How wide does a trencher trench!

[vavet]

I need to do some work in my yard, possibly putting in a French drain.

Do I need to go rent a small excavator or backhoe? Or can I get by with renting a trencher? Will the trench be wide enough to lay a 4 inch pipe or is a trencher intended for power cable and smaller diameter water supply pipe?

 

[conversekidz]

Depends on the size of the trencher that you rent, they range in sizes.

You can get small walk behind units that are only a couple of inches, to larger units that mount to a loader that rip 10-12"+

 

[Sco Deac]

Check the specs on the machine you want to rent/use. Many walk-behinds can range from 3.5 inches on the small size up to 12 inches or so for the bigger walk-behinds. Larger machines and implements can go even wider. You didn't mention cutting depth, but many of the walk-behind style cut 48 inches deep or so.

 

[188slo50]

You can get a walk behind trencher and do the drain tile fine or get something like a Dingo which will also work. Your going to need to go wider than 4" if your doing a French drain unless you don't plain on in surronding the pipe in stone though.

 

[gdocktor3]

Rent a small Kubota from HD. Dig that trench, pull up the stump out back, move that pile of rocks, level the front yard, back fill the trench and bring it back the next day. Let them deal with all the **** you broke lol

 

[Mhyde52]

Our DItch Witch trencher at work has a chain for 8" trench, and will do anything from I believe 2.5" to 12" depending on what chain is fitted on it. They use the 8" for 4" drainage pipe jobs. I'm sure you can rent a trencher that will do the job, but be sure of whats under the ground!!

 

[Lapkritis]

I'm sure you can rent a trencher that will do the job, but be sure of whats under the ground!!

Call dig safe. Hit a utility such as gas or fiber optic long haul and the fine is huge... Business busting huge.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

 

[WhiffySpark]

Call dig safe. Hit a utility such as gas or fiber optic long haul and the fine is huge... Business busting huge.

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I always call dig safe but last time I called they were off by 18 inches lol

 

[Jeffksf]

You can rent a 4" or 6" trencher from most places, including Home depot. If you are using 4" corrugated HDPE perf pipe you will need a 6" trencher. I have trenched 200' 6-8" deep in under 2 hrs in Ohio clay.

 

[M-technik-3]

Rent a small Kubota from HD. Dig that trench, pull up the stump out back, move that pile of rocks, level the front yard, back fill the trench and bring it back the next day. Let them deal with all the **** you broke lol

That's awesome and horrible all in the same paragraph.

Call dig safe. Hit a utility such as gas or fiber optic long haul and the fine is huge... Business busting huge.

They were off on locations at my place too, I hit an defunct gas line but did not know that when I first hit it with a gas powered auger. I about **** as it cracked.

 

[machsnell]

I always call dig safe but last time I called they were off by 18 inches lol

by law you are suppose to hand excavate 24 inches outside the mark. They get a variance when they mark.

normal chain digs 3 to 4 inches wide but they can add extensions to widen out to what you need. 4 inch corrugated is 5 inches wide so i would go a minimum of 6 inches wide. it is a little more difficult to find but you can also find 3 inch corrugated pipe which is fine for a french drain if it is surrounded with stone but has soil on top. if it is open top with stone up to finish grade then you want 4 inch probably.

you probably need to go to a ditch witch or similar dealer that rents because they will have the spacers available and will put on. most sunbelt type rental stores only rent the trenchers with the 3 to 4 inch chain. mine do at least.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I was hand digging. They paid to have i fixed

 

[188slo50]

I was hand digging. They paid to have i fixed

That's a shocker normally you hit it with in the area marked you get billed for the repair.

 

[btdobie]

I dug up a phone line that was not marked. Phone company didn't even care enough to come fix it since I don't have a home phone anyway.

 

[WhiffySpark]

That's a shocker normally you hit it with in the area marked you get billed for the repair.

I was digging a good 18 inches probably closer to 2 foot where they marked

 

[mshell56118]

I was digging a good 18 inches probably closer to 2 foot where they marked

I always take pictures before doing any work that way i have the proff the area was not marked

 

[slip knot]

yeah digsafe is often off by several feet in my area too. but your off the hook if it was mismarked.

 

[rslaback]

A trencher would trench as wide as a trencher could trench if a trencher could trench lawn.