Best Implement to trench/bury 6" Poly Pipe

[swmich42]

Looking to trench and bury 6" Polyethylene perferated pipe. Trench will be backfilled with peagravel to surround pipe. I was thinking middle buster or subsoiler. I have a box blade, and could reduce the rippers to one, however, it is only approx. 3" wide, and would take multiple passes. I know other members have used subsoiler to bury 1" plastic irrigation pipe for sprinklers, but I need method to do same with larger diameter flexible plastic pipe. Total length will be approx. 60-80 feet. I want to be approx. 14-18" below surface.

 

[5030]

Rent a trencher from a local rental company. I believe Blackswamp Rentals is in your area.

You don't have enough arse (your tractor in your picture) to pull a single point tool that deep to set pipe and even if you did, you'll have to crumb out the cut because the dirt will fall back in.

There are vibrating slip plows that lay pipe and cable but I don't believe you can rent one, and again, your tractor don't have the gonads.

 

[handirifle]

While a ride on trencher will do it, they are the only ones that will cut a 6" trench, I believe it will be $300-500 a day, depending on machine. Not worth it for 80ft.

Every walk behind trencher I have rented was only 4" a trencher. Personally I have grown to detest those things. The way they (ride on ones too) throw the dirt right beside the hole makes it impossible to go back over any section without risking it dropping a wheel in the hole and then its a whole lot of fun to get out, I know.

I would rent a small excavator or small backhoe. Around here those go for under $200 a day (one was $165 and the other was $185 can't remember which was which), and if you're making a french drain like I did (mine was 85ft long) it will make it a LOT easier to set the pipe. You will want a small amount of gravel under it, and on both sides to keep dirt from getting to it and clogging it up. get a 12" bucket and you will have it done in no time.

My preference would be the backhoe, as they seem like a more stable platform, if you have the room, otherwise get an excavator, they are a LOT more maneuverable. i have used both on my place.

 

[ky billhilly]

I just did the same job. middle buster will Not do the job. as the plow is lowered the point angle changes as the 3pt travels through its arc of movement preventing itself from digging deeper. bite it and rent some form of machine you are comfortable with to do the job.

 

[kennyd]

Sounds like the perfect mini-excavator project to me.

 

[beeforty]

My favorite is a Bobcat ride on trencher, all hydro driven, you will spend more time driving and unloading than digging. Maybe you have a neighbor who wants sprinklers and you can split the cost:thumbsup:

 

[wcilbob]

Maximum length 80 feet & maximum depth 18 inches. I could dig that with a spade in the time it would take to go rent a trencher and return it. My dad talks about the old days when they would tile entire fields by hand. The guy in the bottom of the trench was often over his head.

 

[crash325]

Maximum length 80 feet & maximum depth 18 inches. I could dig that with a spade in the time it would take to go rent a trencher and return it. My dad talks about the old days when they would tile entire fields by hand. The guy in the bottom of the trench was often over his head.

There you go Spoiling the Fun. :laughing:

 

[Cacinok]

Maximum length 80 feet & maximum depth 18 inches. I could dig that with a spade in the time it would take to go rent a trencher and return it. My dad talks about the old days when they would tile entire fields by hand. The guy in the bottom of the trench was often over his head.

I dug mine by hand w/ a 4" spade, only 70' long though. I couldn't have used a machine b/c it was only about 18" away from the house - water dripped off of the roof into the french drain. No machine I looked at was narrow enough. Believe me, I wanted to rent something.

 

[Carykong]

Only 80' and 18" deep. You can go cheap by ripping the ditch with a plow,subsoiler,middle buster,or a boxblade with one ripper and finish with a shovel. Good exercise and character builder.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

9" wide at the bottom, 20" deep. Less than 2 minutes to do 100'. Now I know that the ground has to be just right and to get the full 20" deep the bottom does need to be crumbed out. I have done several hundred feet like this. I have a Case 580 BH and a Parsons 9" wide chain trencher. Neither can even come close to the speed that my ditcher can do for an 18"-20" deep trench.

Doesn't work for everyone, but if the conditions are right, it is the way to go.

For your situation, I would go with a back hoe.

 

[trailbuilder]

Mini Excavator with a narrow bucket, They are cheap and easy to find to rent.

 

[Pete Judd]

When I had to dig the trench for the power and phone I used a narrow walk behind rototiller to losen things up and then shoveled it out then repeated until I was down to depth. We have hard clay under the first couple inches of soil, but it worked well.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

I dug mine by hand w/ a 4" spade, only 70' long though. I couldn't have used a machine b/c it was only about 18" away from the house - water dripped off of the roof into the french drain. No machine I looked at was narrow enough. Believe me, I wanted to rent something.

I don't follow... I lay french drains all the time with a mini track hoe type excavator. I can go all the way to the edge of the slab. Just offset the boom and start digging.

 

[mjncad]

I vote for the mini-excavator.

 

[herd]

Only 80' and 18" deep. You can go cheap by ripping the ditch with a plow,subsoiler,middle buster,or a boxblade with one ripper and finish with a shovel. Good exercise and character builder.

Or, a little more work but you could use a tiller. Just keep running it down your trench line, stop, shovel out the loose soil, and then run it down again. I have dug many a good trench this way, even once (when I was very young) a 200' septic drain field.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Only 80' and 18" deep. You can go cheap by ripping the ditch with a plow,subsoiler,middle buster,or a boxblade with one ripper and finish with a shovel. Good exercise and character builder.

I did a 70' bury this way last summer, using a middle buster. It was only 1-1/2" pipe but I had to go under two stone walls and a driveway and it still only took a few hours. Go to Home Depot and get a long handle spade that is the width of the trench you want, you don't want to make the hole any wider than you need to.

A hole that is 80' by 6" by 18" is 60 cubic feet, or 2.2 yards. With dirt that has already been loosened I figure I can dig about a cubic yard an hour. That's a rate of filling a 5 gallon bucket about every 90 seconds, which is brisk but not killing yourself.

The advantage of a hand-dug hole is that it is much neater when it comes time to fill it.

 

[Baby Grand]

Depends on the soil. If not terribly rocky, I'd use a subsoiler followed by a grub hoe & shovel. Go to work on Monday with some blisters to show for your weekend.

 

[NICKB304]

Mini excavators are one of my favorite toys! I would buy one of those over a backhoe attachment if I ever have the extra cash. I need to rent one again to finish up a project at my place. My vote goes for one of those.

 

[Redneck in training]

Maximum length 80 feet & maximum depth 18 inches. I could dig that with a spade in the time it would take to go rent a trencher and return it. My dad talks about the old days when they would tile entire fields by hand. The guy in the bottom of the trench was often over his head.

Second that. I just did about 150 ft of 3" diameter 10 -12" deep drain in wet clay in about one afternoon. Wet clay leaves nice clean trench that doesn't collapse back so it was possible to dig it first, lay the pipe and cover it with gravel.