PHD with L3800

[geewhz01]

I purchased a new PD15 from LP. After reading the manual it says to only use this at PTO speed of 300 rpm or slower. I'm not sure how to set the pto to that speed and know it's at that rpm or slower, can someone help?

Thanks,

Andy

 

[KennyV]

If your tractor developed 540 PTO rpm at 2500 Engine rpm... it is 2500 divided by 540 equals 4.629 engine rpm for each PTO rpm.
so to get 300 PTO rpm (for the above ratio) multiply 4.629 times 300 = 1388 Engine rpm.

Take Your tractor Engine rpm @ 540 pto speed. and divide that number by 540. Multiply that number by 300 will give you your needed Engine rpm to achieve 300 PTO rpm.

But you will want to spin a PHD Slow... and avoid any "max rpm.... KennyV

 

[beppington]

As Kenny said: Just slow the engine down ... to about 1/2 throttle :thumbsup:

 

[geewhz01]

Thanks!!! Guess I was over thinking this.

 

[teg]

If you have not done much digging... Have a foot on the clutch in case you grab a root or big rock. When I bought my PHD, I also bought a 36" pipe wrench... if it gets stuck, I shut it off and unscrew it out of the earth! Don't let it take too big a bite into the ground.

 

[JakeBrake]

Thanks. Posts like this make me glad I spent the extra bucks to get the Grand L which gives me PTO speed, engine speed, and ground speed in MPH or KPH.

 

[woodchuckie]

On mine there is a red mark on the tach which is 540 rpm for the pto. That's the speed the rotary mower should operate to prevent overloading the motor and where the mower was designed to operate.

 

[beppington]

I learned the hard way while digging in clay & amongst roots to lower the 3-point hitch lever very slowly, keep your hand on it at all times, & be ready to yank it up quick if it starts to catch too much. Just let it take a sliver off at a time.

The clay on my land is so incredibly dense & sticky that even with my 31 PTO HP tractor my auger bit would grab that clay & twist itself into it so tight that the tractor couldn't lift the bit out of the ground At that point the only thing I could do was disconnect the PTO shaft & back the bit out by hand ... not a fun chore.

Now if you're sure you're digging in sandy or loose ground, you probably don't need to be as cautious .. still be cautious, just not as cautious.

 

[whistlepig]

I run my PHD at about 1,000 tractor RPM. If you run it too fast the auger will chatter and bounce all over the place while trying to dig and if you run it too slow they have a tendency to "corkscrew" themselves in to the ground.

 

[Chilly807]

We drilled about 70 holes yesterday, went through half a dozen shear pins, and had to back it out of the ground twice with a pipe wrench. Hooked on the edge of a rock both times.

I've found that digging a shallow (2-3 inch deep) pilot hole with a shovel is the best way to get instant digging as well as keeping the hole in the place you want. Sod takes a few turns to get through, and by that time the auger may have slid sideways a couple of inches. Holes started on a side hill are especially difficult to keep straight, the pilot hole does the job there.

Sean

 

[Chilly807]

We drilled about 70 holes yesterday, went through half a dozen shear pins, and had to back it out of the ground twice with a pipe wrench. Hooked on the edge of a rock both times.

I've found that digging a shallow (2-3 inch deep) pilot hole with a shovel is the best way to get instant digging as well as keeping the hole in the place you want. Sod takes a few turns to get through, and by that time the auger may have slid sideways a couple of inches. Holes started on a side hill are especially difficult to keep straight, the pilot hole does the job there.

I remember when we bought the digger (used) that I was concerned that the L3400 might be able to bend it. Not a chance of that, even on it's best day.. 2 and 7/8 inch pipe is a lot stronger than you might think. Ours is a Kubota branded BH80A PHD, built by Auburn Consolidated Industries.

Sean

 

[beppington]

We drilled about 70 holes yesterday, went through half a dozen shear pins, and had to back it out of the ground twice with a pipe wrench. Hooked on the edge of a rock both times.

I've found that digging a shallow (2-3 inch deep) pilot hole with a shovel is the best way to get instant digging as well as keeping the hole in the place you want. Sod takes a few turns to get through, and by that time the auger may have slid sideways a couple of inches. Holes started on a side hill are especially difficult to keep straight, the pilot hole does the job there.

I remember when we bought the digger (used) that I was concerned that the L3400 might be able to bend it. Not a chance of that, even on it's best day.. 2 and 7/8 inch pipe is a lot stronger than you might think. Ours is a Kubota branded BH80A PHD, built by Auburn Consolidated Industries.

Oh, yeah! That is another thing I recently learned: Dig a pilot hole with manual post hole diggers - Highly increase the chances of the auger digging the hole right where you want it.

 

[geewhz01]

Dug a couple of holes yesterday and worked great. Can't believe the ease at which it was.

As a side note, do you guys take the auger bits off when you are done for the day or do you leave them on? I was planning on leaving it on but it scraps the ground in certain areas, so I tied the bit up a little using a tie down just to get it put back up, how are you all hauling it with bit attached, is there a easier way?

Andy

 

[Chilly807]

Dug a couple of holes yesterday and worked great. Can't believe the ease at which it was.

As a side note, do you guys take the auger bits off when you are done for the day or do you leave them on? I was planning on leaving it on but it scraps the ground in certain areas, so I tied the bit up a little using a tie down just to get it put back up, how are you all hauling it with bit attached, is there a easier way?

Andy

Mine stays on 24/7/365.. I tie it up as high as it will go with some rope when transporting, then let it hang down from the stand when it's off the tractor.

Sean

 

[beppington]

Same here: Mine stays on always, & I use a strap to secure the bit up toward the back of the tractor to keep it from dragging the ground.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I have a stand similar to Chilly807 and the only time the auger bit comes off is to change the size of the bit. The post hole digger always hangs with a bit on it.

 

[geewhz01]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the info.

Andy