Kubota B2601 Hydraulic PHD vs PTO driven

[aRvy]

I will be pulling the trigger on a new B2601 FEL, BH, And MMM as soon as I decide on which PHD is right for me.
I had my heart set on the Landpride HD25 SSQA/tractor mount and 12" auger.($2300ish)
My dealer called me today after he called Landpride and told me: Landpride does not recommend that PHD for the B2601 as the PHD requires a min. of 5 GPM flow and the tractor can only deliver 4.7 max. The PHD would run off a rear remote because he (the dealer) said that the third function valve flows much less even than the rear remote.
I like the idea of having the loader mounted PHD plus the reversability of the auger and the bit of shock absorbsion that hydraulic drive provides.
My question is: has anyone used this combination with successfully? I am under the impression that the PHD would just run slower. I am a homeowner w/ 5 acres not a contractor so time is not necessarily money.
I care most about not doing harm to the equipment not going fast.
If not a hydraulic PHD my choices are a Landpride PD15/12x48" @ $1800 or a Countyline from TSC w/12x30" auger for $600ish.
I want to place the tractor order the day after tomorrow and I am thanking anyone for their advice in advance.
aRvy

 

[topbuilder]

I can tell you my experience with a post hole digger. I have 20 acres. In the beginning, I used it a lot. Once I finished running fence and cross fence, that was it. That was 24 years ago. Since then I think I have hooked it up twice. Once to drill piers for a building, once to drill holes for a neighbor. Back in the day, I think I paid $ 3-400 for it. I'm glad I still have it. I still need it. But, I'm also glad I do not have a lot tied up in it. So, my suggestion is do it on the cheap. Maybe even find a used one.

I too have a brand new 12" auger. Never once used it. Everything I needed done the 9" would handle. The more dirt you take out is more you have to put back in...

Get that machine ordered! Pics!!

 

[buickanddeere]

No concern what so ever with hydraulic gpm. The auger runs a little slower, not an issue.

 

[Fallon]

If you can afford it hydraulic PHDs are pretty much always better than PTO. They don't use much HP & low GPM just means they run slow. You can reverse them if you get stuck & put downpressure on them without balancing a ton of weight on them or doing other funky things.

I rebuilt my 3pt PHD to fit on my QH (hydraulic top link required) & put a 200lbs weight on top of it. It works better than a normal 3pt PHD now, but nowhere as good as a hydraulic one.

 

[aRvy]

Thanks all who responded.
I have decided to go with the SpeeCo #65 PHD.
When beginning my research, about two months ago I emailed some questions to them and I had a very courteous response within two hours. He also said to let him know the tractor model and he would tell me which one fit best. I did that the other evening and again had a response within two hours.
It just happens that my local farm store had the #65 on sale 30% off and the augers for 15% off.
They had only 1 left in stock so i bought it along with 9 and 12 inch augers. Total 630 inc. tax.
This is less than anything used I could find on CList within 100 miles.
I like to have spare wear parts on hand and was haveing a little trouble coming up with a set of spare cutting edges for the augers. I again emailed the Speeco guy last night and thanked him for his help in making my purchase decision. I also asked him if the gearboxes are shipped empty and where I could locally buy teeth. When I checked this morning I had a response. He told me That they were indeed shipped empty and how much of which oil I need. He also sent images of the Tractor Supply web pages showing the Countyline teeth circled and part numbers for teeth bolts and shearpins. Also included an electronic copy of the operators manual.
I think that is pretty good customer service so far concidering that I dont even pick up the PHD until tomorrow.
I decided to go with Speeco PTO PHD for two reasons: 1. price- land pride hydraulic and PTO units from the dealer were 2300 and 1800 respectively.
And B.- I am entering into a minimum of a six year relationship (promotional powertrain warranty) with my dealer. I don't want to put myself in a position of a possible warranty claim where he can claim the problem could be caused by an implement that he recommended against.
Initially, I have plans for about 200 holes after that my planned uses would be intermittant so if I get the 200 holes out of it I will be thrilled.
I am meeting the dealer tomorrow morning to order the B.
I will post pics just as if it was a new puppy.
aRvy

 

[topbuilder]

Good choice.
What's your ground like there. For us, spring winter is about the best time to drill holes. Black land clay. No drilling it without dumping water in and letting it set. The upside is we have no natural rock.

 

[aRvy]

Our ground is 12" or so of Black as coal dirt on top of clay with a smattering of rocks.
I have alot of oak and hickory trees so I expect to find plenty of roots.

 

[buickanddeere]

As long as you are digging in sandy soil without rocks and roots. Regular jams requiring reversing and replacement of shear pins will make the sweet taste of a pto bargain bitter after a while.

 

[prichard]

Read everything you can find on here about PTO PHDs. My first hole sucked that thing right into the ground. Had to wrench it back out. Go slow, bring it back up frequently and have a hand on your pto lever.

They work but there are tricks to using them.

Pm me if you'd like to chat about about my newbie experience with the same setup.

 

[Fallon]

I have yet to corkscrew an auger on my machine. Probably because I learned from others failures on that front here on TBN first. It's grabbed a few times though & I'd have been hurting if I didn't know better. Just go slow & only dig down 2-3" at a time. No need to pull the auger out or even up at all, just let it spin a bit & loosen the dirt in the hole before dropping another few inches.

Don't let anybody within 5' of that auger or PTO shaft. It's the most deadly part of that machine. Put weight (never a person) over the auger for more downpressure (or buy a downpressure kit if one is avaliable, probably $400).