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#1
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Burying coax idea
Owen Duffy wrote:
"Hal Rosser" wrote in : I have also heard of buying a new chain and bar for your chainsaw, then using the OLD one to cut a path through the yard. In this part of the world, you can rent a Ditch-Witch or Trench-Wench which use a similar concept, but the chain carries cutters designed for earth and rocks rather than one designed for wet timber. Ditch-Witchs and Trench-Wenchs aren't very good for cutting trees, nor are chainsaws very good for digging trenches. On the other hand, there's a big difference between a "slit into which a cable/small conduit can be stuffed" and a 4" wide trench with a ridge of dirt along side. Mind you, I am a HUGE fan of the gas powered trencher, but it's a pretty invasive approach. You also have to really contemplate "shovel and back" vs trencher. I had a 100 ft or so gas line installed a year ago, and the plumber just got the shovel out and trenched it by hand in a couple of hours. That's comparable to the time I spent going down to the rental yard, getting the trencher, bringing it home, unloading it off the trailer, spending 30 minutes trenching for the irrigation lines, then returning it. And I'm not sure my back was any better off than the plumber's at the end of the day. Granted, the trencher is nice in dense, rock filled clay, where a "digging bar" is part of the required tool complement. The plumber had the advantage of digging where I had previously dug some years before. You don't have to invent a new tool for this application, plumbers and electricians have been inserting narrow conduits / pipes in earth trenches for decades using these types of machines. There's also a sort of walk behind motorized plow for doing this sort of thing. I saw one at the rental yard a few years ago. It has a sturdy steel blade that has a sort of overall V shape, and fairly large tires driven by a geared down gasoline motor and a bunch of ballast. I think the advantage of this is that you can drive it across a lawn to lay a cable or pipe and not have to do a bunch of resodding after you are done. In any case, as the poster comments, this is a pretty standard overall task, and there's lots of ways to do it. An alternative to renting a machine may be to find a plumber who specialiese in in-ground sprinkler systems... and get a quote for him to dig your trenches. Owen |
#2
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Burying coax idea
Jim Lux wrote:
. . . You also have to really contemplate "shovel and back" vs trencher. I had a 100 ft or so gas line installed a year ago, and the plumber just got the shovel out and trenched it by hand in a couple of hours. That's comparable to the time I spent going down to the rental yard, getting the trencher, bringing it home, unloading it off the trailer, spending 30 minutes trenching for the irrigation lines, then returning it. And I'm not sure my back was any better off than the plumber's at the end of the day. . . . I have a hand tool that's considerably better than a shovel for cutting a narrow slot. I think it's intended to be a manual edger. It's on a handle like a shovel but the blade is flat, semi-circular, and sharpened. You can push it into the ground by stepping on it, then you can rock it to widen the slit it cuts. I wouldn't try using it here in the summer when the ground is basically adobe, but it's reasonable in the winter when the ground is wet and soft. I don't think it would make a slot deep and wide enough for conduit, but you could probably use one to get bare coax under the sod and mower. Roy Lewallen, W7EL |
#3
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Burying coax idea
"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message treetonline... Jim Lux wrote: . . . You also have to really contemplate "shovel and back" vs trencher. I had a 100 ft or so gas line installed a year ago, and the plumber just got the shovel out and trenched it by hand in a couple of hours. That's comparable to the time I spent going down to the rental yard, getting the trencher, bringing it home, unloading it off the trailer, spending 30 minutes trenching for the irrigation lines, then returning it. And I'm not sure my back was any better off than the plumber's at the end of the day. . . . I have a hand tool that's considerably better than a shovel for cutting a narrow slot. I think it's intended to be a manual edger. It's on a handle like a shovel but the blade is flat, semi-circular, and sharpened. You can push it into the ground by stepping on it, then you can rock it to widen the slit it cuts. I wouldn't try using it here in the summer when the ground is basically adobe, but it's reasonable in the winter when the ground is wet and soft. I don't think it would make a slot deep and wide enough for conduit, but you could probably use one to get bare coax under the sod and mower. Roy Lewallen, W7EL I am the original poster. I just got done using my gas powered lawn edger and it worked fine. I had to cut 2 slits for my Direct TV cables. 1 was for High Dev cables and the other for the digital cables. I couldn't get them in one slit. My 2 cuts were about 35 feet long.and about 2 inches or so deep. We had a full day of rain here in Illinois so it may the cutting easy. After I got them in the slits I took a 3/4" board and gently tapped the cables down in the ground. I hope that freeze this winter doesn't heave them up. Thanks for your comments. |
