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 | Kendews
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 48 New England 
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2004-10-06 97799
I want to run some electricity out to my new barn. My 12" backhoe bucket seems wider than ideal for the task. Has anyone ever heard of a really narrow bucket for cutting a slot? Is there a better way to accomplish my task that I haven't thought of?
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 | oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1490 south central pa 
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2004-10-06 97801
You could always rent a walk behind trencher. They cut about a 9" swath. ....
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 | Archdean
Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 279 Oklahoma
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2004-10-06 97809
I am in the process of building a little trencher/scarifier to open a small trench just wide and deep enough to lay a seasonal irrigation water line, if you can wait a few days I'll publish what I came up with!!
Dean ....
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| Kendews
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 48 New England
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2004-10-06 97811
Thanks, I'm in no real hurry, Its taken me since last December to get my barn built. I'd appreciate anything you can suggest. Ever since I got my little BX23 I can't stand the thought of renting when I might possibly use my own machine. ....
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 | hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa 
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2004-10-07 97818
Kendews; A lot depends on the type of soil you'll be laying the conduit in. In soils without rocks or roots to deal with a chain trencher is ideal, but if you have lots of stones, roots, etc., they give a trencher a hard time. Most of the soils around here have a layer of gravel rocks down about 12-24 in. below the surface so if you'r having a dry spell the backhoe is your best choice. I've got a 9 in. bucket, but found that it's pretty hard to keep from knocking dirt down in the trench while digging, so anymore I just use the 18 in. bucket then you can stand in the trench to bed the conduit, it just makes the job go a lot smoother. Just my experiences. Frank. ....
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 | kyvette
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 194 Central Kentucky
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2004-10-07 97820
Kendews, if you have a blade to backfill with I wouldn't be concerned about trenching wider that needed. Especially when using your own equipment. If you are in heavy rock you would need to rent a rock trencher.
A couple of suggestions, install your electric service in PVC conduit. Be sure to size your conduit for the appropriate conductor size. I would expect 2" would more than meet your needs. You will need 18" of cover for nonmetallic conduit (National Electrical Code), 24" for direct buried (not in conduit). To minimize ditch settling, compact your backfill and/or leave a small mound of dirt along the top of the backfill. Dave ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-10-07 97824
Kyvette; I lerned a lot from an electical contractor friend this summer when we trenched in a 3 phase line to the new shop We buried a 2 in. conduit 36 in. deep with a warning tape about 12 in. below the surface. We tried to push the wires thru the conduit, did'nt work. Contractor friend said get your sewer tape, push it thru then hook the wires to the end of the tape and pull them thru. Worked like a top. Never too old to learn I guess. Frank. ....
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| husky125
Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 23 Indiana
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2004-10-07 97830
When you lay the conduit, run some 1/4" nylon rope through each section as you put it together. Once you're finished, you can use this to pull the wires. I have an 8" bucket that I use for this type of work. However, a trencher is less work. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-10-07 97833
Check your local codes too. there are subtle differences according to where you are located.
Around here you need to have 6" of clean sand below the line and more above, that way frost or compaction (like from a heavy truck driving over it) can't force a rock into the conduit and pinch the wires.
It's also a good idea to buy a couple rolls of the yellow caution tape and lay it at the sides of the trench at a couple of different levels as you backfill the trench, then if in the future anyone ever digs near it they will hit the caution tape as a warning. If you look around it is available printed with "Caution - Buried Utilities Below" for just such use, but nearly anything works, I have even seen people use rope, just something as a reminder you're getting close.
If you have a few dollars to spare during the project, lay a length of 4" non-perforated drain pipe in the trench too, then if you ever decide to add extra 'features' like a telephone line or intercom wires,water line, etc., you can run them below ground too.
Best of luck.
Best of luck. ....
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| Kendews
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 48 New England
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2004-10-10 98032
Thanks for all the great advice, I'm digging in very sandy soil so it should be easy enough. I'll take your advice and pull the cable through pipe and then lay a tape above the pipe. ....
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| denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 542 Quarryville PA 
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2004-10-10 98036
An easy way an electrical contractor I know pulls things through conduit is with a shop vac. After the pipe is complete he wads up a ball of paper with a small piece of srting in it and sucks it through the conduit. Small string pulls a larger string and then the wire. He also leaves the string in for future additions. ....
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