Fixing a "Suck Hole" - Repairing Broken Down Farm Drainage Tile with the Backhoe

An old field drainage tile had caused a small "suck hole" in the field. This happens when a damaged portion of the tile begins to draw in dirt from above it and into the tile, therefore creating a hole on top of the ground. This hole wasn't that bad compared to some that I've seen in the past! We use the John Deere 310SE backhoe to locate and dig up the affected tile, and then we fix it with some new sections of tile so that it will not suck in dirt.

[@ShannonSmith-ss1bd]

Looksg like a fine job. My family been in the DrainTie laying business in central Missouri since the mid 70’s .We still run 2 VErmeer T600C’s and Case 580SM 4x4 Backhoes. We used Hancor field until ADS bought them out. We now use only Springfield Plastics field tile. I started full time in the summer of 1983. Over the years I have thrown countless rolls of 4”-5” and 6”” field tile on a dual reel carrier on the front of those 600 C’s. Now we only use Maxi’s.

[@rosedad4life688]

This is the first suck hole repair video I have found. We do a lot of these each year. We use tar paper to seal the joints. I just got a trencher to hopeful run shorter lines. Good job on providing a great video and explanation.

[@digdrivediy]

Thanks for the kind words! Tar paper would be a great solution as well I bet. Yeah, unfortunately someone who fixes suck holes usually gets a lot of practice at it! I hate to know how many I've fixed but it's a good feeling when they're done. Good luck with your trencher, that will be great to have for those short runs. Thanks for watching.

[@tonynieuwlandt1290]

Good job Neil, you're getting really good at explaining the problem, the repair process, and getting the best camera angle to see it happening, keep 'em coming. Hopefully my project soon:)

[@digdrivediy]

Thanks Tony! Appreciate you watching and your feedback. Hopefully we can tackle your job in the next week or two! I assume you're willing to put up with me trying to make a video of it? 🤔 See you soon!

[@johnhamilton9229]

A thorough job results in a good internal feeling.

[@digdrivediy]

For sure! That was a good fix.

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

Neil... I’ve been boning up on clay tile vids this week! DP & Cap’n got me started... then I spotted this one you’d done. You know, those repairs look mighty familiar to me... only, we couldn’t afford the water softener salt bags (I don’t even know if it was invented back then). We used tarpaper or three tab shingles! There was one thing I saw you do in this video that I learned years ago... I stumbled on it by accident. I had a Compact Kubota tractor with a loader. My neighbor had an old Ford backhoe. Every time he tried to backfill the trench, he mangled the yard, driveway, etc... because his loader was a piece of junk. So, we had a two man backhoe team... he’d dig them and I’d fill ‘em. We did probably a dozen in one summer. What I learned was that it was easier and more efficient to fill the bucket on the first push into the ditch.. and leave it there while pushing the remainder of the spoils back in. Once you get to the end, you go back and dump the bucket into the start, where it came from. When I traded the compact for a sub-compact I got another bonus from having a full bucket. When I was pushing, I could lift the bucket ever so slightly. The added weight gave me more traction on my front wheel drive without robbing it from the rear. Ever since, I do that whenever I can. (Obviously you cant fill trenches that way in tight places or with layered media.). But, seeing you do it made me wonder... is that a common practice? If so, how come so many backhoers & Skid Steer jockeys on YT don’t do it? BTW... your video productions have come a long way since you shot this one! Thnx

[@digdrivediy]

