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When trenchers were first introduced to the residential
and commercial contractors, they rapidly became the
backbone of the crew.  The time and labor trenchers
saved when they replaced the pick and shovel was
simply incredible.  The contractor was able to double
the number of jobs his crew could complete in the
same amount of time - or less.

The standard types of trenchers, whether dedicated
units or attachments, they are versatile machines
for contractors to have with them on the job.  They
can be used for many different purposes, from digging
valve box holes to trenches for drain pipes.  In
areas that contain rocky soil, large roots, or
other problems where the other machinery can’t access
the soil, the trencher will minimize downtime that
was once spent digging by hand.

The many types of vibratory plows will offer even
more labor saving options.  These plows eliminate
the hand labor of having to lay the pipe and
backfilling on numerous jobs.  Even though vibratory
plows have taken their market share and are great
for pulling pipe, trenchers are still very important
for many different types of applications.

The impressive company Bobcat offers three different
trenching attachments that are designed for use on
the smaller skid steer loaders.  The attachment
models LT102, LT203, and LT304 all have digging
depths from 2 - 4 feet.

Mini trenchers
The mini trenchers have been re-designed and
finely tuned from the same concept that made standard
trenchers so popular.  As the name suggests, they
are lightweight, with the largest models weighing
less than 400 pounds.  They are also compact,
allowing you to put them in the back of an average
pickup truck.

They will also dig a trench around 4 inches wide,
and up to 13 inches deep, neatly laying the soil
on side of the trench.  Without any trouble at
all, you can cover pipe with the backfill, leaving
a barely visible seam in the soil.

With time being money, these types of mini trenchers
are the answer when working in tight or small areas,
or on jobs that have a lot of trees or shrubbery.
Mini trenchers have a turning radius of less than
two feet and they will easily fit through most
garden gates.  Jobs that would normally need a lot
of manual labor will now save you a lot of time
and man power.

If you do construction or excavation work, even
gardening, you’ll find trenching and plowing
equipment to be essential to your work.  If you’ve
never used these types of equipment before,
you’ll be amazed at just how much time you can
save.

If you are just starting up your business, you’ll
find this type of equipment to be just what you
need.  You won’t need a lot of labor with a trencher,
as you can do most of it yourself.  For saving
time, money, and effort, trenching and plowing
equipment is the way to go.

Digging trenches is one of the oldest types of work
with both construction and excavating.  Prior to World
War 2, trenches were dug by hand.  As workers dug the
trenches deeper, the sides needed to be shored or
supported, to keep the walls of the trench from caving
in.

Following the World War, several innovations were made
in backhoes, and trench digging seemed to fade away
as a profession.  By 1950, hydraulically actuated
backhoes were developed, which make it possible to
rapidly dig very deep trenches.  Resulting from the
innovations with backhoes, and because there were no
workers inside digging the trenches, the walls no
longer needed to be shored.

All types of trenches have what’s known as a stand up
time.  This time is the amount of time that elapses
from the time the ditch is dug until the time the
trench walls start to collapse.  The stand up time
is dependant on many factors, which include the type
of soil, water content, trench depth, weather
conditions, and whether or not the soil has been
disturbed.

The stand up time can be as short as zero seconds
or as long as several months, as they are very
difficult to predict.  Before the trench can be dug,
someone must take soil samples as way of estimating
the stand up time.  Keep in mind that the soil
conditions can be dramatically different only a
few feet from where the sample of the soil was taken.

After the trench has been dug, workers will go down
into the trench, and perform whatever work is
needed, such as laying pipe or installing telephone
lines, welding pipe, or installing valves.  If the
trench walls aren’t supported, there is the possibility
of the walls collapsing and trapping the workers in
the trench.  Throughout history, there have been
100 - 300 people killed in the U.S. each year
due to trenches collapsing.

The public has become very aware that industrial
progress will often have negative side effects as
well.  The place of engineers protecting the
public from these types of side effects is a very
controversial issue.  The use of trench boxes on
the site, will help to ease this debate.

The trench box, also called a trench shield, may
be placed in the trench to prevent failures from
injuring workers. The trench box consists of two
large plates, normally made from steel, which are
parallel to the walls of the trench, and horizontal
cross members which will hold the two plates
apart.

