UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION
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Moleploughs are used to lay cables of small diameter and small gauge duct directly into the ground. Moleploughs used to be standalone mechanical devices that were pulled by a tractor or tracked vehicle. The Post Office also used Landrovers, with winches, to pull moleploughs from the 1960's onwards. The mole consists of a ploughing blade that is pulled through the ground, cutting a channel of the required width and depth. A box chute or tube is attached to the ploughing blade which enable the cables to be laid directly into the channel along with the earth surround. Due to the narrowness of the channel the ground closes in after the box has passed, thus covering the cable or duct. Today we have moleploughing machines that are effectively tractors with the plough attached and a drum on the back for the cable or duct. The following documents expand on Moleploughing:- Moleploughing Cable and Duct - 1970 Moleploughing Cable and Duct - 1975 Moleploughing and Machine Trenching - 1983
1961
1961
Moleplough No. 1
1934
Landrover with winch pulling Moleplough (1970)
Small gauge cable laid alongside a farm track (1956)
Small gauge cable laid alongside a farm track (1956)
Mole Plough as used in the two pictures above (1956)
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Last revised: July 31, 2023FM2 | ||||||||
