Posthole Digger PHD Auger

[theboman]

Thinking REALLY hard 'bout gettin' a PHD. Lots of holes in the future... that pole barn, a deck, some "purty wifey fence", another deck, etc.

I'm leaning towards the 9" auger, the 6" seems to be too small for some of my needs and the 12" too big for most my needs....

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[weldingisfun]

I would say you are leaning in the right direction. But if there is the possibility that you might work with large posts, ie., cedars or power poles, you may want to go with the 12". You know what materials you will be working with. So much for my $.02.

[medicshawn]

The 9 inch is probably the most used size, but you might find other used for the different sizes. I bought my PHD used and it came with a 18 inch it's nice for planting trees. I just bought a 9 inch at TSC for 130.

[Ken45101]

How big of posts are you going to put in and how are you going to pack down the backfill?

If your hole is only a little larger than your post, it's difficult to tamp the backfill down. If you are going to use a spud bar to tamp the backfill, you will need at least 3" on each side of the post.

Of course if you are going to backfill with concrete, then a smaller hole is preferable.

[scott_vt]

Thinking REALLY hard 'bout gettin' a PHD. Lots of holes in the future... that pole barn, a deck, some "purty wifey fence", another deck, etc.

I'm leaning towards the 9" auger, the 6" seems to be too small for some of my needs and the 12" too big for most my needs....

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Good Afternoon Bo,
I bought a Lienbach 7300 last year and went with the 12 ". Im pretty happy with going with that size. If your putting in 6" square posts youll be happy to have the bigger auger. Also if you want to do some tree plantings if they are small or seedlings, your gonna want the 12" also.

Of course if your not as tight as me, you might consider gettin both !

[theboman]

Thanks for all the input...still leaning towards a 9" but a 12" is now being even more considered.

Tight... My butt squeaks when I walk!!

[medicshawn]

craigslist is your friend someone is currently selling a PHD and a 6 9 and 12 for 250. Listed in Lexington off the charlottesville VA Craigslist

[whistlepig]

I use my PHD just for fence posts. I have always had two augers. A 9" auger for four inch diameter fence posts and a 12" auger for seven inch diameter fence posts. The 4" poles are line poles and the 7" poles are corner/brace poles. Too small an auger and there won't enough slop in the hole if the hole is out of line a bit. Too big an auger makes for a lot of tamping with a spud bar.

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

keep in mind a 6x6 is close to 8" from corner to corner, so a 9" hole won't leave you much room for error in placement when digging the holes for that pole barn.

[citytransplant]

keep in mind a 6x6 is close to 8" from corner to corner, so a 9" hole won't leave you much room for error in placement when digging the holes for that pole barn.

True. In my humble opinion, fences and pole barns require wiggle room. What you see is 12 inch auger.