I need to cut a trench across an asphalt parking pad, about three inches wide, three inches deep, 10 feet across. (The purpose is to lay a pipe.)
I guess I could rent a machine to do this, but that would be expensive and difficult to transport.
Can anyone suggest an easier way?
"Ray" wrote in news:hRYNp.3518$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe12.iad:
rent a saw made for cutting pavement. That IS the "easier way".
you could get a "concrete" blade for your circular saw,and get down on your knees and start cutting asphalt. and wreck your knees,back,and the circular saw.
or try a cold chisel and hammer. same result,except you don't wreck your circular saw.
I'd strongly suggest *not* cutting the asphalt. Try pipe-jacking under it instead which should be pretty easy for a 10' span and not damage the asphalt.
That's what I was going to say. Didn't know the word pipe-jacking, though. Now I do. Great.
Hmm. Wiki says pipe-jacking is British, implying I think that pipe-ramming is American.
I've read the term "pipe jacking" in the Journal of Light Construction (US) in an article about 8' dia sewer pipes being installed this way.
Either way, jacking a 2" pipe with a 10' span under asphalt should be pretty easy to accomplish and far better than damaging the expensive asphalt.
I'd strongly suggest *not* cutting the asphalt. Try pipe-jacking under it instead which should be pretty easy for a 10' span and not damage the asphalt.
"Pipe-jacking" was new to me, but when I look it up on the Internet, it appears to me I'd need some heavy equipment and hydraulic boring machinery to accomplish my purpose.
Am I right?
Only for the big stuff. For something like a 2" pipe going 10' it should be very easy. Often for tasks like this is is recommended to feed water through the pipe as you force it through under the obstruction. A lot of DIY sites have instructions for doing this for landscape lighting, sprinklers and the like.
I tend to favor using a larger diameter metal pipe as a sleeve, putting a point and cap on it and simply hammering it through like a "driven" well only horizontally. This will compact the soil around the pipe rather than the small risk of undermining the asphalt if you use too much water. Once through, remove the point and cap and push whatever pipe or conduit you need through the sleeve.
Plug the ends of the sleeve with some putty (electrical department) and you can readily add additional runs to the sleeve later if needed.
pick ax, but it'll be messy.
gas powered saw rent 1 for 30-40$
Ragnar's Guide To Home And Recreational Use Of High Explosives, by Ragnar Benson Available on Amazon.com
About the author:
Hell Toupee wrote in news:iud6u4$a6r$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
easier to lose your life,or perhaps to lose your freedom.
I'd like to see someone blasting their neighbor's windows(or even their own windows) in with the shockwave from their explosives. B-)
or maybe cracking somebody's foundation,or at least giving the obnoxious neighbor the opening to sue for alleged cracks from blasting shocks.
America,what a country! :-)
All you need is a big tightly woven steel mat like the construction companies use to dampen the shock from a blast. :-)
TDD
if the pipe is small dig a decent size hole at either end and drill undeground to provide space for the pipe.
just what will the pipe carry?
no you just smash your fingers and have sore wrists, knees hips etc etc
If you don't mind a lot of labor, for that short distance it is possible to go under the pad with a water jet set up. Dig holes at each end, connect your water hose to a length of pipe with the jet end, and start shoving the pipe horizontally under the pad as the water erodes away the dirt. Messy? Absolutely, but it is in fact a known commercial method. Folks have used variations of this for years with real success. Water wells are commonly drilled this way in suitable areas. On the plus side, there is no damage to the pad at all, and odds are it will be a lot faster than hacking at the asphalt.
Joe
fe12.iad:
What he said!!!
@Ray:
What are you installing ?
The best solution if you don't want to rent a machine to trench the asphalt or hire a company to do this for you is to re-route whatever wiring conduit or landscape sprinkler piping around the pad so you don't have to cut it...
Contrary to what the others have said, pipe ramming an entire length of some sort of pipe (typically 10' lengths unless you get a 20' long stick) is very difficult and requires that you have a 10' long trench + the room you need to swing a sledgehammer at the end of the pipe in question (so realistically that is 14 or 15 feet) dug down slightly deeper than the level at which you wish your pipe to be buried...
Depending on how your pipe or conduit needs to be routed (how many turns or bends in it) it might be worth renting a trenching machine as it will result in less work but you would need a paving company to patch the parking pad when you are done with your project...
~~ Evan
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