woops.

[Lazy-Farmer]

I have a bit of drainage to do on the farm. Usually hire a digger and do it that way. I have been thinking about making a sub spoiler/ mole styles pipe layer. Similar to the one in the picture.

I have seen them for water pipe but not for normal 100mm land drainage pipe. I’d normal use gravel and a trench which is better but takes more time and money. if I could lay it with the tractor faster and it was ok it would be a big advantage.

Has anyone made one?
Did it work?
How much tractor was needed to use it?
Did you go back to the digger method after or keep using it?

If anyone can advise me on whether it’s worth the time and money to make or buy it would be a big help.

 

[TripleSix]

From the machines I've seen that do it are on tracks, 300+hp and 30+ tonnes

 

[Dman2]

Have a one here that will put 75mm pipe in
Have to do a couple of dummy runs first to get slot opened up
Pull it with a 140hp 4cyl Massey
Will go down @800mm

 

[DanniAgro]

I remember Clark the drainer from near Stratford who pioneered this method in the 80s, had a huge Mastenbroek with about 300 hp, as Triplesix says. It was enormous not surprisingly, as you would need that power to pull a blade three foot deep sometimes.

 

[Nearly]

Pto powered trenching machine instead?

 

[Pan mixer]

The millenial farmer has a mate that does it, I am not sure that it work on my soil though.

 

[Prairie]

I remember Clark the drainer from near Stratford who pioneered this method in the 80s, had a huge Mastenbroek with about 300 hp, as Triplesix says. It was enormous not surprisingly, as you would need that power to pull a blade three foot deep sometimes.

Derrick Clark also built a drainer to go on the back of his FW 60, to do smaller jobs. I have pictures somewhere of it propped up in his yard

 

[No wot]

Badshot from this forum has a video posted somewhere of a modified subsoiler laying drainage pipe

 

[Northdowns Martin]

@Badshot from memory made a simple drainage layer, few years back

 

[Badshot]

Draining

 

[Badshot]

There's others there somewhere.
It needs the leg lengthening, and probably a mole foot instead of the subsoiler foot.
I used what I had.
It definitely works.
I done a load without gravel, then decided to add the hopper and do a load with.
Rented ground, it's jolly cheap drainage.
But you need a natural fall, I don't have facility to keep a constant fall, it's either in the ground full depth or not.