Big Self-Propelled Ditcher Makes 7-Ft. Waterways

Big Self-Propelled Ditcher Makes 7-Ft Waterways MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers David Brockhoff built one of the world s most unusual-looking machines to do a professional-looking job of draining water off soft wet peat-like fields     The amazing self-propelled articulated machine makes ditches measuring 3 1/2 ft deep by 7 ft wide Depth can be easily changed by shortening or lengthening chains on the cutter drum     Brockhoff uses the ditcher on his own place as well as for custom work      We ve done quite bit of ditching in about a 70-mile radius of where we live he says I got the idea for it from a tractor-pulled ditcher I saw It worked well but was too small I wanted to make a bigger ditch that would last longer     Brockhoff says he thought building a self-propelled unit would be cheaper than having to buy a big hydro drive tractor which would have been necessary to pull a large trailer-type ditcher slowly enough Articulated steering was easier to make he says and as a result it s easier to follow an existing ditch with it The front and back axle trail fairly close to each other which is helpful if he ever wants to retrace his path or clean out or widen someone s old ditches It s nicer for making curves too he notes     Brockhoff started with a 4-speed 3/4-ton Ford pickup with a 390 motor He cut the box off and mounted a 45-gal drum that he uses as an oil reservoir for the hydrostatic drive There s another oil tank beside that which he uses for steering and lifting      The articulated steering joint is between the truck frame and the ditcher he says The cab and frame sit on top of a JD æ95 combine axle with the original 4-speed transmission To change its direction I used a Massey 405 combine drive     A hydrostatic pump and motor driven off the front of the truck engine drives another 4-speed transmission     To power the cutter drum the original truck 4-speed drives another large 5-speed transmission which connects directly to the cutter drum     To this drum Brockhoff fastened long pieces of heavy 1/2-in decking chains with sections of grader blade bolted on to the outer ends If the blades get smashed up he says you just unbolt them and put on new ones     When the ditcher is working and the cutting drum is spinning the displaced dirt can be thrown either to the right or left depending on the direction the drum is spun      I prefer to throw it to the right but you can change into reverse if you need to throw the dirt to the left for some reason he explains The inside wheels on the ditcher are about 7 ft apart and straddle the ditch On the combine axle I have 23 1 by 30 dualled rice tires to give extra traction in mud     The shallower the ditch is the further out into the field the machine throws the dirt For example creation of a 2-ft deep ditch will throw dirt 50 plus ft off to the side and spread it out evenly You can chew through stumps and logs if your cutters are sharp Brockhoff says     An important aspect of the ditcher s design is that it s light-weight so it s virtually impossible to get stuck      When I was building it with a 390 motor a lot of people said it ll never have enough power and will shake itself to pieces because it s too light he explains It probably has about 250-hp and although I have had to reinforce the frame in places it has worked great     The cab interior consists of bucket seats a hydrostatic drive stick on the floor for forward or reverse and two hydraulic control levers one for steering and the other for raising and lowering the ditching unit to adjust the cutting drum depth The back axle has a pivot in it and this provides flex for the complete unit     Operating the rig takes patience because digging large ditches is time consuming According to the Alberta farmer a 1/2-mile of ditch that s 2-ft feet deep and 5-ft wide could take anywhere from 3-hrs to 8-hrs depending on conditions     To transport his rig Brockhoff put side extensions on a low-boy trailer     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup David Brockhoff R R 2 Bluffton Alberta Canada T0C 0M0 ph 403 843-3521

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