Hydraulic SSQA PHD

[radas]

Have a big project coming up that will require us to demo our front porch (built like a deck) that also supports a roof overhang. I have had a hell of a time trying to find a decent contractor in Michigan to come and do either:

1. Dig 4 18"x48" footings for 6x6 piers to support roof overhang and deck beams.

2. Trench the patio perimeter, pin to basement wall and footer with a lead wall and step up to a 48" below grade trench footer with 2 courses of block to support flatwork for a full concrete porch.

I had one local 5 star foundation contractor burn me on option #2 (paid for drawings and permit and they bailed on me the same day they sent me a contract to sign before I had a chance to send it back). I have also contacted 15-20 contractors over the past month with only 3 returning my call and 2 offering to come and give me an estimate in the near future for option #1 (nobody wants to do option #2).

I have decided to shore up the roof myself, demo the porch, and use a trail jack/LX2610 + tire and chain to pull the existing posts out of the ground. Once this is complete, I want to pick up a hydraulic SSQA PHD to dig my 18x48" footers for option #1 with my LX2610 and then build the entire structure myself. From a pricing standpoint, I think I'll just about break even buying a hydraulic post hole digger and doing the work vs. hiring out the footing work. Concrete contractors in MI are so slammed that the prices for jobs like driveways and such have nearly doubled in the past few years.

Anyway, I was thinking land pride SA20 or the Digga model on EA's website. Anyone have any experience with these? Any recommendations? I also have a large deck to replace next year that the idiot homeowner before me scabbed the rotting in-ground posts on with 2x4s that I could use this digger on as well as some privacy fence projects.

 

[Showmedata]

I'm all for using a project to justify a tool purchase, but have you considered just renting a mini-excavator for a day to dig it all? I rented a decent-sized mini-ex from Home Depot for 24h in February for less than $500 all in.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

One posible (?) option is to have a company install those 'screw in post bases' or whatever they're called. neighbour had 5 or 6 done. A Toto Dingo screws the 'anchor' in..simple, fast, strong.
I know different part of the world BUT maybe worth looking into....
otherwise, rent the miniexc for the day. providing you've planned ahead,cleared the area,made a 'how to do it' plan.... you could be done in <4hrs.

PS NO gas lines under there ? NO water lines ? Electrical ????

 

[Showmedata]

@GreensvilleJay I guess you mean helical piers. good for supporting posts, but if needs a poured footer then it may require steel spanning the piers to support the concrete. Their use is usually driven by the soil quality IME.

 

[mcmxi]

Have a big project coming up that will require us to demo our front porch (built like a deck) that also supports a roof overhang. I have had a hell of a time trying to find a decent contractor in Michigan to come and do either:

1. Dig 4 18"x48" footings for 6x6 piers to support roof overhang and deck beams.

2. Trench the patio perimeter, pin to basement wall and footer with a lead wall and step up to a 48" below grade trench footer with 2 courses of block to support flatwork for a full concrete porch.

I had one local 5 star foundation contractor burn me on option #2 (paid for drawings and permit and they bailed on me the same day they sent me a contract to sign before I had a chance to send it back). I have also contacted 15-20 contractors over the past month with only 3 returning my call and 2 offering to come and give me an estimate in the near future for option #1 (nobody wants to do option #2).

I have decided to shore up the roof myself, demo the porch, and use a trail jack/LX2610 + tire and chain to pull the existing posts out of the ground. Once this is complete, I want to pick up a hydraulic SSQA PHD to dig my 18x48" footers for option #1 with my LX2610 and then build the entire structure myself. From a pricing standpoint, I think I'll just about break even buying a hydraulic post hole digger and doing the work vs. hiring out the footing work. Concrete contractors in MI are so slammed that the prices for jobs like driveways and such have nearly doubled in the past few years.

Anyway, I was thinking land pride SA20 or the Digga model on EA's website. Anyone have any experience with these? Any recommendations? I also have a large deck to replace next year that the idiot homeowner before me scabbed the rotting in-ground posts on with 2x4s that I could use this digger on as well as some privacy fence projects.

I recently bought a lightly used Land Pride HD25 post hole digger that came with 9" and 12" augers. I got to try it out in the dealership's parking lot mounted to a B series tractor and it made quick work of creating a hole. It needs 5-12 gpm which makes it well suited to many smaller tractors.

