The dreaded post hole auger

[2drx4]

I'm putting in a fence and currently using a hand held auger with a 62cc 2-stroke. My shoulder has had it. It wasn't too bad until I hit glacial till, and then some stuff with fist sized rocks.

The local junk store has a 3 point post hole auger for 777 Canadian Copecs, which is probably about $600 US. A 6" auger is another 140 units of our plastic currency.

My quick questions for people who have used these things is, firstly will this thing auger through that stuff? I know about adding weight if needed, but I'm not sure if I will have any more luck with the rock versus what I'm already doing. Also it doesn't have a clutch on the PTO shaft, so will I break my orange baby when I do get into the rocks?

 

[Lil Foot]

I have wanted a PHD since I got my tractor, but EVERYONE tells me I need a minimum of 20hp for a PHD.
Which I don't have.
(sigh)

 

[2drx4]

I have wanted a PHD since I got my tractor, but EVERYONE tells me I need a minimum of 20hp for a PHD.
Which I don't have.
(sigh)

I wonder if you really need that much power. The 62cc 2 stroke isn't making anywhere near that, and power isn't the issue. Ripping your arms out of their sockets is.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

we cant give any type of accurate answer cause you are not telling us make/model # of PH and/or auger.
Local junk store and a few #'s re" pricing is way to vague.
Glacial till is easy to drill through with the right auger and a little down force / weight but no clue or advice from this end cause dont know . (earth auger, garden auger, rock auger, other?)
A wild guess is "no" given your first guess of using a hand held unit failed.

 

[ctfjr]

Our last house sat right on a glacial till. I bought a no-name beater phd off Craigslist. Used it to drill 100 6" holes for 4X4's. Sure I went thru a few shear pins and a couple of times the auger wraped itself around tree roots but it did the job.

 

[2drx4]

we cant give any type of accurate answer cause you are not telling us make/model # of PH and/or auger.
Local junk store and a few #'s re" pricing is way to vague.
Glacial till is easy to drill through with the right auger and a little down force / weight but no clue or advice from this end cause dont know . (earth auger, garden auger, rock auger, other?)
A wild guess is "no" given your first guess of using a hand held unit failed.

Let's clarify that my hands, well, shoulders, are what has failed. The human body is not meant to have that sort of thing happen to it.

No real specs given on this. One star reviews are always reassuring. It has a better screw design on the tip of the auger than what I was using. I don't know if that's a reputable brand, but there's not much to one of these things.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Shoulder replacement: $250,000. The pain and anguish: You don"t want to pay it.

Brand new PTO post hole digger with a box of shear pins: $1,000

Replace the shear pin PTO driveshaft with a clutch unit: $400

No brainer. Sometimes going cheap, isn"t.

I'm not being an a$$, but we all try to rethink somethings to save $.

 

[2drx4]

Shoulder replacement: $250,000. The pain and anguish: You don"t want to pay it.

Brand new PTO post hole digger with a box of shear pins: $1,000

Replace the shear pin PTO driveshaft with a clutch unit: $400

No brainer. Sometimes going cheap, isn"t.

I'm not being an a$$, but we all try to rethink somethings to save $.

Ah, you're not quite right there. I'm in Canada, so the shoulder replacement would be free. However, they aren't really doing that sort of complicated healthcare anymore, bit of a waiting list and all that, so they would offer me medically assisted suicide instead. They say they haven't had an unsatisfied patient with it yet, a true 100% success story in treatment.

I was more worried about it hurting the tractor than me.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Ah, you're not quite right there. I'm in Canada, so the shoulder replacement would be free. However, they aren't really doing that sort of complicated healthcare anymore, bit of a waiting list and all that, so they would offer me medically assisted suicide instead. They say they haven't had an unsatisfied patient with it yet, a true 100% success story in treatment.

I was more worried about it hurting the tractor than me.

Never mind...

 

[2drx4]

Never mind...

I don't know what you wrote but I just got home from buying the thing.

I'll see how well it works tomorrow.

Edit, actually I do know what you posted originally. Apparently you don't understand "gallows humour", which is common in countries that have dysfunctional authoritarian governments.

 

[NCL4701]

At least a few teeth like the big orange one posted above (not necessarily that many but at least a few) are preferable for rocky soil.

