I rented a trencher and dug a long hole today. Here are some observations.

1. Some trenchers, like the Vermeer RT 100 I rented, are called “walk behind” but in fact they work best moving backwards. The trencher has a corkscrew-type mechanism that tends to move dirt one side of the trencher.

2. It seems really hard to do a perfectly straight line. It’s also hard to go back over the same trenched hole a second time, because of the mound of dirt on one side.

3. The trencher can grind off the edge of rock, but it’s really quite slow. The machine tends to buck up and down a lot when it hits rock.

4. This may sound obvious, but it’s quite tricky to drive the trencher across the trench once it’s dug. This makes it really hard to dig a trench with an angle in it; if the angle is greater than 10 degrees or so, the wheels digging trench B will have to cross trench A.

5. The best and easiest results are when the dirt doesn’t include any hidden boulders, and the trencher arm can be extended as deep as possible, and you can let it dig, then roll it back a few inches, then dig some more, then roll back a few more inches.

6. I survived, with no internal or external injuries.