Upgrades and Safety Innovations to Heavy Construction Equipment

Tips When Using a Trencher

10 February 2016

Veronica Leon

A trencher is a type of heavy equipment that you can use to dig holes for pipe laying. This means that you are taking on a renovation project at your home that requires new pipes to be laid, you can use a trencher to make the process of digging the hole simplified. Before you begin trying to dig a deep hole using a trencher, here are a few important tips that will help the process grow a little more smoothly.

Prepping

Before you simply begin digging with a trencher, it is important that you make sure the heavy equipment is properly prepped. This means that you need to make sure that the fuel switch is in the on position and that you lower the throttle a small amount after you insert and turn the key. You should be sure that you move it to neutral when you begin. It is also a good idea to check to be sure that the hydraulic pump is off before you begin digging. The wheels on the trencher need to be locked before you begin digging to ensure that the equipment is stable the entire time. When you are ready to move the trencher forward, you can then hit the gas, which will turn on the hydraulic pump and allow the trencher to move forward.

Lever

Once you have the trencher into a position where you are ready to begin digging, you will need to move the leer that activates the auger. This lever will control the auger and allow it to spin. The bar needs to be lowered into the earth to allow the dirt to be dug. Once it is lowered, you will notice that the trencher is digging at a pretty rapid rate. The more depth that you need to dig will determine how long it will take you to dig a hole using a trencher. The dirt that is being dug will be moved off to the side with the auger. Just be sure that there is nothing in front of the trencher that can be damaged because it is possible that dirt and rocks will be thrown in a forward motion.

Backward

When the bar in in the earth and digging, you will need to move the trencher in a backward motion to trench in reverse. This is the typical way that you operate a trencher moving backward to cover the entire span of the hole that you want to dig.

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About Me

As a manager of a construction site, you have a lot of liability as well as a responsibility to your employees, and it's critical to take those matters seriously. Hi, my name is Marc, and I used to manage a construction company. A few years ago, I changed courses and starting working as a medical tech in an emergency department. Seeing a lot of injured people prompts me to think of the importance of safety, and in light of my previous experiences, I think a lot about the safety of construction work. I wanted to explore this topic through writing so I decided to start this blog. Here, I plan to focus on upgrades and innovations throughout the construction equipment industry and possibly provide a few extra safety tips as well. I hope you enjoy reading.