Turn some gophers loose?

Do you literally only need to excavate one ton of dirt or are you going down? If you wanna spray it you're gonna need some room.. What's your point of entry, a coal chute sized door from outside or trapdoor in the floor inside? What kind of substrate are you dealing with... clay, shale, etc?

If you can get in from outside and dig a small 'cave' you might be able to run a rototiller horizontally and suck it out. Dunno, more info?

 

I have a 18"x18" door on thw out side. I have 3' at the beginning and tapers up to the floor. I just need a 2x2 or 2x3 trench around the exterior wall. My idea was lay an electric rototiller down and push it in to the slope but its winter here. Cant find one new.

Soil is clay but not super hard. I tried to dig with a small trench shovel but digging on your stomach or back doesnt work well. I actually used a claw hammer and it worked pretty good. Just took for ever.

 

My votes turn a couple gophers loose too lol

 

Any way you do it it is going to be some real work to get it done.

If anything a small folding shovel might work the best, try the surplus store on west North Ave if it is still there. If they have the folding shovels I would get a couple of them just in case you break one. If it is fairly dense like clay is a electric demo hammer from Home Depot or a rental shop might work. Also while you are down there and if it hasn't been done before if you know, get a radon test kit. A lot of the older homes in the Junction area have a problem with radon.

I had to dig a trench under my home for a new water line a couple of years ago and by the time that I was done digging a 3' deep trench 10' long I was ready to give up and I could sit upright in the space.

 

If it's that hard packed it sounds like you're gonna have to 'jack it... I do not envy what lies ahead :O

At least you can suck it out, no 5 gallon buckets in your future.

Hey, random dart... Any chance you can staple some plastic to the floor (upside down work but...) to limit collateral mess and just let high pressure water do the work while the Super Sucker suction line lays near ground zero?

 

go to the 7-11 and hire a few messicans for $8 per hour to do the digging for you.
then have them dig the whole crawl space down 3 foot so you can access everything down there.

 

By 'high pressure water' I mean like 4k+ psi behind a 0* nozzle, obviously not a garden hose.

Just aim low, the top crust should cave in on the lower sections you're baptising

 

I like the water blasting idea... earlier you said you couldn't find a rototiller, what about a post hole digger? Throw a shorter bit on so it's manageable and then strap on a back brace and go to town...


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The water/suck truck way is how I always see the Laborers' prep for us to go in on refractory / kiln relinings. Despite often packing like concrete that fly ash comes right out. Just don't breathe too deep when the dust flies, direct deposit arsenic.

 

I really dont want yo use water. Might be easier but what a mess. Ill see what i can come up with today. Im getting my nephew to come help.

 

temporary labor, you need some help man!
Digging in CO in winter

This is why I have step sons Gotta get 3-4 dudes on a project like this
No real easy way about it, we always used pick, heavy bar, small folding metal shovels and buckets/tarps for crawl spaces like this

 

What winter? Ive had rain for the last 2 weeks. Nothing is frozen.

Im going to pick up some digging supplys this morning.

 

Ran out of motivation and energy. Going to take a nap. Im bring back the suck truck and will try it in the spring.

 

Doing that kind of digging is what real work is about, I'm glad that when I think about doing something like that I soon forget about it.

In the meantime take a trip to rental yards and see what kind of dirt digging machines that they might have for rent or even talk to contractors or dirt moving contractors that you might know and see if they have any ideas of what could help you out.

 

Something like this? http://m.homedepot.com/p/Hilti-TE-S...735xISJABlvGOvnI2rtiH9wcWQWJteAzN_owOImS9HW7Kq-ZkaGtFuUhoCFJrw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

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Sounds like jackhammer or rotohammer and a spade digging bit.

 

The hard way....

 

Sometimes the hard way is the only way.

That is unless you hire it out and then you can just sit back and drink coffee or your favorite adult beverage until it comes time to sign the check.

 

Give the 'ol lady a garden trowel and a line of Peruvian marching powder before you tap her on the ass and say GO.

 

Old 955 cat track loader straight pipe,turbo the size of a tire, in n out all day blowin smoke up through the floor joists. Haha. Memories of the one my step dad had in the gravel bank.

 

977 is bigger and will get it done faster.

 

Dayyummmm, blast from the past. Got a 1950s Traxcavator sitting disabled in the boneyard, the clutch to engage the pony motor to the diesel motor is too far gone to spin it when you lock it into compression selection. No clutch/brake lining place I've asked (and I've asked a lot) can or will do it when I give them rough measurements and explain how the rivet holes kinda 'oblonged' themselves.

Talk about a strong digging machine tho. I've never seen hydraulic lines erupt with so much force and volume of fluid as that prick would let loose with.

 

Lol

 

well I would say either a flat blade on an electric jack hammer, 6 mexicans, or score a grid on it with someone elses skilsaw or beam saw

 

i dug out a waste line trench under a house with the back of a 16oz claw hammer lol, maybe 40ft or so

 

Andy Duphrane could probably give ya a few pointers. The man dug through a stone wall with a six inch rock hammer for cryin out loud.

 

Yeah, but over how many years?

 

My vote is on hiring Mexicans. I was going to suggest hiring local kids to help out. But after a little thought I figured that would be a waste of time! As kids now a days dont know what work is!