Trenching project

Jarrett · Aug 28, 2006

I'm in the process of setting up our new mobile home. I have to run the electrical underground from the meter pole to the home. It's only about 30'. It has to be at least 18" deep to the top of the 2" conduit so I figure I need to go about 21"+ deep. We've been getting rain nearly every day for about a week so I didn't think it would be too bad to dig the trench by hand. It's only 30' right? So I started out yesterday trying to dig the trench. I had a regular spade shovel, sharpshooter and a pickax at my dispossal. After marking my line of where I wanted the trench I started digging. I was able to dig about 2-3" in soft wet topsoil then I hit dry, rock hard clay. After trying all of the tools, even the pickax, I realized I'd be there a very long time. Even the pickax wasn't digging very far/deep. So I gave up and went to the nearby Home Depot to rent a trencher. Just my luck, all of their trenchers are broken. They had a nice little JCB 8015 mini excavator that was only $4 more/4 hr rental than the trencher (or $5 daily). Guess what...it's broken too. They should have it going by the weekend though.
I checked some other local rental places but they're a little more expensive and also out of the way. I'd rather get a trencher or the mini excavator from Home Depot, mainly for the location convenience. Either way, is it justifiable for me to rent one of these or am I just being a big wuss and should just dig it by hand? BTW, I don't have any attachments for the L3130 that I could use. Even if I did, there isn't enough room to use it.

schmism · Aug 28, 2006

clay is no fun to dig in....

id go for a little walk behind trencher and see if there were any other projects around the house that needed trenching.... (down spout tile, run the cable out to the garage.... new water line to the garden plot....)

Spark_man · Aug 28, 2006

My deep well pump bit the dust on Saturday afternoon. I had to buy a new one in a hurry so I pulled the old on and it is has 2 wires coming out of it, rated at 230 volt. No problem, both Lowes and TSC carry them. I run out and buy a shiny new 1 horse, 2 wire model and when I get it home, its a 2 wire alright - 2 wires and a ground! So, I need to run a new 3 wire line back to the pressure switch - which happens to be under 20 ft of concrete slab! I needed to trench about 30 ft back to the house, plus I had 2 additional drains to put in, each about 100 ft long.

Sunday I run up to the local rental place and got a Vermeer trencher and had it all done in less than 2 hours. When I returned it, the guy thought I was bringing it back cause something was wrong with it, I was returning so soon.

I will say this - we haven't had a good rain in over 3 weeks and that machine really got a workout with the hard clay.

I've tried to dig trenches by hand before when it is like this and it is a PITA. Rent the trencher, but make sure you don't have some other work you can do with it while you have it - how about a new yard hydrant? you can always use one of those.

3RRL · Aug 28, 2006

jarret,
I know what you're going through. I'd definitely rent. If your hard clay is anything like the decomposed granite on my place, it would still be a tough job even if you had a jackhammer. Give yourself a break and find out how useful the trenchers are...maybe get one later for other "projects"?

Egon · Aug 28, 2006

Come on, be a manly man and swing that pickaxe and use that shovel.

Think about the aching back, blistered hands and still several more days to go!

Go rent the proper equipment unless you can dig a full bucket width trench with your tractor!

Highbeam · Aug 29, 2006

I forgot how hard clay can get until I had to bury 4 pier blocks for an outhouse foundation this last weekend. There are no rocks in my clay but extremely cemented material. The pick would just stick into it and pop potatoe chips off. The extra weight and ability of a ride on trencher to hold down the blade will help to cut the trench. The two wheeled trenchers may require you to push up on the handlebars all day long.

InlineDieselFan · Aug 29, 2006

rent which ever, and save your back!!

then trench out from the down spouts a good 50' or more, so you don't have all the water sitting up next to the house. Are you going to build a shop? If so trench on over there also and place in a few empty plastic lines with a pull string and cap them off, Then later you can just pull your electrical on through and you'll have water and phone also. Only rent the machine once.

The other option, convince the wife it is time to buy the bach-hoe to save your back.

steve