"Bill" wrote in message
...
The crawl space in my 80 year old house has about a foot of space in it. I
need to dig it out so I can get in there and do some work.

Are there any power tools or equipment which I can rent which will make
this easier?

I suppose I could find a conveyor belt for dirt removal. But what about
the digging part?



Bill, I am working on my crawl space. Going for 42" depth so I can move
around and fix plumbing, insulation, HVAC ducts etc.
I do have a Bosch demo hammer but have not had to use it much. I dug a deep
ramp with my Kubota alongside the foundation. I opened up the foundation,
just like you had. Got some "flexible" conveyors on Craigslist. These
expand from 7 feet long to 35 feet and can snake around obstacles. Bought
eight 27 gallon plastic totes.

Starting out was difficult for the first few feet. Now I simply sit on a
stool, use a full length spade and one foot to dig horizontally into the
bank, fill the 8 totes and send them out on the conveyor. My biggest
problem, due to age, is getting the totes out from under the house and not
the digging. Of course the conveyor takes care of all that. I simply give
the string of 8 totes a push and they fly out from under and even empty
themselves. After each group of 8 totes I do have to get out from under (I
can walk bent over in 42" space) and collect the empty totes. After about
10 round trips I remove all the excess dumpings with my Kubota and lose it
on my 4± acres.

While my dirt (bottom 2 feet) is quite stiff, I stopped using the Bosch
hammer. Taking a horizontal slice against a vertical bank (the slice is
only about 2 inches deep) while sitting down, is very easy. You would be
surprised how much force you can exert with a sharp spade, push of the foot
and a little wiggling.

Write me if you need any more info.

And yes, as many of the replies stated, I have quit going to the gym.

Ivan Vegvary