#4
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Burying coax idea
On Aug 22, 3:48*pm, "Joe" wrote:
"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message treetonline... Jim Lux wrote: . . . You also have to really contemplate "shovel and back" vs trencher. *I had a 100 ft or so gas line installed a year ago, and the plumber just got the shovel out and trenched it by hand in a couple of hours. *That's comparable to the time I spent going down to the rental yard, getting the trencher, bringing it home, unloading it off the trailer, spending 30 minutes trenching for the irrigation lines, then returning it. And I'm not sure my back was any better off than the plumber's at the end of the day. . . . I have a hand tool that's considerably better than a shovel for cutting a narrow slot. I think it's intended to be a manual edger. It's on a handle like a shovel but the blade is flat, semi-circular, and sharpened. You can push it into the ground by stepping on it, then you can rock it to widen the slit it cuts. I wouldn't try using it here in the summer when the ground is basically adobe, but it's reasonable in the winter when the ground is wet and soft. I don't think it would make a slot deep and wide enough for conduit, but you could probably use one to get bare coax under the sod and mower. Roy Lewallen, W7EL I am the original poster. *I just got done using my gas powered lawn edger and it worked fine. I had to cut 2 slits for my Direct TV cables. 1 was for High Dev cables and the other for the digital cables. I couldn't get them in one slit. My 2 cuts were about 35 feet long.and about 2 inches or so deep.. We had a full day of rain here in Illinois so it may the cutting easy. After I got them in the slits I took a 3/4" board and gently tapped the cables down in the ground. *I hope that freeze this winter doesn't heave them up. Thanks for your comments.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Ditch Witch makes a trencher that is exactly like an edger except it has a guard that piles the dirt up along side the the cut. I have also known of people putting a concrete cutting blade on an edger and cutting through a curb with it. Probably two things you shouldnt do. Jimmie |
#5
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Burying coax idea
"JIMMIE" wrote in message
... "I have also known of people putting a concrete cutting blade on an edger and cutting through a curb with it." Seems like a concrete blade on a regular old Skillsaw would be easier and have more torque? Is there any advantage to the edger other than (1) not having to get down on your hands and feet and (2) you may not actually have a Skillsaw? |
#6
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Burying coax idea
"Joel Koltner" wrote in message ... "JIMMIE" wrote in message ... "I have also known of people putting a concrete cutting blade on an edger and cutting through a curb with it." Seems like a concrete blade on a regular old Skillsaw would be easier and have more torque? Is there any advantage to the edger other than (1) not having to get down on your hands and feet and (2) you may not actually have a Skillsaw? I think it would be a lot faster, but wouldn't there be a shock hazard doing that? |
#7
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Burying coax idea
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:29:41 -0700, "Joel Koltner"
wrote: "JIMMIE" wrote in message ... "I have also known of people putting a concrete cutting blade on an edger and cutting through a curb with it." Seems like a concrete blade on a regular old Skillsaw would be easier and have more torque? Is there any advantage to the edger other than (1) not having to get down on your hands and feet and (2) you may not actually have a Skillsaw? The guard on the skill saw is there for a reason...There isn't one on a edger. Rent a target saw and put a concrete blade on it. Done is a matter of minutes. dan, N9JBF |
#8
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Burying coax idea
Jim Lux wrote in
: On the other hand, there's a big difference between a "slit into which a cable/small conduit can be stuffed" and a 4" wide trench with a ridge of dirt along side. Models are available here which cut a trench about 2" wide, and to a depth of about 18" max, and pile the fine spoil neatly clear of the trench (rather than in the operator's boot etc). I have used them on electrical contracting jobs, and they work a treat. They will cut through small tree roots, deal with small rocks, and are easy to backfill neatly. Owen |
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