3 pt Auger not doing its job

[tpulley]

I borrowed a guys 3 pt auger. Think the kind that agrisupply sells. It has 6 inch and 12 inch bits. I started with the 6 inch bit and in several places I tired to dig a hole. It would go down abpout 10-12 inches max. I tried standing on the 3 pt hitch and lets just say that it added atleast over 300# to the downward force. I then switched it to the 12 in bit that had a better looking tip. Meaning slightly more depth in the screw looking tip.

Same results. I also tried adding a 6 ft bar and while it was turning putting my weight on using a more pronounced leverage bar. No change.

Lastly I tried changing the toplink which has three pin adjustments. It was on the middle one, I changed it to the end one.

I tried in 4-5 places where I know there are no rocks. Using a post driver I put posts in the ground 30-36 inches. I can not make it go deeper than about a foot no matter what I try.

It is a little dry around.

Suggestions?

 

[mogwai]

Do you have a hard pan? That might hang up an auger, where a post could be driven through.

 

[tpulley]

I never would have thought so. Last year I used the same auger (on a different tractor) and the 12 inch bit went down 36-40 inches in a snap.

One of the fields I tried it in yesterday was planted in tobaccor last year. I put grapes in there about January or so. The ground was fairly soft there I thought. I was able to drive a post in the ground in under a minute.

If it is hard pan how do I fix that?

 

[whistlepig]

Sometimes the ground can become so dry that post hole diggers won't work. There are certain times of year I don't try to dig post holes.

 

[jenkinsph]

Just to be sure it isn't a linkage issue I would unpin the auger and lower the boom to make sure you have a range of depth.

If that checks out you might consider drilling the holes as deep as you can and then pour a bucket of water in the holes to sit overnight and try again tomorrow.

 

[nwngunner]

Are the cutting teeth on the auger still in good shape? My buddy and i were digging posts for his chicken coup. We drilled the first two fine. Then on the third we hit a rock and after that it wouldnt dig for anything. The one tooth on the auger it self bent, we were able to bend it back and it worked. Also you have to make sure the corkscrew point on the bottom of your auger is clear of grass. If that is all balled up you wont do anything. We were having to clean it after every hole.

 

[boggen]

*cringes* your post sounds like a dare devil post. and i was waiting to read, i got caught up in the PTO and almost died. or a near miss.

if you had your own PHD (post hole digger) you could get a "down force kit" it is a cylinder. that pushes the auger down into the ground.

i have taken 16x8x8 concrete blocks, and tied them onto PHD before for added weight.

i have kinda "rocked" the drill bit back and forth. by moving tractor barely forward and barely backwards. so the wider blades will cut in, then stop the auger bit, and then get back to straight / level with the auger bit. and then start auger bit again.

i will raise the auger bit up and let it drop quickly down.

i tend to keep auger bit running at a slow speed, the faster auger bit turns, the more likely in hard dirt, the wider ends of the auger bit. will not cut in and almost compact that dirt. not letting the auger bit sink down into the dirt.

the times i let auger bit spin as fast as it can, is when i hit some harder dirt. and the dirt is just barely chipping out. (saw dust almost) the pile of dirt around the auger bit, you really need to pay attention to. sometimes taking eyes off for a minute then look back to see if dirt pile has gotten bigger. i have gotton rather irritated at "spotters" / "helpers" saying you are not going down, and will tell them flat out to shut up. it is digging but just extremely slowly. there next comment is only the dirt is falling back into the hole is what you see, after about 2 to 15 minutes. i get past the hard pan / hard layer and auger bit just sinks into the ground.

some times, it takes drilling the hole as far as you can, then dumping a couple gallons of water in, then come back next day, to try again.

some times, i will break out the spade, or the ugly, manual post hole digger shovel. and break up the bottom of the hole some. and then drop auger bit back down. to get a fresh start of digging back down, some times it works some times it does not, some times it takes a couple retries.

double check for "straight and level" for auger bit. drilling at a slight angle front or backwards, more so side ways. can cause auger bit to bind up some. causing the auger bit to almost vibrate within the hole vs digging down.

and as whistlepig noted, some times of the year, are not the best time to try PHD.

===============
on a side note, having a second person as a spotter / helper does help in drilling holes. ya they may have there thumb up there rear most of the time. do to not a lot for them to do, but if you can keep them focused, and tell them what needs to be done / watched out for. ((figure out some hand signs vs trying to yell at each other over sound of tractor / PHD)) it can make things quicker and easier. more so on the stubborn holes.

 

[plowindeeper]

Try changing the angle of the auger. It's more than likely because it's summer and dry. Add water to the hole.

But be very careful putting you weight on it and standing on it one little slip and it will be very bad.

 

[tpulley]

First let me say I was maintaining a safe distance from the working end.

With that noted, I will get a pic of the tips. These tips have a srew like look to them. Not like some I have seen. I am hoping the rain we are slotted to have the next couple of days will help.

 

[gwdixon]

The suggestions of the responders are all good. The best is the filling of the holes with water and letting it soak in for a day or two.

If you have hardpan or hardened clay then it may take longer to get it soaked. Check the holes to see if the water has soaked in or is just sitting there.

A 5-gallon bucket of water in each hole start should work. A rain will likely not soak the ground enough unless it is a gusher.

When you use metal posts and a driver does it take 20 to 30 whacks to get the post to go in? Soft/wet ground should get about 3" to 4" per reasonable whack (just using the weight of the driver).

To me it sounds like just plain hard ground since you made sure there were no rocks. An auger without hydraulic downforce will just spin as you describe.

I helped a guy plant trees last week that had hired a guy with a Jeep and hydraulic 24" auger. He came to a dead stop on about half of the holes and was breaking sheer pins with alarming regularity. Eventually, he gave up and the holes were dug with my backhoe. Lots of clay, rocks, and generally hard ground.