How to Unstick a Trencher

Trenchers use thick sets of teeth similar to a saw blade's teeth to cut deeply into soil and excavate for the purpose of digging to a set depth. Unless you know exactly what is underneath you, the trencher could get caught on any of a number of things. Rocks, tree roots and even subsurface metal junk can wreak havoc with a trencher, regardless of how powerful the engine backing it up is. Fortunately, clearing obstructions and freeing your trencher is usually a quick process, allowing you to continue digging with few problems.

Pickaxe

Instructions

- 1
  Disengage the throttle as soon as you realize that the trencher has become lodged. On walk-behind trenchers, this is usually as simple as releasing the trencher's hand grip.
- 2
  Inspect the hole for evidence of what has caused the trencher to become stuck. If the material is steel or rock, you may not be able to work through it. Tree roots may simply require you to work more slowly, allowing the blades of the trencher to work through the root a little at a time.
- 3
  Back the trencher off of the obstruction using the unit's forward gear. At the same time, engage the reverse blade function if the trencher is so fitted. Walk-behind trenchers may not have this option. In these cases, simply work the blade back the direction from which it came.
- 4
  Engage the hydraulic lift to raise the blade out of the hole, and inspect the point where the blade became stuck. Strike the obstruction with a pickaxe if it is a rock to break it up and remove it from the trench. If the obstruction appears to be heavy-gauge buried steel, it will have to be dug up and removed from the surrounding ground before you can proceed.

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