What plow for a trench?

[littleredrider 409]

So the yard is a mud pit. Needs drainage ditches in various places, hoping to divert water away from house and traffic areas. Was thinking maybe a single bottom plow, but what else could I use? Planning on doing sand then gravel, then maybe dirt on top so grass will grow....

[Jerry77 1,218]

You will need at least 4 inches of dirt to grow and sustain grass....would you be interested in burying perf pipe ( with a sock - no gravel required )... anyway, I wouldthink a walk behind tiller with just the center tines would do a good job...that last one I put in was 75 feet long, so I had a backhoe do the trench and I put the perf pipe in and back filled it with the blade on my wheel horse...

[SylvanLakeWH 25,490]

 or just go with a simple french drain - trench / gravel / topsoil cover and seed...I did it around my garage 25 years ago and it still works like a charm...Depending on your soil type, depth will vary - clay needs deeper trench than a sandy / loamy soil...

 

I just used a shovel, but your plow idea would work well I would think...

 

[littleredrider 409]

Not opposed to using pipe, just thought of the sand/gravel first. I think it mostly hard pan, but there are some spots where its natural springs, and that's where its soft. Hoping to get the water to run in the drain, then drain around it so it's not so wet and soft all the time. People that had this house before us did absolutely nothing, except accumulate trash everywhere...

[953 nut 55,076]

I had great success with the trench filled with gravel like Jim @SylvanLakeWH suggested. used a 6" ditch witch and went down about 18" (due to elevation gain away from wettest area of 12" +/-). Once the ditch was in I filled it with #4 gravel to within a couple inches of the top. Covered that with a strip of 6 Mill plastic and soil, over filled it ton allow for settling. Haven't had any standing water since.

[Jerry77 1,218]

8 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

gravel

I was 77 at the time - easier to manage plastic pipe than heavy stone.. gravel would be good if you are up to it.....

[wallfish 16,985]

Did a drain at my last house with a 30' L x 20" W trench, used both, perforated pipe and stone. Rented a walk behind tiller to help dig it and had that thing buried up to the top of the engine. Should've just rented a small back hoe! The stone allowed water to drain quick and easily into the pipe and the pipe allows it to flow out faster. The house was on a hill so the pipe was routed on a decline through the entire length of the trench and around to the hill slope to daylight. If it's flat ground, you can dig a large pit area filled with stone for it to drain into. 

[littleredrider 409]

Whole property is on an incline, so thinking (prolly get me in trouble) that a trench with sand n gravel should be sufficient. No way am I doing it by hand, hate to say it but getting too old for that BS. Seems there is always water in one area, so maybe put in an ornamental pond...

[Tankman 3,518]

13 hours ago, littleredrider said:

"hoping to divert water away from house and traffic areas"

Perforated pipe would likely be best.

 

May I add, this is the first time I've heard of a Squid that wanted out of the water. 

While, 50+ years ago, stationed aboard the USS Guam never saw any Squids that didn't love water.

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2018 by Tankman

[littleredrider 409]

I got spoiled. Did 8 years never on a boat. Didn’t have a choice with first set of orders, went to Japan. After that you could pick n choose where to go, still didn’t choose a boat lol. Guess you good say I had pretty easy 8 years. But DC killed it for

me, couldn’t wait to get out. Been out 16 years now. Funny, don’t remember having any fun...

[Jerry77 1,218]

2 hours ago, Tankman said:

that wanted out of the water

Had one trip on an LST that took us to San Clermente island for manuvers....that was not a fun  trip..only good thing was the cig's for $1 a carton...  Oh, and the LST did not have a turntable in the hold...real fun backing up the six-by's' and generators on a floating 10 foot roadway of marston matting on floats..

[Tankman 3,518]

44 minutes ago, Jerry77 said:

Had one trip on an LST that took us to San Clermente island for manuvers....that was not a fun  trip..only good thing was the cig's for $1 a carton...  Oh, and the LST did not have a turntable in the hold...real fun backing up the six-by's' and generators on a floating 10 foot roadway of marston matting on floats..

The LPH-9 was just rebuilt, very nice. Boarded in the dark, helicopters out of Lejeune.

Once I found my sea legs, I stopped tripping over the helicopters guywires that kept the props from turning.

An LST was not on my to-do list.

$1.00 cigs filled my seabags!

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,296]

Just my  if you have hard pan rent a ditch witch . Put in a french drain. I tried using a rototiller to install some underground wires to my shed. I thought die before I got the trench finished . The rototiller did not survive the project.

[littleredrider 409]

If I wasn't so pissed off cause my portable garage that was anchored to the ground didn't blow away, I'd take pics of where the water is. Or should say mud. Walking thru it almost sink to top of toes. Of course that's where the garage was.....