540 RPMS?

[vvanders]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help. I think I'm comfortable now running along at 540 PTO RPM.

Something else to keep in mind is the throttle is going to set the governor to a specific RPM, however how hard your engine works is going to be set by the load on your drivetrain/pto. In neutral with nothing on the pto you're engine would be barely working at 540/~2k rpm. A temperature gauge at the exhaust is the easiest way to measure how hard the engine is working(heat generated is a function of fuel burned).

Also tractors are built to be run hard all day long unlike cars/etc. That's why you can spend 30k on a ~25hp machine, they're build to be used.

 

[Gary Fowler]

For a post hole digger is not a good idea, usually an idle is preferred for this operation. Much lower speeds.

This is very good advice. PHD doesn't need to turn super fast, in fact they do much better with speed of engine just above idle. High RPM make them bounce around a lot. Also when using a PHD use the 3 PH to control the descent rate by lowering it a bit at a time as needed, don't let the auger screw into the ground or you will be in trouble. Slow and easy so the dirt is thrown from the hole otherwise you might be faced with turning the auger in reverse with a big pipe wrench to unscrew it from the ground- not a pleasant duty. Sometimes it will be so tight that you have to turn the PTO drive to unscrew it, that takes many rounds of turning to get one revolution of the auger and also might require you to unhook the PTO shaft from the tractor.