I wanted to drop in a report that my Danuser G20/40 is exceeding my expectations.
I bought the unit, used, with a 10-inch auger, for $800 from a 3rd party in Arkansas. It was in nice shape all the way around, although I needed to replace the PTO shear bolt.
I had originally wanted to find a front-mount, hydraulic unit. I was concerned about a PTO PHD for two reasons: I didn't want to have to keep looking backwards (neck pain), and I wasn't sure I'd get enough downforce. But the front hydraulic units were big $$$ especially if I did a skid-steer mount, and I'd need to either install front remotes or run hoses all the way from the rear remotes. Bottom line: found the above-mentioned G20/40 for a good price; dilemma solved!
I live in Missouri, and was able to stop by the Danuser factory and pick up a cart and the downforce kit for the G20/40. They weren't cheap, nearly $1000 for both. I questioned whether I should be spending that kind of money on the setup, but I'll eventually put in about 200 holes or more across several projects.
I got home, and worked to get the auger installed on the tractor for the first time. We mounted it to the tractor first, and then used the tractor to drop it onto the cart. Mounting it on the tractor without the cart was a royal pain. Pulling it off, then reinstalling WITH the cart was a breeze. I now am a firm believer in the carts - I can't imagine managing one of the these augers, solo.
So after spending about $13k on the JD 4310, and another $2k on the PHD, I was finally ready to dig the postholes for the wife's compost bin. :laughing:
The downforce kit works wonders. I questioned whether it would be worth it, but it's clear that I'd be going nowhere without it. There is no way to mount weights on the G20/40, unless you do some fab to attach some type of weight bracket. I tried digging two postholes without using the downforce, and was only about to get about 18" deep. Went back and used the downforce, and sank the auger deeper than I really wanted to go. It made a huge difference.
A small downside of Danuser's downforce kit: the return on the hydraulic cylinder dumps straight into the hydraulic system on the tractor (it does NOT connect to the 2nd remote outlet). Danuser documents two or three ideas for doing this, but for me the best way to solve it was to drill a hole through my hydraulic tank cap on the tractor, stick a nipple into it, and couple the end of the hydraulic line to it.
I went to JD and got an extra cap, so I'd have a good one to put on the tractor when the Danuser is not installed. Then I spent about 2 hours in my ACE hardware store trying to find just the right combination of plumbing fixtures to secure the return hydraulic hose to my cap. In the end, I was mostly happy with what I came up with - it's strong, doesn't leak, and looks good to boot. HOWEVER: I did not insert any type of rotating coupling from the hose to the cap, so it's very difficult to screw the cap onto the tank. There is too much friction between hose and nipple to turn the cap, and obviously the hydraulic hose itself isn't going to twist much. I'm going to have to redo it, and add a rotating coupler in there.
One other limitation of running a PTO PHD: I had to remove my JD iMatch quickhitch to mount the Danuser, since it's not compatible with a quickhitch. I'll now have to plan my projects a bit more carefully since once the PHD is mounted I'll want to get all my holes dug, then switch back to my iMatch so I can use the more typical attachments like box blade and rotary cutter.
Parts needed for installation:
- Danuser G20/40 - $800 used
- Danuser downforce kit - $550 or so, new
- Danuser cart - $400 or so, new
- 2 hydraulic lines - 6 foot (4' would have been sufficient) - $75 each. Line 1: remote coupler on one end, pipe thread on the other. Line 2: pipe thread on one end, unfinished on the other (fits over nipple in hydraulic tank cap)
- replacement hydraulic filler cap - $15 or so
- assorted nipples and connectors for the filler cap - $15
- satisfaction of digging a posthole with the tractor instead of my back: priceless.
I'll post a couple pictures of the setup if there is interest.
I bought the unit, used, with a 10-inch auger, for $800 from a 3rd party in Arkansas. It was in nice shape all the way around, although I needed to replace the PTO shear bolt.
I had originally wanted to find a front-mount, hydraulic unit. I was concerned about a PTO PHD for two reasons: I didn't want to have to keep looking backwards (neck pain), and I wasn't sure I'd get enough downforce. But the front hydraulic units were big $$$ especially if I did a skid-steer mount, and I'd need to either install front remotes or run hoses all the way from the rear remotes. Bottom line: found the above-mentioned G20/40 for a good price; dilemma solved!
I live in Missouri, and was able to stop by the Danuser factory and pick up a cart and the downforce kit for the G20/40. They weren't cheap, nearly $1000 for both. I questioned whether I should be spending that kind of money on the setup, but I'll eventually put in about 200 holes or more across several projects.
I got home, and worked to get the auger installed on the tractor for the first time. We mounted it to the tractor first, and then used the tractor to drop it onto the cart. Mounting it on the tractor without the cart was a royal pain. Pulling it off, then reinstalling WITH the cart was a breeze. I now am a firm believer in the carts - I can't imagine managing one of the these augers, solo.
So after spending about $13k on the JD 4310, and another $2k on the PHD, I was finally ready to dig the postholes for the wife's compost bin. :laughing:
The downforce kit works wonders. I questioned whether it would be worth it, but it's clear that I'd be going nowhere without it. There is no way to mount weights on the G20/40, unless you do some fab to attach some type of weight bracket. I tried digging two postholes without using the downforce, and was only about to get about 18" deep. Went back and used the downforce, and sank the auger deeper than I really wanted to go. It made a huge difference.
A small downside of Danuser's downforce kit: the return on the hydraulic cylinder dumps straight into the hydraulic system on the tractor (it does NOT connect to the 2nd remote outlet). Danuser documents two or three ideas for doing this, but for me the best way to solve it was to drill a hole through my hydraulic tank cap on the tractor, stick a nipple into it, and couple the end of the hydraulic line to it.
I went to JD and got an extra cap, so I'd have a good one to put on the tractor when the Danuser is not installed. Then I spent about 2 hours in my ACE hardware store trying to find just the right combination of plumbing fixtures to secure the return hydraulic hose to my cap. In the end, I was mostly happy with what I came up with - it's strong, doesn't leak, and looks good to boot. HOWEVER: I did not insert any type of rotating coupling from the hose to the cap, so it's very difficult to screw the cap onto the tank. There is too much friction between hose and nipple to turn the cap, and obviously the hydraulic hose itself isn't going to twist much. I'm going to have to redo it, and add a rotating coupler in there.
One other limitation of running a PTO PHD: I had to remove my JD iMatch quickhitch to mount the Danuser, since it's not compatible with a quickhitch. I'll now have to plan my projects a bit more carefully since once the PHD is mounted I'll want to get all my holes dug, then switch back to my iMatch so I can use the more typical attachments like box blade and rotary cutter.
Parts needed for installation:
- Danuser G20/40 - $800 used
- Danuser downforce kit - $550 or so, new
- Danuser cart - $400 or so, new
- 2 hydraulic lines - 6 foot (4' would have been sufficient) - $75 each. Line 1: remote coupler on one end, pipe thread on the other. Line 2: pipe thread on one end, unfinished on the other (fits over nipple in hydraulic tank cap)
- replacement hydraulic filler cap - $15 or so
- assorted nipples and connectors for the filler cap - $15
- satisfaction of digging a posthole with the tractor instead of my back: priceless.
I'll post a couple pictures of the setup if there is interest.
