Using Hole Digger In Hard Red Clay

[silverfox3402]

Since you are new at this I think safety should be mentioned. When the tractor is running nobody should be close to the post hole digger. If drilling with a partner they can use the long handle provided with the digger to position it. Do not allow anyone to get any closer than the handle will allow while the tractor is running. If the auger gets stuck and your PTO doesn't reverse then the auger will need to be unscrewed manually. You can use a pipe wrench on the auger itself to unscrew it. The tractor must not be running when you do this. I know, it might seem to be a pain to shut off and then re-start the tractor engine. But it is necessary to do this to avoid getting seriously injured or killed. Also be aware that if could be any wire buried in the area, like fencing wire for example, the auger could catch it and if a helper is nearby the wire could catch them also and they could be dragged into the auger. I love my post hole digger but it scares me so I make sure nobody is close when I am using it and I shut off my tractor before getting off of the tractor.
Eric

 

[silverfox3402]

Safety should always be used around equiptment as not paying attention to spinning rods, moving parts will RIP body parts OFF quickly. I have seen this happen many times to children and adults purely by carelessness. AS a child and a adult myself. SAFETY FIRST!!

 

[etpm]

You have two shear pins where the auger bolts to the gear box?
That's what I have.

Yes. Two grade two bolts.
Eric

 

[TN8Man]

There are options, and certainly don't necessarily take my word on a 5' fence. When I was reading up on deer fence years ago 7' was the min recommended height. If they get popped on a shorter electric fence I suspect they would avoid the area entirely.
My neighbor uses motion activated sprinklers to keep deer from passing through his garden area with good results.

I was just kidding. I already bought the fence and posts so the fence will be 5'. If the deer try to jump it then I will come up with additional countermeasures.

 

[TN8Man]

Safety should always be used around equiptment as not paying attention to spinning rods, moving parts will RIP body parts OFF quickly. I have seen this happen many times to children and adults purely by carelessness. AS a child and a adult myself. SAFETY FIRST!!

I agree! My neighbor was seriously injured last year with a hay bale spear going through his leg after it fell off the quick attach, which was not working properly. The sheriff that showed up said he see's injuries and deaths from farm equipment frequently.

 

[skipmarcy]

Once had a neighbor with an 8' chain link fence around a small pond where he kept exotic water birds - the fence to keep foxes & coyotes out. I have actually seen, more than once, a deer standing next to the fence do a flat-footed jump right over that fence. Not a running jump, standing just a couple feet from it.

I tried the 3' set-back 2nd fence method on my electric fence and it kept a lot of deer out but not all. I run a 5' high electric fence with 10 runs of steel wire spaced pretty close for small critters, every other one hot and the others ground to catch them hopping thru. Then I set a single wire at the top of 8' posts set back 3' inside from the main fence. Some deer wouldn't jump it but always had 1 or 2 that figured it out and made the jump anyway and MOST the time made it. The other times they tore the **** out of my fence when they tangled-up in it so I took out the setback fence this year and will just maintain my main fence. I've spent WAY too much money on fencing and WAY too much time on it too. My perimeter is just shy of 800'. At least the main fence will keep the coons out of my corn and MOST squirrels out of my peach trees.

 

[SmallChange]

What the others have said. In addition, in my soil, which is hard clay cementing together round river bank gravel, I will often start holes with my largest masonry bit. I can also work in cycles, drilling a hole further until I can't penetrate any more, then filling it with water and letting it soak. It's a good idea to bring a very big plumber's wrench with you so if you screw it into the ground (for me this depends on tree roots) you can turn it the other way by hand. Doing that is a pain but you don't have to make many turns to free it. Augers must be something like 0.1 threads per inch! Finally, yeah, safety. You might google pro shaft accidents. There seem to be many more of those than accidents involving getting snagged by an auger, and the auger isn't the only spinning hazard. There are scary pictures out there, and at least one video. Operators who are not a bit scared are more likely to wind up getting wound up.

 

[EddieWalker]

I use Grade 5 bolts for sheer pins. I don't know what a Grade 2 bolt is. I never heard of that before.

I have a 9 inch auger and a 12 inch auger. I use the 12 inch for everything. When installing fence posts, it's almost impossible to keep the holes straight for every posts. With a 12 inch hole, you will still need to have a clam shell digger to adjust the hole on one of the sides.

The 9 inch just buries itself in the ground. My 37 hp tractor doesn't have enough up lift to stop the auger from drilling down to quickly. I haven't used it in years and I can't think of any reason to keep it, other then it's paid for and not in the way of anything.

I use mixed concrete on my corner and gate posts. Mixing it allows the concrete to get as strong as possible. For line posts, I usually back fill the clay that came out of the hole and pack it with the end of the handle on the shovel. If I'm going a long distance, I'll fill the hole with dry concrete and pour in a little water.

Most important on every post is to create a lip around the bottom of the post so water drains away from it. Every post that rots, will start rotting away at ground level. Water settles there and remains wet for long periods of time. Six inches down, and the post is still solid. Force the water to go away from the post and it will last a very long time.

 

[etpm]

I use Grade 5 bolts for sheer pins. I don't know what a Grade 2 bolt is. I never heard of that before.

I have a 9 inch auger and a 12 inch auger. I use the 12 inch for everything. When installing fence posts, it's almost impossible to keep the holes straight for every posts. With a 12 inch hole, you will still need to have a clam shell digger to adjust the hole on one of the sides.

The 9 inch just buries itself in the ground. My 37 hp tractor doesn't have enough up lift to stop the auger from drilling down to quickly. I haven't used it in years and I can't think of any reason to keep it, other then it's paid for and not in the way of anything.

I use mixed concrete on my corner and gate posts. Mixing it allows the concrete to get as strong as possible. For line posts, I usually back fill the clay that came out of the hole and pack it with the end of the handle on the shovel. If I'm going a long distance, I'll fill the hole with dry concrete and pour in a little water.

Most important on every post is to create a lip around the bottom of the post so water drains away from it. Every post that rots, will start rotting away at ground level. Water settles there and remains wet for long periods of time. Six inches down, and the post is still solid. Force the water to go away from the post and it will last a very long time.

Grade 2 bolts are the least expensive ones sold. They are usually sold from bins in small hardware stores like ACE Hardware. Big box stores may sell them in packs, I don't know though. Grade 2 fasteners are pretty soft and much weaker than Grade 5 fasteners.
Eric

 

[TN8Man]

Grade 2 bolts are the least expensive ones sold. They are usually sold from bins in small hardware stores like ACE Hardware. Big box stores may sell them in packs, I don't know though. Grade 2 fasteners are pretty soft and much weaker than Grade 5 fasteners.
Eric

I was looking for grade 2 but only saw grade 5 and 8 clearly marked. Are grade 2 bolts typically not labeled with a grade?