Hydraulic Auger

[pyro29]

I had initially looked at PTO driver augers but our soil is VERY rocky and, after reading about people having to dig their bits out after getting stuck on rocks, I decided that wasn't the way I wanted to go. I have a 2013 Mahindra 4035 PST which has a single, factory installed rear remote.

I've been looking at Bobcat style hydraulic augers, leaving me with a few questions.

1 - Can I run a hydraulic auger off of the factory auxiliary hydraulics on the rear?

2 - Can I run a hydraulic auger on the front using a diverter type 3rd function valve or do I need to give it a true dedicated hydraulic source?

3 - Can I run the hydraulic auger from the front, using hoses long enough to reach my rear remotes?

4 - Can I run remove the hydraulic auger from the SSQA plate and mount it to a boom pole for use on the 3 point? Ideally, I'd be able to use it in the front OR rear.

I've read that the diverter type valves are for intermittent use only. I can see that I couldn't try to use a hydraulic snow blower or brush on this but an auger would only be running for, I'm guessing, one minute at a time, tops.

If anyone else thinks of anything that I haven't mentioned, please speak up. Your experience is invaluable and I appreciate all advice prior to shelling out the big dollars to purchase this device.

Thanks

 

[Shaneard]

It would be hard to see it on the front of a tractor without a spotter but I guess it could be done. The pro to that is the down pressure that could be applied in hard soil and with it hydraulic reverse could be used to back it out if hung on a rock or a root.

 

[Fallon]

Most hydraulic augers need between 8 & 30 gpm. If it gets less it will run slower. Most tractors are at the bottom of the flow range. Any of your hydraulic options should work if you have large enough hose to not restrict anything.

If you aren't running the motor off a motor spool you may need an extra relief valve at the motor so it can spin down rather than slamming to a stop & blowing hoses or something else because of the momentum of the auger.

 

[flyerdan]

I've worked on some Bobcat brand augers, they don't have any relief valves; the motor is geared way down to turn the auger slow. It stops as soon as you let off the switch (or foot pedal or lever). The auger doesn't have the rotating mass and inertia that a bush hog does so it's not an issue.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I have a pto post hole auger. It is not that hard to unhook the pto and turn the auger backwards with a pipe wrench. One to two turns does the job. Mind you I only paid $40 for mine so I can live with the odd inconvenience.

 

[Sysop]

Another thing to consider, you are going to be pressing down with the weight of a 6000lbs machine. The machine only has 2700lbs of lift at the pins. Just because it can be reversed doesn't mean you can't still end up stuck in the ground, especially running light on hydraulic flow. I've seen skid steers get them stuck...

One thing I've learned that I consider to be the key to preventing a stuck auger bit, is turn the knob under the front of your seat to limit the speed at which the 3 point can be drawn down, then only lower the control as fast as the auger goes down and keep the PTO speed down. If it acts like it wants to screw in and bind, it is much easier to react when things are going slowly. If everything is going slow enough, sometimes you'll hear an issue before it becomes one (rocks starting to scrape the auger bit, big ones sound different than little ones)...

 

[FatTire]

I run a Danuser EP5 auger on a SSQA plate on our MX5100 off a rear remote. For tractors they make them offset to the right so you can see what you're doing. Our ground is very rocky, it is somewhat rare to finish a hole here without pulling the auger out and messing around with a rock bar at some point. Sometimes it can be 8 or 10 times doing that. The auger does occasionally jam between rocks, but I've always gotten it out by running it in reverse -- sometimes weighting and unweighting alternately while spinning backwards. The MX5100 is about 9 gpm. The Danuser stuff is top quality, if purchasing again I'd look into the a bigger unit (maybe EP10 is the model?) and live with the lower RPM to get more torque, if that is feasible.

Diverter Valves -- Some diverter valves such as W.R. Long are not rated for continuous use. Whether or not an auger is "continuous use" might depend on your situation, how many holes are you doing, how quickly you move between them, and how long are you willing to spin while working on a rock.