The dreaded post hole auger

[2drx4]

Ah, so this didn't work.

First hole, it didn't want to feed. I brilliantly figured it just needed a little more weight so I put my fabricobbler hat on and modded the thing up right stupid.

Basically just some 1" sch 80 that I welded on with a nut in the end and a T bolt to safety it. I threw a discarded brake drum on it and some old rotors.

Turns out there was a massive root in that hole. Hmm. Next hole it dug like crazy. But, can't pull the auger back out. Ditch the weight. Can't pull it out. Jackall it out. Try again, sticks again. Jackall again. Make sure I only go one revolution this time, still can't lift it. Jackall again, half turn, stuck.
Ahh. I guess I should have known since the piston is bypassing some for the 3 point lift. Or I assume so, it drops on its own.

So, I'm going to do something else and order some seals for the 3 point and try again later.

 

[Lencho]

Ah, so this didn't work.

First hole, it didn't want to feed. I brilliantly figured it just needed a little more weight so I put my fabricobbler hat on and modded the thing up right stupid.

View attachment 112417
View attachment 112419
View attachment 112418

Basically just some 1" sch 80 that I welded on with a nut in the end and a T bolt to safety it. I threw a discarded brake drum on it and some old rotors.

Turns out there was a massive root in that hole. Hmm. Next hole it dug like crazy. But, can't pull the auger back out. Ditch the weight. Can't pull it out. Jackall it out. Try again, sticks again. Jackall again. Make sure I only go one revolution this time, still can't lift it. Jackall again, half turn, stuck.
Ahh. I guess I should have known since the piston is bypassing some for the 3 point lift. Or I assume so, it drops on its own.

So, I'm going to do something else and order some seals for the 3 point and try again later.

View attachment 112420

Try running the engine slow so it isn’t digging too fast. Lift up after you dig about a foot or so. my TPH stays up, so you may be right about the seal failing.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Hmm. That's too bad.

Picture had me realize it's on a B7100.

Take your shoulder destroying hand held auger, and fab a mount for it to mount to your loader. To the bucket, or forks, etc. Bolt that sucker on. Start it's little motor and go to town. Drill some holes in your forks and clamp it on. Etc. It will be dangerous. Have everyone stand back.

Just a thought I was considering for myself in the future.

Return your 3 point PHD.

Or go really slow as others mentioned with your 3 point PHD.

 

[2drx4]

Hmm. That's too bad.

Picture had me realize it's on a B7100.

Take your shoulder destroying hand held auger, and fab a mount for it to mount to your loader. To the bucket, or forks, etc. Bolt that sucker on. Start it's little motor and go to town. Drill some holes in your forks and clamp it on. Etc. It will be dangerous. Have everyone stand back.

Just a thought I was considering for myself in the future.

Return your 3 point PHD.

Or go really slow as others mentioned with your 3 point PHD.

The funny thing was I initially debated attaching the 2 stroke auger to the bucket or making a mount for it. I unfortunately do not have a fork attachment that fits this tractor, which is too bad as making fork compatible attachments is generally easiest. I decided not to pursue it as the auger was on its way to destruction, part of it had already come off on a previous hole, and I figured with my luck the Chinesium engine would seize immediately after I finished fabricating the needed parts. In retrospect it would have been smarter, maybe, as my ability to fabricate real versions of bad ideas is pretty decent. I can't exactly return the 3 point PHD, as I welded a mount onto it, or at least I can't ethically return it.

Regardless, I have to fix the lift piston for the 3 point anyway. So I will do that before I do anything else. I think.

Or maybe I should just buy a bigger tractor. Hmm.

Edit, the other issue with the 2 stroke auger is that the auger wasn't long enough without putting an extension on, which causes problems with actually evacuating the material from the hole. But either way, what's done is done, I now own a 3 point PHD, so either I make that work or do something else, the world is my oyster to accidentally crush with my own stupidity.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

The funny thing was I initially debated attaching the 2 stroke auger to the bucket or making a mount for it. I unfortunately do not have a fork attachment that fits this tractor, which is too bad as making fork compatible attachments is generally easiest. I decided not to pursue it as the auger was on its way to destruction, part of it had already come off on a previous hole, and I figured with my luck the Chinesium engine would seize immediately after I finished fabricating the needed parts. In retrospect it would have been smarter, maybe, as my ability to fabricate real versions of bad ideas is pretty decent. I can't exactly return the 3 point PHD, as I welded a mount onto it, or at least I can't ethically return it.

Regardless, I have to fix the lift piston for the 3 point anyway. So I will do that before I do anything else. I think.

Or maybe I should just buy a bigger tractor. Hmm.

Edit, the other issue with the 2 stroke auger is that the auger wasn't long enough without putting an extension on, which causes problems with actually evacuating the material from the hole. But either way, what's done is done, I now own a 3 point PHD, so either I make that work or do something else, the world is my oyster to accidentally crush with my own stupidity.

Bigger tractor. Very expensive.

Or hire a profession landscaper - post holer. A few hundred bucks... or so. (And watch them come out and do it with B7100 and a 3 point PHD. That would be my luck)... Ha!!!

