Whether you have owned a Kwik-Trench for years or you’re renting one for the first time, there are a few dos and don’ts that are important to know beyond the guidelines for basic operation. From safety precautions to backfilling advice, we put together a list of tips to keep in mind for your next project.
1. Do Select the Right Trencher for the Job
If you’re wondering how to choose the right trencher, you’re not alone. With so many options available, it’s helpful to narrow down your search using important criteria such as the size of the project, the soil type and how deep and wide you’ll be trenching.
Mini trenchers like the Kwik-Trench can cut up to 30 feet per minute and dig up to 12 inches deep, making them an excellent choice for the shallow trenching needs of rental stores, landscape contractors, golf courses and more. The Kwik-Trench not only has a compact size that can get to places larger trenchers can’t, its pneumatic tires also help to preserve your lawn. With the ability to easily saw through a variety of tough materials like compacted clay, road fill, asphalt and tree roots up to 10 inches thick, the Kwik-Trench is a great choice for almost any landscape project.
2. Don’t Forget to Call Before you Dig
Making sure to call 811 at least three business days before starting your project is a crucial step when it comes to safety and preventing damage to underground utilities. This free service, available in the United States and Canada, sends professionals to your property to mark the location of underground utility lines including water, power and gas so you can know where to dig and what to avoid.
3. Do Plan Your Path
Another helpful tip is to use marking paint to map the path for your trench after the utilities are marked. This is an easy way to save time and be sure you stay on track. Complete a visual assessment to understand the soil you will be digging through and to check for any obstacles, such as tree roots, that you might encounter along the way. When preparing to trench along a straight path, lock the rear swivel wheel of the Kwik-Trench into position to easily guide the trencher straight ahead.
4. Do Use a Proper Method for Backfilling
Properly backfilling a trench will prevent sinking and settling later. A Kwik-Trench simplifies the backfill process by creating narrower trenches and depositing the soil neatly on one side of the trench. This allows you to backfill 50% faster than models that deposit soil on both sides. Backfill 4 to 6 inches at a time, making sure the soil is level and free of debris. This will prevent the occurrence of cupping as the dirt settles.
5. Do Stop and Troubleshoot if Your Machine isn’t Working
If you notice your Kwik-Trench isn’t working properly, make sure to stop and check out the Kwik-Trench FAQ page to troubleshoot. For example, if the cutter wheel quits turning when you push forward, that usually means the clutch mechanism or drive belts are slipping. In very hard clay soils, you can prevent this problem by pushing slowly and letting the machine cut at a slower rate. If your machine binds when you try to raise or lower it, cleaning the guide tubes and lubricating with a graphite or silicon spray should do the trick. For Kwik-Trench owners, staying on top of routine maintenance is a good bet to ensure optimal performance.
At Little Beaver, we’re committed to your success no matter the size of your project. If you have additional questions regarding your Kwik-Trench, don’t hesitate to contact us or check out our FAQs.
When homeowners make a plan for a curb appeal upgrade, there is often a lot of discussion about what is necessary and which ideas are practical. Having the proper tools for any home improvement project is crucial for its success. Since curb appeal is so important for home value, homeowners want to be sure they can do it right the first time. Here are a few tips (and tools) that ensure greater accuracy and make the whole project easier.
Why Every Home Needs Curb Appeal
Although some homeowners do not think about curb appeal until they want to sell a home, many choose to maintain or improve their exterior systematically over time.
The view of the home in relation to other homes in the neighborhood is what makes up what is called, “curb appeal.” Why does one home look better than others on the block? Curb appeal is a vital part of the home’s overall value. Even if homeowners have just moved in and do not plan to sell for many years, preserving home value should always be on their minds. They may need it if they want to refinance their mortgages, get a home equity loan for other improvements, or sell the home unexpectedly.
Here are two high-impact improvements to consider when looking to boost a home’s curb appeal:
Highlighting With Landscape & Outdoor Recreational Lighting
There are many things that homeowners can do for their properties to accentuate the wonderful aspects that are already there. Lighting is a good example. Landscape lighting is an excellent way to make the perfect look for the property at night. Lighting can also be used for outdoor recreational lighting to entertain guests or simply enjoy a change of scenery at night.
Of course, installing lighting outside often involves digging the electrical lines for the lighting. Doing this by hand, homeowners could spend hours putting strain on their backs digging down 6 to 12 inches so that they can install their sidewalk lighting. Alternatively, they could use a Little Beaver Kwik-Trench mini-trencher to save their backs and a great deal of time. The Kwik-Trench allows homeowners to:
set the perfect depth for the trench
move at a rapid pace
reach spots that a larger trencher cannot access
Installing landscape lighting should not have to be a task that takes days or weeks. With this tool, the job will be done much more quickly.
Building the Ideal Perimeter Fence
Curb appeal concerns more than just the home and garden. That is why homeowners often look for ways to create attractive fencing or barriers surrounding the edges of the property. When homeowners need to install trees, vegetation or fences, they usually need to drill or dig using an auger. The best augers make it simple for people to dig a hole through any type of soil, of any width and a variety of depths. Snap-on augers offer exactly what homeowners need, with a design that is practical for almost anyone to use.
Planning Into the Future
Homeowners may be surprised with just how many projects they can accomplish with the right tools. Homeowners who used a trencher to install lighting might decide to call on it again to build a new garden, or change up their landscaping design. An auger with removable blades is a useful implement to keep on hand for landscape maintenance and other digging projects.
