Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger

   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #21  
Not much to a PHD really. Gearbox, frame, PTO shaft & the augur.

Nothing to go wrong with a frame. Not much with a basic gearbox either as long as its properly lubed. Augurs are somewhat of a commodity item. The weak link might be the PTO shaft & by design it has the sheer bolt as the weak link.

Obviously higher priced PHDs are going to be stronger, but even a darn cheap one is going to be sufficient for a few hundred holes unless you have serious rock problems.
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #22  
That's good to hear. PHD are pretty simple in design. But you know how marketer and salesman will try to sell you their product over another.

Does anyone know if the TCS PHD will work well with an MX5100? The only info I can get on the PHD is very sparse, basically it for a Cat 1/2 setup for a compact tractor. No HP rating mention of any sort.
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #23  
Did anyone have to cut the shaft on the country line phd or does it pretty much fit a standard 3ph? Also looking for advise on the toplink setting. Decades of tractor work under my belt, however I have never owned/operated a pto phd. thankx in advance gentlemen
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #24  
TractorBob1529 said:
That's good to hear. PHD are pretty simple in design. But you know how marketer and salesman will try to sell you their product over another.

Does anyone know if the TCS PHD will work well with an MX5100? The only info I can get on the PHD is very sparse, basically it for a Cat 1/2 setup for a compact tractor. No HP rating mention of any sort.
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Yes, it'll be great. Basically, almost any tractor from a sub-compact on up has enough power to turn the PHD. The shear bolt protects the gear box/PHD from too much torque, so you can't really be "too big". The shear bolt should only go if the auger gets locked up hitting a big rock, so having too much power really isn't an issue.

lawn_king said:
Did anyone have to cut the shaft on the country line phd or does it pretty much fit a standard 3ph? Also looking for advise on the toplink setting. Decades of tractor work under my belt, however I have never owned/operated a pto phd. thankx in advance gentlemen
Click to expand...

Every 3ph varies. Given the length of the PTO shaft on a PHD, I would assume most people if not all would never need to cut it. If so, it's an easy task.

A PHD does not use the top link, it goes right to the top link bracket on the tractor. Geometry is going to depend on the tractor, I would hook it up to the top hole and see if you have the range you need. :) You need to be able to clear the ground, and in many cases you want to be able to dig as far down as it'll go.
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #25  
ishiboo said:
Yes, it'll be great. Basically, almost any tractor from a sub-compact on up has enough power to turn the PHD. The shear bolt protects the gear box/PHD from too much torque, so you can't really be "too big". The shear bolt should only go if the auger gets locked up hitting a big rock, so having too much power really isn't an issue.

Every 3ph varies. Given the length of the PTO shaft on a PHD, I would assume most people if not all would never need to cut it. If so, it's an easy task.

A PHD does not use the top link, it goes right to the top link bracket on the tractor. Geometry is going to depend on the tractor, I would hook it up to the top hole and see if you have the range you need. :) You need to be able to clear the ground, and in many cases you want to be able to dig as far down as it'll go.
Click to expand...

Yup, there are usually 3 holes on the tractor & 3-5 on the boom. If my math is right that gives you about 50,000 different combinations to try. Basically you want the arch to be vertical as possible. The augur should hang a little bit off the ground when fully lifted & the gearbox or boom should rest on the ground when lowered.

Hooking it up can be a big pain. I literally herniated a disk in my back doing it (well re-herniated, my back was screwed before I wrestled with the PHD). Removing the gearbox & augur will lighten things up a bit to make things easier. 2 people, with one holding the gearbox end while the other fights with the attaching things makes things easier too. They can be done with 1 person though. Probably easiest to leave the 3pt all the way down & try to set it up for the gearbox or augur being on the ground when hooking things up, then check to see if you can lift it high enough & attach the gearbox and/or augur.
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #26  
Many folks have built storage frames to make hook up easier. Do a search and you may find one that works for you. As for set up, the instruction are pretty straight forward.
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #27  
Beats using a shovel. Around here however in rocky clay. Once you use a hydraulic post hole digger on the loader bucket. You won't go back to a three point hitch unit.
 
   / Tractor Supply 3tph Post Hole Digger #28  
I hang my PHD from a rafter in my tractor shed with a chain. Very easy to hook up and unhook it when I need it.
 
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