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AC_Hacker · 09-19-09, 07:57 PM

With a favorable weather forecast, I decided to work like a demon while time and weather are on my side.

I went in with my friend Bruce-the-Pirate to rent a trenching machine. We visited the local power tool rental establishment to see what they had.

We selected a Ditch Witch which was probably second choice, but it did have the advantage of being 'maneuverable'. It turns out that this type of machine has no real steering, it just goes backwards in a generally straight line and digs as it goes. Changing direction is not easy and consists of grabbing this horribly heavy machine and using all of your strength and moving it a few degrees, then repeat until properly positioned.

But once positioned, the controls are all hydrolic and the engine is fairly powerful and it sure beats digging by hand.

Here's William_Hackerson at the controls. He'd had a bad day at his regular job but grudgingly admitted that running the trencher made him forget his bad day at work. Maybe not so different from being at war makes a country forget the serious social and economic issues it faces.

So the trenches went in and great care was used to not damage any of the polyethylene loop pipes.

The pic at the top shows how the trencher was run up close, but not touching the pipe...

...the pic on the bottom shows digging the trench next to the loop pipe.

By the way, I asked the man who ran the tool rental store what they had in the way of hole diggers. He asked how deep, I said maybe 20 feet, he asked how many and I said maybe twenty or so, he threw up his hands and said no, there was nothing like that, and went on describing how it could not be done.

I told him that I had already dug sixteen holes that were each seventeen feet deep, with a shop vac!

I didn't have my camera, but this was the look on his face:

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

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09-19-09, 07:57 PM	#117
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	Trenches are all dug... With a favorable weather forecast, I decided to work like a demon while time and weather are on my side. I went in with my friend Bruce-the-Pirate to rent a trenching machine. We visited the local power tool rental establishment to see what they had. We selected a Ditch Witch which was probably second choice, but it did have the advantage of being 'maneuverable'. It turns out that this type of machine has no real steering, it just goes backwards in a generally straight line and digs as it goes. Changing direction is not easy and consists of grabbing this horribly heavy machine and using all of your strength and moving it a few degrees, then repeat until properly positioned. But once positioned, the controls are all hydrolic and the engine is fairly powerful and it sure beats digging by hand. Here's William_Hackerson at the controls. He'd had a bad day at his regular job but grudgingly admitted that running the trencher made him forget his bad day at work. Maybe not so different from being at war makes a country forget the serious social and economic issues it faces. So the trenches went in and great care was used to not damage any of the polyethylene loop pipes. The pic at the top shows how the trencher was run up close, but not touching the pipe... ...the pic on the bottom shows digging the trench next to the loop pipe. By the way, I asked the man who ran the tool rental store what they had in the way of hole diggers. He asked how deep, I said maybe 20 feet, he asked how many and I said maybe twenty or so, he threw up his hands and said no, there was nothing like that, and went on describing how it could not be done. I told him that I had already dug sixteen holes that were each seventeen feet deep, with a shop vac! I didn't have my camera, but this was the look on his face: Best Regards, -AC_Hacker %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Attached Images Last edited by AC_Hacker; 09-19-09 at 09:01 PM..