Mole Plow... yes you read that right

[kneedeep]

Any pictures of homebuilt moles?
thinking of a 5" pipe with orange peel nose connected via chain/swivel to subsoiler??
I need to drain wet areas on field edges.

 

[Doxon1]

Any pictures of homebuilt moles?
thinking of a 5" pipe with orange peel nose connected via chain/swivel to subsoiler??
I need to drain wet areas on field edges.

Any pictures ? Im planning on doing something similar like buying a subsoiler and welding a chain to connect a bigger chain or steel ball or some sort

 

[DJ54]

Popular enough back in the 60's up through the early 70's, that Sears listed the mole in their Suburban catalog.

 

[Alien]

My dad used one on our farm in NZ many years ago. We had some wet paddocks and a creek that ran through the middle of the property.
He put the plow in at the creek and drove up the paddock. He did that every 20 feet or so. We used to watch the water flowing out the bottom at the creek so they did work well. The mole on the end also had a pinned link that could flex and it widened the hole slightly more.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

More detail.....

From some more study, and what Alien said, a popular system seems to start at the ditch, pull a ground opener like a modified middle buster at the nose.. Behind that is a open ended V shape trough kept full of washed gravel.. This leaves a kind of vertical gravel wall for water to drain..

Then a mole plow is used cross ways to the gravel drains to move water to the gravel..

Apparently when this fills with silt, or is not useable, another system just like it can be put in next to the old system..

Evidently.... The gravel used up and abandon must not be an issue to crops...

My 5 cents of knowledge on this...

 

[Cedar Lane]

OK... All you Kiwi, Aussie, and Brit folk...

Why is it that you (your country) tend to use a 'mole plow/plough' rather than lay drainage tile? And... how does it work?
+ + + +

To my understanding... Using a mole plow goes along with having drain tile, pipe in place.. The mole plow tunnels move water to the drain pipe that moves the water to the ditch or canal..
- - - - -
I plan to build a "homemade" mole plow shank this summer.. In our ground I routinely use a sub soil shank to make places for as much water as possible to accumulate near our fruit trees and bushes..

I have a Heavy Hitch type sub soil shank and receiver hitch adaptor, and plan to build a similar shank with a mole made from 2" square tube to use with the existing shank adaptor..

If this works well I have plans for a stand alone 3pt mole plow attachment.. I keep the plans in my "good idea" note book..

 

[Cedar Lane]

More detail.....

From some more study, and what Alien said, a popular system seems to start at the ditch, pull a ground opener like a modified middle buster at the nose.. Behind that is a open ended V shape trough kept full of washed gravel.. This leaves a kind of vertical gravel wall for water to drain..

Then a mole plow is used cross ways to the gravel drains to move water to the gravel..

Apparently when this fills with silt, or is not useable, another system just like it can be put in next to the old system..

Evidently.... The gravel used up and abandon must not be an issue to crops...

My 5 cents of knowledge on this...

 

[Cedar Lane]

Do you have any pics of your homemade subsoiler. Thanks

 

[m1garand762]

Watch the rest of the story on YouTube Travis has one and just did a few videos with it