How would you create this?
Take a cleanup bucket and weld a rolled piece of steel or a cut off section of pipe to the bottom, sticking out past the front of the cutting edge a few inches, with a plate closing off the gap at an angle so material rolls up into the bucket? Get the trench close with a digging bucket then finish grade it with the special. Sharpen the front edge of course with a grinder. Are you bedding in native or fill? Seems like a lot of nonsense, bloody engineers.
Don't know what the dirt is like in your area but around here that idea would never work. Small rocks getting caught in front or along side the pipe would blow the sides out of that ditch all the time. Sounds like a engineer drew up something that looks good on paper and then leaves it up to the contractor to make it work.
Wow, I'm shocked..... LOL
That would work great if i had a quick attach. As for whining about the engineer--I'm as much to blame as I agreed to do the work!
I don't do that kind of work. Can you dig straight enough that the pipe would actually be supported uniformly in a groove like that? What about using something added to the bucket to dig out part of the groove, then a long section of pipe with some cutters as a "pipe plane", tow it back and forth to dig/straighten the groove?
Ugh... I could see backfilling and compacting the bottom to that shape and to a grade using a laser....maybe. But unless compacted, will crush down un-evenlly after in use (and completely covered and every one gone home...)
Same idea, but don't weld it on, couple hooks that go over the bucket cutting edge, something on the back end where you use a chain and a ratchet binder to hold it on?
Well I am a civil engineer, albeit retired, & that trench detail is ridiculous. It can never be achieved in the real world. Much better to over dig the trench to at least 6" to 12" below the pipe, & backfill with crushed stone to the pipe bottom, then lay & bed the pipe to grade with the crushed stone, then backfill at least to the springline of the pipe (halfway up) with more crushed stone. The crushed stone is fairly self-compacting, & will provide the req'd side support for the flexible pipe barrel. Better still to continue to backfill with crushed stone to at least 6" over the pipe. We specified that type of trench detail for years with great success for sewer, water & storm utilities.
How much line do you have to do this to? If it's not a lot of line could you get a of steel pipe like lantraxco said and just pull it through the bottom of the trench then clean it up with a shovel?
About 2600'