.

(show the above to the CFO and delete the rest)

Now, that out of the way, we can address the question at hand. Can we dig up trees with a dirt scoop and thereby cut out that greedy middleman, the nursery? Short answer: yes. Long answer: But you ain't gonna want to.

The trouble is the old angle of attack. The dirt scoop can't dig straight down, or even close to it. About 5, 6 degrees more like it, depending on soil. So that means you have to shave the soil down to the bottom of the root ball. Will take a long ramp, lots of dirt moved. All of it working with your neck cranked around watching that scoop. (gives you a terrible crick in the neck, BTDT). I think in this case, I'd rather give the nurseryman his due.

Hmmm,,,but what about with a backhoe?

I'm not sure you can do it feasibly with a backhoe either. But you've got my curiosity aroused, so I'm gonna give it a try tomorrow and report back. If I'm successful, feel free to use my experience as a very valid justification to immediately buy a hoe. After all, a 2" hardwood in a ball is worth more then $3.00

From the front lines,
Dave

cchoate · Sep 1, 2002

Personally, I feel my dirt scoop has saved me more than $3 in the first scoop it dug. Digging out the overflow of my pond, lengthing the pond and using the fill to enlarge the turn-around of my driveway would have cost me alot more than I payed for the scoop.
Plus, I like doing it myself, at my own pace and to my own satisfaction.
Would a fel do the same job? Of course, but for $2600 more.
You probably won't dig a tree up with a scoop or fel, but I won't pay someone ( a nursery ) to do something that myself and a $15 shovel could do.