Reversible PTO for Cat 1 tractor

[GroundLoop]

Going to be setting about 70 fence posts this spring and I know my post hole digger implement is going to get stuck. I have a New Holland 1620. Is there a reversible PTO that can be added to this tractor.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Have you considered renting a post pounder or hiring someone to drive the posts in? Much quicker and easier.

 

[GroundLoop]

I did. Problem is this is going to be done over a span of time. Never seem to have a full weekend to dedicate to a project. Would rather not need to rent a tool multiple times. Hiring someone might be an option.

 

[ptsg]

Most reverse gearboxes for PTO just reverse the rotation. Meaning you can't actually select which direction you want.

Is mounting an hydraulic motor on the auger and run it off the remotes an option instead? This would allow you to switch directions by simply move the remote lever the other way.

Augers is one of those things I really only want to be hydraulically driven exactly because it's easy to reverse rotation. Be it loader mounted, or backhoe mounted or even 3 pt mounted.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I did. Problem is this is going to be done over a span of time. Never seem to have a full weekend to dedicate to a project. Would rather not need to rent a tool multiple times. Hiring someone might be an option.

I had some guys put in some fence. They showed up with bobcats with post-pounders and one post-driver for the larger/longer corner posts. They drove a LOT of posts in a couple days. Seems like they were driving a post every 5-8 minutes. Might also consider having them build the corner braces and set the anchors for those too.

Then they strung the wire and stapled it up so fast. Very impressive what the right guys with the right equipment can do.

Might be worth considering having someone do it. For me, it's just not something that I want to tackle anymore. And their equipment and setup made the process very efficient.

 

[HamishMacCheap]

It was not on my property but I watched a crew such as that described above by CH4Ohio and was quite impressed by the speed they put in posts. I thought to myself that it was take me forever using a post hole digger to do what the crew did in a couple of hours.

Remember, easy is your friend.

 

[rScotty]

It was not on my property but I watched a crew such as that described above by CH4Ohio and was quite impressed by the speed they put in posts. I thought to myself that it was take me forever using a post hole digger to do what the crew did in a couple of hours.

Remember, easy is your friend.

Hydraulics are your friends too. Rent a hydraulic post hole drill. They're reversible.

 

[TractorTech]

Use the 3 pt down speed knob under the seat to slow the digger down from digging aggressively and disappearing out of sight.

 

[Sportsman762]

Use the 3 pt down speed knob under the seat to slow the digger down from digging aggressively and disappearing out of sight.

What Tractortech said. Gently lower the auger into the ground, Move the lever a 1/8" or less at a time and make sure that the auger is dropping before giving it another 1/8". Its painfully slow but it works if your in ground that will let you corkscrew the auger in. Operating at higher speeds once you get the hole started will also help clear the cuttings from the hole. This reduces the chance of the auger corkscrewing.

I have a New Holland 1620. Is there a reversible PTO that can be added to this tractor.

There is no reversible PTO that can be added to a NH 1620. Control of the 3pt is the key.

 

[rScotty]

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

 

[rScotty]

Speaking of post hole drills, how do you store yours so that they are easy to mount to the 3pt. ?
A post hole drill, auger, and PTO shaft laying on the ground is not easy to set up.
I strap ours to a pine tree...

 

[RayIN]

Many decades ago dad had a hole driller with a lever on the gearbox to reverse the auger. It was so dangerous he quickly sold the thing.
The lever had to be held in reverse, the person holding the lever was in great danger. That was perhaps 70 years ago.

 

[sandman2234]

If you get the auger stuck, and it picks up on the front end of the tractor, DON"T keep bouncing the tractor by dumping the clutch! It has a tendency to break or twist things that aren't cheap to fix!
Do you have a 36" or 48" pipe wrench? Not any fun, but that is what we used to reverse mine about 30 years ago, last time I used it!
David from jax

 

[crazyjake8493]

Going to be setting about 70 fence posts this spring and I know my post hole digger implement is going to get stuck. I have a New Holland 1620. Is there a reversible PTO that can be added to this tractor.

You should be fine with a regular 3pt post hole digger. All the good tips have already been listed here, but keep your tractor RPMs low, PTO lowering speed to very slow, and take small bites (6-12") before popping the 3pt back up to clear the dirt and go back for another bite.

Don't let it auger right down in one shot or you'll get stuck for sure if you hit something.

I've done several dozen holes here (6" and 12" diameter) from 24"-48" deep, for deck footings, wood fence posts, chain link fence, trees, trellis, and posts for bird feeders. Haven't got stuck yet, even with hard clay and rocks. Hit a rock twice the size of a football digging for the fence by our garage. Busted it up in the hole with a jackhammer and pulled the pieces of rock out by hand.

This is an old Speeco PHD on my subcompact Kioti. Barely has enough clearance with the auger on, so I'll throw it in the bucket if I'm driving across the property. I can only get a 36" deep hole and had to make an extension for getting 48" which I only used for the deck footings.

 

[crazyjake8493]

Speaking of post hole drills, how do you store yours so that they are easy to mount to the 3pt. ?
A post hole drill, auger, and PTO shaft laying on the ground is not easy to set up.
I strap ours to a pine tree...

New ones have legs for storage but this old Speeco didn't, so I made a set out of 1/2" galvanized water pipe I ripped out of the house to replace with PEX. Welded some 3/4" steel pipe to the gearbox shield for the 1/2" to slide into, and drilled through to retain with pins.

I also made the "handle" out of 1/2" pipe as well, since the PHD was bought used and never had one. Makes a huge difference trying to line up a hole, or to tip the auger a bit when driving over uneven ground.

My York rake didn't have a foot/stand either, so again 1/2" steel pipe and a big flat washer to the rescue.