Ditching work

[craig]

In the main they are little ditches that arent particularly deep - I do have a v bucket for the 8t but the 3t is handy for jobbing from one spot to another, I have suggested getting in an outfit that go around with a wheeled machine, v bucket and knuckle boom but there are other jobs to do and things to sort as we go round so they would rather use us and compromise a bit on the ditchng, sure enough a tilty would be the way to go when the time is right machinery wise.
But it never seems to be.

A couple of ideas for you, while a full blow tilty would be ideal, how about getting V bucket made with no hitch, bolting a cheap hydraulic worm drive rotator to it, and hitch coupling back on top, so just a rotating bucket, should work? Or modify the hitch on a bucket to work offset, even if it means shorter pulls, working around its sweet spot.

 

[Bri963]

Yeah, that’s been done but the peat doesn’t really consolidate like soil or clay. Hence the rough look, it’ll get some grass seed and left to establish. They soon crumble and look a mess. Believe it or not the other side will have been like this originally. It’s strange stuff to work with. We are pretty much all moss land apart from round the house which is better ground to dig/work. I’ll go back and tidy up once I’m happy with the sides. I’m not liking the square back ditching/grading bucket though. Think I need to find a different one. Think this is an old 3cx or 3c bucket?

One chap I worked for employed an ex-Drainage Board operator. I thought I could cut batters and ditch, but he could do it and not leave a single bucket line. I was quite a bit quicker but you could see the odd line and ripple. The boss’s take was that when you think what it will look like when the grass grows, he couldn’t care less whether he could see the bucket marks or not.

As for peat, strange stuff. One of the things with it is you can get a better finish cutting down than cutting up, which is of no help whatsoever when you’re cutting the near side of a ditch. Another trick I learned is, if the soil is dry and crumbly enough, a fine sprinkle of soil all over can improve the appearance and give seed something to bind onto.

 

[Furniss]

A couple of ideas for you, while a full blow tilty would be ideal, how about getting V bucket made with no hitch, bolting a cheap hydraulic worm drive rotator to it, and hitch coupling back on top, so just a rotating bucket, should work? Or modify the hitch on a bucket to work offset, even if it means shorter pulls, working around its sweet spot.

Yeah i think we mentioned ,(but maybe not) that an adjustable headstock could work - over here though it seems speed is more important than finish - going in that extra bucket to tidy it seems unimportant to them...... they dont get the professional pride bit when its ditching

 

[craig]

Yeah i think we mentioned ,(but maybe not) that an adjustable headstock could work - over here though it seems speed is more important than finish - going in that extra bucket to tidy it seems unimportant to them...... they dont get the professional pride bit when its ditching

An adjustable bracket, may be the way to go, if finish is not so important, from a cost point of view. @V8Druid had some pictures for his hedge cutter I think, of a headstock with bolts hole in a circular pattern, giving 8 or so positions. should be strong enough bolted, its not as if you`ll be ripping rock with it.

 

[V8Druid]

An adjustable bracket, may be the way to go, if finish is not so important, from a cost point of view. @V8Druid had some pictures for his hedge cutter I think, of a headstock with bolts hole in a circular pattern, giving 8 or so positions. should be strong enough bolted, its not as if you`ll be ripping rock with it.

can find pix if you want a shufty Kev.

 

[diggerjones]

Yeah its weird how it has to look tidy. I suppose it doesn't make a jot of difference. Like hedge cutting

 

[Thomas7740]

If finish isnt a concern why not pull them out quickly with a sheugh bucket?

 

[Mogman]

If finish isnt a concern why not pull them out quickly with a sheugh bucket?

