Digging compacted stoney ground

[llama]

I'm levelling the gradient in my garden. To do this I need to do some fairly serious digging, 24" at the deepest. The ground is compacted and very stoney. I found that the only way to get at it was with a pick axe and some aggression. Obviously after a weekend of this I'm knackered and thinking of less strenuous methods.

What I need is an easier way of breaking up the compacted earth. Shovelling it once its broken up is easy but the intial pick axeing is very tiring indeed. A mini digger would be ideal but access rules it out.

It crossed my mind that a concrete breaker with a chisel might be suitable for the task. Does anyone have any thoughts on this or have any other suitable suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Thermo]

two options i normally use

A mattock, its a similar to a pick axe, but it has a different shaped head to a pick. A pick is really used for breaking through concrete etc, so if youve been using that all day no wonder youre knackered. A mattock is easy to use and you dont need to keep swinging it around like a maruading viking!

Secondly you could use a kango with a clay spade on it.

The best method is to dig a trench across the width of what youre digging down to the level you want. Then you have a free edge to break the gound into. Makes life a lot easier.

What sort of access have you got?

 

[WabbitPoo]

or pay someone else to do it.

 

[noseall]

a strong navvies type fork is pretty handy on tough ground too.

 

[Thermo]

good point, but where the hell can you get a decent one these days. Ive lost count of the number that have bent or the prongs have actually snapped off on!

 

[Ghandalf]

Llama...why not hire a medium sized rotovator. This should be able to break up the soil even if it is compacted. What you might need to do is water the area the night before (difficult if you have a hosepipe ban I know) and that should make it a whole bunch easier.
Most good hire centres have them.

 

[Seedling]

I have a very similar situation in my gardenn
The ground is as hard as hell.
But I have found a very simple answer to the problem which makes the job extremely easy and pain free.






The only labour intensive part is . . . .














. . . I have to make her a cup of tea every now and then.

 

[llama]

Thank you to all for your replies, in particular Thermo and Ghandalf.

Since posting I have managed to borrow a rotorvator. However, this has done no more than 'tickle' the surface. Although I must admit I didn't water the ground as suggested.

I think I will opt for the second method suggested by Thermo, a Kango with a clay spade attached.

Once again, thanks.

 

[Thermo]

make sure you work a trench across the area first to get your level, otherwise youre wasting time and effort

 

[WabbitPoo]

Thank you to all for your replies, in particular Thermo and Ghandalf.

Since posting I have managed to borrow a rotorvator. However, this has done no more than 'tickle' the surface. Although I must admit I didn't water the ground as suggested.

I think I will opt for the second method suggested by Thermo, a Kango with a clay spade attached.

Once again, thanks.

you proably got a cultivator, then. Thats not the same thing. One is designed to turn over previously-dug soil; the other for diving into uncultivated soil. The big one is a hefty beast and would need to be delivered to you, but boy oh boy does it do a job.

 

[Thermo]

they are well worth renting out, But if you are patient a decent cultivator will do the job, once its broken through the soil.

 

[bludger]

Hi Thermo,

You can get 'contractors' forks at almost any builders merchants. Some are extremely heavy and tiring to use in themselves but they are certainly strong.