snoboy
Silver Member
Local guy sells them @ $299.00 for the unit, $120. for 9", and $140 for the 12" auger. Is this a fair price?
Posthole Digger SpeeCo post hole digger
- Thread starter snoboy
- Start date
sideboiler
Member
That is a good price for the posthole digger but you might be able to find the augers a little cheaper if you shop around. Overall, it is a decent price.
Westonium
Silver Member
Seems reasonable. Get the 12". Mine digs great, although I'll have to soak the ground to use it in the hot summer months (and/or add weight)
I was digging with mine (I think its a SpeeCo - red right?) and caught a 1 foot piece of 1/2" rebar. It twisted it into a small pretzel and continued on. Have a supply of shear bolts on hand though - in case you catch the edge of a big rock or something. Shear bolts are cheap. My time is expensive.
I was digging with mine (I think its a SpeeCo - red right?) and caught a 1 foot piece of 1/2" rebar. It twisted it into a small pretzel and continued on. Have a supply of shear bolts on hand though - in case you catch the edge of a big rock or something. Shear bolts are cheap. My time is expensive.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Post hole diggers are pretty basic. The gearboxes are fairly similar and cost about the same. Nothing fancy there from one to the other in my opinion.
The 12 inch auger is a really good size. Anything smaller and you better plan on doing allot of digging by hand to get things lined up. Even with a 12 inch hole, it's almost impossible to get a dozen holes exactly in line. Too many variables that you can't see under the ground to affect the direction of the bit, not to mention that as it goes down, the angle changes right from the beginning.
What you really need to consider, and I did this wrong too, is to get an auger with a good bit on it. The cheap augers have a flat cutting edge that it ground to an edge. This will work fine at first, but will dull in just a few holes depending on your soil. Than you run into the needing more down preasure scenerio when in fact it's a dull cutting edge.
The good bits are either a Pengo or Lowe style. Just a pengo auger will run you around $300, but it's worth it!!! Adding carbid bits will up the price another hundred bucks, and that's worth it too!!!!
If you have allot of holes to drill and your soil is harder than sand, you want a good cutting edge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck,
Eddie
The 12 inch auger is a really good size. Anything smaller and you better plan on doing allot of digging by hand to get things lined up. Even with a 12 inch hole, it's almost impossible to get a dozen holes exactly in line. Too many variables that you can't see under the ground to affect the direction of the bit, not to mention that as it goes down, the angle changes right from the beginning.
What you really need to consider, and I did this wrong too, is to get an auger with a good bit on it. The cheap augers have a flat cutting edge that it ground to an edge. This will work fine at first, but will dull in just a few holes depending on your soil. Than you run into the needing more down preasure scenerio when in fact it's a dull cutting edge.
The good bits are either a Pengo or Lowe style. Just a pengo auger will run you around $300, but it's worth it!!! Adding carbid bits will up the price another hundred bucks, and that's worth it too!!!!
If you have allot of holes to drill and your soil is harder than sand, you want a good cutting edge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck,
Eddie
OP
snoboy
Silver Member
Outstanding advice Westonium. Thankyou. Yes its the red one.
Good advice as well from you Eddy. Thanks
snoboy
Good advice as well from you Eddy. Thanks
snoboy
jimgerken
Veteran Member
Northern Tool has a 14" auger bit that fits our Speeco gearhead, is very heavy duty, and costs about $175 from memory. I bought the Speeco with their 9" and then ordered the 14" from Northern. Like was said, it is tough to stand 6 inch square poles in a nice straight line in 12" holes, you end up digging by hand 'cause they are not in line enough. Hopefully my 14" auger will help this. Also, I thought it would be a bit better for planting to use the 14" hole.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
If I had it to do all over again, I think a 14 inch, or even a 16 inch auger would be better than a 12 inch. You can always put the dirt back in the hole, and if your pouring concret into th holes, the extra material wont make that big a difference anyway.
I've been putting up some vinyl three rail fence on my place after I've taken out the trees. I dig out the entire tree with the root ball, but there is still roots in the ground. You can't get all of them. It seems that I'm lucky if I get two holes in a row to go in straight. Usually I hit a root about a foot down and the hole changes directions!!!
Five inch posts don't leave allot of adjusting room in a 12 inch hole. Just 3 1/2 inches on either side if it's centered. A nine inch hole would be just about impossible to get in line. No way would I want 2 inches of adjustment all around a post. It would never work and I'd be digging every one by hand, not just a third of them like I do now!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Eddie
I've been putting up some vinyl three rail fence on my place after I've taken out the trees. I dig out the entire tree with the root ball, but there is still roots in the ground. You can't get all of them. It seems that I'm lucky if I get two holes in a row to go in straight. Usually I hit a root about a foot down and the hole changes directions!!!
Five inch posts don't leave allot of adjusting room in a 12 inch hole. Just 3 1/2 inches on either side if it's centered. A nine inch hole would be just about impossible to get in line. No way would I want 2 inches of adjustment all around a post. It would never work and I'd be digging every one by hand, not just a third of them like I do now!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Eddie