Pile digging

[GarthH]

This spring I'm going to need to dig quite a few piles below the frost line (8 feet).

I have a phd that has available some extensions but wonder if my L3650 will be able to lift it up (reversing the direction) from depths around 10 feet. Any thoughts?

Is there something else that has maybe a hydraulic lift that would work better?

If the phd is not adequate I'm thinking I might be best to rent a backhoe?

Thank you again.

Garth

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Just my opinion, but I think that 7-8 foot would be all the deeper that I would care to dig with a post hole digger and that would be a lot of work. If you use a hoe you can loose ground stability for your posts. Might need to hire it out.

 

[Egon]

You could get in a pile boring truck. Much quicker and neater than a backhoe. You could even end bell the pile holes.

 

[PA hayseed]

I don't understand the term you are using, digging piles.

You mentioned a post hole digger going deep (8' I believe). I worked on a hydraulic drill rig, and we used to go several hundred feet into the ground. Now that is a dedicated drilling only platform, but the prinicples remain the same. If you run your augers up and down in the hole, there should be little to no upward resistance for the augers. I think that if you continuously clean out your hole, and run the augers up, the only thing you will be lifting is the weight of the auger and extension. Your tractor should be able to handle those.

You will need a plate on the ground (shaped like a horseshoe), and a wedge (to jam under the auger to keep it out of the hole), otherwise when you go to remove your auger and extension pole it will fall back down in the hole. I doubt your 3pt or FEL will give you the clearance to pull 8' of material out of the hole at once. I could be wrong about that, as I am unaware of all your tractors capabilities.

Having literally put hundreds of feet of auger in the ground at a time, I see no problem with going deep - so long as you eliminate the upward resistance and keep the hole straight. We have lost things in the ground by hitting limestone caverns, running sand, and shear breakforce - I doubt you'll come anywhere close to that.

Have fun.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I don't understand the term you are using, digging piles.

You mentioned a post hole digger going deep (8' I believe). I worked on a hydraulic drill rig, and we used to go several hundred feet into the ground. Now that is a dedicated drilling only platform, but the prinicples remain the same. If you run your augers up and down in the hole, there should be little to no upward resistance for the augers. I think that if you continuously clean out your hole, and run the augers up, the only thing you will be lifting is the weight of the auger and extension. Your tractor should be able to handle those.

You will need a plate on the ground (shaped like a horseshoe), and a wedge (to jam under the auger to keep it out of the hole), otherwise when you go to remove your auger and extension pole it will fall back down in the hole. I doubt your 3pt or FEL will give you the clearance to pull 8' of material out of the hole at once. I could be wrong about that, as I am unaware of all your tractors capabilities.

Having literally put hundreds of feet of auger in the ground at a time, I see no problem with going deep - so long as you eliminate the upward resistance and keep the hole straight. We have lost things in the ground by hitting limestone caverns, running sand, and shear breakforce - I doubt you'll come anywhere close to that.

Have fun.

Hayseed, as you said, you were working with a drill rig. Most phd that I know of are set up to dig between 36" & 48" deep. Yes you can get 14" extensions for about $100 each. If you are going to dig over 6' deep, then you need to start fabricating stuff to hold the auger extensions as you pull the dirt out with the auger each time. If his time is worth anything, he will be $$$ ahead to hire this job out to somebody that is setup for those depth of holes in my opinion.

 

[GarthH]

I did not realize the extensions were so expensive. To have something fabricated there will be a problem at the levels where the auger did not reach the surface. If the auger does not go to the surface then the auger filled with dirt which will weigh a lot.

I suspect I will need to find someone to come in to put the piles down. Most of them have just increased their price 5x's. We are really short of trades and the market is very hot - any price seems to be possible.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Garth

 

[gerard]

I'll second the "hiring it out." You need an auger truck that they use to set phone and power poles. It'll whack out an 8 foot hole in a few minutes. Right tool for the job.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I did not realize the extensions were so expensive. To have something fabricated there will be a problem at the levels where the auger did not reach the surface. If the auger does not go to the surface then the auger filled with dirt which will weigh a lot.

I suspect I will need to find someone to come in to put the piles down. Most of them have just increased their price 5x's. We are really short of trades and the market is very hot - any price seems to be possible.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Garth

Sorry for the negative type info that I gave, but I call them as I see them. Believe me, I'm one to do things myself, but if you don't own or have access to the right equipment, there are times when it just makes sense to hire it done by the guy that does it for a living. Yes the extensions are a rip off in my opinion. I have one so that I can go almost 5' down.

 

[SPYDERLK]

This spring I'm going to need to dig quite a few piles below the frost line (8 feet).
I have a phd that has available some extensions but wonder if my L3650 will be able to lift it up (reversing the direction) from depths around 10 feet. Any thoughts?
Is there something else that has maybe a hydraulic lift that would work better?
If the phd is not adequate I'm thinking I might be best to rent a backhoe?
Thank you again.
Garth

Are you going to put concrete down there as a footing or are you just sinking a post to 8'? If the latter how about augering to 4' and then driving the post another 4'. a used Shaver post driver for 8" dia posts can be had for $1K or less.
larry

 

[GarthH]

No offense taken by the advise - that is the reason I ask - I need advice.

I was planning on concrete piles but the thought of using wood is a good one. We have a local farm dealer that rents post pounders - I will check on their capabilities.

I was thinking about the issues while I was at work. One of our employees husband has a professional machine shop so maybe I could get him to make 48" extension with sometype of hooks on it. If I used an engine hoist or a winch with an overhead pully, I might be able to grab the hook. Maybe that way I could raise the auger.

Thank you again for the advise.

Garth