Abstract: A trenching machine comprising a wheeled frame and a first motor mounted on the frame is provided. The first motor drives a digging chain carried on a chain guide extending from the machine. The chain guide is pivotally mounted coaxially with a drive chain drive sprocket. An actuating arm for pivotally moving the chain guide relative to the frame, a lock to lock the chain guide in a desired pivotal position, and a second motor mounted on the frame, are also provided. The second motor drives at least one of the machine wheels for moving the machine along the ground. The second motor is releasably engaged to at least one of the machine wheels.

Abstract: A hand-held, self-contained motor-driven trenching device (100) for cutting a slit or trench within a substrate is based on a chain-saw motor unit together with a purpose-built attachment. An unmodified chain-saw drive unit provides both motive force and a holder, although purpose-built units may employ other forms of motive power. A chain-driven reduction drive matches the chain-saw drive sprocket (101) speed to a suitable toothed digging chain cutting speed; the reduction drive being coupled to a sprocket wheel (102) aligned at one end of a sturdy, hardened steel blade (106) over which a heavy roller chain (200) bearing soil-cutting teeth (203) is pulled. The resulting trench is about 30-35 mm wide, up to 1 meter deep, and of indefinite length. The invention provides an optimized solution to a need for burying narrow cables, fiber-optic conduits, water pipes, and the like well into the ground.

Abstract: A blade assembly for a walk-behind trencher is described. The trencher includes a restraining bar which is affixed to the roller boom and which extends horizontally over the roller boom/digging chain assembly. When rotation of the digging chain is disengaged and the roller boom digger, including the retraining bar, is placed essentially horizontal position, the front end of the backfill blade assembly is mounted on the restraining bar and the rear end of the backfill blade assembly is releasably affixed to the side of the trencher. The trencher itself, after digging a trench, can raise the roller boom to which the restraining bar is attached to a horizontal position, the backfill blade assembly can be quickly installed and the trencher can then be positioned so as to drive over the trench pushing dirt from the side of the trench back into it. A stabilizing bar is longitudinally adjustable so that the backfill blade assembly can be used with differing roller boom lengths.

Abstract: A boom assembly including a boom with laterally spaced side walls and adapted to have a digging chain and tooth assembly rotatable thereabout. A boom end idler assembly is arranged between the side walls at the free end of the boom for rotatably supporting the digging chain and tooth assembly. The boom end idler assembly includes a boom end idler rotationally supported by an anti-friction bearing. Axially aligned members pass through aligned apertures in the side walls of the boom and at least partially within the inner race of the bearing for defining the rotational axis of the boom end idler and for clamping the side walls of the boom to each other to minimize clearances between the boom and the boom end idler. Seals are provided to close the clearances proximate the bearing and inhibit foreign debris from contaminating the anti-friction bearing.