pocowok
New member
I am thinking of using a "tiny bucket" on my upcoming TC45D's backhoe as trencher? Can this be done? Or are there any other cost effective solutions?
Backhoe Trencher attachment on a backhoe?
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cowboydoc
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I've got the 18" backhoe on mine and I just use that to do trenchwork. I just put in 200' of water and electrical lines for my new barn with it. It took me about 2 hours to dig the trench 4' and then covering it back up took about 10 minutes. I also used it to tile my stalls and to tile the gutters away. Worked great.
DarinRay
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pocowok,
If you are already going to own the backhoe with your purchase then I would do as you are and use it for whatever I wanted. The other options are buying a trencher that are available in all kinds of sizes. Not sure how small a bh bucket you can get but it will trench alright. I'm not saying that's the best or shoudl I say the fastest route though but givin time you will be just fine doing it with your bh. Goodluck /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Darin
If you are already going to own the backhoe with your purchase then I would do as you are and use it for whatever I wanted. The other options are buying a trencher that are available in all kinds of sizes. Not sure how small a bh bucket you can get but it will trench alright. I'm not saying that's the best or shoudl I say the fastest route though but givin time you will be just fine doing it with your bh. Goodluck /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Darin
BruceW
Bronze Member
Check out the minimum size bucket available for your bh. For my 4690a it was 10".
I went with 16" and use this for trenching although I must admit when trenching I am always wishing I had the 10".
bruce
I went with 16" and use this for trenching although I must admit when trenching I am always wishing I had the 10".
bruce
cowboydoc
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Personally I like the 18" trench. Before I had to stuff things down in there with my arm or with a stick. Now with the 18" hole I can lay whatever I need in without a problem, even jump down in there and fix things. Filling back up is much easier as the dirt just falls in and compacts back really nice. With the trencher the dirt would ball up halfway down and you'd have to tamp it in. Nope I like the 18" trenches just fine.
Thanks for all your help. Actually, I plan to use the backhoe for many purposes: Dig foundation, lay water and electrical/cable line, dig hole for tree etc. I ordered the smallest bucket - 12". My main concern is the 12" bucket may make unsightly "dirt line" on the nice turf. My idea is to find a 6" fork (24" deep) for the underground cable work. If it is not feasible, I will then settle for the 12" bucket. BTW, the slowness of backhoe vs. a rear mounted real trencher is not a big concern, since I only have about 500' of cable to lay.
cowboydoc
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Poco,
by the time you figure the extra time filling in a trenching hole it's about a wash in my opinion. I timed it and I can dig about 100 feet an hour just at a normal pace without pushing it. If I had trenched that it would have taken two or three hours to fill that back in by hand, only way to do it and completely fill the hole in my opinion. With the skidsteer I pushed it all back in in about 10 minutes.
by the time you figure the extra time filling in a trenching hole it's about a wash in my opinion. I timed it and I can dig about 100 feet an hour just at a normal pace without pushing it. If I had trenched that it would have taken two or three hours to fill that back in by hand, only way to do it and completely fill the hole in my opinion. With the skidsteer I pushed it all back in in about 10 minutes.
