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Ditch Witch R65's Specs

Darrin Meyer

Ditch Witch is an Oklahoma-based manufacturer of equipment, large and small, designed for a variety of home and commercial earth-moving projects. One of the company's discontinued products is the R65 trencher, equipped with a front blade for plowing and a rear chain for digging. The R65 went through a few design changes throughout its production run, with the exact specifications depending on the particular model.

Basics

The Ditch Witch R65 is a tractor-style, open-cab, ride-on trencher with a four- to six-way (depending on the exact model) front dozer blade measuring up to 6 feet in length. It measures roughly 7 feet high by 15 feet long by 6 feet wide at its widest point and weighs an estimated 7,000 lbs.. It rides on four-bar lug 31 x 12.5 x 15 V-tread flotation tires.

Engine

Depending on the particular iteration, the R65 utilizes either a Wisconsin V465-D air-cooled, four-cylinder gasoline engine or a Ford diesel engine, with both topping out in the 60 hp to 65 hp range. The mechanical four-wheel drive transmission offers four speeds going forward and one in reverse, with front-wheel hydraulic steering.

Digging

The rear ditching chain of the R65 provides a digging depth of up to approximately 6 feet to 7 feet, with hard rock tips on the chain's teeth to facilitate digging even in harder surface areas. An optional front backhoe attachment featuring a 16-inch bucket is also available for additional digging capability, which adds to the machine's total weight when attached.

Availability

As the R65 is one of Ditch Witch's discontinued models, it is no longer available directly from the manufacturer and can only be found on the secondhand market from private sellers, used equipment dealers or auction houses. The price of the specific model will depend on its age, its condition and the number of operational hours it has accumulated.