Which post hole digger and auger bit?

[Browns329]

I am looking for a post hole digger to install about 200-300 fence posts. Some are vinyl split rail posts (5" square) and the rest will likely be wood pressure treated round posts (5-6" diameter) for woven wire field fence. I have seen some ads state that a shorter boom is needed for "compact" tractors, but I'm not sure if my Kubota L4240 would be considered compact in this case. The Kubota has about 40 PTO HP. Will any PHD work well with this tractor?

Soil in my area in NJ should be pretty good with minimal rocks...maybe some roots.

I have looked at the following and could use some input on quality, price, durability, etc. I don't think I need something super heavy duty, but I don't want to save $100 and end up with something that is poor quality. (All prices are with 9" or 12" auger bit.)

- New Woods at dealer - $925
- Used Bush Hog (Craigslist) - $700 (very good condition)
- New Leinbach 7200 Jr. at Smart Farmer online - $630 incl. shipping (they recommended this model for my tractor via e-mail)
- New County Line at Tractor Supply - $615
- New Leinbach at local farm supply yard with bit - $500 (not sure of model)
- Used (Craigslist) - $400 (owner thinks it is a Woods)

Also, what size auger bit should I use for the post holes? I guess I should have a few inches areound the posts to plumb them up and add concrete.

 

[asylum575]

Go to everything attachments website.

They have some great videos on the PHD.

I'll be ordering my 7200JR soon.

 

[radman1]

For a 5" post, I prefer a 9" auger bit. I would not use cement around the wood posts, your are inviting faster rot and decay because it holds the moisture next to the post. I tamp nearly all of my fence posts. Usually a 3/4-1" pipe. Not too thick of a pipe wall to keep the weight down. Pipe allows me to tamp in to the small areas around the post. Also, a post rarely sits in the middle of a augered hole. Uually the post sits off to one side in order to keep the fence row straight.

I also have a hydraulic tamper and with that, I will use a 12" auger because the larger foot plate requires more room and it tamps fast despite the larger hole. A 12" hole with a 5" post has a lot of area to fill in or tamp compared to a 9" hole and a 5" post.

With my hydraulic PHD, hydraulic tamper, good helper, straight run and no obstacles, I could set those wooden posts in 2-3 days. Vinyl fence takes longer because it requires drilling and setting the post and rails as you go.

 

[Chilly807]

The Kubota has about 40 PTO HP. Will any PHD work well with this tractor?

You're fine power-wise, should have no problems with that size tractor and almost any PHD. Be careful of the horsepower rating of the PHD. If you go too small the gearbox may not be up to the job. Most of the manufacturer's websites will have design power specs. A lot of the "branded" diggers are SpeeCo, the Tractor Supply one is. I wasn't really impressed with the SpeeCo products when I was shopping myself. Drilling holes through the boom weakens it in my opinion, and their lower end models are built that way. Flimsy augers too, I looked at a used one that was bent out of shape.

Soil in my area in NJ should be pretty good with minimal rocks...maybe some roots.

Pay close attention to the auger design, most of the better diggers will have a "standard duty" and "heavy duty" auger option. Unless you're in sandy soil with no rocks, the heavy duty design is a money saver in the long run.

I have looked at the following and could use some input on quality, price, durability, etc. I don't think I need something super heavy duty, but I don't want to save $100 and end up with something that is poor quality. (All prices are with 9" or 12" auger bit.)

- New Woods at dealer - $925 Sounds about right, I found them hard to get detailed info from. I talked with the factory a couple times, pretty helpful at that level.
- Used Bush Hog (Craigslist) - $700 (very good condition) Which model, anything less than a 2102 is going to be light duty.
- New Leinbach 7200 Jr. at Smart Farmer online - $630 incl. shipping (they recommended this model for my tractor via e-mail) I didn't look at this one, no dealers near me.
- New County Line at Tractor Supply - $615 SpeeCo digger
- New Leinbach at local farm supply yard with bit - $500 (not sure of model) see above
- Used (Craigslist) - $400 (owner thinks it is a Woods) Probably decent quality depending on which auger.

Also, what size auger bit should I use for the post holes? I guess I should have a few inches areound the posts to plumb them up and add concrete.

Mine came with a 9 inch, I plan on getting a 12 down the road for setting 6x6 posts.

I ended up getting a Kubota BL80A used. Seems to be good quality, made by Auburn Consolidated Industries in the US I think. I'll say this, whether it's a mistake or not, Kubota wants $150 for replacement teeth, which is ridiculous. I'm having some made far cheaper than that, probably free if I play my cards right..

Have a look at Greenline, the EM5000 and FM5500 both look pretty good, and the augers I saw were decent too. Probably cheaper than the Woods, they are cheaper here anyway.

The JD Frontiers might be worth a look too, they are competitively priced here.

Chilly

 

[Crusty Nut]

Hey, I'm new to the site but I just took delivery today of a L-7300 from Everything Attachments. It went together quick and I promptly tried it out a few times. It works very good and is very easy to control. I have several hundred feet of fence to put in in a week and this is a major labor saver.
Crusty

 

[asylum575]

Browns329,

Which local dealer had the Leinbach with bit for $500? I'm in NY and it may be worth the drive.

 

[Browns329]

asylum575 - I sent you a PM.

I was just on everthingattachments.com and they have the Leinbach L7300 for $580 with free shipping within 1000 mile radius of NC. Based on their video, I do not need the 7200 Jr for my size tractor.

 

[mfreeland]

I recently purchased a Woods PHD35 w/12" augar from an implement dealer for $400 - it was never used but had been sitting on his lot for 5 years after a customer had backed out of a deal. I thought $400 was a steal after others had quoted me $1100-1200 for the same PHD/augar. But later, I saw a King Kutter PHD at the local Farm&Fleet and Rural King which looked to be identical for $430 + $120 for the augar. Looks might have been deceiving but everything I could see, and I mean everything except the paint color, looked identical. Both had Chinese made gearboxes so the Chinese knock-off argument wouldn't seem to explain the 100% mark-up.

 

[gtrippleb]

I have a woods phd35 with a 9" auger I use with my ccy SC2400. It seems to do pretty good. I haven't actually used it to dig any holes yet except for trying it out, but I didn't have any problems. It was pain to get it off as the width is almost to wide for the 3pt.

 

[Grateful11]

The Countyline at TSC is on sale through May 2nd for $399 + auger. It's what
we have but haven't used it yet. We picked up a used one with the 9" HD auger
for $500, didn't even have any paint worn off except the very tip. I don't think
we'll keep it, probably long enough to get the new calf lot built and sell it. I just
don't see needing it that often, for fence repairs handheld PHD's are just handier.