Safety factors using post hole digger

[msjanket]

I bought a PHD gear box and a 12" auger from a metal junkyard. The gearbox was an F7 Danuser and the auger was also a Danuser.

The auger needed some cutting and welding and the gearbox had one of the ears on top needing some heat and bending. I think the previous owner ran into a nasty rock or tree root that the digger caught just right and it might well have spun it out of the ground and bent it all up.

A friend happened by one day while I was looking at my newfound iron and he was horrified! He said the post hole diggers are widow makers. He said they were highly dangerous and should never be used.

I have somewhat stony soil but never dig around roots. Has anybody had a nasty accident with a PHD before? Like, spinning the unit around the connection pins on the 3 pt?

I used these things before for years. Is it possible I'm looking for big trouble by still using one of these units? Or, did he accurately define the danger situation with a digger?

 

[Rustyferrious]

All machinery is dangerous. Set up and used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, plus a helping of common sense, a post hole digger can be used safely with good results. In digging holes, there is always the possibility of a hidden hazard such as a rock, root or utility line. Be cautions at all times but especially when digging within the canopy of a tree or in ground where large rocks are common. Check with CBYD before you start digging. To see how NOT to operate a post hole digger, watch some u-tube videos on the subject. It's a real eye-opener. It's a wonder some of these people have lived long enough to procreate.

 

[Ed of all trades]

A lot of fear about things is from people who don't know much about things and have heard a story and assume things. A post hole digger is Very safe if used with just a little common sense. Run it SLOW, just above idle. Stay on the tractor and if it won't cut stop it, raise it out of the hole and break up a line across the center of the hole with a digging bar, that will allow the teeth to dig in and get started again. I used mine under a tree this week and did hit roots but that is just normal and no problem at all. I stopped and cut the roots and finished the hole. I have put up miles of fence using a post hole digger and if used like I said above the post hole digger is as safe as any piece of equipment there is, and a lot safer than most. Ed

 

[BigBoyToys]

A properly designed PHD should have shear pins which are designed to prevent major damage and injury. If the unit is that badly damaged it's possible the owner replaced a broken shear pin with a regular bolt which is a major NO NO!!!

 

[oosik]

I saw a commercial PHD get caught on something - bind up and blow a U-joint. A large hunk of the joint went right thru the shield and blew a large hole in the cab of a utility truck parked about 50 feet away. It happened so fast that no one could react in time. After repairs and the unit was back in action - the circle of "watchers" had widened considerably.

I certainly would not feel safe sitting on my tractor - operating one. Its just way too close to the "action" for me.

 

[buickanddeere]

It's common for helpers to get wrapped in the pto or the auger . When applying down pressure to auger hard ground .

 

[whis]

use common sense stay away from pto and auger and don't run it wide open. it ain't rocket science

 

[quicksandfarmer]

A properly designed PHD should have shear pins which are designed to prevent major damage and injury. If the unit is that badly damaged it's possible the owner replaced a broken shear pin with a regular bolt which is a major NO NO!!!

Shear pins are to protect the gearbox, not the operator. Maybe they indirectly protect the operator by keeping the gearbox from exploding and spewing shrapnel but that's about it.

Stay away from the moving parts when they're moving.

 

[BigBoyToys]

Shear pins are to protect the gearbox, not the operator. Maybe they indirectly protect the operator by keeping the gearbox from exploding and spewing shrapnel but that's about it.

Stay away from the moving parts when they're moving.

I agree that shear pins do nothing to protect a DUMBA$$ who decides to be a "down force" on an auger in motion. But that's not why they are designed and engineered into the equipment. Hearing that a PHD can spin a tractor is a bit much.

 

[Redneck in training]

PHD are relatively safe because you see where the danger is. Devices and machines where the danger is not obvious are way more dangerous.

 

[TomSeller]

Husband does wife's makeup after she lost arms in horrific accident | Daily Mail Online

Australian Story - With This Ring

WORKER LOSES BOTH ARMS IN POST-HOLE DIGGER ACCIDENT | Deseret News

Never to hold her children | Rockhampton Morning Bulletin

 

[4570Man]

Husband does wife's makeup after she lost arms in horrific accident | Daily Mail Online Australian Story - With This Ring WORKER LOSES BOTH ARMS IN POST-HOLE DIGGER ACCIDENT | Deseret News Never to hold her children | Rockhampton Morning Bulletin

In every one of the above articles there was a major safe violation. They should have never been any where close to the PHD while in operation.

 

[TomSeller]

In every one of the above articles there was a major safe violation. They should have never been any where close to the PHD while in operation.

Yes, but each incident happened and more will happen. 3pt models often need "assistance" by a person on the ground. Everyone ought to think about this if it happened to your wife or kids helping out. Or to you.

... The main reason I went to a hydraulic post hole digger..

 

[tcartwri]

We were augering this weekend and at one point my son extended his hand to steady himself on the gearbox. He swore black and blue that he didn't even though I clearly watched him do it. It only takes a second.

 

[Fallon]

I have a 200lbs chunk of steel I mount to the top of my PHD for extra down force these days.

I won't mention my father-in-law standing on it early on. We both knew better, but did it anyway.

A 3pt PHD isn't inherently unsafe, but the lack of down pressure compared to a loader mounted hydraulic one that costs 3-5 times as much can invite dumbassery.

These days the PHD won't start spinning if anybody is closer to it than I am running the tractor.