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Homebrew trench-digger?
(crossposted in, ummm, not sure what other forum yet.. lol... in case no one reads it here)
I've been thinking of several ways to build a device similar to a Ditch-Witch©™ for narrow/shallow trenches - like for coax cable and antenna radials etc. but keep coming up with examples that don't look they would really work - things like a modified chainsaw (running at low RPM) or a high-torque circular saw with a modified digging blade. The problem seems to be *how to dump the dirt next to the trench, not back into it*
Sure, I could rent a *real* trencher for a couple hundred dollars for a quarter-day, but that's not really feasible as I'm on a fixed income.
Any guidance from the collective genius of the group?
Thanks bunches!!!
Tom
Comments
2 years ago
What I have used to dig a 4 inch wide trench. Using a very powerful 1/2 drill and a 4" trailer hold down auger. For small cables use a drill with and wood auger drill bit. Since you probably don't have extremely powerful drill go with the smaller one. The 1/2 drill I had would twist my arm off if allowed to do it. The drill bit should be held at about a 45 degree angle with the tip leading the way.
11 years ago
Why not have a dirt tray on the back side that catches the dirt and deposits it next to said trench?
11 years ago
You could try using a garden tiller on its deepest setting. That'll probably get you at least a 6 inch deep trench. (If you don't have a garden tiller, odds are that a friend or neighbor does.)
11 years ago
You want a plough. Contrive to turn the earth over and lay a cable simultaneously.
This was a war-story told to me, US Military innovation in England ~1940-something.
L
11 years ago
For real DIY experience, just get somebody with a 4x4 truck that wants to drag a steel cable with a metal "torpedo" or thin plow. I think guys that lay the irrigation sprinker hoses or running conduit for low voltage wires don't need anything as big as a real trencher. I guess as long as you can get the guy line in, you pull the bigger stuff through, maybe with a winch. Ask an electrician or landscaper.