The lower edge of the trench box rests at the
bottom of the trench, with the top edge of the
box extending above the top of the trench.  The
workers will stay between the plates of the trench
box, so that if the trench does collapse, the dirt
will be stopped by the outside of the trench box.
As the work progresses, the trench box is pulled
along in the trench with a backhoe or other machine.

When a project calls for a large excavation such
as digging the foundation for a tall building, the
supporting structure for the excavated walls will
be specified in the plans.  The big problem with
not using trench boxes occurs in cities, when
water or sewer lines are being installed or
repaired.  The engineer doesn’t specify for the
trench box in the plans, but instead leaves it
up to the contractor.

Anytime you are going to be digging trenches or
working in them, you should always use common sense
and take your time.  Trenches can be very deadly,
especially if trench boxes aren’t used.  To be on
the safe side, you should always use a trench box
if you need to be in the trench.  If you don’t
need to be in the trench - do the smart thing
and let the machines do all of the work.

The skid loader is a rigid frame, engine powered
machine with lift arms that are used to attach a
wide variety of labor saving tools or attachments.
Skid loaders are normally four wheel drive with
left side drive wheels that are independent of
right side drive wheels.  With each side being
independent to the other, the wheel speed and
direction of rotation of the wheels will determine
which direction the loader turns.

Skid loaders are capable of turning in their own
tracks, which makes them very maneuverable and
valuable for jobs that require the use of compact,
agile loader.

Unlike conventional front loaders, the lift arms
lay beside the driver with the major pivot points
located behind the shoulders of the operator.  Due
to the operator being in close proximity to moving
booms and buckets, earlier models of skid loaders
weren’t as safe as conventional front loaders,
particularly during entering and exiting.

Skid loaders today have fully enclosed cabs and
other safety features that will protect the operator
from injury.  Just like other front loaders,
the skid steer can scrape material from one
location to another, carry material in a bucket,
or load material on a truck or a trailer.

Operation
A skid loader can sometimes take the place of a
large excavator by digging a hole out from the
inside.  The skid loader will first dig a ramp
that leads to the edge of the hole.  Then, the
loader will use the ramp to carry material out
of the hole.

The skid loader will then reshape the ramp by
making it steeper and longer as the excavation
gets deeper.  This method is very useful for
digging under an overhead structure where the
overhead clearance doesn’t allow for the boom of
a large excavator, such as those situations where
you are digging a basement under a house.

The bucket of most types of skid loaders can be
replaced with several specialized buckets or
attachments, many of which are powered by the
hydraulic system of the loader.

History
The first 3 wheeled front end loader was invented
by two brothers, Cyril and Louis Keller in their
machinist shop in Minnesota back in 1957.  The
Kellers built the loader to help a nearby farmer
clean turkey manure from his two story barn.  The
light and compact loader, with the rear caster
wheel, was able to turn around within the length
of itself, while performing the very same tasks as
conventional front end loaders.

Down the road, the Melroe manufacturing company
in Gwinner ND, purchased the rights to the Keller
loader in 1958 and hired the brothers to continue
their loader invention.  Resulting from the
partnership, the M-200 self propelled loader was
introduced at the end of 1958.

The loader featured two independent front drive
wheels and a rear caster wheel, a 12.9 engine and
a 750 lb lift capacity.  Two years later, they
ended up replacing the caster wheel with a rear
axle and introduced the M-400 loader, which was
the first four wheel skid steer loader in the
world.

In 1962, the Bobcat name was added to describe
the key features of the machine - touch, agile, and
quick.  The M-440 was powered by a 15.5 HP engine
and offered a 1100 lb rated operating capacity.
In the mid 1960s, the skid steer loader progressed
with the introduction of the M600 loader.

Years later, the Bobcat skid steer loader experienced
quite a few changes, including the development of
a hydrostatic drive system, enforced cab structures,
radius and vertical lift arm configurations,
deluxe instrumentation, and even heating and air
conditioning.

In addition to the rubber tire skid loaders of today,
there are now all-wheel steer loaders and even
compact track loaders. Compact track loads offer
less ground disturbance and feature better traction
and control in soft, muddy, wet, and even sandy
ground conditions.