PT Augers in prairie clay

[Locomotive8]

Hey guys,
I have been following this discussion board for quite some time and am getting very close to a PT purchase. I am looking at the 422 and 425 and very possibly the 1430 if I have to. I live in an area of the country with "prairie clay" or thick white dense clay that is no fun to dig with a shovel. I would like to use a plant head auger (30 inch) and was curious if anyone has tried this and what the results were. I am afraid that the machines GPM will not be up to the task but I just wanted to get some expert opinions.

Thanks so much for the info and I love seeing the pictures and stories posted of your PTs.

 

[Marks481]

My thought on this is that the tip that comes on the PT auger isn't really optimized for clay. It is a rounded tip, which I think wouldn't allow you to push deep enough into the clay for the auger blades to start working. I have seen some other auger tips that I think would work better, but I don't know if anyone makes one that is a bolt on replacement for PT's stock tip.

Below is a picture of the standard groundhog auger tip vs the power-trac version:

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Tim might be right that an aggressive tip may make the start of a hole a bit quicker, but I've had pretty good luck with the PT auger in dry hardpack and in thoroughly frozen ground. I replaced one post in 15 degree weather, through a foot or so of frozen ground. (1845 with 12" auger).
The real difference between the PT system and a 3-point is the down pressure. Without a special kit, 3-point systems rely only on the weight of the digger. Even in hard pack, I have consistently found that the PT puts enough down pressure to get the auger started. I have no experience with the bigger augers, however, which certainly will require more power than my posthole setup.
Big auger users, please chime in.

 

[Piedmont3]

I have a 6" auger and a 12" auger and hard Red Clay. I use the large one to plant small trees and shrubs, the smaller one for fence posts. I can dig with either one of them without any problems. I can't dig 6 inches down with a shovel without hitting the clay, and then the shovel digging stops. I have to agree that the down pressure makes a lot of difference, especially with post holes.