Ditch cleaning help

MOlivin

Member

Equipment
L6060
May 15, 2023
63
16
8
MO
Hey all,

My driveway is on the side of a hill. I've got a hill side ditch running about 2000'
Which gets filled with leaves a couple times a year.
What is the best route cleaning this out? A PTO vacuum? I need to basically suck it up and blow it across the driveway and down the other side of the hill.

I need to figure this out before I finalize topping the driveway with 4" geocell and 3/4"clean.

Thoughts?

Thank again!
 

MapleLeafFarmer

Well-known member

Equipment
Lots incl. B and L kubotas
Dec 2, 2019
1,068
1,061
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E.
I will throw out a CHEAP option..... how about a landscape rake?

used ones a cheap and easy to find.
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MOlivin

Member

Equipment
L6060
May 15, 2023
63
16
8
MO
That would not work in this situation. The ditch is 18" wide and about 12"deep. The high side is at about a 45 degrees slope, at it's steepest.
 
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Caden

Member

Equipment
1979 B7100
Apr 16, 2026
65
29
18
Virginia
Hard to picture your exact situation. My angle blade can offset way out to the side for the purpose of ditch work.

Slide/swing it out in direction of the ditch so you can keep tractor on the road, drop that side to match ditchbank pitch, angle so you pull debris up into the road.

Then keep an angle, level out blade, and move debis to the other side of the road.
Not a perfect solution but a good rear blade is a super versatile attachment with some ingenuity.
 
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chim

Well-known member

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L4240HSTC with FEL, Ford 1210
Jan 19, 2013
3,166
2,790
113
Near Lancaster, PA, USA
I'm sure that with 2000' you want something that works very well. This is probably something you don't want to hear, but how about reshaping it so you could drive along (on the road side) with an offset or tilted rear blade?
 

Grandad4

Active member

Equipment
1949 Farmall M, previously owned: L 4610, BX 2230
Apr 5, 2016
416
168
43
Greensboro, NC
I agree with Caden about an offsetting scraper blade. I used a 7 foot one to maintain a similar ditch. Your L6060 should easily handle something like that and an 8 foot size would give even more reach
 

MapleLeafFarmer

Well-known member

Equipment
Lots incl. B and L kubotas
Dec 2, 2019
1,068
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That would not work in this situation. The ditch is 18" wide and about 12"deep. The high side is at about a 45 degrees slope, at it's steepest.
gotcha... when we say ditch we mean something like 20' across, what you describe here we call a trench (haha) devils often in the details.

cheers

maybe a 3 pt debris blower but a lot of bucks imho...
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bobnic

Active member

Equipment
LX4020, BX2370, KX033, Ford 8N
Mar 7, 2025
115
101
43
Lakes Region, NH
gotcha... when we say ditch we mean something like 20' across, what you describe here we call a trench (haha) devils often in the details.

cheers

maybe a 3 pt debris blower but a lot of bucks imho...
View attachment 174205
That is exactly what I use to clean out the ditch on my 3/4 mile long driveway, a Cyclone PTO blower from Buffalo Turbine.
 

Russell King

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Lifetime Member

Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Jun 17, 2012
7,510
2,841
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Austin, Texas
That is exactly what I use to clean out the ditch on my 3/4 mile long driveway, a Cyclone PTO blower from Buffalo Turbine.
But I assume you are blowing the leaves out of the ditch and further into the woods on the same side of the driveway as the ditch. It sounds like there is an uphill side ditch that can’t be blown out because of a vertcal wall that blocks that path.

Can you direct the air flow to be towards the rear and get the leaves to move into a pile or onto the driveway?

The only thing I can see working as a vacuum is something like this

But I don’t see how it would work while the tractor is moving. It seems that it has to be stationary and then someone manually has to move the vacuum hose around. Perhaps the hose could be mounted on to a pull along contraption that would vacuum the majority of leaves out of the ditch, but that may be wishful thinking.