Hydraulic Auger Suggestions/Input

[Riddler]

I have a NH TC45DA with 758C BH. I need to drill a great many fence post holes on my 45 acre place. Working conditions in some places will be a little tight (i.e., near or in between trees) and not particularly level. My experience with digging around the property suggests that I will not encounter many (if any) spots where rock or hardpan will be a problem.

I love the versatility of the BH, and mounting a hydraulic auger unit on it looks very appealing. The tractor's hydraulics, however, are only rated at 9.8 gpm, I believe.

Can anyone with experience using the lower flow rated auger units give me comfort that they work well, especially if they're not asked to turn larger bits? I have some information on the McMillen X975 unit. Any reason to consider any other model or brand? If the McMillen is the superior choice, which suppliers should I contact if I am located in Sonoma County in Northern California?

 

[dfkrug]

I adapted the Worksaver 714H to my 7.5' backhoe. It
works well, but I have not put it to production use. The
tractor is a Kioti CK30H. Hydraulic seems the only way to
go, IMHO.

 

[Riddler]

I already have a BH, I don't intend to drill holes larger than 12", and I can absorb the higher cost of the auger unit (v. a 3pt mechanical unit), so I have been thinking that a hydraulic auger is the way to go, but I would love to here the honest opinions of folks who have used both types, mechanical 3pt and hydraulic. Thanks.

 

[KentT]

IMO, it's not just the hydraulic drive (much safer and infinite speed control) but the ability to finetune the location and put downpressure on the auger...

 

[3RRL]

Do the hydraulic ones have the ability to reverse the auger rotation? If so, that would be a dandy feature in itself.

 

[KentT]

Some do, I'm sure. (PT does) It's all a matter of how you're controlling it -- the motor will run in reverse...

Worst case with no control on the PHD, you could swap hoses (using the disconnects) to reverse the flow...

 

[dfkrug]

I currently have both the Worksaver std duty 3-pt
PHD and their 714 hyd unit for my Prairie Dog b/h.
I have tried them both with the same 9" HD dual-
flight auger.

I have a lot of rocks here, so drilling is not really an
option, even when I hired excavation contractors.

That said, the hyd unit has down pressure, is reversible,
is protected by a relief valve, and when mounted to a
b/h it has much greater fleibility of hole placement and
control.

The 3 pt PHD is scary if there are any rocks because it
can suddenly grab one and drill itself into the ground. Then
you have to unscrew it by hand or dig it out. You have to
drive your tractor fwd or back to try to maintain plumb. You
have to keep your foot on the clutch and hand on 3-pt
control to avoid "getting screwed".

Basicly you are looking at $1500 vs $500, plus the auger.

 

[Riddler]

Krug, that's what I wanted to hear. From the looks of it, I thought it was a no brainer, but until you have experience with both, it is easy to miss something.

I have not looked into the Worksaver unit you have, but I will. Any advice about the turning speed, and perhaps torque, I should shoot for? With the 10 gpm I have to work with, there are some units I can buy that would be operating at the lower limit of their flow range, turning slower but generating more torque, and units that would be operating near their upper limit of their flow range, spinning faster but not generating as much torque. For example, max flow for the McMillen D450 is 10 gpm. At that flow, it is supposed to spin at 130 rpm and generate 470 ft. lbs. of torque at 2,000 PSI (up to 704 ft. lbs. of torque at 3,000 PSI). The McMillen X975, on the other hand, rates out at 6-15 gpm, so if I purchased that, I would expect to see half the rpm (i.e, 64 rpm and twice the torque at a given PSI. Having never used an auger before (mechanical or hydraulic) I have no way of judging what is best for me in terms of the compromise between rpm and torque, but I am guessing that the operational characteristics of the X975 present the best compromise for my 10 gpm tractor. Obviously, if there is nothing wrong with drilling at 60-70 rpm, then X975 (or a unit like it) seems like the way to go.

I have one other dumb question. If the largest posts I will be installing are 6" round posts, what size bit should I plan on purchasing? I can see the benefit of having plenty of room to work in, even if it uses up more concrete. I have been assuming so far that a 12" bit would provide enough, but not too much, room. Am I on the right track there?

Thanks, and cheers.

 

[Warwagon]

Riddler,

The hyd. post hole digger I have is from Land Pride and bolts on the side of my front bucket and has hoses that run to rear of tractor to the hyd. remotes. It works wonderful and you can reverse it if you need to. It would bolt on to the side of one of your bh. buckets and be within your gph limits. As for auger size 12" would be ideal, I only concrete in the corner posts and backfill and tamp the rest of the posts with good results.

Goos luck and have fun, Kevin

 

[dfkrug]

The Worksaver 714H is designed for the lower GPM of a CUT.
It uses a 3.18:1 gear reduction box for torque multiplication.
The relief valve is adjustable, but protects everything when
you hit that pressure. It comes with the brackets to mount
to a loader bucket, as well as a counter-weight so it initially
hangs vertical. I made my own plumb indicator, however.
The torque you need to drill a 12" hole is much higher than
drilling a 9" hole. Keep that in mind. Dual vs sgl flight
augers remove material faster at the same speed, but 2
edges are cutting, rather than one. Potentially greater
digging speed with the dual at the same RPM.