Post hole digger (3pth). Need advice.

[Luke'sScreenName]

Thank Fallon. That's very helpful. How about when to replace the tip?

 

[Rford]

For 20 holes a year, renting one might be a better option if available. I used a Home Depot one-man post hole digger the other day for $40 for 4 hours. Dug half dozen holes. We have places that rent 3pt equipment as well. It's fun to have stuff, but sometimes the hassle of storing, maintaining it, and eventually selling it make renting a better option for rarely used tools, if available, of course.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a Leibach Line post hole digger. It's auger is super cheap and pure junk, but the gearbox is solid and pretty much indestructible as long as it has oil in it. In my opinion, pretty much all the different brands have similar gear boxes. At least I've never heard of that being the problem with 3 pt post hole diggers. It's always the auger, and it's inability to dig in hard soil. If your dealing with rock, then hydraulic is the only solution.

After multiple trial and error wastes of money, I discovered Country Line at Tractor Supply. I'm not a fan of Tractor Supply and it does bother me a little recommending them, but for this particular product, I have to be honest in recommending it. I've never seen an auger dig so well. It's so aggressive that you will have to be careful or it will dig faster then it cleans out the dirt and bury itself in the ground. It's a totally new learning experience using it. Instead of struggling to drill the hole, it's a challenge not to dig it too fast!!!!

All my other implements are Land Pride. They are very good, but in this case, I would buy Country Line again.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

For 20 holes a year, renting one might be a better option if available. I used a Home Depot one-man post hole digger the other day for $40 for 4 hours. Dug half dozen holes. We have places that rent 3pt equipment as well. It's fun to have stuff, but sometimes the hassle of storing, maintaining it, and eventually selling it make renting a better option for rarely used tools, if available, of course.

You are undoubtedly right from a financial standpoint. My problem is blocks of free time. I frequently suddenly have 4hrs free and need to get something done. So a few holes here or there. Not predictable. But your point is a good one.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

If your dealing with rock, then hydraulic is the only solution.

I really do not want to hear that! Lol.

I will look at TSC if I need an auger. Can you please explain exactly what it good about them? Why was your Leibach junk?

 

[Fallon]

I have a Leibach Line post hole digger. It's auger is super cheap and pure junk, but the gearbox is solid and pretty much indestructible as long as it has oil in it. In my opinion, pretty much all the different brands have similar gear boxes. At least I've never heard of that being the problem with 3 pt post hole diggers. It's always the auger, and it's inability to dig in hard soil. If your dealing with rock, then hydraulic is the only solution.

After multiple trial and error wastes of money, I discovered Country Line at Tractor Supply. I'm not a fan of Tractor Supply and it does bother me a little recommending them, but for this particular product, I have to be honest in recommending it. I've never seen an auger dig so well. It's so aggressive that you will have to be careful or it will dig faster then it cleans out the dirt and bury itself in the ground. It's a totally new learning experience using it. Instead of struggling to drill the hole, it's a challenge not to dig it too fast!!!!

All my other implements are Land Pride. They are very good, but in this case, I would buy Country Line again.

I had a Leinbach PHD & it was a good machine. It was used when I got it & came with a beefy 9" Pengo auger. The only problem with the auger was it had really thick carbide frost teeth that didn't cut well at all. Worked great when I replaced them with thinner sharper dirt teeth though. I'm assuming my 12" Speeco auger was more in line with your Leinbach. It weighed 30% less than my 12" Pengo & was much thinner material. Other than an unreinforced collar tearing a bit, it wasn't a bad auger. If you were just gonna fence 5-10 acres I'd recommend the cheap auger. It would last for the project & a bit more while being a cost efficient option. I upgraded to the beefier more expensive Pengo because I do side work & need it to last longer.

Keep in mind teeth are replaceable & will last 50-200 holes, depending on the material. Keep an eye on the teeth & flip them if possible around half their life & replace them when the are worn down. They cut MUCH better when sharp. I haven't had to replace the center screw or fishtail on any of my augers yet, but just keep an eye on em & you should be able to figure out when they are worn or aren't cutting as well.

The cheap augers have thinner teeth & material in general, which does make them dig a bit better, but not last as long. If you just inch your 3pt down you can generally prevent it from corkscrewing into the ground. I've gotten close a few times, but have yet to bury one. If you do corkscrew one you need a 4' pipe wrench to back it out by hand (no reverse on your PTO), or you are digging it out with a shovel. Knowing that is a potential really helps keep you on your game inching the PHD down slowly.

Whatever you do NEVER LET ANYBODY NEAR THAT PHD WHEN ITS SPINNING. It's aughly tempting to have somebody lean or stand on it for more down pressure, but the PTO is most dangerous part of the tractor & a PHD is very high on the dangerous implements list. I rebuilt mine to fit on a quick hitch & added a bracket so I could put 200lbs of weight over the gearbox. That really helps it dig in hard ground. I know several people that use 2 tractors, 1 running the PHD & another with a bucket pushing down on top of the PHD. Not ideal, but way safer than letting a person near it. Personally I think making sure you have good teeth on the auger can prevent the need for excessive down pressure needs a lot of the time.

I wouldn't recommend renting. 3pt PHDs really don't wear out. Auger teeth do & augers do to a much lesser degree, but if you keep lube in the gearbox the PHD will last decades. Buy one now & sell it in 5+ years for $100-200 less than you paid for it.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

All very useful info!

BTW, the Woods phd65 also has s 4:1 gear ratio.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

All very useful info!

BTW, the Woods phd65 also has s 4:1 gear ratio.

