Post hole digger for 60HP Kubota M6040

[jpsheb]

Well, I've passed my first 50-hours with my new Kubota M6040--moved and stacked many logs, put in a driveway, and moved about 200-tons of dirt in landscaping. All with no weight on the back end. But it's time for that to change.

Now I need to bite the bullet and get a post-hole digger. I've held off as long as I could, but I have >1000-ft of fence to put in now and trees to plant in 2-3 months.

Does anyone have any advice for the post hole digger models that work best with a 62-hp tractor (55HP @ PTO), specifically, and with 60-horsepower class tractors in general?

The only specific catch is that where I am in NC, there is a good layer of hardpan in many places. Very tough stuff. Any advice for dealing with it, with respect to PHD & auger choices would help alot!

Thanks, and I look forward to you all's response!

-Jack

 

[Case485Guy]

For our 53 hp Case I bought a used no name model for 50.00...literally had to cut a tree out of the way to get to it, changed the gear oil, greased the ujoints, and put a new auger on it. Recently finished a 1 mile long barbed wire fence and getting ready to start another fence line later this year. If your drilling in hard ground make sure to operate at idle and as soon as you feel it dig, lift it up and lower it again. Dont want it to get buried and have to dig it out.

 

[jake98]

For tough digging everybody seems to recommend getting one with hyd downpressure. pto units don't back out when they get stuck, hyd drive ones do. good luck.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

There are many to choose from, but if you want one that is going to hold up to the punishment that your tractor is capable of doing and you want one that is going to dig your holes without problems, plan on spending some $$$$. ($3-4K before you are all done) I bought a Land Pride PD35 with every size bit that they have except the 16"er. All have Pengo teeth. I ended up purchasing the hydraulic down pressure kit, because I do not have the time to soak and or dig by hand to get holes dug. When I need a hole dug, I need it done now not hours or days later.

There are several manufacturers of the good quality PHD's and bits. But again, if you want to get the job done and don't want any problems or worries, it's going to cost some money. Do some research, anything for your tractor should have a gear ratio lower than 3-1.

Hope that some of this helps.

 

[sweettractors]

This is the best digger on the marker at a fraction of the cost of a new one. Used Slightly HD Danuser F-7 Post Hole Digger, One Owner, CAN SHIP CHEAP & FAST | eBay Ken Sweet

 

[JD 4520]

You will want or need the hydraulic down pressure based on the description of soil condition.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Well, I've passed my first 50-hours with my new Kubota M6040--moved and stacked many logs, put in a driveway, and moved about 200-tons of dirt in landscaping. All with no weight on the back end. But it's time for that to change.

Now I need to bite the bullet and get a post-hole digger. I've held off as long as I could, but I have >1000-ft of fence to put in now and trees to plant in 2-3 months.

Does anyone have any advice for the post hole digger models that work best with a 62-hp tractor (55HP @ PTO), specifically, and with 60-horsepower class tractors in general?

The only specific catch is that where I am in NC, there is a good layer of hardpan in many places. Very tough stuff. Any advice for dealing with it, with respect to PHD & auger choices would help alot!

Thanks, and I look forward to you all's response!

-Jack

I have a KingKutter PHD with a 12 inch auger and I use that on my Ford 4610 (62 engine HP, 46 PTO HP at 540 pto rpm). Since you can only auger at low rpm's, I don't think there's any special neeed for a PHD that absorbs full rated pto hp. Torque is the limiting factor and that's governed by the shear protection on the PHD. In my case it's a 3/8" diameter Grade 2 bolt. In some parts of our place, I'll go through 5 bolts per 3 ft deep hole! They don't call them the Rocky Mountains for nothing.

The auger tip is an important piece of hardware dependent on the soil type. When our ground dries up I have to dig as far as I can with the tip I have and fill the hole with water and comeback the next day. I may have to do that several times to dig a hole in dry ground. In the Spring, the auger goes in like sh** through a tin horn! I need to get a more agressive tip and they are available. The teeth are also important and they can wear out guickly especially in our ground. They are easy to replace at around $5 a pop.

I only use the PHD for corner posts. The line posts I drive with a hydraulic post driver.


Most of the these units are available with hydraulic down pressure kits and I haven't availed my self of one of these but they would help with dry soil. Fencing time is usually Spring around here so it not that big of a limitation for me not to have one.
Anyway that's my experience.

 

[Ken45101]

Going through hardpan, you are going to need downpressure and a sturdy, aggressive tip and teeth, possibly cast.

We have a fair amount of rock here and my PHD is about worthless. 90% of the holes I dig need extra weight on the PHD and I have to bend back the teeth after every hole. I buy sheer pins by the pound.

If you have a lot of hole to dig at one time, you might see about renting a skid steer with a proper PHD. A lot faster and will hold up a lot better.

Ken

 

[jpsheb]

For tough digging everybody seems to recommend getting one with hyd downpressure. pto units don't back out when they get stuck, hyd drive ones do. good luck.

I've looked at the downpressure units. They seem nice, but expen$ive, for 500-lb of down pressure. Has anyone:

1.) simply used weights to provide the down-pressure?
2.) Used some kind of simple lever linkage to push down on the PHD by raising or up-tilting the FEL?

 

[jpsheb]

There are many to choose from, but if you want one that is going to hold up to the punishment that your tractor is capable of doing and you want one that is going to dig your holes without problems, plan on spending some $$$$. ($3-4K before you are all done) I bought a Land Pride PD35 with every size bit that they have except the 16"er. All have Pengo teeth. I ended up purchasing the hydraulic down pressure kit, because I do not have the time to soak and or dig by hand to get holes dug. When I need a hole dug, I need it done now not hours or days later.

There are several manufacturers of the good quality PHD's and bits. But again, if you want to get the job done and don't want any problems or worries, it's going to cost some money. Do some research, anything for your tractor should have a gear ratio lower than 3-1.

Hope that some of this helps.

I agree--the right tool for the job needs to be able to do the job every time, and *when* you need the job done. If that tool is too much, I try not to buy something cheaper, but to wait and save until I can afford the right tool.

Do you have any regrets regarding the LandPride? Has it worked well for you? My two local Kubota dealers deal in, repsectively, Farm King and LandPride. The dealer who sells the Farm King is the more reputable of the two, but I really can't find much info on the Farm King--and it seems they only make one model, capable of running up to an 18" auger.