depending on how deep a single bottom plow will dig a ditch in no time then use the loader to remove the dirt.
New guy here, FEL digging question
- Thread starter partsmutt
- Start date
If I can do it/try to do it without too much injure risk to myself or damage risk to my machine I would absolutely try it. These kind of things is why I purchased my BX. It is versatile and can do many things. It won't do them as quickly as a purpose built machine, or even a larger machine.....but it will do them.
Judging by the video you linked I would speculate you are not looking to dig a very deep ditch. I would recommend a toothbar to help the FEL dig. If it isn't digging well you can always break up the dirt with any number of attachment. I have an inexpensive ripper that I use to loosen up soil often. I also don't do FEL work with my mower deck attached if I can help it. It seems pretty heavy to be banging/bouncing around.
It will take longer than renting a machine specifically build for digging, but only you can decide if it is worth the extra time. For me I enjoy most the time I spend doing tractor projects, so the extra time doesn't bother me.
Give it a shot. If it is taking too long or you feel it is too dangerous for you or your equipment, then stop and rent an Excavator.
Judging by the video you linked I would speculate you are not looking to dig a very deep ditch. I would recommend a toothbar to help the FEL dig. If it isn't digging well you can always break up the dirt with any number of attachment. I have an inexpensive ripper that I use to loosen up soil often. I also don't do FEL work with my mower deck attached if I can help it. It seems pretty heavy to be banging/bouncing around.
It will take longer than renting a machine specifically build for digging, but only you can decide if it is worth the extra time. For me I enjoy most the time I spend doing tractor projects, so the extra time doesn't bother me.
Give it a shot. If it is taking too long or you feel it is too dangerous for you or your equipment, then stop and rent an Excavator.
nbryan
Well-known member
Equipment
B2650 BH77 LA534 54" ssqa Forks B2782B BB1560 Woods M5-4 MaxxHaul 50039
Bit edgy for a visitor who asks for help and gets what he asks for,,,heh?
I‘ve buried an electrical cable in one project…and dug a 200’ french drain in another…. using a straight blade set at a deep angle, with acute rake-angle… and making several passes…each deeper than the previous. Laid down the pipes or cable…and a single pass grades the dirt back over …
OK lets talk about you land, flat hilly lots of rock sand clay what is it, these questions answered will make giving advice more attuned to your question. First off on the flat yes it can be done but slowly, on hill sides not so much. You dont mention how large a ditch you want or why, is it for drainage or just to mark out your line? And yes if you dont know what you are doing you can muck your machine up or wind up, God forbid worse. SO can it be done yep it can, are there better ways of doing it yep there are. If you want drainage I middle buster will work and with several passes you will be good to go. If you just want to make your land off then maybe a ditch witch would be the way to go ya get a ditch and a small berm. So unless I missed something you got a lot of good information, and really nobody was being snarky with you, just telling you facts
I don't really think 'abusive to the machine' is the issue here. You can use your loader bucket to push on the ground all you want. Picking the front tires off the ground doesn't hurt anything. You can barely even drop them back to the ground hard enough to concern me, personally. The way you get into trouble digging with a loader bucket is mostly when you are prying on something only on one side in a way that twists the loader/bucket, or only in the middle of the bucket but hard enough to bend it. Any time you are trying to curl the bucket and it is loaded most of the way across it's either going to work or it's not but it's not going to hurt anything.
One REAL good way to mess something up is using any momentum of the machine to try and break something loose with the bucket. Either ramming it by rolling into it, or sticking the bucket lip under something that won't curl/lift, and then raising the front of the tractor, dropping it, and letting it 'land' on the hydraulics in an attempt to break the object loose. I've done that in a commercial skid steer on occasion but I won't do it on my small tractor loaders. Looking at the construction of the overall loader assembly and machine makes it clear why.
Honestly, working the loader to the limit of the hydraulics after a fresh treatment with the grease gun is probably easier on it long term than using it halfway to its limits if it hasn't been greased recently! The strength of the stock hydraulics is not enough for it to easily 'can opener' itself.
Anyway, it's 99% going to depend on your local conditions, but even with the easiest conditions it would probably be easier to do the majority of the work with a 3pt implement, all already said. The one FEL tool i would say is not 'bad' at this is a stump bucket.
I just trenched 900 feet of water line with a pto-powered trencher and backhoe for the rocks/roots, and even during backfill my loader buckets were only involved for maybe 1% of the process. But I used that stuff because i already have it. I don't own a plow but the angle blade would have probably been the main tool out of what i have if i was just trying to dig a drainage ditch less than 1ft deep.. turn it all the way one way, use the top and side link adjustments to angle it the way you want, and make progressively deeper passes. So you could be like me and buy 30-40yo loader, backhoe, trencher equipment (im an ASE master tech, repair everything myself) or buy a brand new loader and at least a back blade, maybe a plow too, and go to town!
One REAL good way to mess something up is using any momentum of the machine to try and break something loose with the bucket. Either ramming it by rolling into it, or sticking the bucket lip under something that won't curl/lift, and then raising the front of the tractor, dropping it, and letting it 'land' on the hydraulics in an attempt to break the object loose. I've done that in a commercial skid steer on occasion but I won't do it on my small tractor loaders. Looking at the construction of the overall loader assembly and machine makes it clear why.
Honestly, working the loader to the limit of the hydraulics after a fresh treatment with the grease gun is probably easier on it long term than using it halfway to its limits if it hasn't been greased recently! The strength of the stock hydraulics is not enough for it to easily 'can opener' itself.
Anyway, it's 99% going to depend on your local conditions, but even with the easiest conditions it would probably be easier to do the majority of the work with a 3pt implement, all already said. The one FEL tool i would say is not 'bad' at this is a stump bucket.
I just trenched 900 feet of water line with a pto-powered trencher and backhoe for the rocks/roots, and even during backfill my loader buckets were only involved for maybe 1% of the process. But I used that stuff because i already have it. I don't own a plow but the angle blade would have probably been the main tool out of what i have if i was just trying to dig a drainage ditch less than 1ft deep.. turn it all the way one way, use the top and side link adjustments to angle it the way you want, and make progressively deeper passes. So you could be like me and buy 30-40yo loader, backhoe, trencher equipment (im an ASE master tech, repair everything myself) or buy a brand new loader and at least a back blade, maybe a plow too, and go to town!
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It would not fare well at all. The bucket on these small tractors is not made for heavy work, and I think you'd probably wind up breaking it. You would certainly bend it up a lot.
I got my BX-25D for the backhoe. I've dug more than 1000' of trench with it.
Get the right tool for the job, or hire it done.