Post hole auger on lawn tractor

[Reverend Blair]

I build fences and decks for part of my living, and yard access is always a problem. In addition to that, I have some issues with my knees, so I was kind of hoping to get away from traditional augers.

I was thinking of getting a lawn tractor with a post-hole attachment, but the dealers offer no such thing. The closest they offer is a the JD 2305 or the Kubota 1600 series. Both are too large for my needs, plus hauling them is problematic.

Does anybody of a lawn tractor that has a post hole attachment?

It doesn't have to be new, but it does have to be reliable.

I know I've seen a JD 318 with a PTO and 3 point hitch. Will something like that handle an auger digging 3 1/2 foot holes? Is such an auger available? A mini-loader for the front would be cool too.

 

[Wis Bang]

I've seen them for skid steers.

 

[CATMAN]

Have you looked at the Toro Dingo "walk behind" hydraulic crawler with post hole augers. They rent them at rental stores. They look pretty narrow to me, so I think they would go thru a 36" gate into someone's backyard. Might be something to look into.

 

[zzvyb6]

I have a little EarthQuake brand gas powered digger with a 6" auger. Works great in sandy soil, but if you hit a rock, it can be a problem on your shoulders. Seems to me that you could use the tractor frame as a restraint and hook up some type of 4 bar linkage to raise and lower the digger. Something with a counterweight so that all you need to do is start it off. If you had a decent front loader, then a hydraulic motored phd would be a possibility. Need an oil supply of sufficient flow rate to get the job done.

 

[stevem5215]

I've seen them for the sub compact tractor Steiner brand. They are on ebay. Just do a search for Steiner and you'll see one listed in Ohio for $1650 used very little it says.

Steve

 

[Reverend Blair]

I've seen them for the sub compact tractor Steiner brand. They are on ebay. Just do a search for Steiner and you'll see one listed in Ohio for $1650 used very little it says.

Steve

There are no Steiner dealers that I can find in Canada, so parts and service are likely to be a problem with those. Too bad, it looks like a pretty cool little machine.

Have you looked at the Toro Dingo "walk behind" hydraulic crawler with post hole augers. They rent them at rental stores. They look pretty narrow to me, so I think they would go thru a 36" gate into someone's backyard. Might be something to look into.

That looks a lot like what I'm looking for. Small, maneuverable, and easy to trailer. There's a dealer not to far from here too. I'll have to check one out, but with an auger and a loader, I think that might do the trick.

 

[Tvern13]

You could look at a small gray market. I have a Yanmar 1610D that I have a PHD for does a good job. It will fit through a 48" gate (103" long by 44" wide). If that's too big you could maybe look at a Yanmar 1401 or F15 these are only 84-85" wide by 38-39" long. I think either of these could handle a PHD on the 3 point but you could check with a gray market dealer to be sure. Mine handles the PHD pretty good.

 

[Redneck in training]

Get one with down force option. I have one without DF and it is a pain to start a hole in grass.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Get one with down force option. I have one without DF and it is a pain to start a hole in grass.

Excellent advice. I didn't know that option existed, but I've felt that same pain. The grass mixes with the clay, sticks to the auger, and you might as well be trying to dig with a butter knife.

You could look at a small gray market. I have a Yanmar 1610D that I have a PHD for does a good job. It will fit through a 48" gate (103" long by 44" wide). If that's too big you could maybe look at a Yanmar 1401 or F15 these are only 84-85" wide by 38-39" long. I think either of these could handle a PHD on the 3 point but you could check with a gray market dealer to be sure. Mine handles the PHD pretty good.

That's about the same size as the JD 2305. I'm keeping my eye out for a used one (my niece's husband happens to be a JD mechanic) for larger jobs, and if I get one of the contracts I've bid on (long shot), I can just go buy a new one with the deposit money. Right now I rent one from a friend as needed.

Those are too big and hard to transport for most jobs though. I do a lot of residential stuff in established neighbourhoods. They don't want you taking down the fence if you are doing footings for a deck, and they don't want anything they perceive as heavy on their precious lawns. Often the fences require fighting your way through trees, and I'm constantly twisting my way through flower beds. Then there's the gazebos...don't get me started on the gazebos.

 

[bontai_Joe]

"Back in the day", Danuser (a leading mag. of post hole drills) made attachments for several leading brand garden tractors. Among them were tube frame Bolens machines, the Deere 140H3, Cub Cadet. Keep in mind that these were made over 30 years ago, and are rather rare, and I have no idea as to parts availability. The last Deere one I saw on Ebay was over 2 years ago, and it sold for well over $1000 (tractor not included).