How many holes do you need?

 

[zoombats]

I have drilled holes all over Ontario for years installing pressure treated playground up rights. I used a Land pride(before Kubota acquired them) mounted on my B8200 Manual 3ph. I have dug in every kind of ground you can imagine and had success in most except prehistoric creek beds. They are impossible. I still have the B8200 manual and an HST and I have yet to try out the Land pride digger on the BX23s. I'll keep you posted although I don't see a lot of holes in my future.

 

[2drx4]

Bigger tractor. Very expensive.

Or hire a profession landscaper - post holer. A few hundred bucks... or so. (And watch them come out and do it with B7100 and a 3 point PHD. That would be my luck)... Ha!!!

How many holes do you need?

I'm too stubborn to hire people. That said, if I had thought this out in the spring there might have been time to find someone. Everyone who does any sort of work like that has a huge lead time, so it's too late now to get it done before the ground freezes, and they will charge absurd amounts because they can. There's been a serious labour shortage here for a while.

I have about 40 more I'd like to do, maybe 50 tops. I only plan to do 6 more this year though. They already stopped selling posts in anticipation of the ground being frozen, so I literally can't buy more.

I think this should work if I replace the seals. At the same time I can just accept this project is being left for next year, like I said I can't even buy more posts anyway... It's not like the ones I have will go bad if they're not planted in the ground.

 

[2drx4]

I have drilled holes all over Ontario for years installing pressure treated playground up rights. I used a Land pride(before Kubota acquired them) mounted on my B8200 Manual 3ph. I have dug in every kind of ground you can imagine and had success in most except prehistoric creek beds. They are impossible. I still have the B8200 manual and an HST and I have yet to try out the Land pride digger on the BX23s. I'll keep you posted although I don't see a lot of holes in my future.

I do think this should work, I just need to fix my tractor

 

[tsp159]

I do think this should work, I just need to fix my tractor

I'm told this solves a lot of problems.

 

[bucktail]

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)

If I only ran attachments that my tractor was rated to run I wouldn't have any attachments left.

 

[Soopitup]

This is why I'm going straight to a front mount PHD.

 

[2drx4]

This is why I'm going straight to a front mount PHD.

That's a lot more money.

 

[Soopitup]

That's a lot more money.

It is.
And you have to have/install a 3rd function valve as well.
I'll save some cash installing that myself.

But the time/hassle savings are worth it IMO.
I won't have to remove my backhoe to use it.
It attaches directly to the pallet fork mount I have. Which is on a SSQA.
I don't have to worry about having to back it out by hand(I have a lot of digging in tree roots and probably rocks).
IMO the tractor is much more mobile using front equipment vs rear.

 

[ctfjr]

or you can use one of your rear remotes, if you have them

 

[Soopitup]

or you can use one of your rear remotes, if you have them

You know, I never thought of that. Thanks!
I have a backhoe so I could probably run it off those?
May get a little awkward but it's worth a shot.
I'll have to get custom hoses, right? Or is that something I can find off the shelf?

 

[ctfjr]

You know, I never thought of that. Thanks!
I have a backhoe so I could probably run it off those?
May get a little awkward but it's worth a shot.
I'll have to get custom hoses, right? Or is that something I can find off the shelf?

I have 3 rear remotes. I just ran a pair of hoses under the tractor to the fel. 1st mounted a piece of strut to serve as an anchor point for fittings.

Then

and a place to disconnect if I ever want to drop the fel

The valves are mounted on the right fender with the levers facing forward

 

[2drx4]

I put new seals in this thing and went back to augering holes.

I did try to clean the bore up with some 400 grit and sandpaper, but ahh, it probably needs to be bored/sleeved/chromed or whatever is the appropriate repair to last. It didn't statically bypass with the basic hand cleanup and new o-ring and backup ring.

It did okay with the 6" auger to do post holes. It still didn't like to eject the material, and I realized the design of the auger is poor. You do need to run it fairly fast and go up and down a few times to help clean it out. Overall I was reasonably happy with how it did with the 6" and I think I could tweak (with and angle grinder and welder) the auger to be less stupid, and it probably would work pretty well. I finished up all the posts I have, and all I plan to do this year, then switched to the 9" because I needed to do some Sonotubes. It struggled.

I had to clean the holes out by hand partially after they were about a foot deep, and it got progressively worse at pulling the auger out as I went at it. After 6 of the 9" holes I noticed the 3 point was back to creeping down on its own. It did however go a lot better than digging them by hand, having done that a bunch in the past.

I don't think that the 3 point has the jam to work the 9" auger, it's just too heavy, plus having 20-50lbs of weight on it would have really helped and that was not even remotely possible. I may try sending the transmission top case out for repair, or even worse do it myself (I think I can fixture it in my mill, but ehhh) if I can find a suitable sleeve. I don't think it will matter though, it needs an external lift cylinder to help it out, and if I do that it might as well have power downfeed. There was no issues with the engine not having enough power though.

Bottom line, I firmly believe a B7100 can do this, it's just that you might not want to deal with it, and it might be pretty hard on the ol' girl.