Trencher?

SnowRidge · Dec 14, 2008

I'm still considering the chain trencher. How does it do with tree roots? I'm guessing not too well. The area I need to trench is/was forested, with sizes from sapling on up to mature.

Thanks.

BobRip · Dec 14, 2008

SnowRidge said:
I'm still considering the chain trencher. How does it do with tree roots? I'm guessing not too well. The area I need to trench is/was forested, with sizes from sapling on up to mature.

Thanks.

Tree roots definitely slow it down. Buried pieces of two by four are worse. Roots will get cut eventually. If it more than 2 inches thick, It's good to use a digging bar occasionally. I have not been stopped by a root, but it sits there and chews on it for a while.

SnowRidge · Dec 15, 2008

Thanks, Bob. I guess I'll have to mull it over.

ponytug · Dec 15, 2008

I would echo Bob's comments. In earth and gravel/rocks, it rips. I have some trouble keeping it perfectly straight as the load shifts, but I am getting better. I can say that a ditchwitch on tracks, or wheels, doesn't shift around as much, because the base of the chain is closer to the wheels/tracks. For roots, I think you are better off with a chainsaw with a root chain on it.

You can get different chains (not from PT) that have carbide teeth. These do a much better job on large rocks and can cut into bedrock (granite will cost you dearly in teeth), and are able to grind through roots much better.

If you know that you will need to trench through lots of roots, I'd either get PT to put on a carbide finger type chain, or think about renting/buying a ditchwitch. I try to keep reminding myself that just because the PT could do everything, doesn't mean that it should do everything. Sometimes, it is more cost effective to rent. e.g. I rent a chipper once a year, but it is 80HP, hydraulic feed and it chips everything into 1/4"x3/4" shreds. At the rental price, it just isn't cost effective to buy one, and then I'd have to store thing.

All the best,

Peter

BobRip said:
Tree roots definitely slow it down. Buried pieces of two by four are worse. Roots will get cut eventually. If it more than 2 inches thick, It's good to use a digging bar occasionally. I have not been stopped by a root, but it sits there and chews on it for a while.

BobRip · Dec 15, 2008

SnowRidge said:
Thanks, Bob. I guess I'll have to mull it over.

Let me elaborate on the root cutting. I cut a 125 foot long ditch 18 inches deep through the center of a 10 foot wide driveway through a wooded area in about 45 minutes to an hour. I was very pleased with this and this is typical.
The worst problem is while cutting through a driveway with rocks on it. A rock will get caught in the chain and jam the unit. I keep a hammer and chisel handy to knock the rock out. I takes about two minutes. I would say that this is a satisfactory attachment and it performs as you would expect. The worst of is that your neighbors and friends will find out about it. I have trenched about 4 times as much for neighbors as I have for myself. I have probably dug about 2000 feet of trench with it and have never regretted it.

ponytug · Dec 15, 2008

The trencher is like magic. You think "It would be great to have trench from here to way over there", and then you blink, and "presto!" you have a trench. It is very liberating. I find myself putting in pipes the way they are supposed to be, and doing little things like running the electric fence underground, because it is so easy to do. I have the 6" wide extra teeth, and in my soil, it trenches almost as fast as the 4" chain.

I have also used mine to cut terraces, which works well, if you can get below the terrace with the tractor. You can also use it to cut a flat pad from which you can easily work out with a 4N1 to create a level roadway.

For digging 4' deep trenches, I wish that it had a longer spoils screw to move the dirt farther over, but it is pretty minor. In deeper trenches in rocky terrain, you have to monitor the trencher chain angle, as the pressure reliefs do kick in periodically, and you will find yourself trencher more shallowly than you intended to.

All the best,

Peter

BobRip · Dec 15, 2008

ponytug said:
The trencher is like magic. You think "It would be great to have trench from here to way over there", and then you blink, and "presto!" you have a trench. It is very liberating. I find myself putting in pipes the way they are supposed to be, and doing little things like running the electric fence underground, because it is so easy to do. I have the 6" wide extra teeth, and in my soil, it trenches almost as fast as the 4" chain.

I have also used mine to cut terraces, which works well, if you can get below the terrace with the tractor. You can also use it to cut a flat pad from which you can easily work out with a 4N1 to create a level roadway.

For digging 4' deep trenches, I wish that it had a longer spoils screw to move the dirt farther over, but it is pretty minor. In deeper trenches in rocky terrain, you have to monitor the trencher chain angle, as the pressure reliefs do kick in periodically, and you will find yourself trencher more shallowly than you intended to.

All the best,

Peter

Well put Peter. My feelings exactly. Oh, I dug a 20 foot in diameter by 4 foot deep pond for my neighbor mostly with the trencher. It could reach down into the pond and pull the dirt out. It took about 8 hours.