trench digging for electrical wire

You can rent a trencher for four hours from home depot for fewer $$.

Maybe rent a trencher ?

A middle buster for a category 1 hitch might to it. How about a one bottom plow? Either would give you something to leave out front for decoration or make just a nuisance to mow around. Scott's idea sounds good. I think code says 2 feet deep for most underground wiring.

I forgot to mention April is National Safe Digging Month. It happened to be on the local news a couple days ago.

I had thought about renting a trencher but costs more than I want to do the job and I may have other uses for it at a later time.

Probably the ideal thing would be the thing they used to install my cable TV but I would not know how to get one especially for almost no cost.

That's the trouble with young people today. They don't want to do any hard work.

So maybe Ralph should wait until May, so he won't be bound by extra rules.

I am looking into the cat 1 hitch thing or one that goes into a 2 inch receiver as I have the 2 inch receiver adaptor.

I am not worried about the code. I think around here you can only go 6 inches for a single 120 volt wire. Then it require the 2 foot level.

This is going to be a low cost project as I doubt I will use the power very much. I have a # 12 drop cord that only takes a few seconds to pull out.

I am 73 and perfer to work smarter and not harder.

I think you do not want to do much physical work either.

I may want to use the digger to do other woek such as in the garden.

I got ahead of myself on the hitch category. There is a Class 0 hitch. Chart here:

And don't forget to call 811 first.

I have called 811 in the past 3 times. They came out and marked the phone, Cable TV and power lines.

The last time I called them they did not mark the cable TV line. Sent email and they said it was not needed. I was not sure about that but I knew it would be close. Construction crew cut the cable . Just hit by about 2 feet on a 24x25 feet construction. I was sure the power line was near the dig and the construction people took extra care around that.

One other time I had a small tree stump that was over a power line. Told the stump grinder it was under the stump and just go down a few inches so I could mow over the stump and not hit it. Was a Crape Myrtle so not much of a stump. No peoblem with that.

I do advise anyone that think the utilities are on your property to give them a call. The service is free. It is called miss utility around here. They require a 3 day notice and the ticket is only good for 15 days. Not sure why they think the lines move after 15 days.

I know close enough to where the lines are that I am not worried about hitting them,

Let your neighbours know that you're thinking of renting a trencher - they might have a little job to do and help offset the cost. John T.

When I needed to dig a trench for electrical cable, I first bought a trenching shovel. I got about 4-5 inches with it before I gave up and returned it. I replaced it with a pick (pick axe?) and quickly got the job done, but that was only about 12 feet.

Another time, when I had about 120 feet of buried conduit to accomplish, my irrigation guy happened to stop by with his Ditch Witch. He buried the conduit in a couple of minutes, without disrupting the lawn. That's really the way to go, IMHO.

Perhaps the digging you called 811 about is adding a new UG line? Such as your current project.

No my digging was for tree stump grinding and the foundation of a building. The tree stump had above the ground roots that went out a ways as it was a pine tree about 40 feet tall and I thought the power and cable lines may be near it. At one time I even thoutht I may put a garden where a line may be but found out the lines were not close to where I was digging.

One thing they will not do is locate your own lines, just the lines to the junction box at your house, so to speak. Any line you actually own and you are on your own.

The point was that the 811 folks don't know that. So they assume otherwise, and require a callback. CYA.

Fiber optic cables are also not located. My neighbor had hers cut, twice, by two different contractors. The first time AT&T laid a new cable at no cost to her, but the second time they billed her. Fortunately, she was reimbursed by the second contractor since it was their mistake.

I don't know about Ralph's location, but I've never seen any guys standing outside of Home Depot.

The nearest HD is in the next town about 20 mules from me. Do not go there often. Lowes is about 5 miles away and probably average once a moth. Never seen anyonr hanging around wanting work.

I may have a trenching shovel. Is it one that has about a 2 foot long blade and is about 4 inches wide ? It is one my dad had and I have used it to square up a hole 3 feet each way for a cement base of a radio tower.