Digging footings

[75pete]

I need to dig out the footings at the back of our house for a small extension, less then 3x3mtr. It is to be single story in either block or brick.
As we can not get a small digger into the back garden, and the ground is clay, i was thinking of ways to make the digging less hard work and came up with the idea of hiring a post hole arguer. I will need to go down 1mtr so at 57 i`m passed all the hard digging by hand. Has anyone any other ideas to make life easy.
Thanks
Pete

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

 

[75pete]

Now thats an idea. How many sticks needed.

 

[Thermo]

kango with a clay spade

 

[ColJack]

is there a direct route from the front of the house to the back?
do you have several tarpaulins, some planks or need new hallway carpets?

you can get a minidigger that is small enough to drive through a standard width doorway so if it's a straight shot ( or with a suitable sized room for turning ) you can get it through the house..

 

[Chukka63]

do you think a digger that light would move clay though???.im with the kango with a spade end myself.

 

[jeds]

In my neck of the woods it's cheaper to hire two lads to hand dig the average extension than it is hire a digger. They also barrow the muck out as well - which a machine won't do. And it gives a couple of lads a days work.

Check yell.com, local free papers and local tool hire shops where cards are often left.

 

[noseall]

A micro digger will pull out clay but you must not get greedy. You need to be on the ball with the digger to be successful as it does not have the weight or power to correct the trench should it drift off line or out of true (upright).

There is no comparison regards labour. Even a micro digger is better value than hired hands. But it needs to be driven by someone who knows what they are doing.

There is nothing more demoralising than digging in clay.........except digging in clay - in the rain! The sides fall in, you slip about, the spoil weighs a ton, horrid.

Let a little diesel engine and some simple hydraulics do the work.

 

[75pete]

Thanks for the information and ideas. I did not think that a micro digger would go through a door way. I did`nt know of a kango + clay spade. Thats two good possibles, i could get a micro through the garage and out the back. Will have a look on-line for the clay spade and the digger information. Thanks for these ideas.
pete

 

[Thermo]

A micro digger will pull out clay but you must not get greedy. You need to be on the ball with the digger to be successful as it does not have the weight or power to correct the trench should it drift off line or out of true (upright).

There is no comparison regards labour. Even a micro digger is better value than hired hands. But it needs to be driven by someone who knows what they are doing.

There is nothing more demoralising than digging in clay.........except digging in clay - in the rain! The sides fall in, you slip about, the spoil weighs a ton, horrid.

Let a little diesel engine and some simple hydraulics do the work.

ah clay, great when its wet, its a bastard to dig.

ah clay great when its dry, its a bastard to dig.


still try pure chalk, now that really is hard bloody work!

 

[Racer]

Well 75Pete, you have made the right choice in finding another way of digging the footings, rather than you doing it by hand, I have done this a few times and a bigger area than you need and as has been said, digging clay in the dry is horrible and digging clay when its raining is even wurse!!! but also getting someone in on a mini digger who doesn't know what they are doing can be an absalute nightmare!! been there done all that. Get a digger in but make sure its someone who knows whats what!!!

 

[75pete]

Thanks, i think i will get someone in, i was just interested in asking for other ways to dig if i could not get a machine into the back garden. So it looks like my own idea of a post hole arguer did not get any votes.

 

[Chukka63]

unless youre erecting a few posts

 

[Thermo]

wouldnt even use one then, unless its in totally virgin soil. if they hit a root or brick they rip your arm off!

 

[75pete]

Well thats it, no, no to the post arguer.
thanks,
pete