Tips On Digging A Trench With The BX24 Hoe
- Thread starter x703jko
- Start date
- Views: 14400
-
- Tags
- kubota bx24
LBrown59
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2004
- Messages
- 16,831
- Tractor
- 2003 Kubota BX1500/2004 Kubota Bx23/2005 Kubota BX1500
x703jko said:
I swore off trenchers about 6 years ago.
I rented one and it wore me and my big stout buddy out wrestling that thing around.
On top of that it bent up the tail gate of my pick up loading and unloading the blasted thing.
It cost me more to rent that back breaker than I could have hired somebody with a BH to dig that blamed trench and me and my buddy would not even have had to lift a finger.
Trencher never again.
________________________
Your owners manual should give you a description on "How to dig". The Wood's website has a thumbnail that refers to owner operating / installing back hoe etc.
In their manual they show an illustration on "How To".
I my case, Wood's manual #0450, Pg 14, Fig 3, 4.
Also go to web page "How Thing's work" click "backhoe" and it shows an animation of a backhoe and along with with it you can use your keyboard to operate the control's.
Before you dig --------- check the area completely
Dig Safe, have fun,
JW5875
In their manual they show an illustration on "How To".
I my case, Wood's manual #0450, Pg 14, Fig 3, 4.
Also go to web page "How Thing's work" click "backhoe" and it shows an animation of a backhoe and along with with it you can use your keyboard to operate the control's.
Before you dig --------- check the area completely
Dig Safe, have fun,
JW5875
LBrown59
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2004
- Messages
- 16,831
- Tractor
- 2003 Kubota BX1500/2004 Kubota Bx23/2005 Kubota BX1500
Jw5875 said:
Call:
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG. ******* It's A toll free number.
This is very important if there is even the slightest chance you might hit and damage a utility line.
If you damage a line and didn't make that call it could cost you tens of thousands of dollars!
LBrown59 said:
Understood....where I'll be digging is in the woods about 200 meters away from the road and the AC service entrance to the house.
I doubt if there's any AC in the area. But, I have the tools to check for buried AC lines...so I'll check.
As someone mentioned earlier, I would stretch a rope/string between two stakes on either end. Instead of painting the ground, I would just dig 4-6" left or right of the rope and keep about the same distance.
Hopefully this is obvious, but dig in the same direction as the FEL is pointed.
Line the machine up on the line and put it in neutral and lower the stabilizers. As was mentioned earlier, take long shallow bites rather than short deep ones.
When you get to close to the machine, point the teeth straight down close to the machine and lift the stabilizers. Extend the forearm of the backhoe (push right hand away from you) while using your left arm to control the height of the main arm. You want the teeth to dig in enough to push the machine forward, but not too much to lift the machine. No big deal if you do lift it, but it is less of a ride if you don't.
As you are pushing yourself forward with the backhoe, you can reach around to steer the front wheels if you start getting off track.
After you learn how to move the machine around with the backhoe, you'll wonder how you ever got by without doing it. This process can also work when you are trying to move the machine left or right.
Good luck
Paul
Hopefully this is obvious, but dig in the same direction as the FEL is pointed.
Line the machine up on the line and put it in neutral and lower the stabilizers. As was mentioned earlier, take long shallow bites rather than short deep ones.
When you get to close to the machine, point the teeth straight down close to the machine and lift the stabilizers. Extend the forearm of the backhoe (push right hand away from you) while using your left arm to control the height of the main arm. You want the teeth to dig in enough to push the machine forward, but not too much to lift the machine. No big deal if you do lift it, but it is less of a ride if you don't.
As you are pushing yourself forward with the backhoe, you can reach around to steer the front wheels if you start getting off track.
After you learn how to move the machine around with the backhoe, you'll wonder how you ever got by without doing it. This process can also work when you are trying to move the machine left or right.
Good luck
Paul
One more thing .... bury an extra pipe / conduit. It is cheap and gives you lots of flexibility in the future.
One other trick once the pipe is in place to get the wires through it. Take a shop vac and tape or otherwise seal it on one end and turn it on. At the other end, take a grocery bag and tie it to your pull string. The vac will suck it through the pipe in seconds. I have used this technique at work with sections several thousand feet long. If you don't want to bury a second pipe, at least pull in an extra pull string along with the wires. It can be a pain in the a-- to get a string through a conduit that already has wires in it.
One other trick once the pipe is in place to get the wires through it. Take a shop vac and tape or otherwise seal it on one end and turn it on. At the other end, take a grocery bag and tie it to your pull string. The vac will suck it through the pipe in seconds. I have used this technique at work with sections several thousand feet long. If you don't want to bury a second pipe, at least pull in an extra pull string along with the wires. It can be a pain in the a-- to get a string through a conduit that already has wires in it.
Berniep
Platinum Member
When you take a long scrape, like maybe 4 or 5 inches deep at a time it tends to fill the bucket well and the teeth loosen the soil for the next pass. I was trying to do the big bite method when I read around here somewhere about the scrape method and it worked much better.RayCo said:
tommu56
Elite Member
I kinda think of digging with a back hoe like a block plane for wood
long smooth level strokes only a cuple inches deep.
It takes practice keeping bucket level on the bottom of cut but that's what you want on the bottom of the trench level and undisturded to lay pipes in.
Some times if it is increadbly rocky or hard pan you might have to rip up the face of trench pulling up right below tractor if the tractor keeps puling back tward trench with the level bucket moves.
tom
long smooth level strokes only a cuple inches deep.
It takes practice keeping bucket level on the bottom of cut but that's what you want on the bottom of the trench level and undisturded to lay pipes in.
Some times if it is increadbly rocky or hard pan you might have to rip up the face of trench pulling up right below tractor if the tractor keeps puling back tward trench with the level bucket moves.
tom