What type of shovel is best for digging a trench?

What type of shovel is best for digging a trench?

A trenching shovel is used to clean out or dig narrow trenches—just 3 to 6 inches wide—for installing buried lines or sprinkler systems. They’re also among the best shovels for gardening because they create narrow trenches for transplanting rows of seedlings or bulbs.

What tool do you use to dig a ditch?

7 Useful Tools for Digging a Trench

  1. Tabor Tools Pick Mattock. A pick mattock is an indispensable trench-digging tool.
  2. True Temper Drain Spade. The True Temper Drain Spade has the perfect design for a trenching shovel.
  3. Ames Saw-Tooth Border Edger.
  4. True Temper Bow Rake.

What is the fastest way to dig a ditch?

What is the Fastest Way to Dig a Trench by Hand?

  1. Water the soil for 1 hour the day before excavation.
  2. Use a trenching shovel to quickly excavate the trench.
  3. Use a pick mattock to dig up rocks and break through tough soil.

How do you dig a drainage ditch?

Dig a trench that is 18 inches deep and 9–12 inches wide. Lay water-permeable landscaping fabric in the trench, followed by 3 inches of gravel. Lay your perforated drain pipe in the trench, cover with an additional 3 inches of gravel, and cover the drainage ditch with rocks, soil, or stones.

What is the best equipment to dig a trench?

A compact excavator is one of the most efficient options for digging a trench quickly. These have a narrower footprint than any alternative option, so you need less space on the work site to accommodate your equipment.

How do you make a trench easier to dig?

  1. Loosen hard soil using a pick axe.
  2. Define the sides of the trench using the point of your shovel.
  3. Pull soil out of the bottom of the trench with a grub hoe once it becomes too deep to use a shovel.
  4. Place all the soil that you pull out of the trench on one side.