Had to google sheugh bucket

 

[Thomas7740]

Had to google sheugh bucket

Must just be a term here?
Scott make the best ones, nice shape for cleaning sheughs out

 

[Thomas7740]

Also have a 5ft Scott on our ex30, beauty with the scott is that you can keep the arse of the sheugh narrow and shaped so you don't end up with a canal

 

[Mogman]

If it was my job I’d build one using a large diameter pipe cut in half with a small toe plate welded to it but with the dipper pin in the centre of the pipe so when you curl the bucket it rotates without making the ditch wider and also make it at least 1/2 has big again as a standard ditcher to cover the ground faster your only moving a bit of slop and soil so not going to be too hard on man and machine

 

[JD450A]

As mog....

 

[GazCro]

If it was my job I’d build one using a large diameter pipe cut in half with a small toe plate welded to it but with the dipper pin in the centre of the pipe so when you curl the bucket it rotates without making the ditch wider and also make it at least 1/2 has big again as a standard ditcher to cover the ground faster your only moving a bit of slop and soil so not going to be too hard on man and machine

Old lad used to have one donkeys ago when he had a kubota 101 which was just a half moon shape with a 75mm ish cutting edge wasn't the best for grading but was perfect for ditching.

 

[Gunners]

Found this in a hedge at my friends farm that fits a 3cx. Its a lot more rounded than the normal 3cx bucket so I assume is a proper ditching bucket made by Geith some years ago?

 

[pettsy]

None of my friends have anything good hidden in hedges

 

[Storrsy]

I’m afraid I don’t standard on ceremony too much when it comes to ditching- as long as the batter is right and slop is spread out so it’s level for next time a night of heavy rain will sort the rest out- get fed up of trying to do a tidy job when either it’s full of granite or the farmers cattle come trampling over it the next day.
I just use a grading bucket, haven’t come across a ditch yet that I’d find a V ditcher any good for- unless it’s a new one. Still nice rocks came out of this one which I put to good use in a wall, and then some stepping stones for public access over a shitty area of ground.

 

[Furniss]

Yep your right in regard to fussing too much, when i started it was kind of a benchmark job that you were judged on.... but somewhere between immaculate and fit for purpose must be the way

 

[Furniss]

Bit of of update of the ditching job - having had a good look around the ditches to be done again they vary from havent been done for 30years to just a grub out of exiting so in the end Im just using the ditching bucket that can do the lot, its working out well enough,lots of it is tiny little lanes with tight access etc and the simple little setup of 3T Kub and the 3t swivel tip fits in well, material has to be led away so gives me a bit of time to work around the head walls etc with the spade as its getting emptied.
The 3T swivel tip recently supplied by Ross @ Sandhill Plant is performing very well and the bloke on it is impressed with how easy it is to inch along the road to follow me using the Hydrostatic gearbox, its had a fair bit of work running flat out to the tipping area and goes through the village radar at 21 KPH
We get to break this job up into a few lumps to suit us over the winter so its ideal

 

[Smiffy]

Bit of of update of the ditching job - having had a good look around the ditches to be done again they vary from havent been done for 30years to just a grub out of exiting so in the end Im just using the ditching bucket that can do the lot, its working out well enough,lots of it is tiny little lanes with tight access etc and the simple little setup of 3T Kub and the 3t swivel tip fits in well, material has to be led away so gives me a bit of time to work around the head walls etc with the spade as its getting emptied.
The 3T swivel tip recently supplied by Ross @ Sandhill Plant is performing very well and the bloke on it is impressed with how easy it is to inch along the road to follow me using the Hydrostatic gearbox, its had a fair bit of work running flat out to the tipping area and goes through the village radar at 21 KPH
We get to break this job up into a few lumps to suit us over the winter so its ideal
View attachment 19689View attachment 19690

Looks good seems quite dry with you.

Is that sign the only thing you are required to have for working in the road ??

 

[Furniss]

Looks good seems quite dry with you.

Is that sign the only thing you are required to have for working in the road ??

I leave the complex traffic management to the man from the council - I believe we had 4 signs on the go...... it was quite involved

God knows what you need in the U.K to do a bit of ditching down the road in the way of signage and paperwork ?? - this is rural france ..... there was only about 4 cars went past all day and all but one stopped to natter to the council guy and tell him about the ditch being full outside their house