How to dig straight trench with excavator?

[briscoetab]

Just wondering what y'all's method is for digging straight trench with an excavator is. Typically we use trenchers for digging our trenches but occasionally we use an excavator. I can run excavator pretty well (in my opinion) but never can keep ditch straight as I would like.

I've tried a few different methods but none seem better than the other. I've tried using the stakes that mark where our pipeline in running and lining up on those, tried leaving the bucket in trench or just above while moving, I've gotten the trench going straight then reaching out and making sure I'm tracking down the trench and so on.

I get a trench that is good enough to lay pipe in but just doesn't look that good. I know all that's really important is the trench is fictional and safe but it can cause a problem if it is crooked in the right spot where there is a hard weld or something.

So what are your methods or is what I said how you do it and I just suk? Oh the type of trenchs I'm talking about are from a few hundred feet to a few miles, from 3 foot deep to 10 foot or so. So marking the whole ditch with paint or something isn't very practical.

 

[ILLICEMAN]

I set a site and when I move I turn 180 with my swing.Site the site.

 

[dozerman400]

ILLICEMAN has got it, If your target is to far, make some targets closer. If there is no traffic were you are going to dig, you can walk your machine to target and use your track marks for staying straight. I would NOT use bucket in trench backing up method. If your just a little off with your last cut, you will be a lot off with next cut or two. If your digging a v-ditch, keep your center line of ditch deeper than your slopes as you dig and you can always find center.

Best of luck,

dozerman400

 

[CascadeScaper]

Best way is to swing around and pick a point down the line if there's no survey you're targeting. Once your undercarriage is pointed in the right direction, now you gotta keep the upper house square with the world as you dig a set. Easiest way to do that is to sight down the bottom of the cab under the kicker glass and line it up with the grouser bars. Point, stay square, and keep digging.

 

[briscoetab]

When I was saying lining up on our pipeline stakes I meant what y'all are saying about turning 180 degrees and picking a target. This does work pretty well but usually after a quarter mile or so it seems to be off a little and you have to start moving the trench over a little. Another problem I have with turning 180 degrees is it seems to take longer (time is money). If I am digging a shorter distance turning 180 is great but when you start talking anything over that time starts adding up. The next problem I have is many times once you move to where your going to start digging when you turn back around you are off a little and have to realign. Although I have problems with this method, this seems to be the best way I have found to dig straight but does take longer.

 

[dozerman400]

briscoetab,

I think you only need to turn 90 degrees to see your target (also a good habit to make sure no one is behind you). If your tracks are aiming towards the target and you turn back to your trench and you seem a little off line, go with it, if you keep aiming correctly towards your target your trench will straighten out in one or two cuts.

 

[briscoetab]

Well thanks for the comments everyone. Guess I'll just have to work at it some more since I've been doing most of what y'all said.

 

[580bruce]

Paint a line

 

[JCSI]

Everything I do concrete is involved, whether it be a basement foundation or trench footing it must be straight and true. The longest trench I have done was for a center pivot irrigation and the well was 900 feet away. It was sandy and the customer wanted a 24" trench so I used our PC55 and pointed the lift cylinder for the dozer blade towards the well and off I went, swinging around once every while to check where I was going.

 

[TrentNz]

line the trench up with the inside of your left track, then all you have to do is dig towards the inside of your track.

 

[plantman.uk]

run a spray paint line where your trench needs to be.Set your machine level and place the bucket so its centre is equal.Then rotate the cab 180 degrees and and check with the line behind you adjust it with the tracks, once they are both the same dig away....but keep checking as you go...result straight trench....good luck

 

[tuney443]

If you want to get REAL anal,white paint your track location.My Dad on one Federal gov't job did this,he told Mr.Federal inspector that when we're through laying the 18'' concrete storm water pipe app.300' ,that when he shined a flashlight in it,there would be a PERFECT circle coming back. Inspector said impossible.Bet was waged,gov't. lost that day.Apparently,he never met somebody who could identify the gonads on a gnat at 1,000' with his trustworthy old David White.

 

[qball]

My bottom man STILL doesn't understand the fact that my 315 cat is not a centered machine. He is going nuts trying to keep me online.

 

[muggz357]

Hi. I run backhoe digging dry utilities and we use the white baseball field chalk . We make are own setup were we take a coffee can. Stab it in the middle of can so you make some holes. Take a piece of 1 grey pipe about three feet long. Tape that to coffee can. So now just fill coffee can up with white chalk walk I straight line and gentle shake coffee can. Saves a ton in paint and is easier for me to see. Hope this helps

 

[S.R.E.]

GPS Machine controls. Or a Pipe laser, or a paint line.

 

[djambalawa]

back in the day

GPS Machine controls. Or a Pipe laser, or a paint line.

Not blowing my own trumpet.. well.. I guess I am.. but back in the day when I used to operate everyone would marvel at how straight my trenching was

But yeah I would have a line marked on the ground.. I had a chain hanging from the bottom of the excavator (mostly a Kobelco 30t) which I'd put over the line, ensure the tracks were parallel with the line and the boom... I'd also dig by layers if that makes sense.. instead of digging down near to depth straight away and then working back towards me.. but yeah that might not work for an off centre machine.. hmm is this Cat 305.5E2 I've ordered a centred machine I wonder? Looks fairly central on the brochure diagrams...