Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R0DC4RYECI (2 min)

Customers had two main questions about the Rippa trencher attachment, and Mike answers them.

- Are the teeth removable? Yes. Remove the bolts and the teeth come right off.

- Does it cut in both directions? No. The teeth are shaped to cut in one direction only. You could fit bidirectional teeth or grind an angle on the existing ones, but because the teeth are tapered it won't cut as well.

A field demo in dirt is planned once the rain stops. Remember: you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw5HQDVAc8E (22 min)

Mike walks through our first trencher in a while, using an RS06 (it also fits the RS03 and RS04).

PICKING IT UP BY YOURSELF

- A trencher sits tilted on the ground. Hook the lowest corner of the attachment's pickup plate first with the machine's plate tilted well forward, raise the boom and the trencher flops over onto the plate. Creep forward about an inch as it settles, then lock the latches. It can take a couple of tries.

HYDRAULICS

- Relieve pressure first by moving the joysticks with the engine off before disconnecting or connecting lines.

- Keep dust out of the quick couplers and make sure fittings are tight.

- Most Rippa machines have two auxiliary levers. One is continuous flow (stays on, for trenchers and augers) and the other is intermittent (stops when you let go, for grapples). The trencher should run from the continuous side. If you hear the engine bog, you are probably on the wrong lever. Mike has had reports of the lines being swapped on some RS06 machines, in which case you simply swap the hoses.

- Some high-flow attachments have a third line as a case drain that returns to the machine. Our flail mowers for the R22, R32, R57 and R82 excavators come with one.

CAN AN RS03 OR RS04 RUN IT?

- Yes. They have less than half the hydraulic flow of the RS06 (about 21 gpm), so it's like running a push mower at half throttle: it still mows the yard, just slower. The RS06 will trench two to three times faster.

- For a homeowner who isn't racing the clock, the smaller machine is fine and costs about a third as much.

- The trencher includes a backfill blade, so you can flip it and push the dirt back into the trench.

DESIGN NOTE

- The trencher is centered, and the machine is about 42.3 inches wide, so you can't trench closer than about 2 feet to a wall or fence. Mike prefers offset trenchers for that reason.

Part two runs the trencher in the ground on an RS03, RS04 and RS06.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.