You strike me as a man that knows a thing or two about a thing or two! Reading your comment I began nodding my head in agreement as your words described perfectly my approach to doing this type of backfilling with a front end loader. Actually, I use this practice when doing most any front loader work with the backhoe or tractor, as it seems to provide the best ability to control, cut and fill no matter if you're backfilling a trench or trying to grade up a yard with loose dirt piles (In the video where I level a yard with the backhoe and box blades I'm using the same principle to move and grade about 7-8 triaxle loads of dirt). I was taught to do this 25 years ago by Paul Baughman, the relative I worked for when I began excavating. I'm not sure why this practice isn't more commonplace. I don't see a lot of guys doing it really other than the small circle of folks that I run with who all have been learning from the same group of locals through the years. Matter of fact, I don't know if I've seen anyone on YT doing this so it must not be too common. The way it loads the front tires with traction as you so perfectly explained is another great reason to do this. We had a 450G John Deere dozer and always marveled at how much more dirt our backhoe could move when doing this technique with the rear diff locked and in 4x4. Way more productive than a dozer at moving big piles if you only dump the bucket at the end and get some good wind rows going to hold the dirt in as you push. I've tried to explain this idea to other folks that a backhoe can actually push more material across the top of the ground in a single push than a dozer, and they look at me like I stepped off a spaceship! Everyone wants to just scoop up a bucket full and carry it and dump multiple times. Thank you for making my evening. I truly appreciate the insightful comments about the content and the quality of video production. Re-watching this I see so many things that I would do differently now, and this was only filmed about 7 months ago! Much of the footage is from my phone sitting on that tri-pod. Oh, and BTW, I dig up lots of repaired tiles from long ago that were patched with shingles and tar paper. Most commonly, I dig up old fertilizer bags. My grandpa always fixed clay tiles with fertilizer bags. They were blue-striped and I still have a couple that I have dug up that he planted 50 years ago! Whenever I find one I wonder if he could have ever imagined his unborn grandson digging them back up so many years later! And you thought you would have long comments! Sorry :)

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

@@digdrivediy well sir... I don’t know that I know that much but, I sure love to learn! (Wouldn’t that be a fun sentence to launch in grammar class?) Thanx

[@carlfondelheitiii2742]

Neil, I am looking back at yr older videos, good stuff very interesting, Carl FONDEROSA FARMS MD

[@digdrivediy]

That's great Carl! Thanks for watching as always.

[@eddiemortontapman7252]

Nice fix , good job

[@robmcguire5709]

Cool shots!

[@digdrivediy]

Thanks Rob!

[@CaptainKleeman]

Dang good video. Making me Jealous with all these camera angles, well that and having a back hoe 😂 Glad you’re back in the KZbin game back sir!

[@digdrivediy]

Thanks! I've thought the same of your videos lately as well! I am still working on my KZbin game and trying to get my legs under me. Right now it takes me longer to create the videos than it does to do the projects! Thanks for watching I really appreciate it.

[@jdh395]

cool job

[@jdhogyellowhelmetproductio358]

COOL!

[@Jazzinthecountry]

5 inches of rain yesterday, I noticed one fence post sunken several feet too low. On inspection a 3 foot wide by 3 foot deep void opened up underneath. It looks like the connection to the municipal drain is toast. I might have to call for some professional help.

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

Are these irrigation tiles? Some kind of Drainage?

[@robsmith7681]

I’m a green horn, would that basically be the same fix for a septic field broken tile?

[@digdrivediy]

Hey Rob. It could be similar depending on what your septic system is made of, but more than likely the "fingers" of most septic systems are rigid PVC type of pipes. I don't thick that there are usually septic fields with clay tiles. On the other hand, if your septic system perimeter drain drains into a field tile like this, then there is a good likelihood that it could be similar. The problem with trying to diagnose field tile and drainage issues of any type is that usually you don't know what you're dealing with until you dig it up and look. Good luck with your repair and thanks for watching.

[@robsmith7681]

Neil Koch: Dig-Drive-DIY luckily nothing is wrong with my field right now, i was just curious was all. When we had our septic inspected (I wasn’t here for it my parents were) we have clay tile too. I’ve always been afraid of driving my John Deere 400 over it to mow cause of the concern with brittleness. Hasn’t stopped me though. 🤣 call me stupid and stubborn I guess. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 thanks man!

[@hermandingel5155]

wrong way to fix used a clay adapter instead of a coupler it will leak i been tiling over 20 years

[@digdrivediy]

Good point. I've used clay adapters though as well. I think much of it depends on ground conditions. I don't picture the couplers being able to leak as easily as the big gaps do that we often find between the clay tiles. Many times when I did them up there will be 1/8" or larger gap that somehow doesn't cause an issue. I'm always amazed at how many clay tiles continue to work. I've been patching up these tiles for over 20 years as well but always like hearing how other folks do it. Thanks for watching!

[@dirkmckown7646]

I can see that you really don't care who is in your videos with you.

[@digdrivediy]

The talent pool doesn't run too deep around these parts. I told him to try to stay out of the camera shots... :)