24" dirt scoop for digging ditches?

[mboulais]

Has anyone used a 3 pt hitch dirt scoop to dig ditches? I need to dig a few hundred feet of ditches and I am considering buying a dirt scoop for the job. The ditches dont need to be more than about 18" deep and 2 ft wide would be fine.

 

[Opti-Mist]

It'll work, but not sure about the depth. Once you achieve the maximum depth, shorten the top link for a more agressive bite and peel a little deeper. Then you can go back and bevel the edges and end up getting a little more depth along with the added width.

 

[Nuru]

Has anyone used a 3 pt hitch dirt scoop to dig ditches? I need to dig a few hundred feet of ditches and I am considering buying a dirt scoop for the job. The ditches dont need to be more than about 18" deep and 2 ft wide would be fine.

It will work but it will be quite a bit of work. Once you get into it, then you will see how you can do it with your equipment.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

My dirt scoop won't dig a ditch more than about 12 inches deep.
If I could mount the hitch pins higher I could dig deeper.

Pooh Bear
1949 8N

 

[andrewj]

waste of money, time. use a middlebuster instead.

 

[BTDT]

Sure it will work. Or, at least it did for me. I had a spot in my drive that pooled with water. I took dirt scoop to edge of puddle, and started dragging toward my garden (which was on a slope down the side of the yard). My soil is sand, your results may vary.

 

[JoeinTX]

It could, but what kind of ditches are they and what for?

I've had a rear scoop for around 20 years and used it for everything in the book including digging ditches. But, are you looking for a clean, 2' wide ditch in which to lay a water line or something like a water diversion ditch? For the first, a rear scoop is the ticket. For the latter, the middle-buster mentioned above is best.

The 3pt scoop is a handy item to have. Apart from ditches, I have built roads....hauled rock....mixed concrete....and cleaned out a small pond (albeit slowly) with it.

 

[mboulais]

Thank you everyone for your input. I will hold off on buying anything for now.

The ditches are for water diversion. I will dig a small collection basin with the FEL and then drain the water with ditches away from the area I want to use.

If I use a middle buster, won't it create a ridge on each side of the ditch that needs to be removed? I could also try to dig it from the side with the FEL. I have tried that before and it sort of works. It is slow going and you often leave a dirt pile on the opposite side of the ditch.

 

[jinman]

If I use a middle buster, won't it create a ridge on each side of the ditch that needs to be removed? I could also try to dig it from the side with the FEL. I have tried that before and it sort of works. It is slow going and you often leave a dirt pile on the opposite side of the ditch.

Marcel, you make a good point about the middle buster leaving ridges on each side of the ditch. There are always some tradeoffs. For your application (really a 18" deep trench) I'd say the middle buster is the best tool.

Here is my reason. The dirtscoop can only effectively dig about 12" deep as Poohbear stated. It's hard to get it that deep unless you have perfect soil conditions. In the process, you are going to spin your rear tires and that will create depressions on each side of the trench as well. Also, you will find that the dirt scoop will fill with dirt quickly and then you have to take it somewhere to dump the spoils. That takes time. I think you will find your sideways approach with the FEL to be just as efficient in the long run because of the fill-dump cycles of the dirtscoop and the cleanup and smoothing you'll have to do afterwards.

With the middle buster, you can dig a trench and then use your bucket to backdrag the ridges away from the trench to smooth them out. If you need a wider trench, you may be able to cut down the sides of the trench using the bucket to widen and clean up at the same time.

The ideal tool for your needs is a backhoe, but for a single job you probably can't justify the price of buying one. Rental is an option to consider. If neither is possible, then I think the best method would be the middle buster. I've used one to effectively redirect water over a 700' path and it works nicely. Once the water is running in the trench, it tends to wash out more anyhow.

 

[JoeinTX]

For what you're looking to do, a regular 3pt angle blade could be your fix.

I've cut diversion ditches with them as well, angling latterally and horizontally always to leave the ridge on the downhill side, and they work great.

If you don't have a rear blade already this might be the best fit.

 

[BTDT]

Maybe you could take a disc and make a couple passes to break up soil, then use your front bucket to push soil out of the way to let the water drain away. Two side by side passes with a 5' disc would be about a 10' wide area of broken soil, then line up in the middle of that with 5 or 6' bucket and you would have that wide of an area to drain away your water. You could make it however deep you needed to, then if sides were to sharp of a drop off, put one set of tractor tires on high side, one set in low side and backdrag with bucket or disc.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I use a bottom plow to cut a swath as wide as my scoop,
which takes about 3 passes, then scoop it out.
Scooping it out is slow work. For the reasons stated above.
Scoop fills up fast. Takes time to go dump it and return.

I can't really see a good way to dig ditches deeper than 12 inches
without using backhoe. Unless you did really wide ditches.

Pooh Bear

 

[joe48]

I'm not clear if you have a DIRT SCOOP OR TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO BUY for the job?
a] if you have it then it can be done with patience. you can also increase the depth by redrilling the lower pin holes ,move them higher up the frame.
b] if buying ,my first choice would be a HD rear blade with leveling adjustment for ditching. this would be the most versatile piece of equipt.and can be used for many other jobs.
c] next your 40hp tractor can easily handle a 2 or 3 bottom moldboard plow. by plowing all in the same direction and casting the spoil downhill and with the dead furrow uphill you can move a lot of dirt and make a terrace quickly.
this method has been used for years to make terraces and drainage ditches.
d] also there are ditching plows made especially for this purpose , usually 5-6ft wide wings castthe dirt ti the sides.
e]you could modify a middlebuster by adding extesions to the moldboard ends, this would require alot of fabrication.
f] lastly check with your local agriculture extension agent or soil consevation office for books and info on these types of projects.