Ditch Witch Question

[hpinson]

Will a Ditch Witch trencher, like one you could rent from Home Depot, trench through soft sandstone ledge?

The ledge can be cut into with a shovel or pick and chisel, and with some hard manual work, disintegrates into quartz sand.

Any recommendations for trenching through say 30' of this sandstone ledge, to about 18"?

[UK4X4]

A ditch witch trencher is a bit like an oversized chain saw

I would imagine it would work fine - but slowly

checking the contract - re-sharpening fees -damage may be worth while

[bayview]

A walk-behind trencher will probably just bounce in the trench.   Trying to climb its way up, out of the ditch.    However, a larger "riding" trencher may work.   Some downward pressure and the weight of the machine . . .    Still pretty abusive to the machine.

Maybe a small excavator with a tooth bucket is more in order.

/.

[Don_P]

One of Grandad's old books was DuPont's "Farming with dynamite", how to blast stumps, rip ditches etc. Kinda hard to get the material anymore though. An electric jackhammer from the rental yard or a concrete contractor would probably do it if it's no denser than concrete. One of dad's stories from childhood was of the time he and the hired man were sent to dig a hole to bury a cow. They decided they would blast it instead of digging. They blasted a good one. He spent quite awhile behind the mule with the fresno trying to get enough to refill the hole  .

[hpinson]

A Jackhammer. That's a great idea. The sandstone is much less dense than concrete.  It's very sandy and friable.

I was considering dynamite, but can mere mortals even get/ use that anymore without horrendous licenses, certifications, and fees?

[Don_P]

Nope and there'd be a file, with inspections, rejections, injections... well you get the idea. After 9/11 a friend gave it up and bought a sawmill.

[hpinson]

And they all moved away from me on the bench...

[Squirl]

That immediately reminded me of an article I read once.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/outdoor-projects/4274976
http://rockremoval.com/micro-blast.html

A small amount of gunpowder seems to do a lot.

[Squirl]

I would never, ever advocate something like this.

[embed=425,349]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwfczul1J04[/embed]

[Don_P]

There was an article a few years ago that came to mind. I think it was a tube of some wonder product that expands slowly but forcefully. Drill a hole, insert the tube and there must have been a catalyst of some sort. It expands and fractures the rock. Sounded neat, sorry I don't remember more.

With any type of blasting the way many injuries occured on the farm was the stick didn't go off and the farmer went to investigate.

I've pounded a few of our granite boulders into handleable chunks with a sledge but that is work and a flying rock chip is sharp. I've taken to burning them, bonfires and then cold water. The thermal shock helps fracture the rock. The ancients used drilled holes filled with water in freezing weather to quarry rock, others used dry wooden wedges pounded into holes that were then soaked.

[waggin]

Nope and there'd be a file, with inspections, rejections, injections... well you get the idea. After 9/11 a friend gave it up and bought a sawmill.

And they all moved away from me on the bench...

Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?