We’ve got 110 acres that needs re draining. There’s one flat field with a brook running the full length of one side of it and then a sloping field with the same brook running across the bottom of it. The powers that be had had 3 quotes and to get somebody in your looking at around £120,000 all in. The brook is open on one side but hedges on the other. As the manager I’ve been asked if I think we could do it in house. It’s not the best land and a blue clay in the main. Does anybody do their own draining? And if so how and with what?
Draining land in house
- Thread starter mountfarm
- Start date
Spencer
Member
- Location
- North West
If it’s blue clay, you’ll be needing stone. I suggest 120k for 110 acres doesn’t include much stone?
- Location
- south norfolk
I’d think it’s pretty easy these days if you have a slope on the field.sure you can hire those drainers that go on the back of a tractor and with modern cvt gearboxes it’s easier still.cant remember name of machines but there was a couple of tractor mounted drainers at cereals last week.one had a laser lever system on it for flatter fields too.maybe someone on here will have hired one and have some experience.
Nick...
Nick...
MNBVCXZ
Member
- Location
- Central Southern UK
Does it have gravel or is it older than that?
I know quite a few who do bits and pieces, stone must cost quite a bit as would the hiring of a trencher. I assume getting the levels correct is simple enough with lasers.
But most who have drainage have it done by a third party.
I know quite a few who do bits and pieces, stone must cost quite a bit as would the hiring of a trencher. I assume getting the levels correct is simple enough with lasers.
But most who have drainage have it done by a third party.
MNBVCXZ
Member
- Location
- Central Southern UK
The biggest problem I see is that not enough mole ploughing gets done.
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
Aft or Shelton trenchers would do the job.
Personally i’d rather have a contractor in for a job like that.
Accuracy, speed, and cost are all important. Experience is vital too else you end up with an expensive mess.
£1k/ac sounds about right IIRC. The costs will be the pipe and the stone more so than the cost of the man to do the job.
When materials are 80% of the job, having confidence that the 20% you are paying someone for their experience to use them correctly is well worth it IMO.
Personally i’d rather have a contractor in for a job like that.
Accuracy, speed, and cost are all important. Experience is vital too else you end up with an expensive mess.
£1k/ac sounds about right IIRC. The costs will be the pipe and the stone more so than the cost of the man to do the job.
When materials are 80% of the job, having confidence that the 20% you are paying someone for their experience to use them correctly is well worth it IMO.
Spencer
Member
- Location
- North West
There’s more to it than just sticking pipe in the ground in my experience.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
We did a fair bit of boggy flat area with a chain trencher attachment on a skidsteer a few years ago - which led, finally 
to the destruction of that reversing beeper and fitted a white noise one instead - 'twas painful for a start!!!
But the chain trencher was a piece of cake, and easy to get levels (I found) compared to the tractor one I have used, years ago
Just sitting looking up the trench from low down, made it easier for me to judge a level, anyway.
It was hired from the dealer that sold and serviced the Posi-Track - if that's an option for you ? We used it quite a bit for contracting work, on dairy farm conversions etc. a very responsive setup for tight areas
to the destruction of that reversing beeper and fitted a white noise one instead - 'twas painful for a start!!! But the chain trencher was a piece of cake, and easy to get levels (I found) compared to the tractor one I have used, years ago
Just sitting looking up the trench from low down, made it easier for me to judge a level, anyway.
It was hired from the dealer that sold and serviced the Posi-Track - if that's an option for you ? We used it quite a bit for contracting work, on dairy farm conversions etc. a very responsive setup for tight areas
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
- Location
- Lincs
Done loads of it ourself. I drained our 100 acre field a 8t digger and a laser level a few years ago. Worked well. Planning on doing some more post harvest
£120k for 110 acres of blue clay seems reasonably cheap by contractor to me.
Blue clay on the flat wants drained with gravel at 10m spacing. Not long in using up stone at that and as said by others trencher will use way less than doing it yourself with digger bucket.
Blue clay on the flat wants drained with gravel at 10m spacing. Not long in using up stone at that and as said by others trencher will use way less than doing it yourself with digger bucket.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
If it is blue clay that holds a mole well and has a slope
40 m spacing with good moleing is as good as 20 m spacing
The moleing needs doing properly whatever the spacing unless it is under 10 m
I have plenty of both and if the removing is left too long it makes no difference to spacing I always would put gravel to 10 inches
Now with notill moleing could be done at 16 inches if gravel is at 10 inches
Mole with gps at 2.5 m and remole in between
40 m spacing with good moleing is as good as 20 m spacing
The moleing needs doing properly whatever the spacing unless it is under 10 m
I have plenty of both and if the removing is left too long it makes no difference to spacing I always would put gravel to 10 inches
Now with notill moleing could be done at 16 inches if gravel is at 10 inches
Mole with gps at 2.5 m and remole in between
Without a proposed layout showing the depth and length of drains , of what they are doing for 120k you can't tell if it's dear or cheap ,
Y Fan Wen
Member
- Location
- N W Snowdonia
Does anyone know of a contractor in Anglesey or NW Wales?
- Location
- North West Wales
Humpreys, Tai Draw, Cerrig y Drudion would be the one to go for, need to book well in advance though!!!
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Drainage contractors here for generations any advice drop me a PM [emoji106]
wasted years
Member
- Location
- Cumbrian born and bread
I would buy a 10k 360 or something similar and do it myself but I like that kind of thing.
Draining on the flat is obviously harder than where there is slope, with slope it is easy enough to do by eye just as long as you pay attention to the floor of the trench, no ups and downs.
We have loads of fall in Cumbria and we don't use stone, just put a layer of topsoil, or better still sods on the pipe .
I have no experience of heavy clay draining though.
Draining on the flat is obviously harder than where there is slope, with slope it is easy enough to do by eye just as long as you pay attention to the floor of the trench, no ups and downs.
We have loads of fall in Cumbria and we don't use stone, just put a layer of topsoil, or better still sods on the pipe .
I have no experience of heavy clay draining though.