Posthole Digger Rock Ripper auger

[mgoss77]

I was wondering is anyone has ever used or owns one of these rock ripper type augers.

Photo Gallery

We are looking into getting one for our farm but they seem to be advertised for hydraulic units. We don't have any type of post hole digger yet. I proposed to my father a Frontier PHD400 model and adding one of these rock rippers with an adapter.

I was curious if these PTO units can produce enough torque to run the rock ripper type bits. We have a JD 5055E and a massey 3435v. One of these is what we would be using to run this unit.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Aquaman]

You probably have enough torque, the problem you'll have is that you won't have enough down pressure. The carbide teeth have to grind through the rock, and this can take tremendous down pressure to accomplish, especially for harder rock such as limestone, etc. Also, the auger needs to turn much slower than pro units turn.

 

[two_bit_score]

I was wondering is anyone has ever used or owns one of these rock ripper type augers.

Photo Gallery

We are looking into getting one for our farm but they seem to be advertised for hydraulic units. We don't have any type of post hole digger yet. I proposed to my father a Frontier PHD400 model and adding one of these rock rippers with an adapter.

I was curious if these PTO units can produce enough torque to run the rock ripper type bits. We have a JD 5055E and a massey 3435v. One of these is what we would be using to run this unit.

Any help is appreciated!

Check this out. It will give you down pressure and it's made for rocky conditions.

Drill holes fast with Belltec products -- Belltec Industries, Inc.

Down Pressure

Utilizing the tractor's weight through these unique Locking Arms, apply up to 4500 lbs down-pressure can be supplied by opposing twin hydraulic cylinders. This eliminates the need for anyone to "ride" the machine risking injury. Down pressure also helps keep teeth sharp.

 

[USNative]

They use them here but down pressure is what's needed. A good skidsteer in combination with the auger will get the job done in rocky environments. I know this works because I have had holes dug for both post's and my poles for my barn.

My place is very rocky, Here's a couple of pictures of the Bobcat / Auger combo used for digging our holes for the pole barn on my place:

 

[F250DSLPWR]

I live in central Texas and we have hard limestone and lots of rocks. I bought a Belltec TM48 post hole digger. It works great! The FEL mount hydraulic units work also, we have one of them too, but it is hard to put enough down pressure with them to cut thru solid rock.

 

[two_bit_score]

I live in central Texas and we have hard limestone and lots of rocks. I bought a Belltec TM48 post hole digger. It works great! The FEL mount hydraulic units work also, we have one of them too, but it is hard to put enough down pressure with them to cut thru solid rock.

Yeah. The BelTec is the best option for use on a tractor in hard rocky soil. I don't know how they put in fence posts around central Texas before.

 

[avc8130]

I bought one after trying to use a "normal" auger earlier this summer to dig holes for a fence line on my property. ~18" down I hit shale and the standard auger just spun on the shale.

I found a used rock auger for a price I couldn't pass up so I snatched it up. I don't actually have anything to drive it with yet, but I am searching. I am debating between a Skid Steer style auger for the loader (I have 3rd function already) or making a backhoe mount.

Luckily I found a hydraulic motor, so now I need to start working on brackets. Winter has slowed me down as I don't have a need for it at the moment.

ac

 

[andrehoude]

I was wondering is anyone has ever used or owns one of these rock ripper type augers.

Photo Gallery

We are looking into getting one for our farm but they seem to be advertised for hydraulic units. We don't have any type of post hole digger yet. I proposed to my father a Frontier PHD400 model and adding one of these rock rippers with an adapter.

I was curious if these PTO units can produce enough torque to run the rock ripper type bits. We have a JD 5055E and a massey 3435v. One of these is what we would be using to run this unit.

Any help is appreciated!

I have a l45 kubota does anyone know if I could use a post hole digger on the rear of the backhoe if I have auxiliary lines for a thump ?

 

[mgoss77]

The Belltec looks like a nice unit but seems pricey. It's probably a little over kill for what we need. The soil isn't all that bad where we are. We used a little 3 point pto post hole digger before and it worked good but we always had to try a few different spots before we could get down about 30" without any rocks stopping it. The rocks aren't that big. I was hoping the teeth on a rock auger would just be able to push the rocks out of the way rather than going through them.

We have a U pick farm and we try to keep it looking nice. We have 8' 4"x4"'s at the beginning and end of each row. We have a new field going in and we want to start putting posts in and keep them uniform instead of having them staggered due to rocks. Also, a few years ago we hired some people to put post in by hand and now they are all leaning over and some have even fell down. They aren't in far enough and I don't know if that is because the people hit rocks or because they just got lazy. I've done a few posts by hand before and I was constantly hitting rocks at about a foot down.

Our 5055 has a 553 loader. Is there some kind of adapter for that so we can mount one of those skid steer units?

 

[two_bit_score]

The Belltec looks like a nice unit but seems pricey. It's probably a little over kill for what we need. The soil isn't all that bad where we are. We used a little 3 point pto post hole digger before and it worked good but we always had to try a few different spots before we could get down about 30" without any rocks stopping it. The rocks aren't that big. I was hoping the teeth on a rock auger would just be able to push the rocks out of the way rather than going through them.

We have a U pick farm and we try to keep it looking nice. We have 8' 4"x4"'s at the beginning and end of each row. We have a new field going in and we want to start putting posts in and keep them uniform instead of having them staggered due to rocks. Also, a few years ago we hired some people to put post in by hand and now they are all leaning over and some have even fell down. They aren't in far enough and I don't know if that is because the people hit rocks or because they just got lazy. I've done a few posts by hand before and I was constantly hitting rocks at about a foot down.

Our 5055 has a 553 loader. Is there some kind of adapter for that so we can mount one of those skid steer units?

Just curious. What are others around you doing? Are they having the same problem setting posts in that soil?

 

[mgoss77]

Well there isn't many people doing the same thing. Our neighbor owns horses and he drilled holes with a regular 3 point hitch unit and they have been falling over for about a year now. I don't know if he just didn't go far enough or if he hit rocks.

It not that we have rocky soil. I can still get posts in. My main problem is i want all the post to be uniform and not staggered so I want something that will make its around little softball to basketball sized rocks.

 

[two_bit_score]

I bet if you got a BelTec you could do some extra work drilling post holes for neighbors. Probably pay for itself pretty quickly. You already have a business, right? Any equipment purchases put in service this year for business use could qualify under section 179 for accelerated depreciation. Talk to your tax advisor but I bet that BelTec could cost you almost nothing and would make money for you.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

A couple of things. If you get a PHD, be sure to get one that is rated to be used with your size of tractor. Your tractor has a lot of PTO power and you should get a unit that is intended to be used with what you have. There is a HUGE difference in a unit that costs $500 and one that costs $2000. There are many types of augers and bits, when purchasing new you get what you pay for. You can get a down pressure kit for a pto driven PHD and I feel that it would work out fine for you, but that is just my opinion. Do some more research and you will get a pretty good idea of what others have done. For your needs it sounds to me like you need some pretty good equipment and you will probably be looking in the $2-$3K range when all is said and done.

Here are a couple of pictures of mine that I use with my 75hp tractor. I have a Land Pride PD35 with a down pressure kit. All of my augers have Pengo teeth. If you are in hilly terrain, it is a good idea to have a hydraulic tilt cylinder on your 3pt hitch to help out getting your auger plumb before drilling.