Kubota U17 Mini-Excavator in Tight Spot

We use a mini excavator to dig out 40+ feet of concrete drain tile and replace it with 12'' corrugated composite drain tile in an area only 93'' in width. There is no way the project should've been tackled with a shovel and there's no way a normal backhoe would fit the area. This is one specific area where the little U17 Kubota shines in its abilities. First off, the main frame when rotated will not exceed the outer dimensions of the tracks, so it the tracks fit into the tight spot, 360* rotation is possible. By the way the tracks also hydraulically telescope out even wider to give more stability on steeper terrain. Secondly, the hoe itself can turn side to side like a back hoe on a tractor...not having to rely on rotation to dig from an angle.
My son is an operator by trade and was working in his element with the little machine. If it was me in the saddle, both sheds would be filled with fresh dents and the job most definitely wouldn't have gotten done in such a short time. You'll notice at some point he is dumping the diggings into the bucket of the B3030...expertly shuttled by my son in law...because we ran out of space to deposit the material. Thankfully the SIL had scrap siding from a recent project. That allowed me to lean them against the shed to eliminate damage to the siding while piling the diggings from the tin to the edge of the trench.
These concrete pieces of drain tile worked reasonably well with the tarred metal joints attached with lead nails, but there was enough seepage during a sustained rain to cause moisture to seep out of the surrounding area as it went downhill to keep a portion of the lean-to damp for a few days. That was not acceptable. The bad thing is, I KNEW the project should have included new corrugated drain tile when we built the new shed. Another case of doing it cheaply ended up costing more in the long run. No matter...it almost worked. LOL
It was pleasing to find nothing but a small amount of silt in the bottom of the existing tile after the five years it had been buried. You may have seen the ends of the concrete sections seemingly plugged with dirt, but that was only the result of my son's repeated grading of the ditch, dragging material forward with the bucket to leave a clean ditch for the new pipe.
In the end, all's well that ends well and I'd like to note that the new pipe is doing its job in exemplary fashion...the lean-to remains dry even in the heaviest of downpours.
It sure was a tight spot for the little rig though.......and hell on an old guy climbing in and out of the ditch. Jus' sayin'.....
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