Trenching Machine Helps Straighten Basements

Trenching Machine Helps Straighten Basements BUILDINGS Houses 30-5-40 When Gary Resch, St. Cloud, Minn., developed a system for straightening buckled basement walls (Vol. 29, No. 4), he needed a way to dig a narrow trench around the outside of basement walls to relieve the inward pressure. "There was no ditcher on the market that would do what we needed, so we built our own," says Resch. His trencher digs a 6-in. wide trench 6 to 7 ft. deep, a foot or two away from the wall. The carbine teeth can cut through rocks and frozen soil, so it can be used any time of year. "It lets you move as little dirt as possible so you don't have any settling problems against the wall after the job is done." The trencher mounts on a Gehl 5625 skid steer with high-flow hydraulics and rubber tracks, so it does minimal damage to lawns. It can be switched from one side to the other to make a left or right hand machine. A short length of auger moves dirt away from the trench. The digger can also be used to trench in water lines or drain tile. "In more than 10 years of hard use, the only repair required has been replacement of a main shaft bronze bushing," says Resch, who is now building the trenchers for $15,000. He also sells his basement straightening and waterproofing systems to people who want to get into the business. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Resch, Resch Enterprises, 21952 Rausch Lake Road, St. Cloud, Minn. 56301 (ph 800 831-2559 or 320 654-1658; www.dryupbasement.com).

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