Pto-Powered Trencher Uses Old Car Rear End

Pto-Powered Trencher Uses Old Car Rear End POWER TAKE OFFS (PTO'S) Power Take Offs (PTO's) 24-5-19 When Del Bergeron decided to install an underground sprinkler in his yard, he needed a ditcher to lay the pipe. He hit on a single do-it-yourself design using a 4-speed transmission off an old pickup and an automotive rear end. "It makes a neat trench that's 8 in. deep and about 1 1/2 in. wide," says Bergeron, who pulls the trencher with his small Kubota tractor equipped with creeper gears. He used 4-in. channel iron to build a frame to support the rear end and transmission. He welded one side of the axle in place so only the other side can turn. A homemade, 18-in. dia. steel wheel bolts to the wheel rim. The pto shaft drives the transmission, which in turn drives the rear end, rotating the wheel, which digs the trench as the tractor moves slowly forward. A pair of rubber wheels on back regulate digging depth. "It isn't fancy but it works," says Bergeron. "The Kubota tractor goes so slow I can get off the tractor and clean up the trench on-the-go. The transmission's original gearshift lever is still in place so I can shift gears on it if I need to. However, most of the time I just keep the transmission in first gear. "The transmission is off an IH pickup and the pto shaft is off an IH baler. To make the digging wheel, I welded a curved steel ring onto a series of flat steel plates that are welded to a wheel hub. I welded 1 1/4-in. wide lengths of angle iron at intervals onto the ring to make digging lugs. A large steel weight on back of the rig helps keep the wheel down in the ground." For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Del Bergeron, Box 156, Assiniboia, Sask., Canada S0H 0B0 (ph 306 642-3291).

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