[TowerTalk] Hardline - Direct Bury or Conduit ?

[N3AE]

Hello fellow Towertalkers, 

Hopefully spring is around the corner and I can pick up work again on my tower project. I plan to make two 150 ft runs of LDF5-50A from the house SPG to the base of the tower. Trying to decide if I should run the hardline in conduit or just direct-bury. Soil around here is clay mixed with some sand. Rare to find a rock, and if I do it's small stream gravel with smooth edges.. Part of the run is through a wooded area. 

A conduit run would have some low spots (potential for moisture accumulation ??). But I worry about critters (moles/voles/etc) chewing on the jacket if I direct-bury. 

Anyone have a bad experience from direct bury of Andrew hardline? Rodent damage? Crushing damage due to lawn tractors, etc? Something else? 

thx 

Shawn 
N3AE