Tools for Digging Ditches

Hand Trencher

• The hand trencher, more commonly known as a shovel, is the most basic ditch-digging tool. It comes in many different varieties including a spade, a hoe and a trenching tool. The trenching tool shovel has a longer handle and a narrow head. It allows you to stand straighter while digging a ditch, thus saving you some back pain. Special trenching hoes will let you break the dirt up and then pull up that same dirt as you drag the hoe back.

Walk-Behind Trencher

• Walk-behind trenchers feature a chain-saw-like appendage that breaks the ground and a second appendage that then scoops up the dirt and moves it. Walk-behind trenchers are typically attached to a motorized chassis with either wheels or linked tracks. Some walk-behind trenchers have handle-bars like a lawn mower, while others come with an electronic control system

Wire Trencher

• A wire trencher is a special walk-behind machine used in the installation of underground wires and cables. It has an attachment on which you place a spool of wire or cable. The trencher then digs the trench, lays the wire and back-fills the ditch.

Bed Edger Trencher

• A bed-edger trencher, or landscape trencher, is another type of walk-behind trencher. It can create raised beds of soil for landscaping purposes. It cuts the soil, pulverizes it and then creates an edge. It is usually smaller than standard walk-behind trenchers, since it is designed for tight edges and smaller spaces.

Ride-On Trencher

• A ride-on trencher is a professional tool construction workers use to dig large ditches. They are often used for working on roads, clearing debris and construction site-work. They are large machines with hydraulic or motorized tools in the front and back. One side is used to cut into the ground and the other to scoop out the dirt. Most ride-on trenchers are heavy machines with large, tractor-style wheels. The rider sits in a cab and operates both tools from the middle.