Can my BH substitute for a PHD?

LateBloomer · Mar 12, 2004

I need to put in a lot of fencing the summer and need a PHD. I have a BH on my B7500 with a 10" bucket and have been thinking I might as well give that a try first. Since the cost of shipping the PHD up here in Alaska brings the cost to over $1,000 I am seeking either confirmation or denial that this is a feasible alternative. I also have lot of rocks just a few feet or less down below topsoil so maybe the bucket would work better anyway. See I can rationalize any money saving scheme on my own. Seriously has anyone had experience with using a back in like manner to dig post holes for a bunch of fence posts?

RonL · Mar 12, 2004

Latebloomer

You can put in fence posts with a backhoe but it makes for a LOT more work. In order to get down deep enough you will have to dig a sizable hole which will need to be backfilled and tamped.

RonL

toy1 · Mar 12, 2004

A few years ago I put in 40 6*6 post for a fence around a pool. I live on the side of a hill that is loaded with rocks. I used a hyd. post hole digger on my KX121 and I was able to do half of the hole with no problme approx 10 hole were very difficult to do with the large amount of shale that I hit If I did not have the ability to reverse direction on the auger I would be still unjamming the auger from the rocks. On approx 10 hole I used the backhoe the auger just could no get thru the rocks. While the holes were a lot bigger than you would want it did a excellant job. I would like to point out that if you do use the hoe make sure you really tamp the dirt solid back in the hole. I have noticed that after a couple of winters the post that were put in with the back hoe moved a little more that those put in with the auger. the auger was 18" dia. Good luck you never know want you will find once you start to dig.

Junkman · Mar 12, 2004

In CT you never know what you will find for rocks. When the excavator was working in my back yard the operator asked if I wanted to remove the one rock that was at the end of the yard. I said yes and he started to dig around it. The more he dug the bigger the rock appeared. by the time he got the rock totally uncovered, it was about the size of a full size Chevrolet station wagon of the 1970's. All that could be done was to dig down deeper in front of the rock and then roll the rock into the new deeper hole. This is only the second time in my life that I have ever seen a rock this size moved and the other one was near by when they were putting in a sewer pipe line. I never saw what they did to remove the rock, but it sat on the side of the road for about 6 months while the project was ongoing. I have a picture of my car in front of that rock and that rock fills the entire background of my car. In CT, we are all just rock farmers. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I think where you are, you have the red shale material, but I don't know about the round rock population.......

toy1 · Mar 12, 2004

I have a lot of what is called rotten shale it breaks up if you hit it from the side but if you go straight down on it, it is very strong it reminds me how plywood is constructed, and for good measure there is a lot of field stones in the mix and every now and then the mother of all rocks appears. 30 + years ago when I first purchased the property I had a small shed that was on the property and everytime I would open the door it would rub on the top of the rock so one day I decided to get the rock out well you can see were this is going this rock measured 20 feet long 10 feet wide and 7 feet tall when I thought I uncovered it all. I hired a local contractor to come and move it into a hole I dug, he showes up with a D8 Cat and tries to move the rock the first time he hit the rock with the Cat, all that shakes was the D8. I looked a my Farther who was standing next to me at the time and said now what do we do. Well he played around with the rock for about 45 min and broke it free from the cradle it was in. The rock was 10 feet high not 7 feet. What I thought was the bottom was not. I have vowed that I will some day tame this piece of propert I purchased when I was naive and thought I could do anything. I would have been better off selling it many years ago .But it is more principle now, I shall overcome.

Junkman · Mar 12, 2004

Don't force it...... bring in a bigger excavator!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

gsxr1100 · Mar 12, 2004

junkman- you are right living in Ma (near CT/Ma) line I dig down 1 foot and I have rocks up the wayzoo.

You can also dig down 1 foot and find a small stone (so you think). Then you try to dig around it and it is the size of your HOUSE!

Then, maybe, if, you are lucky you can get through it and hit the clay or gravel!

But nevertheless, it is fun using the BH!!!!!!

RayBee · Mar 12, 2004

LateBloomer: .....I think your B7500 & your BH with a 10" bucket would probably work nicely, especially if you're going to encounter rocks anyway. Plan on 30" - 36" diam. holes. or if your lucky a 10" x 36" slot.
I dug approx. 20 holes with a 12"auger / PHD last spring, one hole was clean and full depth (42") all the others had to be partially finished by hand because of tree roots or stones jamming the auger. Always plan on rocks effecting your outcome. And since you can only have one on your tractor at one time (BH or PHD) it's your call. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif....RayBee
p.s. Also not shown & needed is prybar and hand hoe & shovel . /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Junkman · Mar 12, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( .................... And since you can only have one on your tractor at one time (BH or PHD) it's your call. ............. )</font>

Good excuse to buy another tractor????? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

LateBloomer · Mar 12, 2004

Great responses all, I appreciate the input, especially about the rock encounters. Ray your picture kinda of says it all. I guess I should not drop over 1K on a PHD and think that my troubles are over. I don't mind the extra time to dig with the BH, suppose the backfill will be more time consuming however. Sure like the idea of just dropping a PHD in a line of fence holes and neatly finishing a section in short order but reality is reality. Judging from what I have found so far on my property there are going to be plenty of surprises a foot or two below the surface. This valley is all glacial moraine.