 

[Reverend Blair]

I'll keep an eye for those, bontai Joe. A grand pays for itself in one fence as long as I don't pay myself, and I need something to mow my grass with anyway, so some sort of lawn tractor is in the cards.

 

[Skyco]

Might consider one of these-
NorthStar Earth Auger — 9 HP | Auger Powerheads, Bits + Extensions | Northern Tool + Equipment

I've seen smaller ones that hopefully cost less and are more manueverable.

 

[Reverend Blair]

I'm using one of the towable two-wheeled hydraulic models like the Ground Hog (mine's a home-built somebody put together) right now. They have a little more power. There's that whole thing with my knees though. It's not too bad with the drilling, but a little tough with the pushing around. I'll be keeping it no matter what...I've had it for 4 years and nothing has broken that wasn't my own fault...but I'd like to find something easier.

 

[bontai_Joe]

These Danuser drills are rare enough that if you find one for ANY old garden tractor, perhaps buy it, and then get a tractor to fit. They look like this for most brand tractors:
http://www.weekendfreedommachines.com/danuser/danuser_compactdigger_1.jpg

 

[jas67]

A Bobcat MT52 or a Toro Dingo is probably a good choice.

 

[Baucom]

If you're intending to make money with it, then don't buy an old and rare item. As good as Danuser PHDs are, and as awesome as those for GTs are, if something does happen to it and the part requires some searching to find...well time is money and if you're searching for a part then you're not building a deck.

If you get the Bobcat MT52 or Toro Dingo from a local dealer, it will come with a warranty and a local source of spare parts and service. Also, since you're using it for business, they should take care of you--for example if it suffers a catastrophic failure preventing you from starting or finishing a job, the dealer should have a loaner (or rental) available for you to use while he fixes your machine.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Yeah, I worry about parts a lot. The unit I'm using now was built from what was on the shelf at Princess Auto, so it's no problem.

Today I was up to ankles in mud...new area of town, no grass, two days of rain, but they want it finished because they never bothered to train their dog. I got the auger stuck in the clay.

So I've got 4x4's under the Jack-All and under the axles, and it's just the kind of mess that you can only get yourself into by saying yes when you should have said no. What the heck though, it's not like I had anything else to do today.

The kid walks out (he's maybe 16 and less trained than the dog) and says, "You sure work hard."

"That's what happens if you don't go to school," I said. Which is more or less true, I guess. I know quite a few university graduates, and not one of them was standing there in the mud with me.

Anyway, a while later his mother comes out and hands me a beer and says, "Thank you. I heard what you said and he needed to hear that."

I'm kind of ambivalent about that. I hate to see some innocent kid trapped into a life of wearing a tie and spending his life under florescent lights. On the other hand, I got a free beer.

 

[Baucom]

Good story about the kid--maybe he'll take the lesson from that with him.

Speaking of working in the mud--1 of those tracked Dingos would be pretty easy on folks' turf and would have pretty decent flotation when you have to work in wet conditions

 

[Reverend Blair]

Yeah, I keep looking at those Dingos and their cousins on the internet. I've found a local dealer, but haven't gotten a chance to see him yet. It looks like a good solution though.

I'm just not sure how I feel about the price yet. I haven't used one, haven't seen one run, and they run about the same cost (again, going by the internet) as a compact tractor. They'll get me into places that I can't go with a tractor though.

 

[hemiguy]

I'm didn't read this whole thread yet so I'm not sure this has been pointed out. That is any compact,sub-compact, or heavy duty L&G tractor PTO driven auger is NOT reversible. IE, if you are drilling deep in very rocky soil there is very good a possibly it could get stuck. I live in upstate NY where the glaciers have left us many, many rocks of all shapes and sizes(and sometimes mixed with clay). I have built a half dozen decks and rented the towable, hydro driven , (and reversible) auger each time. If I did not have reverse, I would have been up a creek without a paddle several times. The other issue with PTO driven, 3 point hitch ones is they have lift but not down pressure so you have a manual lever and your muscles for that. Again, from experience, down pressure would be a big help in compacted clay.

I assume the mini skid attachments are hydro driven (and have reverse) like full size skid steers. That sounds like your best bet as others have said for what you need. I know they are very pricy (over $20K ??)and around here rent for about $200 a day. I guess I would rent one first to make sure it works like you expect and gets the job done and most important helps you make money. Just my two cents.