In putting up a guyed 45G in a location that's really not very
accessible to trucks, backhoes, etc. I was faced with the prospect of
digging 4 fairly big holes by hand. While driving by a rental place I
saw a machine that ultimately worked out well for the job....plus, it
was able to dig a 6" trench for my conduit back to the house.
The machine is called a "Dingo 222" and is made by Toro. It is about 3
feet wide, 4 feet long, has hydraulics, 4 wheel drive, and weighs about
1600 lbs. and is driven like a tank (with levers). A variety of
attachments can be fitted on the machine depending on the job. One man
can operate this thing and changing the attachments is pretty much a
snap.
I rented the machine with a 30" auger, and a 6" trenching attachment and
was able to complete my job in about 3 hours (base for the tower, three
guy anchor holes, and 150' trench). The auger was able to easily dig a
30" hole about 4 feet deep, and the trencher performed just as well.
The great thing about this machine is that it will go practically
anywhere...I had little problem driving it through the woods behind my
house and up moderate inclines. Cost for a day's rental (9 hours) was
about $200...
--
Rush Johnson -- W4QA (ex NR4M , WD4AEI)
100 Horseman Cove
Matthews, NC 28105-7760
Tel: 704.814.0487
--
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