Renting a trenching machine - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Renting a trenching machine

Posted: 10/16/2018 1:01:28 PM EDT

I have to lay 300' of 2-1/2" electrical pvc conduit at the ranch 3' deep to get power to my shop. Have any of you used a walk behind trencher? How hard is it to manage? My shoulders are not as good as they used to be and I am trying to save some monies using the walk behind vs a rider. I have a corner I-beam that may not let me use a rider, I'll know this weekend if I can move the sweep that is in the slab. I think it is loose and a rider may get in there.

Posted: 10/16/2018 1:11:27 PM EDT

[#1]

What you want to do is rent a trencher with the hydraulic controls. You want to go 3', but my advice is to rent a 4 footer. It will dig easier at 3 feet and will actually be easier to control. The newer ones with the hydraulic drive are easy to run and there is little to no having to brute force it around. Start it up, drive it to the start point and start digging.

Something like this:

Home Depot Rental

Posted: 10/16/2018 1:22:20 PM EDT

[#2]

I rented one in the past but it was not able to fulfill its duties because of hitting numerous rocks and such. I ended up using a mini-excavator instead. YMMV.

Posted: 10/16/2018 1:29:42 PM EDT

[#3]

How Rocky is the soil? If you have a lot of rocks you might want to rent a mini excavator.

Posted: 10/16/2018 1:48:27 PM EDT

[#4]

Rented a walk behind once for the same thing. When I took it back I told them if I ever come back in their shop again to rent something if it doesn't have a seat on it to hit me. If you are going across a open field it might be okay. I tried to go beside a old farm lane and a tree line. Between rocks and roots it was damn near impossible.

Posted: 10/16/2018 1:51:44 PM EDT

[#5]

Also if you are only running electric conduit are you sure you need to go that deep?

Posted: 10/16/2018 3:03:08 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:
Also if you are only running electric conduit are you sure you need to go that deep?

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This. 24” if there will be traffic over it, 16” if not. And get a roll of “caution buried electrical below” tape, put 8” of dirt over the conduit then the tape.

And the trencher will be difficult if there are a lot of rocks.

Posted: 10/16/2018 3:17:52 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
I have to lay 300' of 2-1/2" electrical pvc conduit at the ranch 3' deep to get power to my shop. Have any of you used a walk behind trencher? How hard is it to manage? My shoulders are not as good as they used to be and I am trying to save some monies using the walk behind vs a rider. I have a corner I-beam that may not let me use a rider, I'll know this weekend if I can move the sweep that is in the slab. I think it is loose and a rider may get in there.

View Quote

Another possibility, you might look at a trenchless installer. They are used alot to put conduit under highways and such, by telephone and cable companies. If you see someone using one on the side of the road, you might stop and ask them if they'd do it. They are often subcontractors to comcast, att, verizon, etc doing the work. And they can do the job quick and professionally.

Posted: 10/16/2018 3:24:41 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
How Rocky is the soil? If you have a lot of rocks you might want to rent a mini excavator.

View Quote

This. I rented a mid size ex and paid a construction guy to do it on his day off. Took him an hour to dig and bury 300 of drain tile. Would have took me all day.

Posted: 10/16/2018 3:24:52 PM EDT

[#9]

Just food for thought, putting a separate 3/4" conduit down in the trench for future use is always a good idea.

Posted: 10/16/2018 4:41:11 PM EDT

[#10]

They aren't hard to use. Definitely get the self-propelled one. It isn't like a push-mower where you gotta muscle it, they have power steering and a drive system. It'll come on a small trailer. Get the bigger one rather than the smaller machine. Also, don't expect to go super fast. It takes a little time for the machine to chew it's way along.

If your body is jacked up, get a younger, stronger friend/relative to come over and run the machine. "Bribe" 'em with a steak dinner or something.

Posted: 10/16/2018 5:13:46 PM EDT

[#11]

I used one, ran over 350 feet through the woods and Rocky terrain. It struggled on hills, but it was wet when I used it. Rocks sucked but if you are slow and steady it kicks them out. Trencher don't give a shit about tree roots. Throttle it up and go slow. Took my about 3 hours to do all the work I needed too.

Posted: 10/16/2018 5:26:05 PM EDT

[#12]

Soil condition?

If your stuck on a trencher, I'd rent a skidloader mounted one. Makes backfill easier as you'd also have the bucket. Also, you just ride on it and be done.

If you're in hardpan clay or rocks, mini excavator is the only way to fly. You can get it dug in a day. Backfilled in a day. Since it's not drainage or anything, you don't need to judge fall. Put a paint mark on the boom for depth and start digging.

Walk behind trenchers suck. Sorry. I said it. I laid a ton of fiber optic with one. Unless you're only going a few inches, they just get bogged down.

Posted: 10/16/2018 10:39:12 PM EDT

[#13]

30" deep is required by electric coop. The soil is deep east Texas sand, no rocks and no roots in this area.

Posted: 10/16/2018 11:18:08 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
30" deep is required by electric coop. The soil is deep east Texas sand, no rocks and no roots in this area.

View Quote

Does the sand have good cohesion? You might try digging a hole by hand to three feet and see how the sand holds up. If not, a trencher may not work as, the walls may collapse trying to get to 3 feet. If so, you may have to use a trenchless machine or use a backhoe and dig a much wider trench.

Posted: 10/17/2018 11:40:12 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:

Does the sand have good cohesion? You might try digging a hole by hand to three feet and see how the sand holds up. If not, a trencher may not work as, the walls may collapse trying to get to 3 feet. If so, you may have to use a trenchless machine or use a backhoe and dig a much wider trench.

