Backhoe / digger for garden? Poor drainage, messy garden, limited access

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Hi

I have moved and now have an unloved 120ft garden, poor clay soil and drainage issues. When it's hot, the soil starts cracking, its not overgrown as such probably because the compacted clay soil has made it difficult for anything to take. I know it needs a lot of time and work, and that they can be money pits.

The main problem is we have limited access as in there is just a regular side entry.

I don't mind investing in some gear and plodding away at it, and perhaps selling at the end of it - I would like at some point to dig some footings for an end of garden outbuilding although this may be years down the line and I may loose interest!

I would firstly want to sort out the drainage issues and get some french drains in. This I know is pretty back breaking work.

I was looking round and see there are some smaller backhoes that could be assembled in the garden. I see Trenchers are available which can dig down 600mm which is an option and also available to hire, then it would be investing in a tiler / cultivator to turn the soil over.

Are there any suggestions on tools and equipment which would be helpful for such work, which could get down a side entry?

Thanks
 
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Have you thought about not fighting the poor soil and building some beds up?

This way it's easy to get very good soil with minimal effort, because you can just buy it.
.
 
I have clay soil, added loads of well rotted horse manure, rotovated and then add 2 tonne of top soil.
 
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Hire a mini digger....wait until the soil has dried out.

Small diggers have tracks that can slide inwards so will go through a doorway.

It would do all the work you need in a few days.

If you need to remove much soil, then you might need a skip loading tracked dumper too.
 
Sorry I forgot a key point - bungalow is built on a slope, and the garden is approx 2.5-3m drop from the front so there are a few steps down the side entry... which makes taking a 750kg digger up and down impossible... No neighbout access either - they all must have had the same issues but have spent decades - and gardeners! getting their gardens up to scratch

Given this, I guess the idea of building beds up, manure and rotovating is the only way to go - Although I am thinking a few french drains and a trencher wouldn't go amiss to get water to the end of the garden (there is a slope)
 
Have a look at tenthacrefarm.com, they have an article on “how to improve clay soils”.
 
Have a look at tenthacrefarm.com, they have an article on “how to improve clay soils”.
Thanks. I've got a feeling this is going to take a long time to work on given the size of gardening! If anyone does come across a backhoe (new) which can be assembled after delivery - please let me know. I've checked a few and it seems there are just a few bits to put together, they come pretty much made up.

Another option mentioned would be hiring a crane to drop a digger over the bungalow, but 750kg-1ton for a backhoe, from sloped driveway, over a 60ft bungalow, down 3m from the front height I think would be eye-wateringly expensive
 
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Thinking laterally, and not to everyone's taste, but eucalyptus trees are great for preventing clay soil becoming boggy in wet weather. Downside is they grow immensely quickly (which is why they take up so much water when the ground is wet) and need chopping back every year (sometimes twice). I know this benefit and downside from personal experience!

Petrol rotovators make surprisingly light work of even hard clay. Heavier rotovator is better for this sort of task, a lightweight one will bounce around on the surface.

Clay soil improver from the garden centres is basically just gypsum in a sack, but despite the similarity in composition don't be tempted to use plaster dust or smash up old plasterboard - there's other chemicals in the plaster that are not conducive to healthy soil and plants.
 
Thanks all, I'll be doing it in sections over time. With a trencher I will put in drainage and invest in a decent rotovator to work on the garden over time as we set the garden up as we want. Thanks all
 
Have a look at the JCB Micro digger, small enough to fit through a doorway and more than able to do what you require
 

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