BX2200 and post hole digger

[Buckcreek]

I seen a discussion on this topic, but could not find it by searching. I was looking into getting one and my dealer said that woods is the only one that would work on th bx. i was hoping to find one a little cheaper? I need it for one big job , then it might set for years. dont know of anywher to rent one in my area. But im sure if i buy one my large family will find alot of holes to dig. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tom_H]

Your dealer is not correct. For my BX2200 I have a Greene unit purchased from Northern Tool & Equip. The PHD was about $350. Depending upon its size, the auger is about $80 to $120 more. It digs well in normal soils. Heavy clay must be damp to dig. If you hit hardpan or caliche, it is ineffective. Another guy on here, ultrarunner, who has a BX23, bought a Land Pride unit with hydraulic downpressure and fishtail carbide tip for around $2000 total so that he could drill into his hardpan, but he hasn't tried it yet. Most 42" units will fit but you must have the lift arms at just the right position for them to spread their maximum width apart to get the U-bar into position. Good Luck.

 

[Tom_H]

Here's a link to the Greene PHD at Northern Tool & Equip. The prices have gone up. I checked their spring catalog-it's even gone up a lot since then. Demand in China's really driving up the price of oil & scrap iron. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Greene PHD at Northern T&E

 

[RonR]

I have a Vassar PHD, mfg in Oklahoma. Purchased it with the tractor new in 2003 for about $600, including 9" auger. Works fine.

Best wishes,
Ron

 

[Buckcreek]

thanks for the replys. The woods unit he priced me was , i think 650.00$ give or take a few, he wrote the price down but its out in my truck, thats with a 9" auger, he called it a 4 somthin flute cant remmember exactly he said it woud dig well in clay, does that sound like a high price. Hes usually pretty good on most things. how long would it take to get the green unit shipped

 

[Tom_H]

If you click on the link above, you'll see their toll free number. Call them to ask about shipping rates & time to your location. Did your dealer's price include shipping & tax? If so, the totals could be close. Having a good dealer on hand to troubleshoot could be worth it. On the other hand, if the $650 doesn't include tax & shipping, it could be worth a couple of hundred bucks saved. That's a decision only you can make.

 

[Buckcreek]

Yes that was the total price, tax and all. i called northern tool and to get theres shipped to me it would cost $550.00. So i will probably get the woods. its also painted orange /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Jim_Becker]

I have the Woods 1120 for my BX and it's a perfectly functional PHD...my cost was about $500 two years ago. That said, there are techniques to get more lift on the BX 3pt that have been shown here at TBN and that's the key to getting some of the other more common PHDs to work well. If you need deeper than 30", you'll want to look into that more closely as 30" is the limit for the Woods 1120 (standard augers) without some creativity!

 

[Junkman]

here is a picture of how to get more lift.... don't know who to attribute the picture credits.. I just save them to my computer for future referance...

 

[Jim_Becker]

Yes, that was one method...I think another that was posted was to put a couple holes farther to the rear on the links.

 

[Buckcreek]

Ive been checking prices, found a closer dealer that i was always higer on everthing else , said he could get me one for $500. im calling my dealer now to try to get him to come down, on the price. If not i will buy from the other one.

 

[Buckcreek]

Another stupid question, will the 42" auger work with the BX. They have to order and if i can use the 42" auger i will get it there wasnt any price diff. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Tom_H]

The GREENE 42" works fine; has about 6" clearance at bottom when fully lifted. $500 for shipping from New Engl. to KY? Great Jumpin' Jehosephat, fuel & shippin' prices are gettin' unreal. 4 yrs. ago I paid about $200 from there to CA. Where will this end?

 

[Buckcreek]

I called northerntool,and they wanted $550.00. to ship it to me , im geting the woods for that. i might be wrong but is the woods a better unit i think its got a good warranty.

 

[Buckcreek]

I just thought i would update on my post hole digger, well The dealer that said he could get me one for $500 dollars was a lier /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif, i called them to see if it was in yet and now they said $650 , so i said keep it. i knew there was some reason besides being higer on the tracotor i bought that i didnt do buisness with them. The dealer i bought the tractor from said if they get some in with another shipment he could sale me one for $598. but dont know when it will come. i may just call and order the green. How does it dig in clay /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Buckcreek]

Tom H , The $550 price was the postholedigger and shipping together. I just noticed your reply, sorry if i didnt make it clear, i find it hard to type what i mean sometimes /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tom_H]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( How does it dig in clay)</font>

Well, let me describe my situation; it may be different than yours. I have anywhere from 10" to 4' of clay topsoil sitting on top of hardpan that water cannot penetrate. The land is also flat so water goes down but not much drains away. During winter rains, my clay turns into soup. Drilling in this stuff is about like drilling a hole in water. I have a very brief window of time in the spring when the soil has just the right amount of moisture to dig. A few days later and it's hard as brick and the auger just spins around. To dig in our hot dry summer, I have to wet the ground, let the water soak in, then let it dry just the right amount. With the right conditions, it augers very well. In other soils it should do fine. If you have clay, but not the hardpan, and a subsoil which permits water to drain deeper, you might not experience such a difficult time. I should let you know that the tip on the end of the Greene auger is very blunt. There ore other augers (I'm being technical here in that I mean just the part that looks like a drill bit) which will take tips with sharp carbide edges or "fishtail" tips which might work in soil like mine when it's dry. You could order just the post hole digger from Northern and try to find a compatible auger with a sharper tip from someone else if you think digging in dry clay will be a problem. I shopped around looking for a sharper tip to put on the end of my Greene auger, but the diameter and thread sizes were never compatible. I'd need to buy an entire auger, AND make sure it matched the connection where the auger and PHD bolt together. Hey, GOOD LUCK. Let us know how it all turns out.

 

[Buckcreek]

Well i havent bought a post hole digger yet, had decided to do the job i had planned on by manual labor /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif but i tried to hire some local young boys to dig the holes for me, that was wasted time. So i started doing it myself, well got two holes dug and my back problems kicked in. Got on the phone and called everone i could think of trying to buy a digger, found one not too far away its the one northern tool sales, the total price is $399 im leaving now to buy it. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Oh yeah the soil is clay but no hardpan, it seems about right for digging , but not by my back, LOL

 

[Tom_H]

If your clay is too wet, you'll need to wait until it dries to just the right consistancy. Otherwise you'll just slide around in muck. If it's really dry, it'll be too hard to cut. If it's dry, here's a tip: mark the spots where you want to drill. Wet those places a bit. Wait 2 hours, come back and dig out a 3 or 4 inch deep beginning at those spots. Fill those holes with more water just to the brim and allow gravity to pull the water down. Do this 2 or 3 more times over the next few days. Now the soil should be in just the right condition for you to come in with your auger and drill straight down in those spots. Exercising patience here and letting nature do a lot of the work for you will pay off big time.

 

[Buckcreek]

Well, i bought the post hole digger. But, it was not the greene they sale on the northern tool site. i measuere the with of the pins and it would fit on the BX, so i bought it ,got it home and tried to assemble it. The hole in the boom part that hold the gear box was so out of line the bolt would not go through the part that hooks up to the lower link arms /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif, called the man and he said hes never had any problems with them before but to bring it back and he would get me another one. I put it together enough to see if it would raise high enough to clear the ground and it did , but it looked like the PTO shaft would be close clearing the part that hooks to the link arms. how much of an angle is normal or will work /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif