TRACTOR PARTS Allis Chalmers Case & David Brown Farmall & International Ferguson Ford & New Holland John Deere Massey Ferguson Massey Harris Minneapolis Moline Oliver & Cockshutt Kubota / Yanmar

TRACTOR MANUALS

Allis Chalmers	Case	Farmall IH	Ford 8N,9N,2N	Ford
Ferguson	John Deere	Massey Ferguson	Minn. Moline	Oliver

Discussion Forum

How to dig trenches

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register

Author

MikeH(Tx)

01-10-2000 06:44:41

Report to Moderator

Is there a plow-like attachment that would fit on a tool bar and dig a decent trench for PVC pipe? I have been laying some drip irrigation line and using a regular middlebuster plow to dig the trenches. It works, but makes a much too wide hole. I'm not sure anything would make a pretty trench like a dedicated trencher, but it seems to me a better shaped plowshare would get me halfway.

I am in Central Texas, so freezing is not a problem as long as I get it completely underground.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

ted

01-21-2000 11:46:55

Report to Moderator

Re: how to dig trenches in reply to MikeH(Tx), 01-10-2000 06:44:41

Get ahold of a twisted chisel point. I think they are around 2 1/2 - 3 inches wide. They are used on Soilsaver chisels. If the bolt pattern will match up you will be set.

It doesn't have to bolt on the best, just get it on and halfway tightened.

In grass, at least, you will just have to clean the trench out a little with a pick. I don't think it will work in loose ground inless you can put the pipe in directly behind the point.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Jim Waits

01-14-2000 21:08:27

Report to Moderator

Re: how to dig trenches in reply to MikeH(Tx), 01-10-2000 06:44:41

I am a novice at this. Just got my first tractor, a 25hp New Holland 4wd. Been wondering about how to do this same thing. After reading these posts I looked at my middle buster and am wondering.....
I could take my cutting torch and reduce the size of the middle buster without changing the length. Maybe find an old worn out middle buster blade and use it to avoid ruining the new blade on my setup.
This would still dig deep and still throw dirt away to the sides but would not be too wide. Any comments on this?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

JamesJ(TX)

01-10-2000 08:06:37

Report to Moderator

Re: how to dig trenches in reply to MikeH(Tx), 01-10-2000 06:44:41

Mike, check out the website for Tractor Supply, they have a 3 pt. subsoiler listed that might work for what you want.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Burrhead

01-10-2000 14:17:45

Report to Moderator

Re: Re: how to dig trenches in reply to JamesJ(TX), 01-10-2000 08:06:37

If your middlebuster is like mine. You can take the shovel off of it and put a flat or needle cultivator on it and it does pretty good for digging pipe ditches. That's what I did with mine to make it easier to back fill the ditch. This makes a ditch about 4" wide that you can backfill with a blade or boxblade real easy.
I like anything that keeps me off of a shovel handle. I buried about 675' of 3/4" pvc about 1' deep to the pasture with mine, and it did good.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Taylor Lambert

01-29-2000 14:13:19

Report to Moderator

Re: Re: Re: how to dig trenches in reply to Burrhead, 01-10-2000 14:17:45

You can take a sub soiler and weld a peice of pipe on the back of it to lay pvc pipe that comes in a roll. I built one like this for my Cub and for a Jubilee ust unroll the pipe and let it feed up ver the fron axle, you can even ad a reversed v to back fill in the same swipe. I built another one this summer to go on the front of a D5B cat dozer bladeworked real good laying 1 1/2 gas lines.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

MikeH(Tx)

01-10-2000 14:58:28

Report to Moderator

Re: Re: Re: how to dig trenches in reply to Burrhead, 01-10-2000 14:17:45

Thanks to both for the idea. My middlebuster, from Central Tractor has both a plow and an interchangeable "ripper" which is what I presume you are describing. It worked really well for digging a trench, but did not throw the dirt out. I ended up putting the plow back on and using that. The plow threw the dirt out ok, but left a foot wide V shaped trench.

I was wondering if there was a sweep or chisle or plow I could add that would split the difference - dig like the chisle and throw dirt like the plow.

For the next trench, I used my cultivator. I removed all the bars except two, which I put one behind the other. This worked about like the ripper, dug ok, but didn't throw the dirt worth a hoot. Since the sweeps are replaceable on a cultivator, this got me thinking about putting on one that would do better for trenching. (Using the cultivator also allowed me to move the sweeps over all the way to one side so that I could dig a trench closer to obstacles. The plow idea was middle of the tractor only, thus three feet away from any obstacles.)

Somebody has got to have this problem solved already.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Use your Kid: Kim Hartshorn

01-11-2000 09:48:47

Report to Moderator

Re: Re: Re: Re: how to dig trenches in reply to MikeH(Tx), 01-10-2000 14:58:28

I was told by a guy at the supply store that he used a middlebuster plow....but had his kid following the tractor with the roll of pipe feeding the pipe right into the seam immediately behind the plow...they never moved any dirt at all. I have not done this yet but intend to in the spring. The trench implement from cadplans seems to work the same way except they use a subsoiler blade instead of a plow and a curved pipe to lay the black pipe in the bottom of the trench. I went to the autosupply and bought a piece of curved tailpipe to strap on the back of the subsoiler tool bar. I made a homemade tool bar this fall and tested the rig it looked like it was going to work but my homemade job did not pass the test of real life and twisted up pretty good. Now the trencher is a winter project waiting for spring :-)

Good Luck

Kim

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Burrhead

01-11-2000 11:17:00

Report to Moderator

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: how to dig trenches in reply to Use your Kid: Kim Hartshorn, 01-11-2000 09:48:47

I watched the folks put some phone cables underground here yesterday. I think it would work on a middle buster like you're saying. The one guy just started the cable through the pipe on the trencher and when it started pulling itself through there he just stepped back and let it go. I don't see why it would'nt work on a plow, it's the same principle.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

[Options] [Printer Friendly] [Posting Help] [Return to Forum] [Log in to Reply]

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home | Forums

Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy