Tile level ? Trnasit or something better.

caterpillar guy

Well-known Member
I've been looking for something to read a grade for tile work that is more accurate than a row of fence posts. Most transit levels I look at are only good for about 3/16-1/4 inch in a 100 feet, a few say good to 200 ft. I need to run some lines more like close to 1500 ft. So if the transit only can read a 1/4 inch in 200 ft that could leave me with a tile line needing water to run up hill to work. Which we all know will not happen. To see about whether there is fall for the grade from one end to the other and if I can adjust it some for depth that would be fine. But to lay tile by 1/4 +- to the 100 Ft would leave a lot to be desired or am I looking at this all wrong? No I'm not able to get anybody to plow tile in for me. Either to busy or not big enough job for them. I'm not tiling a whole farm just a few acres here and there, or replacing a line that needs to come to our side of the line. Not buying a plow for tile either might make a boot for them to slide through as I pull it along with the hoe as I dig.
 
I think a rotary laser transit kit is the next step, but I don't know how far it will send a beam. They can be rented or bought for under $500.
 
Again only accurate to 3/16 of an inch in 200 feet with a 200 foot radius out side. Some not that far. Ag leader has a set up I was just looking at for plowing tile in that looked promising for accuracy though will probably cost more than I'm willing to spend for it. It is in conjunction with the RTK signal set up somehow. RTK has a service cost plus the equipment. In their website they had 650 per year for the service plus equipment using their SMS thing.
 
My LB1 is good for 1000ft. with 1/16inch accuracy. Set it in the middle and you are good for 2000ft. run. Can chose between 1/16inch and 1/8inch accuracy.
Poke here
 
I struggle with holding that kind of tolerance in the bottom of a ditch, a very small amount of dirt falling in the bottom of the ditch or a rock will quickly change the slope on the tile. If the tile goes slightly uphill, there will be some water lay in the low spots, but eventually the water will move down the pipe. The biggest issue for me, is the low flow you will have due to little or no fall in the pipe as a whole.
 
Greg what is the approximate cost of something like your LB-1 It sounds like it would be close to what I would need for tile work. Also will I be able to use this for checking grade to see what is there before starting on a project?
 
I think you are really over thinking it. Field tile works because of capillary action, not gravity. Watch how the big operations put it in. They arent out there measuring precise elevation because its not important.
 
Think about it if it goes uphill for much or very high a 4 inch line has been cut in capacity severely not to mention the sediment that accumulates in the low spots during low water flow that will not be washed out with heavy flow in spring. I've dug up to many tile with a lot to a little dirt in them that they were half plugged up. I also have laid tile in with water running down the ditch for a level by the depth and dips in the ditch. One of the concerns I'm having is one line I need to change will be deep like in the 10-12 feet to get throuhg a small hill and I'm told I need to use a double walled pipe or something stronger than regular tile as the weight will crush it even if I put in only about 3-4 feet of back fill then after it settles come back and finish the back fill a year later. That is one I don't want to have to redo from slope or crush.
 
Transit, laser, or optical level that is good for 3/16 or 1/4 in 100 ft will be fine for tile work in my opinion. What you do is shoot 50 ft or so ,make note of reading on your stick at that point or better yet drive in a stake and put reference mark, then move your transit 50 ft or whatever farther along from your reference stake and pick up your reference. By pick up your reference you dont actually try to get cross line on reference, you simply level your transit at new location and hold tape meausure or stick and see how much to add or subtract from cross hair on level to determine were you are at. notebook and a pencil reqd. if your memory is like mine! You can rent laser that will work fine from your local rentall. Precision optical levels, jig transits, theodilites, brunsons, are more used for machine alignment. I have done machine alingnments with a brunson Jig transit were we had to within plus minus .002 over 50 feet. Trust me you dont want anything that accurate for dirt work!
 
I dress up the bottom of the ditch with a shovel and slide a long level along to check for slope. I like at least half a bubble of slope. They all seem to work.
 
I saw a man using a dozer to clear about a 500x500 ft area to build a new dollar store in the country.

He had some gismo that told him to raise or lower the blade to get the ground perfectly level..

He removed about 18 inches of topsoil, then hauled in more material to backfill and build up the ground more than 18 inches.

Not sure what they called the gismo.

There is a place in Terre Haute, SoilMaxx, that sells the device that puts down drain tile. Looks like it would require a lot of Horsepower to pull this device.

He was using the dozer and another person was using a roller to pack the backfill.
 
I've done all of those things slide a level used a long board to set the level on and even used the water in the ditch for a level. One of the jobs calls for close to 10-12 ft deep and I didn't want to be in the ditch that deep and didn't want to spend big bucks on a coffin to keep the sides from caving in. I was going to use a transit for the bottom and digging then a ramp of sorts to let the tile down into the ditch as I went along moving the incline as I dug checking with the transit as the tile laid in the bottom and back fill partially to protect them from a cave in. Yes I can be in clay, gravel, and sand here depending on the ditch at any time. I have been in the past all over this farm Digging in clay then hit a sand pocket then back to clay all in a 10-20 foot length of ditch. I also expect there will be some water soak out of the ditch bank as I go in places too. Working alone probably thought if I could find something pretty accurate I would not have to be in the ditch. I thought I might have some smaller stone like Pee stone or slightly larger like drain filed stone to toss in for places I might need to support the tile if it was real soft or mushy bottom. Don't like the idea of being deeper than I am tall by twice my height.
 

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