What's in like running a Ditch Witch?

FrankInWI · October 04, 2007, 09:27:28 AM

Having to use a ditch witch is inevitable for me in order to bury some water and electric. I have to go about 150+ feet. One trench I hope. Will rent the machine of course.

What are they like to operate? I have sand, but roots too. Am I in for a rough ride? Tough experience? Frustrating? Hopeless because of the tree roots?

In Wisconsin I guess I am going to have to use all 4' of that machine to get down to where I need to be.

Tricks or techniques to use?

glenn kangiser · October 04, 2007, 09:40:20 AM

I have owned 2 of them plus a little walk behind for a while. Still have a broke down big one - may get it fixed some day.

They drive like a normal tractor pretty much depending on the model, then you switch them over to Crowd -- (Hydraulic Drive) and the standard transmission becomes the digging transmission. You have hydraulic controls and crowd speed is usually controlled by a vernier (twist) throttle cable. Levers for blade up- down - left right --- boom up- down --- crowd -forward -reverse.

Read the operators manual - get instruction at the rental agency. Be safe. Keep observers away from the chain area and the entire work area -- easy to run over one of the little critters when you are busy watching something else. A big rock can make them jump rather roughly. Note that I have not run over anyone yet but know that it is a very busy operation at times.

My old R65 would trench up to about 50 -60 feet a minute of shallow trench - 150 feet of 4' trench would take about 15 minutes plus turn around time to trench back from the other end and leave the spoil pile in the middle so it would be easy to clean out. That would be if between two solid objects such as a building and a pole. Note that it will trench a building as easily as the ground - be careful starting and stopping.

October 04, 2007, 11:59:56 AM

ohhh Glenn you give me something to think about... I was thinkig of renting the stand behind unit, will have to look at rent $$ and really consider the rider version.

mixedgasdiver · October 04, 2007, 01:59:41 PM

I rented the stand behind version when I was putting in sprinklers at my pld place in Puyallup, Wa. The number of rocks that I ran into that jerked me around made me wish I would have spent the extra coulde of dollars and rented the riding version. The extra weight would have made things much better.

I also found that it helped to have a second person around to help me move it. Load and unload it. Turn it around in tight areas, etc.

Just some thoughts.

Rob

bayview · October 04, 2007, 04:23:44 PM

Our equipment rental place rents most equipment by the 1/2 day, full day, week and month.

If I rent a riding trencher, I can get most of the trenching done in less than 1/2 a day. Offsetting the cost of renting a walk-behind, using it all day.

A bonus with the riding version is that it has a blade to recover the trench. -

October 04, 2007, 05:46:21 PM

thanks bayview, that was a great point too. bigger faster less rental time. nice trade off

Okie_Bob · October 05, 2007, 06:52:03 AM

I have another take on this subject. I use a walk behind because I usually am working alone. It would take me about an hour to dig 150' but, I have no rock and smaller roots, nothing bigger than about 2" or so diameter. One hour is tops! Then I have to put whatever I planned the ditch for into the ditch and that usually doesn't happen the same day so being able to cover it up with the same machine, the same day doen't happen. Plus I"m only about 20 miles to the rental place. So, I get the Ditchwitch for 1/2 day, have an easy 1/2 day getting the ditch dug and the machine back home. Then I come home, start work on what I'm going to bury and maybe the next day go rent a tractor with a box blade or a front end loader depending on what other work I can use it for.
Might not be the best use of money and time but, again, working alone and getting a bit older and slower, it works for me!
Okie Bob
PS to mixedgasdiver: I don't understand the comment about needing help to load, unload, turn around the walk behind trencher.
If you understand and use all the controls, none of these things are at all difficult to do. What am I missing?

desdawg · October 05, 2007, 08:32:33 AM

When I worked for a gas company we used walk behind trenchers (DW1830). There is lots of hand shoveling involved once you get trenched. The good news is it is all loose at that point. So go deeper than you need to be when running the machine and hopefully you will minimize the hand work. The wider the digging chain the less handwork also.

FrankInWI · October 05, 2007, 08:41:29 AM

Well, like I said, I'm in Wisconsin and they say our frost line is down to 4 ft. I measured the protruding cutter on the portable ditch witch and 4' seemed to be about the most you could get out of it. I presume I DO need the 4 ft for water line (PEX), else it could/will freeze.

October 05, 2007, 09:58:36 PM

If it shows about four feet - figure all you will get out of it is about 3'6" unless it has a real good crumber or you like digging deep in a skinny trench with a narrow shovel.

desdawg · October 06, 2007, 08:44:20 AM

A special cleanout shovel is made for this purpose. It has a special narrow curved blade and a longer handle so you can work from the top of the trench. A backhoe trenches and removes at the same time without creating this problem. But you will wind up with a 12" wide trench and need more space to manuver in. The good news is the front loader on the backhoe makes backfilling a breeze. So if you need a backhoe for other work like a septic I would be inclined to do both at one time.

hunter63 · October 09, 2007, 03:18:17 PM

The walk behind trencher is a very good tool, and like all tools it pays to be careful.

The one I rented had a sticker on the front the said "body contact with the blade while running will result in dismemberment and/or death!"
I believe it.
It also doesn't know the difference between hard clay and concrete.

Good luck!