I have a B2320. The County Line 6" auger starts ok but once it gets a bite it screws itself into the ground, stalls the engine and the lift arms wont raise it. I have to use a pipe wrench to back up the auger and shake the crap out of it to get it to release. Tractor Supply web sit reviews are mostly good but there was another guy who has the same problem as me. Any advice would be most appreciated.
County Line (Tractor Supply) Auger
- Thread starter icespeedsk8
- Start date
Bad cutting edge on the auger. It's acting like a screw and not a drill. Some augers don't have proper 'lift and break' cutting edges, this lets them just screw into the ground like a ground anchor. Once screwed in, your hydraulics just don't have the power to 'pull' it out of the ground, and likely your tractor wouldn't have the weight to do it either.
Sometimes you can add a carbide cutting edge to the leading edge of an auger to get the right lift and cut action. You can add teeth or other cutting tips to accomplish the same thing as well.
You can fix it with technique as well. Let it start to 'bite' into the ground then yank up on the 3pt controls. It won't be in far enough to bog down the unit and it will break the ground up as it goes. This is tedious but it will work until you can get the auger bit fixed for your ground type.
Sometimes you can add a carbide cutting edge to the leading edge of an auger to get the right lift and cut action. You can add teeth or other cutting tips to accomplish the same thing as well.
You can fix it with technique as well. Let it start to 'bite' into the ground then yank up on the 3pt controls. It won't be in far enough to bog down the unit and it will break the ground up as it goes. This is tedious but it will work until you can get the auger bit fixed for your ground type.
It a brand new auger. The teeth look like there install right (flat edge on bottom and sloped edge on top). I going to Tractor Supply and examining another auger to see if mine was mfg wrong or something. I will check into different teeth. I seen some pics of more aggressive teeth. Could be my soil. I am in Williston ND and it is some what rocky.
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Do like Diydave says. Take your time. Go a few inches, gently lift up while not turning. You can release your clutch for a (couple of seconds) to let it spin and clear material. Do it again. Repeat until you're at the desired depth.
Usually clay with any moisture in it will suck your bit down and cause what you're describing.
You have to go slow. If you want to go fast you need a larger tractor with more HP and weight, and a heavier built PHD.
Usually clay with any moisture in it will suck your bit down and cause what you're describing.
You have to go slow. If you want to go fast you need a larger tractor with more HP and weight, and a heavier built PHD.
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I moved the top arm pin out one hole and seems to give it more lift power but I cant go any further out or the auger will dragging the ground. Wont be the first time I had to modify and attachment. Yes, technique plays a huge part, I have been getting better the more I use it. I previously used a 66hp Bobcat T190. My B2320 is probably at the bottom range for an attachment like this. Still beats post hole digging by hand. Thanks all for the input.
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If you are going to Tractor Supply, look at their hand held Earthquake augers. The design of the auger bit is a little bit different than your picture. Kind of makes the bottom scrape then the corkscrew eventually lifts the dirt out of the hole.
The auger looks correct but it's drilling in like a screw? You must have the absolutely wrong kind of soil for that type of auger to do that, or what I really suspect, your RPM's are too low.
Run the PTO up higher and drop it in slower, that should work better.
Yes, the drop and pull back technique works, but that's usually a clay soil technique and I can't imagine clay allowing that auger just to drive in like a screw... maybe if the clay is ready to be thrown right onto a potters wheel to make a pot out of!
I'd also change that tip point out to a 'spade' style and that will break up the soil better than the auger style will. It won't drill as fast but it should work better in the soil you are using.
Here's a fishtail (a type of spade point):
http://www.everythingattachments.co...le-Square-Shank-p/mc-fishtail-point-22190.htm
Run the PTO up higher and drop it in slower, that should work better.
Yes, the drop and pull back technique works, but that's usually a clay soil technique and I can't imagine clay allowing that auger just to drive in like a screw... maybe if the clay is ready to be thrown right onto a potters wheel to make a pot out of!
I'd also change that tip point out to a 'spade' style and that will break up the soil better than the auger style will. It won't drill as fast but it should work better in the soil you are using.
Here's a fishtail (a type of spade point):
http://www.everythingattachments.co...le-Square-Shank-p/mc-fishtail-point-22190.htm
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Have the same problem on the L3800 with that same PHD. The issue is with the tip acting like a screw, and the solution is a grinder to modify the tip to make it less aggressive, or replace with a less aggressive tip.
The easiest way for me to get the unit out of the ground once it bites and screws itself in is to put the 3pt in the lift position and pop the clutch. Not recommended so it's not something I'd do often.
To use the unit as is, you must slowly lower the unit into the ground and the second it bites you must raise it. You end up digging 6" or so at a time, but you keep on digging.
The easiest way for me to get the unit out of the ground once it bites and screws itself in is to put the 3pt in the lift position and pop the clutch. Not recommended so it's not something I'd do often.
To use the unit as is, you must slowly lower the unit into the ground and the second it bites you must raise it. You end up digging 6" or so at a time, but you keep on digging.
Carry a 36" pipe wrench with you, and unscrew it, iff'n it gets stuck, it's less likely to bend the auger.
Check out driller's world, there are several tips available for most augers, for different soil types...
Most of 'em, 3-4' deep. If you have a hydraulic-driven front loader mounted, with a standard auger, I can go 5-6' deep, if the auger is big enough to accommodate fitting the drive box into the hole. You can also get extensions for hyd driven augers, too. A 3 point only lifts so high...
I have the same auger for my L3800 it does the same thing. Like some of the other posts have mentioned run it 4 to 6 inches and yank up on the control then repeat. I have pretty rocky soil and it likes to run up under rocks instead of pulling them out if I'm not careful.