9 months of rain, its now time to drain!

One of the wettest years on record, it has rained for 9 months and the water has taken it toll on the land. Fields that were once dry have several burst drains and springs where none existed previously. However it has finally dried up enough to get on the fields to fix the burst drains and trying to get them all in before the weather breaks.

[@glynrogers1018]

Hi link box very useful tool on the farm

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Yes Glyn, very handy tool, we had a smaller single ram one and swapped it for the bigger twin rams defo a better job.👍

[@barrymallon9373]

Great vid today. It brings back memories for me. Doing that with my Dad back in the day!!

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Barry, Its a job I never get tired doing. 👍

[@brendanbell8301]

From Donegal myself Cathal my uncle worked in Scotland and they were known as the tunnel Tigers god rest him and his colleagues. Those drains should solve your problems for years to come.keep up the good work the owl link box hard to beat 👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Donegal men, great men for tunnel, worked with a few great characters. Hopefully they will drain the field for many years as you say.

[@MasseyDave]

Been nice n sunny here 👍 good to see it’s starting to dry up under foot for you 👍👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Cheers Dave, it had to dry up sometime!!!!👍😎

[@AgrimotiveFarmMachinery]

Nice one Cathal. There is something very satisfying about putting in drains, clearing out ditches and watching the water flow where you want it to 😂

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Cheers Alan, I have always enjoyed draining work, especially when I am the one on the tractor and not on the shovel or spade!! 😉👍. In fairness that would have been a tough job years ago digging by hand and drawing stone from the beech with a horse and cart.

[@AgrimotiveFarmMachinery]

@@FlyingFergyMan For sure. I'm lucky enough to have only ever used a stone cart and an excavator 😄

[@78mikehayes]

We use the water to grow rushes in Cappamore. Business is booming…

[@FlyingFergyMan]

flat out at the St Bridgets Crosses Mike.🤣

[@78mikehayes]

@@FlyingFergyMan I’m trying to save up the price of the 1250

[@IFarmWeFarm]

Good old woods transport box, built to last. I regretted the day I sold mine for the larger nuggent, just wouldn’t be near as strongly built. Have plenty of drainage work to do myself this year with bursted shores popping up everywhere 🙈

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thats interesting Adrian, I would have thought the nuggent stuff would have been every bit as strong, the double rams is a good job 👍. I hear you on the burst shores, never seen as many wet spots on our land, the fields were just was not prepared for that amount of rain.🤦‍♂️.

[@petergardner2334]

good to see the drainage in action

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Peter.👍

[@markallen6961]

A quick way to put a pipe under a hedge is to have a pit both sides and push a large fencing post threw with the digger bucket , works well.👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Great tip thanks Mark.💪👍

[@casto-]

That was draining 🤪😆(someone has to say it!) we’re the same over here in Yorkshire, wet spots I’ve never seen and wet spots that are still here after 10 days of dry 😩.

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Cheers Casto👍, We are finding more and more springs rather than burst drains, maybe thats the same thing lol, but seems like the water table is much more shallow than it was before, which would explain the springs.

[@damien3278]

Same here in cavan, The whole thing has turned into a wet spot.

[@bobpaterson1845]

Good video 👍 strangely enough draining although could be a dirty wet job was one i enjoyed doing was great to see the results of your hard labour in a previously wet area drying out well🤔👍👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Bob, I know what you mean, I have always enjoyed draining, especially when I get to drive the tractor and someone else has to drive the shovel and spade.!!.😉👍

[@emmetparker5269]

Good job on the drainage ,cathal

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Emmet.👍

[@eamondempsey3018]

Nice bit of drainage work there Cathal. Great to be able to do those jobs in-house 👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Cheers Eamon, I enjoy the drainage to be honest.

[@user-pi8ic8tg6i]

Good work done mate👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks.👍👍

[@user-pi8ic8tg6i]

Nice to see your dad keeping involved! Spend has much time with him has you can when there gone there gone! My dad died when he was 52 I wish we spent more time together but I honestly thought he’d be around forever xx

[@martinblack1296]

Lovely keep up great videos

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks martin.👍

[@marcusd2380]

Dye testing drains is good to let u see where water drains too. Some times old drains are perfect but are closed at the shuck where live stock has trampeled them closed. One thing we don’t do in this country is drain jetting to clear old drains. I have a few small drains to do around the house here. But we have a lot of iron in the soil so it clogs them. All our drains needs traps at either side to so air causing rust and clogging Them. Hope this weather stays a while

[@FlyingFergyMan]

I went looking for some food dye but was hunted out of the kitchen. Essential tool in the drainage kit bag though.😎👍. Yes never heard of anyone jetting drains here.

[@martinblack1296]

I think you should have used 6in twinwall pipes for the amount water . Coil not great long time answer.

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Martin, the torrent you seen was it backed up, it does not flow at that rate continually, sorry should have made that a bit more clear in the video. 😎👍

[@Gearoid35]

Good work, ye have heavy soil hard to dry it, have you any isolation switches on the tractors incase of fire 🔥

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Gearoid. Great minds... I had said to my father about it a few weeks back and forgot to pick it up, thanks for the reminder, I think a necessary addition with them all in the same place. 👍

[@Gearoid35]

@@FlyingFergyMan exactly especially the older ones

[@philipjmcloughlin5880]

Good job Cathal fields should be drier now

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Philip, hopefully do the job and the rain stays off?🤞👍

[@Adrian-tj6ye]

It will work but if you pull that pipe it will find its own level and probably round stone and not limestone but its tough going the drainage work just a couple of tips 💪

[@FlyingFergyMan]

Thanks Adrian.👍

[@gearsandtears7643]

No membrane over the stone ? That soil will filter it's way through the Stone and block in no time

[@FlyingFergyMan]

yes two schools of thought, membrane or no membrane, in this part of the world it would be very rare to see a membrane on a field drain, its just not done that way here. Drains done with 2" stone without membarne in the past 10-20 even 30 years are still functional. It might be something to do with the heavy clay ground, Im not sure.👍

[@FlyingFergyMan]

@gearsandtears meant to say that we have opened a number of beech pebble drains over the years that blocked for the very reason you said. Interesting that different areas use different methods.

[@gearsandtears7643]

@@FlyingFergyMan fair enough it's heavy clay here in kildare No disrespect ment I love your videos 📸 I've seen lads around here pretty much fill the trench with stone and a sod over it so nothing can really wash it's way in Septic tank in my house I'm going digging up the soak hole it's there 50 years and it's needing emptying 2 times a year now all water from the garden and the soil has washed it's way down through the soak hole stones I'm sure

[@gearsandtears7643]

@@FlyingFergyMan we've drained a big on the farm beside us where my dad works and we dug up lots of clay pipes. Looks like they were put in with no stone around them and a slight gap 5mm or less but they were all plugged solid with black bog clay

[@FlyingFergyMan]

@@gearsandtears7643 No offence taken, I love hearing from you, I find it interesting different areas have different ways of doing the same job. We have never had to open a blocked stone drain (yet) but have had to open beech pebble drains that were blocked, exactly as you say. I think the round stone is not as good at keeping fine particles away. Not allowed to take pebbles from the beech now, but that was the old way of doing it here. Good luck with the septic tank, that might be a smelly job for a day of two!!!!