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Testing
Digging
To
keep everyone on the same page we must define hard and soft soil. First
lets define a spade. For our purposes, it is what some call a
"sharpshooter". It has a blade of about 6" wide and from 12" to 14"
long. So now when we say the spade sinks into the ground 4" with all of
our weight on it, this means soft soil.
When we say that we couldn't get the spade to standup after putting all of our weight on it, that means hard soil.
When we say that we couldn't get the spade to standup after putting all of our weight on it, that means hard soil.
Digging
Before
you dig, look around. There are many things buried in the ground like
telephone lines and power lines. It is unlikely that you could damage a
pipe with the ForeHoe but it is possible that you could pull off a
valve or the like. Besides running the risk of injury, if you damage
someone's property you will be required to pay for the damages. The
utilities will send a representative out to locate their services free
of
charge.
When digging, hold
both levers so that the loader
bucket moves down and
the loader main frame moves up. At some point you may stall out as the
ForeHoe moves closer to the tractor, just
release the loader bucket lever and allow the bucket to move up a
little. Then bring the bucket back a little. You can do this until the
bucket is back at the tractor. Or just skip the stepping and lift the
bucket up and back. Next dump the load and continue.
Digging a ditch in dry hard soil requires a little preparation. Start by setting the bucket on the ditch line at the beginning. Move the bucket into the soil about 3", then put your tractor in reverse and create a mini ditch so you can run water into it. Digging in soft soil speeds the digging and puts less load onto the equipment. The ideal is to come out of the hole with full buckets. Watering down the ditch will accomplish this. When this is happening, you are digging the most efficiently. Remember, it's always better to dig after it rains than before.
Digging a ditch in dry hard soil requires a little preparation. Start by setting the bucket on the ditch line at the beginning. Move the bucket into the soil about 3", then put your tractor in reverse and create a mini ditch so you can run water into it. Digging in soft soil speeds the digging and puts less load onto the equipment. The ideal is to come out of the hole with full buckets. Watering down the ditch will accomplish this. When this is happening, you are digging the most efficiently. Remember, it's always better to dig after it rains than before.
These test holes were dug in an old
buffalo wallow where the
dirt is like black clay and very hard. The hole on the right
was dug dry and the one on the left, wet with 20 gal of water.
Note the difference in the amount of dirt that was moved
using the same number of scoops.
dirt is like black clay and very hard. The hole on the right
was dug dry and the one on the left, wet with 20 gal of water.
Note the difference in the amount of dirt that was moved
using the same number of scoops.
Sometimes
certain soils do
not absorb moisture well.
Here is a picture of a make-shift ripper that we have
used to loosen the ground.
Here is a picture of a make-shift ripper that we have
used to loosen the ground.
By setting
the bucket into the ground and backing out one can dig a reasonably
good
ditch for drainage and etc. This
35' long ditch was dug in soft soil in about 1 hour to approx. 16"
deep. The dirt
will pile up at the end of the dig where it can be pushed farther back
with the
tractor's grading blade turned backwards. It is recommended that
leveling the
area prior to digging will help dig a ditch that is level on the
bottom. Note the ditch will tend to slope upward as seen to the right.Happy digging