Bob, I trenched 1100' about 24" to 30" deep with a walk-along DitchWitch trencher. I can't remember how much; the numbers $80 and $160 come to mind; that may have been half-day and full day, or maybe that's what I spent for the 2 days I had it. Got it from the local Nations Rent store complete with trailer. It was completely hydraulic; even had hydraulic steering. No real effort required to run it. If you want to get absolutely straight lines, however, I'd run a string line to follow. It will trench to about 36" deep; use your TC24D to backfill the trench when finished. It will fit in the narrow spaces you mentioned.
Scorecard:: Clay & Sub-Soiler: 2, Tractors: 0
- Thread starter Bob_Skurka
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fractal
Gold Member
Bob
I agree with Don.
Spend the 80 bucks on half a days rental on a ditch witch.
Otherwise, lots and lots of passes with the sub soiler. 1/4 an inch a pass is only 100 passes to the foot. Beats the heck out of doing it with a shovel.
But ... I don't have a backhoe. If I did, I would compare the price of renting the ditch witch with a smaller bucket for the hoe /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I agree with Don.
Spend the 80 bucks on half a days rental on a ditch witch.
Otherwise, lots and lots of passes with the sub soiler. 1/4 an inch a pass is only 100 passes to the foot. Beats the heck out of doing it with a shovel.
But ... I don't have a backhoe. If I did, I would compare the price of renting the ditch witch with a smaller bucket for the hoe /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
OP
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
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DocHeb is a master of the obvious and I am forever beholden to him for that!!! As per his suggestion I simply set the toplink back and all my problems vanished just like those ladies on TV who soak their troubles away in a bathtub full of Calgon bubble bath!!! The subsoiler worked like a champ, cut down to full depth and only hung up the tractor one time (on a root) which I was able to power through.
Thanks Doc!
By the way, I altered the Sub Soiler by drilling a couple holes through it, adding a plastic drain pipe with a 90 degree bend in it (I used hose clamps to hold the pipe to the sub soiler) and ran my wire through the pipe. As I drove the tractor forward, the wire was pulled through the pipe and buried all in one pass. It took longer to drill the holes in the rear edge of the sub soiler than it took to bury the wiring!!!
I'll try to get some pictures of it and post them soon.
Thanks Doc!
By the way, I altered the Sub Soiler by drilling a couple holes through it, adding a plastic drain pipe with a 90 degree bend in it (I used hose clamps to hold the pipe to the sub soiler) and ran my wire through the pipe. As I drove the tractor forward, the wire was pulled through the pipe and buried all in one pass. It took longer to drill the holes in the rear edge of the sub soiler than it took to bury the wiring!!!
I'll try to get some pictures of it and post them soon.
Inspector507
Super Member
Hmmm.....my calculator shows 48 passes vs 100 passes.
¼" per pass, 4 passes= 1 inch, times 12" per foot=48 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Just teasing......
¼" per pass, 4 passes= 1 inch, times 12" per foot=48 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Just teasing......
jwstewar
Elite Member
That is exactly how I ran the wire back to our sheds and pond earlier this year using my subsoiler and the TC24. I didn't drill any holes in the subsoiler though. I just attached the elbow with hose clamps and had my wife feeding the wire down through the elbow as I drove forward. Worked pretty slick.
Now last weekend my F-I-L rented a trencher to put a waterline in at his place and I used it to put the waterline in to my garage. That thing was terrible. Wouldn't move out of its own way. Had the four-wheeler hooked to it for awhile trying to help pull it (at his place no tractor). The thing kept spinning. Would pull the bar up, back up 2", put the blade back down, and it would go back forward 1 1/2", Took 10 hours to trench around 400'. BTW, this one did not have steering on it. When you wanted to turn it, had to lift the bar all the way up and push down on the back and try to twist it. I was sore for 3 days after and my hands still hurt. It was a Vermeer, I had used Ditch Witches before with pretty good success. Any this is all for not as you've got it done, but it least it is adding to the post count so that we'll hit 500,000 tomorrow at noon. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Now last weekend my F-I-L rented a trencher to put a waterline in at his place and I used it to put the waterline in to my garage. That thing was terrible. Wouldn't move out of its own way. Had the four-wheeler hooked to it for awhile trying to help pull it (at his place no tractor). The thing kept spinning. Would pull the bar up, back up 2", put the blade back down, and it would go back forward 1 1/2", Took 10 hours to trench around 400'. BTW, this one did not have steering on it. When you wanted to turn it, had to lift the bar all the way up and push down on the back and try to twist it. I was sore for 3 days after and my hands still hurt. It was a Vermeer, I had used Ditch Witches before with pretty good success. Any this is all for not as you've got it done, but it least it is adding to the post count so that we'll hit 500,000 tomorrow at noon. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Dargo
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jwstewar, after unbolting the tooth from my subsoiler, I too used hose clamps to hold the brake line on the back side of subsoiler. It lays the wire right at the bottom of the trench and works great. It is much faster than the stupid "vibraplow" I rented one day and got about 50' layed. I easily put down 3000 feet of wire in half a day last year with this rigging. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
DK35vince
Super Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That is exactly how I ran the wire back to our sheds and pond earlier this year using my subsoiler and the TC24. I didn't drill any holes in the subsoiler though. I just attached the elbow with hose clamps and had my wife feeding the wire down through the elbow as I drove forward. Worked pretty slick. )</font>
I used a similar setup to run approx. 600' of phone line recently.
Welded 3/4" black iron pipe to the back of my subsoiler, with a bend at the bottom aiming out the back. Welded flat plates along side the bend (Where the wire comes out ) to help protect the wire while feeding out the back.
Added brackets to the top with a pipe going across to hold a 1000' spool of phone line.
Fed the line through the pipe, tied it to the house, stuck the subsoiler in the ground at full depth and drove along nice and slow.
Worked great, ran nearly 600' of phone line in under 1 hour..
I used a similar setup to run approx. 600' of phone line recently.
Welded 3/4" black iron pipe to the back of my subsoiler, with a bend at the bottom aiming out the back. Welded flat plates along side the bend (Where the wire comes out ) to help protect the wire while feeding out the back.
Added brackets to the top with a pipe going across to hold a 1000' spool of phone line.
Fed the line through the pipe, tied it to the house, stuck the subsoiler in the ground at full depth and drove along nice and slow.
Worked great, ran nearly 600' of phone line in under 1 hour..
BrettW
Platinum Member
guys, please post pics if you can. I have a good bit of water line to run eventually. thanks, bret w