I've yet to try it out at my place which is very rocky, but the ability to apply significant down force and have the hole remain vertical are part of the appeal of loader mounted post hole diggers. Another significant advantage over 3-point mounted PHDs is the ability to reverse direction of the auger, at least I think that's an advantage.

 

[radas]

I'm all for using a project to justify a tool purchase, but have you considered just renting a mini-excavator for a day to dig it all? I rented a decent-sized mini-ex from Home Depot for 24h in February for less than $500 all in.

I thought about that, the only issue I have is clearance. I have about 9' of overhead space to work with once my porch is demo'd. If a mini excavator or mini skid loader will work, I could consider that and abuse their equipment instead of mine. For all my projects I'm looking at over the next few years it'll be $5-600 per job which is about 2/3 of the price of the SSQA PHD lol. Decisions, decisions...

@GreensvilleJay I guess you mean helical piers. good for supporting posts, but if needs a poured footer then it may require steel spanning the piers to support the concrete. Their use is usually driven by the soil quality IME.

I think I can use helical piles, but our building dept is a little "old school", the head guy was very happy when I mentioned concrete piers and was not a fan of diamond piers for my application. I will check on this but I'll have to find a local contractor in my area who can install these for me. Only issue I see with these are that they need to be placed extremely precise to allow me to plumb my shared load posts and frame a square deck. The 18" piers will give an amateur some "wiggle room" to plumb my posts if my footings are not precise

One posible (?) option is to have a company install those 'screw in post bases' or whatever they're called. neighbour had 5 or 6 done. A Toto Dingo screws the 'anchor' in..simple, fast, strong.
I know different part of the world BUT maybe worth looking into....
otherwise, rent the miniexc for the day. providing you've planned ahead,cleared the area,made a 'how to do it' plan.... you could be done in <4hrs.

PS NO gas lines under there ? NO water lines ? Electrical ????

All good suggestions. Definitely no utilities in the area and my septic tank is about 4' away from my porch so all is well in the world. The backyard where the deck is is a whole different story.... Gas, water, electric to deal with.

I recently bought a lightly used Land Pride HD25 post hole digger that came with 9" and 12" augers. I got to try it out in the dealership's parking lot mounted to a B series tractor and it made quick work of creating a hole. It needs 5-12 gpm which makes it well suited to many smaller tractors.

I've yet to try it out at my place which is very rocky, but the ability to apply significant down force and have the hole remain vertical are part of the appeal of loader mounted post hole diggers. Another significant advantage over 3-point mounted PHDs is the ability to reverse direction of the auger, at least I think that's an advantage.

Those are big advantages in my opinion. Also for 6-16gpm tractors, those units supposedly still spin up to 36" augers 4' deep the way they are geared. After reading horror stories of stuck augers and having to inch them in to avoid them getting stuck or pull the front of the tractor up, I started looking into these SSQA units. I was originally looking at EAs 6900 series but glad I didn't pull the trigger when I saw a land pride demo video of a SSQA PHD on a B2650 effortlessly dig level holes.

Thank you all for the feedback, I will call Sunbelt tomorrow and check on their attachment availability for their mini ex and mini skid and workable heights before buying a $3000 tool. You've saved me from the wrath of my wife

 

[Russell King]

You may be able to rent a post hole digger for the tractor?

 

[radas]

You may be able to rent a post hole digger for the tractor?

Oh shit... That's right. Any issues with using that shared PHD with God knows how many different types of hydro fluid in it and mixing with the Kubota stuff?

 

[Russell King]

I personally would not worry about it but I bet you could figure out some way to open one of the hoses and flush it into a bucket. Then replace the amount of fluid used with new Kubota fluid.

I would think the amount of fluid in the implement compared to the tractor transmission is very small percentage

 

[Showmedata]

I have about 9' of overhead space to work with once my porch is demo'd. If a mini excavator or mini skid loader will work

I once used a mini-mini-ex to dig for my waterline underneath a bay window overhang that was only about 5' above ground, but it was tedious AF. And it was my first time operating an excavator so I was triply slow and uncoordinated. Even with those restrictions, it was still loads faster than hand-digging 6' down right next to the house foundation.

My only thought about using a PHD to trench is that it leaves a good bit of hand-digging to do. You can drill the next hole only so close to the previous.

Also, in my town the HD rentals are a lot cheaper than Sunbelt, if that's an option. I suspect HD runs that rental business at break-even or maybe even at a loss just to keep the traffic in the store.

 

[mcmxi]

You may be able to rent a post hole digger for the tractor?

