Trenching and Ditching

Richard L. Parish, PhD, PE

Digging ditches and trenches is a fairly common but nevertheless unpleasant do-it-yourself job. You may need a drainage ditch, a trench for a foundation, or a trench to bury pipe or conduit. Depending on the type of ditch or trench you need and the size of the job, you have many choices of available tools. All of the do-it-yourself methods involve hard work, but some are not as hard as others.

Shovels: For small jobs, a shovel will suffice. There are many types of shovels available. A long-handled round-point shovel is the best general-purpose digging tool and will work well for many jobs. If you need a narrow ditch, a tile spade (sometimes called a “sharpshooter”) is preferable. These tools will be easiest to use in soft, sandy soil.

Garden Tiller: A garden rotary tiller can be very useful for digging ditches, especially in hard soil. One approach is to make a few passes with the tiller to loosen the top 4-6 inches of soil, remove the loose soil, and repeat until you reach the desired depth. With a rear-tine tiller, it is also possible to use a hiller-furrower attachment on the tiller to dig a shallow ditch as you till. This works well for shallow drainage ditches.

Tractor Implements: If you have a garden tractor or a compact utility tractor, there are some common implements that can be helpful in ditching and trenching. Tractor-mounted tillage tools such as a rotary tiller, moldboard plow, or disk harrow can be used to loosen the soil as noted above with a garden tiller, and then the loose soil can be moved with an angle blade, a scoop, a front-end loader, or a box blade.

Wheel Trencher: Several companies make small walk-behind trenching tools that have a vertical toothed blade on a horizontal axle, driven by a small gasoline engine. These tools will dig a narrow, relatively shallow trench that can be used for such jobs as installing irrigation lines or wiring for landscape lighting.

Power Chain Trencher: A chain trencher is probably the ultimate way to dig a major trench. These tools can be walk-behind or ride-on and are generally self-propelled. They can be rented or hired. Only the smaller models are readily available to homeowners. They will do the job, but require a great deal of physical effort to operate and control.

Backhoe: A backhoe on a tractor is an effective trenching tool, but it is generally necessary to hire a backhoe and operator. Although backhoes can be rented, operating one is not recommended for an inexperienced homeowner. Operating a backhoe effectively requires a great deal of skill and experience.

The tool you need depends on the size of your job – and your willingness to do manual labor.