Building curb appeal for a home is less a single task than it is a state of mind. Taking advantage of tools that simplify the work allows people to ensure their homes look great every year without wasting time or effort. When homeowners use the right tools it creates the opportunity to do much more, both inside and outside the home.
Learn how to efficiently cut clean, narrow trenches with your Kwik-Trench mini trencher. The unit’s push-forward design makes it a safe, easy-to-operate solution for installing sprinkler lines, low-voltage wiring and landscape edging.
Keeping up with routine maintenance and operation best practices can help keep projects running smoothly and prevent costly repairs and downtime. If you follow these quick and easy tips, the Kwik-Trench mini trencher is sure to provide many years of unmatched service and profits.
1. Check the engine nuts and bolts after every 25 hours of use and tighten, if necessary. Also, add sealant to bolt threads at that time to prevent leakage.
2. Change the engine oil after every 10 hours of use, according to engine manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Clean the air filter after every 10 hours of use. In dusty or dry conditions, increase cleaning frequency. In extremely dusty conditions, protect the engine by attaching a remote air filter with a pre-cleaner, which will extend the engine life.
4. Check the slip clutch facings’ thickness after every 20-25 hours of use. If it has worn to 1/16-inch thick or less, change it to maintain its 30-feet-per-minute trenching speed.
5. Grease pillow block bearings after every 100 hours of use to reduce wear and prevent corrosion.
6. Clean vertical frame posts and sleeves frequently to prevent binding. Use a silicone lubricant rather than an oil-based lubricant or grease.
7. Check for missing teeth after every use. Using the Kwik-Trench with missing teeth will increase the possibility of engine vibration. Be sure to replace the disc blade if it’s missing teeth before the next use. Prevent teeth breakage by backing off immovable objects.
8. Do not drop machine off the back of a vehicle. This may cause damage to the body and frame. Machines should always be lifted off, ramped or transported by a trailer.
An increasing number of rental centers are unearthing a demand for Kwik-Trench mini-trenchers. The Kwik-Trench Earth Saw from Little Beaver is easy to use and ideal for a variety of applications, including installing sprinkler systems, electronic dog fences, landscape edging and cables. With its safe, compact, push-forward design, Kwik-Trench has proven to be the fastest and most economical mini-trencher on the market.
Along with being fast and user-friendly, Kwik-Trench allows renters to dig in areas that are inaccessible to large trenchers. Kwik-Trench also minimizes cleanup and simplifies backfill by depositing soil neatly along the edge of the trench.
Capable of cutting up to 30 feet per minute, and digging as deep as 12 inches, Kwik-Trench can conquer many of the jobs that renters would typically use a large trencher for. Plus, it requires less maintenance than bigger trenchers, so it’s ready to re-rent faster.
With a smaller price tag and the ability to handle a wide range of trenching applications, rental centers are Kwikly discovering the value of mini-trenchers. To locate a dealer, contact sales@littlebeaver.com.
Looks matter — especially in the golf course industry. Maintenance and landscaping improvements are ongoing, but finding an equipment solution that provides maximum efficiency with minimal disruption to the green is key to maintaining that country club appearance. Little Beaver’s Kwik-Trench mini trenchers — the KT 200B and KT 2400B — are the ideal solution for boosting productivity without tearing up your greens.
Little Beaver understands that your golf course requires:
Efficiency
Save yourself from backbreaking and time-consuming work. The Kwik-Trench effortlessly cuts 30 feet of trench per minute. Powered by a 5.5-horsepower Honda engine, the KT 200B achieves 8-inch depths and its carbide-tipped teeth produce a trench from 1 to 3 inches wide. An 8-horsepower Honda engine powers the KT 2400B for cutting trenches as deep as 12 inches while its carbide tipped teeth produce a trench 1 to 4 inches wide. Both models make backfill 50 percent faster by directing soil to one side of the trench, instead of both sides.
Enhanced aesthetics
Protect your course’s beauty against soil cupping that can occur after backfilling wide trenches. The narrow trenches created by the Kwik-Trench require minimal backfill, which reduces the chance of cupping and helps ensure consistent grass growth. Designed with your turf’s appearance in mind, mini trenchers also feature pneumatic tires that virtually eliminate damage caused by tracked machine or skid-steer type trenchers.
Easy use
Its compact body and push-forward capability allow greenskeepers to maneuver easily in tight spaces while pruning tree roots as thick as 10 inches in diameter. The push-forward operation also enhances safety by giving the operator a clear view of what’s ahead. By contrast, trenchers that require the operator to pull it while walking backwards add the risk of tripping and falls, which might cause costly workers’ compensation cases.
Little Beaver designs the Kwik-Trench for minimal maintenance by protecting key components. Its built-in slip clutch, for example, protects the drive train from shock if the trencher hits a rock or other obstacle. Maintenance is further reduced with blades that are quick and easy to replace. The Kwik-Trench also features Little Beaver’s Super Blade Plus and Super Xtra Rock Teeth, which bolt on to the cutting wheel making replacing the teeth simple and inexpensive. Other manufactures weld teeth directly on the cutting wheel causing the entire wheel to need replacement when a single tooth is damaged. The Kwik-Trench also features a triple V-belt system that maintains positive traction if the trencher encounters an obstruction. This reduces wear on belts as well as need for frequent belt replacements.
Improve your course’s quality in minutes with a Little Beaver Kwik-Trench. Contact us for questions.
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