Do I Have The Right Auger?

[MikePA]

I just bought a <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.speeco.com>Speeco</A> auger at my local TSC store to see if it would dig any better than the auger that came with my Leinbach phd. Tonight I tried digging 4 post holes and the same thing happened in each case.

The auger went down about 12" and just spun. At first I thought it was rock, so I pulled the auger up and cleaned the hole out. The auger point (see attached) had dug down until the cutting edges contacted the dirt. That's when the auger began to spin and go no deeper. The cutting edges were not cutting into anything. So, I replaced them. Auger still just spun without going any deeper.

Also, I could stick a screwdriver into the packed dirt and break it up. So, I assume this is clay????

In addition to replacing the cutting edges, I tried different auger speeds, from just above idle to 540 PTO rpm. No difference. If I let the auger spin for a while the auger point and the cutting edged got nice and warm, almost hot.

Is this clay?

Are there better augers I can get for this type of soil?

 

[Fly_Rodr]

Mike,

I use a Speeco 12" auger with a Speeco PHD. My soil is clay and I have not had the problems you mention. It seems to dig on down the only time it stops other than rocks is when a little grass gets around the point, then it won't go anywhere.

 

[john_bud]

Mike,

This may be a dumb question, but is there any mechanical binding that is keeping the auger from dropping any further? My auger will chew down until the gear box hits the dirt, all the while pulling up shale type rocks. Your's should do the same.

Can you back to a ditch and drop the 3pt lower than 12"?

Final thought - is the 3pt lowering speed control valve set to offer no resistance?

Just a thougt...
John Bud

 

[MikePA]

John and Larry,

Thanks for your replies. The 3ph works OK because I can lower the auger into other holes I have dug which are 3 feet deep. Tonight I will try digging holes on another fence line, hopefully different soil type, and see how things go.

 

[WVBill]

Mike: I've had the same experience as you. Weekend before last I was digging a line of holes about 5' apart to plant some bushes and hit a couple where my phd just sat and spun about 6" down on the hard-packed dry clay. Had not had rain in at least a month. I find that frequently I can dig through some clay areas just fine and some times there's no hope.

I'm going to go back this weekend and try again since it rained last week end. Hope to catch the clay between the "muck" stage and the "concrete" stage. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Try filling your hole with water, waiting a day or so and digging again.

 

[MikePA]

Thanks for the water idea Bill. I will give it a try. I should have mentioned that the dirt the auger does manage to bring up is very powdery. I suppose if I let the auger sit and spin it would eventually complete the task, but I'm not going to live that long! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif There has to be an auger designed for this type of ground. I sent an email to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.littlebeaver>Little Beaver</A> Earth Drills and Augers to see what they have to offer.

 

[centex]

Mike, the bits on almost all augers are usually rather dull when you get them. You might try grinding them to sharpen them rather than just buying more new dull ones. You should be able to sharpen them many times before replacing them. They don't need a knife edge but they should look like something that will cut into the ground. What I found with the Speco bits was that they are not hardened very well and they tend to bend and/or break quite quickly in rocky soil like we have. Unfortunately they are proprietary bits. Also the Speco PHD that TSC sells is a very light duty piece of equipment. It uses a 5/16" grade 2 bolt as a shear pin and the augers are matched to it. I suspect that your Lembach PHD uses a 3/8" shear pin so you will tear up the Speco auger pretty quickly with it.

 

[gerard]

I have the same style cutting edge/auger type you're picture showed and I have no problem digging into hard dry ground. Only time I encountered what you describe is if I try and go right through the grass. It wraps around the tip preventing it from biting into the dirt. Now I use a pointed shovel and start the hole with that, removing all the grass. Works fine, just finished 19 holes. After that the cutting edges were so worn I welded some material back on and re sharpened. Figure I can do that indefinitely instead of buying new ones all the time. If in fact it is just hard clay you could try adding some down pressure. There are a lot of posts in the archives with different ways of adding weight. Easiest seems to be welding a lever/rod/pipe etc to extend out p[ast the auger head and hang some weight from that, then when not needed you can remove it.

 

[JFarms]

Mike, PHD success depends on soil type, condition, and machines. A light machine (many compacts), don't weigh enough to dig into dry, hard soil. My PHD uses hydraulic downpressure, but it won't scratch "concrete" clay in September because my JD 4100 is too light. But in March, when this same clay is soft and damp, it easily digs 4 feet down without the down pressure. Of course my clay doesn't stop the big machines--they put tons of pressure on the auger. For comparison, imagine digging with a shovel. A little push from your heel and it slips into soft, damp soil. But it the soil is hard clay, jumping on the shovel won't help. Best of luck.