Cool, good for others to know this. :thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

I really do not want to hear that! Lol.

I will look at TSC if I need an auger. Can you please explain exactly what it good about them? Why was your Leibach junk?

In my opinion, all 3 point post hole diggers are the same except the auger teeth. The differences in the gear boxes are minimal and something you'll never have to worry about unless you get an oddity lemon type of mistake, but overall, they are all pretty good. Same thing with the driveshafts and augers. The big difference is in the teeth!!!

Lenibach line has a plate of metal with a chisel edge and a point to cut through the clay. If the clay is soft, like in spring after the rains, it's fine. If you try to drill a hole in August, it just spins and spins until the metal wears off, then spins some more.

Speeco has interchangable teeth and tip, but they wear out quickly and also like so spin on hard clay. If you dig a little, add water and come back the next day, it will dig just fine most of the time. But eventually, I couldn't find any teeth when I really needed to drill about 20 more holes to finish off a fence, and no time to get it done. That's when I decided to try the Country Line auger from Tractor supply.

The cutting teeth and tip are very aggressive. It's like going from a butter knife to a steak knife. The difference is night and day.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

In my opinion, all 3 point post hole diggers are the same except the auger teeth. The differences in the gear boxes are minimal and something you'll never have to worry about unless you get an oddity lemon type of mistake, but overall, they are all pretty good. Same thing with the driveshafts and augers. The big difference is in the teeth!!!

Lenibach line has a plate of metal with a chisel edge and a point to cut through the clay. If the clay is soft, like in spring after the rains, it's fine. If you try to drill a hole in August, it just spins and spins until the metal wears off, then spins some more.

Speeco has interchangable teeth and tip, but they wear out quickly and also like so spin on hard clay. If you dig a little, add water and come back the next day, it will dig just fine most of the time. But eventually, I couldn't find any teeth when I really needed to drill about 20 more holes to finish off a fence, and no time to get it done. That's when I decided to try the Country Line auger from Tractor supply.

The cutting teeth and tip are very aggressive. It's like going from a butter knife to a steak knife. The difference is night and day.

Good to know. Fortunately, I've not found any hard packed clay here yet. And we have a lot more moisture than Tyler! Our well is only about 12ft deep.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I don't agree that all PHD gear boxes are the same...

Some are better quality, better meaning bigger and better temper on the gears ect... BUT, i'd also agree that even the cheaper units hold up pretty good.

I say that, because some of the pole barn builders around here, have wore out the gears and shafts on the cheaper gear boxes... AND moved on up to brand name upper end drills, to get longer lasting gear boxes.

SR

 

[EddieWalker]

I paid $300 for my Leinbach Line with a 12 inch auger. Is there anything else out there cheaper then that? I've had it 1 years, it's stored outdoors and if I don't use it for several months, it's out of oil. I'm on my third driveshave because I've buried it so many times, and every time it gets burried, the drive shaft bends just a little bit. I need to get my fourth drive shaft this year, it's really close to that time. I store it outside.

I agree that there are better quality, bigger, better gears out there. I just don't think they do the job any better then the cheaper gear boxes that last decades and just keep on going.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Well I bought the Woods PHD65. $750 plus new teeth and tip a cost. Plus a free box of old woods spray paint they weren't sure would function.

 

[EddieWalker]

Congratulations. Now you need to build a stand to store it!!!

 

[Erik M]

I recently picked up an older John Deere PHD, a 31 possibly but there is no data plate on it anymore. Not sure what this one was originally rated for but I have a 60 hp PTO so it will have plenty of power to turn it.

It seems to be bigger and tougher than the stuff they sell new these days and is not leaking at all.

Putting on a fresh coat of green paint and I will hunt up a net of new auger teeth, not sure if John Deere still making them but I will find something that fits a 12" auger.

This only cost $300 so not complaining. The pic shows only half a drive shaft but I have both ends, I just removed one end for transport.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Shiny! Heck of a spindle on that auger!

It look to be Cat 1 3pt from the manufacturer. If so, it might not have a 60hp gearbox/drivetrain. $300 is hard to beat even if you did break it. Congrats.

 

[robbyr]

I see many choose low rpm's when drilling holes. I did at first but my experience has been it's way easier to bury it that way. I go at higher rpm's and the unit will come back up faster if it looks like it's fixing to sink itself. Maybe this is wrong but at slower speeds it doesn't come back up quick enough and screws itself in the ground.

 

[Erik M]

Thanks Luke but I am hoping a proper grade 1 shearbolt will keep anything else from breaking. Ground is not hard and no roots to worry about.

 

[Btown]

I see many choose low rpm's when drilling holes. I did at first but my experience has been it's way easier to bury it that way. I go at higher rpm's and the unit will come back up faster if it looks like it's fixing to sink itself. Maybe this is wrong but at slower speeds it doesn't come back up quick enough and screws itself in the ground.

If I were to go faster with all the rocks and roots I would be changing a sheer pin almost every hole. Slow it down and haven't changed one in several hundred. Only went down twice I could not get it back up due to a root. Spent a lot less time getting it unstuck twice then changing sheer pins. If I had better soil then I would go faster.

 

[robbyr]

Maybe it's a difference in soils. We have that black clay type soil. When I was spinning the the auger slowly then it slowly went deeper. At some point it would reach a spot and take off much faster. The response time to get it back up was too late. Buried twice at low rpm's. Never at higher. Of course I clear the hole a few times and work it up and down a lot. First time I buried it I had it on Mahindra 4500. Dug around it just a bit. Used loader and chain on Ford tractor to pick up on it while spinning the auger.