The Easy Way Out : Digging Into Projects Goes Better With the Right Tools

As a teenager 20 years ago, Bob Avery of Fullerton went to his grandfather’s home on an unusually warm February day to install an underground sprinkler system.

“It was just me and a shovel, and I dug and dug and dug those trenches until my arms and legs almost fell off.”

He was able to install the system without leaks, and the experience led him to his current career as a general contractor.

“I figure that if I’m going to break a sweat digging a hole, I’m getting the equipment to do all the work.”

There are thousands of homeowners who get the bright idea one Saturday morning to start putting up a new fence, create new landscaping by building a few hills or plant a few large fruit trees in the backyard.

They grab the shovel out of the garage, spend an hour or two wrenching through the hard, clay-laden soil of Southern California and then spend the next day or two recovering.

Digging is probably the toughest, most physical activity a homeowner can do in the yard. However, a digging project can be made easier with the right tools.

“Anyone who’s spent a little time on the business end of a manual posthole digger realizes there’s got to be a better way,” says Pete Gorman of Rancho Lumber in Westminster. “After digging a few holes, you’re ready to cry uncle.”

Fortunately, help is probably around the block, courtesy of your local rental yard. Though contractors are the most frequent users of power digging and earthmoving equipment, the homeowner is free to rent them as well.

Equipment that can’t be carried home can usually be delivered at a nominal cost.

“It’s all relatively easy to use,” says Rob Shipley of F&B; Rentals in Santa Ana. “You just need to be willing to practice a little.”

“Practice” is the operative word here.

Most rental yards will make sure you know how to operate the equipment before you take it home, but you still should cut a hole in an inconspicuous spot before trying to drill down the middle of the yard to plant that avocado tree.

But beware: Though you might harbor the fantasy that below your Bermuda turf is buried treasure, in all likelihood what’s under your yard are buried hazards.

Gas, water, cable lines and other utilities can be hidden under your property, just waiting for you and a hungry jackhammer to break on through.

“Any time you attack your yard with digging equipment, you risk hitting a buried utility line,” says Ron Olitsky, president of Underground Service Alert, a nonprofit organization that notifies utilities when and where a digging project will begin to allow them time to mark their lines aboveground.

“This is especially true on older properties,” Olitsky says. “A house that’s 45 years old may have had gas lines going 4 feet deep when it was built. However, after years of re-landscaping, erosion and grading, those lines may only be 4 inches down in some places.”

Homeowners are advised to call USA ([800] 227-2600) at least two working days before a digging project begins.

The utility workers will mark out the location of their lines with paint or small flags on the surface of the ground.

“Just for the peace of mind, it’s worth it to make a phone call and find out,” Olitsky says. “Digging can create a big mess, and you don’t want an even bigger one on your hands after breaking a utility line.”

Once you have clearance, you’re ready to dig.

One tip, though, from the pros: soak.

Let water saturate the area you’ll be digging for at least a week, then wait a couple of days before starting. You want to be digging into soil that’s moist, but not muddy.

If you want to let that old shovel rust away in the garage, here are some of the more common digging equipment you can rent to take on that big landscaping project:

* Bobcats and backhoes. These are the heavy-duty haulers, the biggest pieces of equipment you can get without your own construction company. Backhoes can dig a hole to Hades, and Bobcats are like small bulldozers, capable of pushing dirt from one side of the yard to the other.

The only catch is that most backyard gates aren’t wide enough to get them in, so their use is generally limited to the frontyard. Expect to pay around $150 per day for a Bobcat and $220 for a backhoe. Also, for the kind of digging these monsters can do, you may need an excavation permit from the city.

If you have a big digging and earthmoving project scheduled for the backyard, you may need to hit the shovel. However, use a jackhammer to break down the soil first before shoveling it into a wheelbarrow.

* Jackhammers. A basic, 35-pound jackhammer with a spade attachment works like a power shovel. On hilly or contoured properties where a trencher can’t go, the jackhammer can pound through hard-packed dirt and leave soft soil in its wake. About $50 per day.

* Posthole diggers. Basically a small engine connected to an auger, this tool can dig out the holes you need for a fence or a large tree in just minutes. Two people are needed to make it work as they balance it over the hole. It’s not as effective in rocky soil. About $60 per day.

* Rototillers. These chop up the ground to allow you to replace turf or prepare it for seeding. They have tines that drop down 4 to 8 inches deep. The front-tine tillers are smaller and less expensive to rent and are fine for small jobs. Bigger projects require a rear-tine tiller, which is more stable in hard or rocky terrain and gets deeper into the soil. From $50 to $70 per day.

* Stump grinders. Stump grinders eliminate the need for a digging tool. Instead of having to dig a tree stump out of the ground, the grinder pulverizes it into sawdust. Most rent for around $100 for three hours or $150 per day.

* Trenchers. These are used to carve out space for a sprinkler system or conduit. You can generally go down 2 feet with a trencher. There are blades for soft or rocky soil, so be sure you know what type you’ll need before renting. About $110 per day.

If you’re a newcomer to the world of digging equipment, don’t be shy about asking questions.

“That’s what we’re here for,” F&B; Rentals’ Shipley says. “We can point you to the right tool and save you lots of time and backaches.”

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Color Coded

Here are the colors used to mark underground facilities:

Red: ELECTRIC

Orange: COMMUNICATIONS/CABLE TV

Green: SEWER

Pink (Salmon): TEMPORARY SURVEY MARKING

Yellow: GAS/OIL/STEAM

Blue: WATER

Purple: RECLAIMED WATER

White: PROPOSED EXCAVATION