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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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Steve
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 179 UK
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1999-04-14          2846


Can anyone adivse me what would be the best tool to use to dig a small trench with my 18hp Yanmar 186D? I need to lay a few hundred feet of irrigation pipe 2-6 inches underground. A plow comes to mind, but I wonder if there is a better way - something I can rig to my 3pt or to my bush hog?



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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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guest
Join Date: Aug 2017
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1999-04-14          2858


Another tool that could be used is a subsoiler with an L shaped tub larger than the irrigation line welded to the back to feed the line through. ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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guest
Join Date: Aug 2017
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1999-04-14          2865


I have seen a "Middle buster" (a 1 point v-shaped plow) and a "ripper" ( just asingle tooth with a three point hitch. I think the cost for each was about $150.If you want to build something, Go to a farm store, Like "Tractor Supply" or QualityFarm and Fleet, you can buy a cultivator point, and rig that up with a steel tubeor something. ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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dave t
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 0 New Hampshire
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1999-04-14          2888


see if you can find a trencher for rent at an equipment rental place. most trenchers require a bit more horsepower than your tractor can provide, however your only digging a shallow trench, and it would probably work well for you. ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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guest
Join Date: Aug 2017
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1999-04-14          2897


Howdy Steve Most tools that do this job are for towing behind the tractor ontheir own wheels...That way the bouncing of the tractor doesn't keep changingtheir digging depth and filling the trench back up. :-) What you are describingis a "V-ditcher". They have a pointed v shaped snout and rather long wing-likesides on the V to get the dirt away from the ditch. The V is slung between twowheels which would straddle a shallow irrigation ditch. They were used to makeand clean out ditches in hay fields a lot around here. But I don't think thatI have ever seen one that the 186 could pull without a struggle. They are allsized for the old Ag tractors. I think I'd use an old single bottom 3-pt plow. They are cheap and you willwant one anyway. You will probably find that something smaller than a 12" is wide enough, and it will pull deeper. Plow your trench in one pass, and thenback and plow the same trench again from the other direction. This will getmost of the dirt out and break up the rest which you can hoe out by hand .....I think that this is about as good as you are going to do............Roger ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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guest
Join Date: Aug 2017
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1999-04-15          2919


Plowing backwards once the initial furrow has been set is really tough to do. The unturned ground helps hold the plow in position, but will not if there is nothing there (as in the trench left from the first furrow) to hold it. The 3pt hitch has too much give and the moldboard will quickly push the plow out of the soil into the trench. Believe me, I've been there as sizing up the best direction to travel (you always plow toward the center of the field with the soil turning away from the center) was one of the untaught secrets of plowing I learned early on. :)Lee ....


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guest
Join Date: Aug 2017
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1999-04-15          2924


Lee, I believe that you are right on this, but aren't you thinking of wideningthe furrow on the back pass? I agree that this wouldn't work so well. I was justthinking of getting some of the loose dirt out of the furrow, and in fact usingthe moldboard to keep the plow right in the trench. Whatever Steve does, I thinkhe is going to get to put in some time cleaning the ditch by hand. ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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Steve
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 179 UK
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1999-04-16          2961


Thanks Lee. I think from Roger's post that we want the plow to return to the ditch don't we? The idea is to get the soil out as much as possible. Is that what the reverse direction plowing will do? ....


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guest
Join Date: Aug 2017
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1999-04-17          2964


OK, If you are not wanting to make the trench wider, the plow ought to do a pretty fair job of clearing the bottom of the furrow, maybe widen it some. I don't know if you could make the furrow deeper by reverse plowing, but it might work. If you don't want the plow to dig on the reverse pass, adjust the top link so the plow point is oriented up a bit.Let us know how you make out on solving this problem and what you did. This is an interesting "farm" problem.Lee ....


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Steve
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 179 UK
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1999-04-17          2994


Thanks. I will try to let you know what I do. I went to look for a plow today and the only tractor store I know of nearby was closed. I did not see one in his back yard where the bushogs are kept. I don't have a lot of time to look, so I will post a new message when I finally get something to work. ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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Norm
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Posts: 1
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1999-04-19          3077


I notice that Northern now carries a "three point middle buster/sub soiler" for $200.I haven't used it, so I can't vouch for it - but it is in their catalog and you may want to research it.part # 250073tel # 1-800-533-5545hope it helps. ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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KWB
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Posts: 1
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2002-02-05          35300


I have the identical problem described by Steve on 4-14-1999 except with a 24hp ZEBRA TRACTOR (ZETOR). Does any one know if he found a worlable solution? ....


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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-02-05          35308


I've heard of people having good luck with 1-bottom plows for shallow trenching to lay irrigation line (I won't say electrical, because it's not usually supposed to be in shallow trenches). Dang! I can't remember if it was here or another board where somebody described a gadget he built that plows the trench and lays the water line at the same time. From all I've heard, a 1-bottom plow works just fine, but the line would have to be drained before freeze-up many places—guess that’s standard though. ....


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BCalvin,Texas
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2002-02-05          35335


What would solve your problem would be a LISTER plow....a lister is used to soil up corn....it's similiar to a middle buster but instead of one central point it has a half point on each side.....this hills up the soil onto the corn...as ypu go through the feils you can continue to lower the tool which will create a furrow...
You can get half points cheap at any tractor supply and just fabricate the carrier for the lister...it's a good tool to have around you will use it again...just a thought ....


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Implement to dig a shallow irrigation trench

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Roger L.
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 0
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2002-02-06          35355


A few years back I had to dig a shallow trench about 75 feet in very rocky ground. It wasn't much of a trench, but the rocks made hand digging a real chore. Way too rocky to pull any type of ground breaker. After some head scratching I bolted an old backhoe bucket backwards onto the bottom of my loader bucket. Called it a "halfback". It works like a very small loader bucket, but in reverse. Hard to explain, but if anyone is interested I can send a e-photo that shows the rig. It is crude and digs slowly....but then it only cost me an old backhoe bucket and an hour with some scrap metal. Sure beat doing it by hand. ....


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JimTN
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Posts: 1
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2002-03-12          36293


Take a look at www.cadplans.com, Model 103 Trencher for CAT 1 3PT Hitch Tractors - all weights. Plans for sale also link to supplier of materials kit. You might want to buy the plans, plans & materials kit, or get some ideas from the pictures. ....


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