2305 and subsoiler

[chipsndust]

Posted this question under "Attachments" and only got one reply.
I am using my 48" Box Blade and FEL to widen/improve trails on wooded land and have some areas which need to be ditched to prevent mud/washout. I'm considering a subsoiler to make ditches along side, and occasionaly, across the trails.
Also, wondering if this would work for running underground cable to my tractor shed.
I think the subsoiler is intended for use before plowing, to loosen soil at a greater depth. Looking for feedback on effectiveness for use as a ditch digger. Has anyone used one for ditching with JD 2305? Any better ideas or advice?
Thanks, Wayne

 

[snoiger01]

I just purchased a potato plow (looks identical to the one you show, except the foot is a 8" plow type) and it worked ok. I used it to dig a trench to run power to my well. I had thought about putting a chisel point on it, but the chisel point will not fan the dirt away from the trench. I had to take it a little bit at a time...no more than about 4" at a time. Watch for roots, they will bring you to a stop REAL quick. I put my 2305 in 4wd Lo, and inched my way along. I was a little disappointed with the depth at which I could dig, but I think that was mostly due to the type foot I have on the plow. A chisel type would probably do better, but the dirt will fall back into the trench more than it does with the 8" foot I have.
I have seen several posts on here where folks have modified their subsoiler to include a pipe at the bottom to thread your wire through and a place to hook the spool...seems like it would work.
I also had to remove the I-match since the top link looks identical to the one you show. No big deal since the plow is fairly light.

 

[AKfish]

I got a pretty good-sized chisel type subsoiler from my father-in-law. He used it to bury electric line and lay trench lines for a small water (seasonal use) line.

The attachment will bury line quite well if you modify it to feed the line into the ground. Or, in the case of the water line, etc., you'll have to place the line into the trench by hand.

As already indicated, the chisel type won't excavate a drainage channel very well. You need a small plow type shank to do a passable job like that with.

As well, they can stop you pretty quick when you get tangled with tree roots. I have had to replace the top-link on my tractor and refabricate the 3/8" steel top-link brackets on the subsoiler after a tree stump "incident"!

Just glad I didn't break or crack the pilot hole attachment for the top-link on the rear of my tractor!!!

AKfish

 

[h20camper]

Great idea. Where do you buy something like this and approximately how much do they cost?

 

[snoiger01]

H20,
I'm assuming you are asking about where to buy the plow? I picked mine up at the local farm/feed store for $120. I think Tractor Supply Company has them as well, but I don't have a TSC near me. Pay close attention to the welds...these things take a tremendous amount of pressure if you try to bury too much at a time, so look for quality.
Now if you're asking about how to retro-fit one, I haven't done that yet, but I ran across a post a few months ago that showed pictures...unfortunately I can't find it now But if my memory serves me, it was basically a piece of pipe mounted at the base of the plow, curving backwards. The user added a place higher up on the plow to mount a spool of wire. The wire was fed down through the tube and then anchored at the beginning of the trench...as he went along, the plow dug the trench and the wire was unrolled into it. Simple yet very effective.
As mentioned above, this only works with wire. Water pipe still requires "hands on" placement.

 

[chipsndust]

Thanks for the responses so far.
I remember the post about laying underground wire, I figure I'll practice ditch digging in the woods before I lay a cable across the front lawn.
I'm mainly concerned with choosing a 3 point attachment for ditch digging. Can someone explain the difference between subsoiler and middlebuster?
Is the subsoiler a chisel point and the middlebuster a mold board plow point?
The description (from Northern Tool) looks like the one I labeled middlebuster includes both the chisel point and plow point which are interchangeable.
Maybe I should get the interchangeable one and experiment with both?

 

[B8FISH]

Yep--I think you've got the differences correct, but would add that the depth/length of the shank looks different as well. When I saw them at the local TSC the "middle buster" had a longer shank (would dig deeper). I don't know what "base" the combo model uses, but would look for the longer shanked one if it were me. Looked like the "plow" part just bolted on, and you could replace with a chisel point if you wanted.

 

[snoiger01]

The plow I have is the middle buster...some old timers around here call them potato plows. And the plow foot bolts on, so I'm sure it would be easy enough to replace it with a chisel point to turn it into a subsoiler. I also started looking at it closer yesterday and I think I may need to get a shorter top link because right now I have it as short as it will go and the plow still is angled back too far. I'm thinking if I can get it more upright it would dig deeper...but then again no matter how deep it goes, I'll still have to come back with a shovel to remove the loose dirt since the plow foot will only lift the dirt 8", anything deepr than that and the dirt just falls over the top of the foot back into the trench

 

[chipsndust]

I think I'll get the combination subsoiler/middlebuster, with the idea that I could try both and see which one gives me the best results. I'd like to see it before I buy it, seems like the subsoiler would have a longer shaft (so it could go deeper). TSC has the subsoiler on site. Maybe I can order it from TSC vs. Northern Tool.

 

[flakrat]

I think I'll get the combination subsoiler/middlebuster, with the idea that I could try both and see which one gives me the best results. I'd like to see it before I buy it, seems like the subsoiler would have a longer shaft (so it could go deeper). TSC has the subsoiler on site. Maybe I can order it from TSC vs. Northern Tool.

I was thinking of using the TSC subsoiler for the exact same purpose, running electrical cable and water line to the barn. Thanks for the responses to this post, it answered my question of "can a subsoiler be used for this project"