View Quote

The area under the shed end of the shop is fairly dry, drought this summer, but it held up to shovel digging to find the end of the 2-1/2" sweep they put in the slab. The past week we have had 10+ inches of rain so I imagine it will be very good for digging in the next week or so. I was somewhat worried about the same issue, sand holding up, so my plan was to dig the trench and get the conduit in the ground quickly. Since I going to be doing this solo, it could be a fun busy day. With more rain in the forecast, may have to hold off till late next week.

Posted: 11/5/2018 7:25:45 PM EDT

[#16]

Well fiddle sticks. I met with total failure with the hand held trencher. First it would not dig as deep (rental company admitted that after I called and question it), got stuck, and it had trouble pulling through the sand. Anyone who developed this backwards trenching device needs a beating

. The steering mechanism hung up and nothing resembling straight was happening. So went to plan B. My neighbors son has one of the small Kubota excavators and he came over and dug it in a little over an hour. 3' deep, 1' wide and the whole 300'. It was less than renting a riding trencher and the trailer for it. the electrical pipe is laid, and I left enough exposed for inspection for the depth. Hope by next weekend I can pull wire and by Thanksgiving, lights in the shop!

Posted: 11/5/2018 8:07:33 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Well fiddle sticks. I met with total failure with the hand held trencher. First it would not dig as deep (rental company admitted that after I called and question it), got stuck, and it had trouble pulling through the sand. Anyone who developed this backwards trenching device needs a beating

. The steering mechanism hung up and nothing resembling straight was happening. So went to plan B. My neighbors son has one of the small Kubota excavators and he came over and dug it in a little over an hour. 3' deep, 1' wide and the whole 300'. It was less than renting a riding trencher and the trailer for it. the electrical pipe is laid, and I left enough exposed for inspection for the depth. Hope by next weekend I can pull wire and by Thanksgiving, lights in the shop!

View Quote

Strengthens my position that trenchers suck.

Posted: 11/5/2018 8:18:01 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
What you want to do is rent a trencher with the hydraulic controls. You want to go 3', but my advice is to rent a 4 footer. It will dig easier at 3 feet and will actually be easier to control. The newer ones with the hydraulic drive are easy to run and there is little to no having to brute force it around. Start it up, drive it to the start point and start digging.

Something like this:

Home Depot Rental

https://compactpowerrents.com/media/1291/barreto-2348-48-inch-trencher_full.jpg

View Quote

Looks like a fun tool. I wish I had an excuse to rent it.

Posted: 11/5/2018 8:21:51 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:

Another possibility, you might look at a trenchless installer. They are used alot to put conduit under highways and such, by telephone and cable companies. If you see someone using one on the side of the road, you might stop and ask them if they'd do it. They are often subcontractors to comcast, att, verizon, etc doing the work. And they can do the job quick and professionally.

View Quote

Called a missle bore and very doubtful they would, if one gets lost or stuck, they are expensive

Posted: 11/6/2018 12:17:15 PM EDT

[#20]

What surprised me was we hit large deep roots, 6" diameter out in open pasture. The trac hoe tore right through them. I don't think a trencher would have. Anyway done now, time to pull wire and hang lights.

Posted: 11/9/2018 10:55:21 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
What surprised me was we hit large deep roots, 6" diameter out in open pasture. The trac hoe tore right through them. I don't think a trencher would have. Anyway done now, time to pull wire and hang lights.

View Quote

It's the aliens. They are encroaching.

Posted: 11/9/2018 11:22:27 PM EDT

[#22]

I've come it, it works. Not too difficult to wrangle if you're staying in a straight line.

For another hundred or so, you can have someone in a track hoe with a narrow bucket knock it out in no time.... Then knock the dirt back in for you when you're placed the conduit. You'll save LOT of time driving to get the trencher, trenching, driving the trencher back, etc..

The first time I had a guy with a track hoe do it, I cursed myself for ever doing it differently.

Posted: 11/10/2018 2:14:47 AM EDT

[#23]

had 1000ft of electrical and phone line buried from road to house when we built.
Had to go thru 900ft of woods with lots of rocks/roots.
The co. used a machine that layed the cable and did not dig a trench, just cut a slit in the ground and ran cable in as it went along.
The did hit some rocks that stopped them. So they had to get out a tractor with a backhoe, remove the rock then continue with the machine .

Took them about 3-4 hours.

Posted: 11/10/2018 2:22:14 AM EDT

[#24]

this is similar, Vibrator Plow

Posted: 11/10/2018 3:04:12 AM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
30" deep is required by electric coop. The soil is deep east Texas sand, no rocks and no roots in this area.

View Quote

30”

Posted: 11/10/2018 8:48:44 AM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
What you want to do is rent a trencher with the hydraulic controls. You want to go 3', but my advice is to rent a 4 footer. It will dig easier at 3 feet and will actually be easier to control. The newer ones with the hydraulic drive are easy to run and there is little to no having to brute force it around. Start it up, drive it to the start point and start digging.

Something like this:

Home Depot Rental

https://compactpowerrents.com/media/1291/barreto-2348-48-inch-trencher_full.jpg

View Quote

Ditto...still a handful

Posted: 11/11/2018 3:34:52 PM EDT

[#27]

A trench will have two ends, a start and finish if you will. Start at the end with no expensive shit near it first. Finish near the expensive shit end already knowing how to run the machine. Pretty basic but often overlooked.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Renting a trenching machine

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