Post Hole Digger

[Timber]

Boomer what does the tip of your auger look like. Does it have a drill tip,1 0r 2 blades, bring this pic to fuul size and you can see the tip

 

[Fjord]

I think it really depends on what type of dirt you're in. My phd ( Walco) has two removable blades but no drill bit end. I havn't used it yet on the B7800, but my old IH had downpressure on the 3pt hitch and it would drill a hole in the clay in a minute or so in April May June Sept Oct. If I tried the same dirt in the middle of a really dry August it would take forever and just seemed to be putting a lot of extra stress on everything. If you happen to get it stuck on a rock it's handy to have a pipe wrench with an extension pipe on it to back it out with.I also take a circle of the sod off with a shovel so I can easily see exactly where the hole is to go when I'm up on the tractor. Even if you have to pick and choose which seasons you do your augering in it's still a darned useful tool to have around and your friends will always be thankful that they can borrow it too.

 

[kwolfe]

I do not own a PHD however many of the pictures I see in the threads shown holes made in nice soil like Timber's. In his case, I am sure that the PHD would be great. I poured 12 footers for my 24x30 deck two years ago. I rent a one man unit that can be towed behind a truck. It was hydraulic dirven with a forward and reverse gear. The reverse gear was absolutely crucial. He in mid state PA, we have a lot of clay and iron stone. When that PHD got stuck, reverse was the only thing that saved my butt. I have heard in other threads about guys having to pry the PHD out if it got stuck.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mahana79]

I have the Tractor Supply house brand. i bought it and a 12" bit at the time to do some corner posts. the bit has a replacable point and 2 replacable cutting edges. it had double flutes to about halfway up. My soil if very sandy for about 2 feet then turn to a red clay mix. it would do goo to the clay then stop and polish the teeth. not wanting to dit 3-4' hole by hand i too the bit and cut some pieces of 1/4" steel and welded then on the cutting edges at a steeper pitch to get more of a bite. works like a champ now. i will try and pics later.

a couple of months ago I volunteered for a community project of putting in a wheelchair ramp for and elderly couple. we need hole for the ramp support posts. i bought a 9" TSC bit and it is built the same way as the 12". the soil was very dry, and cracked hard black clay. the first hole i punched i droped it down and spun it up and the bit caught and it sucked itself into the ground so fast. the tractor never bobled but it over powered the three point hydraulics and even when i yanked up ont he lever it still sucked the bit deeper. a tiny bit of forward and back movent with the tractor broke up the clay enough for the lift arms to pop the bit out of the hole.

 

[Timber]

I do not own a PHD however many of the pictures I see in the threads shown holes made in nice soil like Timber's. In his case, I am sure that the PHD would be great. I poured 12 footers for my 24x30 deck two years ago. I rent a one man unit that can be towed behind a truck. It was hydraulic dirven with a forward and reverse gear. The reverse gear was absolutely crucial. He in mid state PA, we have a lot of clay and iron stone. When that PHD got stuck, reverse was the only thing that saved my butt. I have heard in other threads about guys having to pry the PHD out if it got stuck.

Just my 2 cents.

Yea don't let that fool you, I have great top soil but 12 inches down it is solid clay and stone. I am in the middle of digging a koi pond and it is a pick and ax job and. I could probably make a mud pond if I wanted too. At any rate I have a lot of experience digging post holes. I have said this before. A PHD is just 1 tool in many needed to dig post holes. No body should ever think that a PHD is all they need. You are always going to hit stones that you need to sneak out of the side of a hole. Your always going to have holes with a tree root going through it. and you always have to clean the bottom out with a clam shell. I think a lot of people think that tools like a PHD and others completely eliminate all the physical labor. These tools are a great aid and do remove the burden of a lot of work but the reality is that some holes the PHD will sink right to the bottom and the hole is done in 5 minutes. Then some holes you going to go 1 foot and then 2 hours by hand.

 

[RC51Boomer]

thanks Timber, yes I'm still a newbie and learning as I go. Here's the pic of my tip. What do you think???
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[drssg]

ihookem and Mahana79 both mentioned the auger sometimes going down too fast and then getting stuck in the hole. It sounds like you are putting the 3PH all the way down when you start the hole. If you let it down a little bit at a time, you can control how fast it goes down to make sure it doesn't get stuck.

I never had trouble with this, until I pulled out a post that went in too crooked with the my post driver. So after the post was out, I was basically digging a 12" hole that already had a 6" hole in the center. That thing went down to the bottom of the hole quick! It then bogged down and snapped the shear pin. It took a lot of work and a lot of swearing at myself to get that thing out of there!

 

[Mahana79]

ihookem and Mahana79 both mentioned the auger sometimes going down too fast and then getting stuck in the hole. It sounds like you are putting the 3PH all the way down when you start the hole. If you let it down a little bit at a time, you can control how fast it goes down to make sure it doesn't get stuck.

not usre about the other guy but for my sitiuation that time i did drop the lift arms a little at a time but if i wasnt careful the bit would dig in and over power the liftarms hydraulics and pull the liftarms down with it into the ground

 

[Timber]

thanks Timber, yes I'm still a newbie and learning as I go. Here's the pic of my tip. What do you think???
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That is what you want, I assume there are blades on both sides, I cant see them but I see the bolts. Well you have 2 solutions to your problem then well 3 really,
1) I know it has been said but choosing the time of year you dig can make a big difference. Moist wet soil manipulates much better than dry compact soil. You could try wetting the soil but in the case of clay probably will not help.
2)You could dig as far as the auger will go, remove the auger and break up the clay with a bar and continue with the auger. It is a cycle of repetition but it will work
3) This is a more expensive route. You could invest in a down pressure kit for your PHD. Now the kit is probably not that expensive but the rear remote set up is. Now it is never a waste of money but a good excuse to do it if you haven't all ready.

By the way on another note. I run my PHD at low RPMs. Now I have a 30 horse tractor and that might make a difference. When I dig I never hear the tractor labor & at the same time if the PHD grabs something the tractor stalls. I hear a lot of people talking about keep a collection of sheer pins on hand. Now I don't even have an extra pin and I wonder just how fast your running you PHD to snap your shear pins. Just a thought

 

[catmadni]

I have a Lienbach inexpensive PHD on my L3010. I have dug about 200 holes this year for fence and trees. If I tossed it in the trash now, I would be way ahead of the game. It works great. When I am all layed out I can do about a hole minute including positioning and moving.

Caution f you have soil other than sand or sand/clay, like heavy clay, you may need a hydraulic motor mounted on a skid steer.