Post hole diggers are one of those things that are really great in their proper place (attached to a three-point hitch), but ungainly and awkward otherwise. Like ducks on dry land, airplanes on the ground, or horses lying down. 
I think there've been other threads about what to do with most any implement when it's not on the tractor. Driving around, I see PHD's stored in all kinds of ways. Flat on the ground seems to be popular, maybe for lack of any alternative. But I have to work alone, so that's not a very good idea for me. I used to lean the thing on a tree. Then I moved up to leaning it on one of the posts in the shed. Still it was always an awful wrestling match to get the thing on or off the tractor.
Finally I came up with this. Just a heavy wooden frame with big enough feet at the bottom to keep it upright. When I take the PHD off, I just back up so the top of the gearbox is right under the cross piece, then loop a chain around the cross piece and the boom. Then I let the three-point down, disconnect the PHD, and drive away. The PHD just hangs there, safely out of the way. Well, except when I walk into it, but that's just because I'm equipped with all the grace and dexterity you'd expect of an engineer.
When I'm ready to put the PHD back on the tractor, the free-swinging-ness is a big help again, because I don't have to be particularly accurate about backing up. I just get close enough to swing the boom into place on the top link connection, then hook up the draft links. Much better than the old wrestling matches!
Steve
I think there've been other threads about what to do with most any implement when it's not on the tractor. Driving around, I see PHD's stored in all kinds of ways. Flat on the ground seems to be popular, maybe for lack of any alternative. But I have to work alone, so that's not a very good idea for me. I used to lean the thing on a tree. Then I moved up to leaning it on one of the posts in the shed. Still it was always an awful wrestling match to get the thing on or off the tractor.
Finally I came up with this. Just a heavy wooden frame with big enough feet at the bottom to keep it upright. When I take the PHD off, I just back up so the top of the gearbox is right under the cross piece, then loop a chain around the cross piece and the boom. Then I let the three-point down, disconnect the PHD, and drive away. The PHD just hangs there, safely out of the way. Well, except when I walk into it, but that's just because I'm equipped with all the grace and dexterity you'd expect of an engineer.
When I'm ready to put the PHD back on the tractor, the free-swinging-ness is a big help again, because I don't have to be particularly accurate about backing up. I just get close enough to swing the boom into place on the top link connection, then hook up the draft links. Much better than the old wrestling matches!
Steve
