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Ditch Witch Earth Saw

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5.6K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  Some Sprinkler Guy  
T
#1 ·
#2 ·
i used a contraption similar to that when i was plumbing pools, it excavated 12" wide at the bottom 24" wide at the top and 18" deep, the spoils went to both sides. good thing since it displaced 2.25 cf-per linear ft the fellow that designed and built the machine folded up and i don't know where it is now. you better have your locating cap screwed down tight before turning that thing on.
 
#7 ·
txirrigation said:
We generally trench about 8" deep, and around 4 in wide. There is no frost line here so we dont have to worry about that.

The saw should do 12" at 3" wide. I would probably have to trench about
10in deep because the pipes would be stacked more in a 3in wide trench.
Click to expand...
stacking pipe in any situation will bring you heartache if you repair or ammend a system, stacking is common in the pool biz and a PIA doing leak repairs
 
#14 ·
txirrigation - I experimented with mini-skid mounted saws in the past.
I ran into basically three problems:
1. Weight - the unit I used was front heavy so the mini-skid was prone to a nose down attitude. Seemed to make the machine work harder.
2. Vibration - whacking into rock really set the machine bouncing around plus added to the stress on the machine.
3. Operator mis use - the fact I had the saw available the operators actually doing the trenching would load the machine way past it's limits. I experienced blown hoses, shortened life on the hydraulic fluid which hammered the pumps plus it really wasn't that much quicker.

I finally went back to a chain trencher unless a solid mass of rock needed to be cut - then I rented the smallest saw I could. On a couple of installs we simply took the fence down for access.

On the chain trencher I swapped the teeth so instead of cutting a 6" wide trench it cut 4". When a larger rock was encountered the trencher was angled straight down to "grab" the rock and pop it out of the trench. To be sure the mini-skid was subjected to stress but not like it was with the saw.

I ran the saw on a 24 hp gas mini-skid so power was a real issue - I haven't tried one on a diesel mini since I do not have one.

Just my $.02
 
S
#15 ·
We often rent a hydra wheel on a mt-55 which is basically the same thing. Were in limestone country around Austin. What you will find is that the rock wheel is much slower (like 1/3 speed) but will cut through just about anything. Often I take the trencher and the wheel with me and use the trencher unless things get too solid.

The little wheel will cut solid stuff but its really slow. If we know the rock is solid we get a 3700 with a saw. We can't keep the little wheel in front of the guys cleaning ditch things start to back up.

I think the wheel beats the machine less but the reduction in speed to us has not been worth it in the past. Trench depth can also be an issue on commercial jobs. The one we use was setup for 3.5 or 4 x 10-12 max.

After putting quite a few hours on one I would not buy one without also having a trencher attachment. It's not a sole use solution.
 
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