Ditch Clearing ~ how do you do yours?

[SteveA]

We have ditch problems.... the problem is that it appears most of ours haven't been cleared since perhaps WW2, or earlier?! This has resulted in waterlogging issues, including tree roots getting washed out. The ditch areas range from not too squishy (easy to walk on) to extremely squishy (welly boot sucking material).

 

The ditches have been left for so long that the bottom of the ditch is pretty much at normal ground level.... not sure I should be calling it a ditch?....it's more of a 'used to be a ditch'.

 

Our plan is to dig out the ditches without using heavy equipment and transport the ditch humus into the meadow to be used for horticultural purposes.

 

So we know what we want to achieve... and my question is:

What do you use to dig your own woodland ditch?

Edited June 28, 2013 by SteveA
spelling mistake

[nooie]

I use a rutting spade for places a machine can't get to. It has a big shovel like blade with a two handed T-bar. I had to have it made at Chieftain Forge as I couldn't find any anywhere else. I cut the turf to be removed first then pull out the chunks using a large sort of rake. I know the Gaelic name of it, but not the English. I will have a look for one..

[nooie]

The fork is a long handeled cultivator. See here.

 

Rutting spade

[SteveA]

The fork is a long handeled cultivator. See here.

 

Rutting spade

 

That's good to consider, thankyou. I've never used a rutting spade before, is it alot easier than using a typical garden spade/ or shovel? Also wondering, are you transporting your humus away, or earthing up to the side of your ditches?

[Rich2484]

Sounds like a lot of hard work to me.

 

The internal combustion engine was invented for a reason......

 

Sorry just me. If a machine can do then why not. Halves the time, halves the man power, and is a LOT easier.

 

Is there a special reason for not doing it by machine. And it doesn't need to be a big machine does it?

[nooie]

It is hard going at first. The reason I use it is where a machine can't get to easily. It's easier to dig a 100m ditch with a spade than dig out a bogged machine. The peat here can be well over 5m deep. I just dig it out and try and leave it neat on the side.

 

I dig (for peat) two spade widths. Keep the spade at an angle and kind of saw your way along the line of the ditch with one foot on the spade all the time so you dont take the spade fully out of the ground. Do that up both sides then down the middlethen cutt across into manageable chunks. Pull out using the fork. One side of my spade has a longer edge for cutting at an angle. I will post a pic if i can find one.

[s.varty]

Surely the ground will take a 3 ton 360 in the middle of summer??

[Matthew Storrs]

Surely the ground will take a 3 ton 360 in the middle of summer??

 

Or a 1.5 tonner. I do loads of ditch clearing with mine. Did some the other day across peat moorland I kept having to pull by self out as it was such a swamp - hence the reason for clearing it.

50 meters takes maybe half an hour with a small machine- and about half a day by hand and you'll be tired by lunchtime.

[armchairarborist]

I'd use either a minidigger or a teenager, better still get the teenager to use the digger then he/she will still have enough energy to split a cube of logs before 5pm:thumbup1:

[nooie]

Or a 1.5 tonner. I do loads of ditch clearing with mine. Did some the other day across peat moorland I kept having to pull by self out as it was such a swamp - hence the reason for clearing it.

50 meters takes maybe half an hour with a small machine- and about half a day by hand and you'll be tired by lunchtime.

 

Aye, most of the time a machine can get to it, but we have some bogs that you just wouldn't want to do by machine. You would have to travel a fair way on mats which would take just as long.

 

Also, I might be a bit odd, but I like digging with the spade Its like a good workout...