How much HP is required for a PHD? Well that depends on several things. Soil (yours is tougher than something like sand or loam), quantity of roots/size of roots, and size of bit being the primary factors. With about 17hp on the PTO you can probably run a 6” bit but your not going to run a 36” bit.

Edit: Sorry, just saw you bought it so my comment wasn’t helpful at all. Hope it does what you need it to do.

 

[2drx4]

At least a few teeth like the big orange one posted above (not necessarily that many but at least a few) are preferable for rocky soil.

How much HP is required for a PHD? Well that depends on several things. Soil (yours is tougher than something like sand or loam), quantity of roots/size of roots, and size of bit being the primary factors. With about 17hp on the PTO you can probably run a 6” bit but your not going to run a 36” bit.

Edit: Sorry, just saw you bought it so my comment wasn’t helpful at all. Hope it does what you need it to do.

If I'm trying to put a 36" hole in something then we've got bigger problems than my tractor being too small.

 

[Lil Foot]

B7100 engine is rated at 16hp, PTO is rated at 13hp.

 

[mikester]

I'm putting in a fence and currently using a hand held auger with a 62cc 2-stroke. My shoulder has had it. It wasn't too bad until I hit glacial till, and then some stuff with fist sized rocks.

The local junk store has a 3 point post hole auger for 777 Canadian Copecs, which is probably about $600 US. A 6" auger is another 140 units of our plastic currency.

My quick questions for people who have used these things is, firstly will this thing auger through that stuff? I know about adding weight if needed, but I'm not sure if I will have any more luck with the rock versus what I'm already doing. Also it doesn't have a clutch on the PTO shaft, so will I break my orange baby when I do get into the rocks?

My suggestion is the try using low engine rpm's (read idle speeds) and carry lots of replacement shear bolts. Keep the cutter blade sharp. Peck drill. Don't drop the 3PH lever all the way in case it grabs and digs all the way down and your 3PH won't be able to lift out the auger.

It won't like auguring rocks and roots. Or heavy clay.

 

[ve9aa]

Watching.....I always wanted to know how those P.A. post hole augers/drillers REALLY work.

Suspect the truth will come out with some Canuckle comedy tossed in for good measure.
(I am one, so 100% get it) - > GOOD JOB !

 

[Lencho]

Hi 2drx4,
I have run a PHD with my B7100. No problem digging down, but go slow and lift up often. I’ve gotten the auger stuck a few times when it went down too far too fast.
My ground is hard clay, not glacial till. No rocks but some roots.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Edit, actually I do know what you posted originally. Apparently you don't understand "gallows humour", which is common in countries that have dysfunctional authoritarian governments.

Yeah, it took me a second read of your post to see the dry humor.

Good luck with your PHD. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Lil Foot]

I suspect my area has too many rocks to use a PHD anyway, but I'd love to hear your results.

 

[Tim Horton]

I'm putting in a fence and currently using a hand held auger with a 62cc 2-stroke. My shoulder has had it. It wasn't too bad until I hit glacial till, and then some stuff with fist sized rocks.

The local junk store has a 3 point post hole auger for 777 Canadian Copecs, which is probably about $600 US. A 6" auger is another 140 units of our plastic currency.

My quick questions for people who have used these things is, firstly will this thing auger through that stuff? I know about adding weight if needed, but I'm not sure if I will have any more luck with the rock versus what I'm already doing. Also it doesn't have a clutch on the PTO shaft, so will I break my orange baby when I do get into the rocks?
=== ===
I have had 1 used and 1 new PHDs.... The used one I refurbished back to about 3/4 wore out.. It worked OK for what I needed at that time..

The new one was on sale at Princes Auto... It took a bit of waiting to catch the best price available but for what and how often it got used it was worth the time...

I only did a small amount of fence work with either digger.. But planted a bunch of fruit trees and bushes with both machines.. Both diggers were made by Speeco and worked well..

 

[fried1765]

I don't know what you wrote but I just got home from buying the thing.

I'll see how well it works tomorrow.

Edit, actually I do know what you posted originally. Apparently you don't understand "gallows humour", which is common in countries that have dysfunctional authoritarian governments.

Having lived in the Dominion of Canada for several different periods, .....I DO understand your "gallows humor".
I once actually thought I would like to live there.
I have successfully put that thought out of my head!