This makes a lot of sense if the project described is a "one and done".

I don't always need much in the way of justification to buy an implement but the HD25 was an easy decision for me at $1,700 which included two augers. I have to dig at least 40 4ft deep holes over the next few months, and having my own PHD eliminates the cost and hassle of renting, both of which are significant, and if by this time next year I no longer need the PHD I can easily sell it. That has to be part of the equation, i.e. if you buy an implement, can you sell it in a year or so for what you have into it? With the current trend in inflation, availability etc., I think that's fairly easy to do.

For me, the hassle of renting is such a pain that I'll do just about anything to avoid it. I don't like having to get a project done in X hours because the equipment needs to be back early Monday morning.

 

[radas]

This makes a lot of sense if the project described is a "one and done".

I don't always need much in the way of justification to buy an implement but the HD25 was an easy decision for me at $1,700 which included two augers. I have to dig at least 40 4ft deep holes over the next few months, and having my own PHD eliminates the cost and hassle of renting, both of which are significant, and if by this time next year I no longer need the PHD I can easily sell it. That has to be part of the equation, i.e. if you buy an implement, can you sell it in a year or so for what you have into it? With the current trend in inflation, availability etc., I think that's fairly easy to do.

For me, the hassle of renting is such a pain that I'll do just about anything to avoid it. I don't like having to get a project done in X hours because the equipment needs to be back early Monday morning.

Agreed, renting is a huge pain in the ass and if the weather is bad that weekend or something comes up, you're hosed.

@North Idaho Wolfman, you mentioned in another thread to a B2601 owner that the SA20 will not work well on his machine. I just saw a Messicks video where Neil mentioned a B2650 may have a tough time turning a 12 or 18" auger. With 8.9gpm total hydraulic flow on the LX2610 (I'm guessing some of that is dedicated to steering) do you think this is a good route to go or should I look at the 3ph PHD? I also noticed EA has a Digga mini SSQA PHD that is rated 4-10 GPM, that might be a better route than the land pride...

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Agreed, renting is a huge pain in the ass and if the weather is bad that weekend or something comes up, you're hosed.

@North Idaho Wolfman, you mentioned in another thread to a B2601 owner that the SA20 will not work well on his machine. I just saw a Messicks video where Neil mentioned a B2650 may have a tough time turning a 12 or 18" auger. With 8.9gpm total hydraulic flow on the LX2610 (I'm guessing some of that is dedicated to steering) do you think this is a good route to go or should I look at the 3ph PHD? I also noticed EA has a Digga mini SSQA PHD that is rated 4-10 GPM, that might be a better route than the land pride...

Do you need bigger bits and or do you have rocky or heavy clay?
You're at a disadvantage when it comes to available flow, your in the 5GPM range.

 

[radas]

Do you need bigger bits and or do you have rocky or heavy clay?
You're at a disadvantage when it comes to available flow, your in the 5GPM range.

I was looking in the 12-18" range for most and 8" for privacy fence.

Soil is sand/clay mix.

 

[mcmxi]

Agreed, renting is a huge pain in the ass and if the weather is bad that weekend or something comes up, you're hosed.

Exactly!

As the days get longer I'm able to work on projects for a couple of hours in the evening during the week, after I'm done with the day job. If I have my own equipment it's no big deal to go outside and dig a few holes, mix up some concrete etc., on my schedule. By the weekend I can have 10 hours or more into projects and either relax over the weekend or build on the what I've done during the week. It's that sort of convenience that makes owning my own equipment appealing to me. It's not always about profit & loss spreadsheets. Sometimes it's about quality of life.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

It's not always about profit & loss spreadsheets. Sometimes it's about quality of life.

1000% Agree!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I was looking in the 12-18" range for most and 8" for privacy fence.

Soil is sand/clay mix.

Sand you'll be fine, clay just do a lot of clean out plunges.

 

[lazarwhereas]

I would like to know what you got as a result. I am very inspired by such posts because soon, I will start building my own house where I will do everything with my own hands. Of course, I will use the help of workers, but I will always help in some way in general. I will directly participate in the process of building my future home. I have already arranged for the guys from Dallas Concrete Contractors to help me make the foundation of the house and even a custom path that will lead to my garage. So I got a little inspiration from you guys; thank you!

 

[radas]

I would like to know what you got as a result

Found some precast piers for my project for now so we are going to trench for them with a backhoe but I still have my eye on the SA20 for future projects.