What tools for a narrow path?

[Cliff_Johns]

If you were digging a slowly curving path 6" deep and 30" wide maybe 50' long (to become a bricked path) which attachmets would be most useful?
Would you use a FEL and dig from the side? A back hoe for nice clean
edges? A really skinny blade of some sort? A shovel (heaven forbid)?

If you had any attachments you wanted at you disposal, which would you
reach for?

Cliff

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I wonder if you could find, and modify, a small box blade with scarifiers. Perhaps one designed for a Cat-0 hitch? Use that to drag the path and then remove the lose soil with the FEL. I think I've seen small box blades about 32 or 36" wide. That is wider than you need, but not much.

 

[frank_f15]

a lot depends on the ground u are digging in, i would try the fel with toothbar to lossen compacted dirt and then scoop it out with the fel, just make sure ur high spots are at the min. depth u want. either way i think the edges might have to be done and finished the hard way /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BillG_in_TX]

It sounds like you need a 30" Dirt Scoop. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Sold at your nearby Tractor Supply or other implement dealer.

If you need to tear up the ground first, you could just drop some of the tines on a box blade and dig up a 30" wide path. The come back with your new Dirt Scoop and collect the spoils.

 

[jpr62902]

I just did that with my BX22 BH. It's pretty tough getting a flat bottom on that shallow of a dig (or any dig for that matter -- not that skilled on the BH yet). I've used a rototiller before to chew up the sod/soil down to 6", then scoop it out by hand. A coal shovel works great for the clean out part.

 

[Currmudgeon]

How wide is your FEL? If it's not so wide it will damage surrounding trees or stuff, just dig the bed with the loader, construct the walk, and backfill the edges.

For a fifty foot dig, maybe you could rent a Dingo.

 

[Glenn9643]

I agree with Bill on the 30" dirt scoop. Depending on your soil it might work better to run a tiller over it first, but I would try it first without any prep the way my ground is right now.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I agree with Bill on the 30" dirt scoop. Depending on your soil it might work better to run a tiller over it first, but I would try it first without any prep the way my ground is right now. )</font>

The ground here is mostly midwest black dirt with some
extra clay to make it a little sticky.

So the dirt scoop is the tool of choice for this type of effort?
I looked on the web and it appears to be available even new
for under $200, which is nice. Some of these appear to be
reversible. Is this an important feature? I would think based
on the pictures, that you just drop it to the depth you want and
drag it until it's full, then dump it and do the same thing
again. Is it really as straight forward as that?

The advantage seems to be that you would get a consistant
width path with a flat bottom at a consistant
depth. Appears made for the job.


Thanks for the advice.
Cliff

 

[SPIKER]

I would think that the best tool would be a small boxblade designed something like the old SOD cutters. which used a flat bar that rode on top of the dirt at the depth needed. then two more flat bars cut the sides so that the dirt was cut on all 3 sides.

there would be a roller that holds the depth at say 6" and the 4 flat bars, two vertical and one horzontal cutting the grass roots. then lifting the sod out would be a simple FEL procedure or could be done with shovel & hand... or the venerable dirt scoop (which don't work well on packed soil so it would need to be tilled somehow rototiller maybe.

the biggest problem would be running into rocks with the tool described above, but they were made for horse drawn, and the opperator actually RODE on the box. they would cut patch in the sod. then take a wagon and go back, using a shovel to cut sections out, (the sod cutter was only about 16" wide and that was 2 standard shovels width back then.)


anyhow best of luck,

I think I would till it first then scoop it up with FEL or rear scoop. or use one of the pans we have on our site! http://www.bright.net/~pfryman/forsale

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[sl3uth]

Given the LT166 your profile mentioned, I guess you're getting your hands on something with a three point?

This may sound ridiculous, but if you're making the path through your grass, you might be able to rent a sod cutter/remover. That'll cut the sod very evenly and cleanly...and you can use the grass elsewhere.

Sam