Some other tricks for a 3pt post hole drill are to go really slow, both in rotation and lowering. The auger only needs to be running at a fraction of pto speed. And drop it as slow as you can with the 3pt. lever and drop valve. Power at slow rotation is why tractor motors have flat torque over a wide rpm range.
I would raise mine up at least once every foot of depth to get rid of dirt in the flutes...and maybe check out the hole. I found the kind of augers with replaceable splayed digging teeth on the bottom edge will dig much better than cheap augers without. The threaded tip doesn't do much by itself.
Occasionally in hard dirt I've had to use weight and a shovel both to get a hole started, but once the flutes enter the ground it will dry to dig down too fast if you let it.
Most iron digger top castings have holes cast in the top or some way to put a length of metal water pipe through through the top which will stick out horizontally. That pipe is there so your helper can stand six feet away and still hold the pipe to help steer the auger tip and then force it down without getting close to the spinning auger flutes.
If an auger is still spinningwhen it is pulled out of the hole it will sometimes pivot and spin the auger in a wide sideways circle. BIG DANGER! Watch out for that, always... Learn to slow the rotation to a stop before the auger is fully out of the hole.
Most of us drilled a few slanted holes until getting the hang of how to drill them vertical.
Get a box of grade 2 shear bolts...and nuts.
A three foot pipe wrench and a "cheater" pipe are the best way i know to back out a stuck auger.
You are almost guaranteed to find at least one buried set of mattress springs or roll of rusty fence wire.
My auger once found part of a car seat about 4 feet down.
Please be safe. Tomorrow is a lot nicer when we are safe today.
rScotty
