You could wreak some havoc with this attachment!

kebo · Apr 18, 2015

Went to my parents house today and this setup was parked at the edge of their yard where it borders a primary hwy. Apparently it belongs to a contractor who decided to park it there for the weekend. It's a ditch cutter (or maybe there is a more appropriate name for it?) used to clean out the drainage ditches on the sides of the roads.

The PTO shaft runs a big hydraulic pump to power all the cylinders and the rotating cutter head. The cutting head has some long angle blades that are bolted to the sides of it, and beneath the blades are some carbide tip teeth that are welded to the lower (rounded portion) of the rotating head. I would be curious to know how many rpm's that head is turning when it's running? I would guess somewhere between 500 and 1500 rpms? I don't think you would want it going to fast or it would really wear the blades and teeth down pretty quick.

It also has a large hydraulic reservoir on the back end with a cooler that one of the main hyd lines goes through to cool the fluid. Notice that HUGE counterweight at the top of the boom, used to counter the cutting head when its extended. Wonder what it weighs? Notice there are no hydraulic lines from the tractor to the attachment. All the valving is electric and controlled from the seat.

The only problem with this, they didn't leave the key with my parents. Probably a good thing lol, or I could have done some major damage with that machine!!

Sysop · Apr 19, 2015

Sweet. I would assume it is mainly for rock and such and is operated at a very low RPM. I'd think of 500 as a max most likely.

They say it is for ditching.

Quote from another site I found looking up the "patent number":

A ditch digging and/or cleaning apparatus designed to cut a multitude of ditch profiles includes a rotating drum on which are permanently attached tooth supports. On these supports are fastened spikes and teeth, different types for different terrain. Removed ditch material can either be dispersed to the right or windrowed to the left of the rotating drum, over the far side bank or the road side bank of the ditch, by rotatably positioning the drum.
A frame is employed to support the rotating drum, to position it to the various working positions and to connect it to the carrier vehicle. This frame consists of a fixed section that connects to the carrier vehicle and a rotatable section that supports the rotating drum. Also included are fixed and movable deflectors that direct the material flow to the desired direction. This frame can be attached on tractor pulled and powered carriers, or on self propelled extending boom carriers.

bcp · Apr 19, 2015

Similar:

Bruce

Ed of all trades · Apr 19, 2015

I would like to see that thing set down on the stump in my back yard.

TerryR · Apr 19, 2015

That's an amazing machine. I had no idea such a thing existed.

But I do note in the video that they have ideal conditions - nice consistent ditch that has been well maintained, and no driveways or other culverts.

The state just cleaned the ditches on our road last week for the first time in the 18 years we've lived here. They used a tractor with FEL and backhoe and two dump trucks. With lots of stuff to be hauled away, including 6-8" rip-rap rocks, and a ditch profile that changes every couple of hundred feet in our mountainous terrain, I don't see such a machine being much help.

Terry

Gary Fowler · Apr 19, 2015

It looks to me like that machine is a total waste of time. All the crap coming out of the ditch is put just a few feet away which will wash back into the ditch with the first rain. While it looks like it is doing something useful, it really isn't of much help. To work properly, the refuse needs to be dug out and hauled away.

300UGUY · Apr 19, 2015

TerryR said:
That's an amazing machine. I had no idea such a thing existed.

But I do note in the video that they have ideal conditions

Yeah, we have some rocks bigger than that tractor, usually granite, it would really bounce that cutter around.