whistlepig
Elite Member
I have a Bush Hog 2102 post hole digger. It doesn't have the down force option but the digger is set up so that the down force option can be a bolt on addition.
3 point pto post hole digger
- Thread starter ron45
- Start date
boggen
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2011
- Messages
- 3,824
- Location
- Trivoli, IL
- Tractor
- SSTT (Sideways Snake Tain Tractor) and STB (sideways train box) tractor, dirt harvester
3pt hitches coming in different categories, 0,1,2,3 if you are having to ask, i am going to assume you have a small tractor which will most likely be cat 1,
a riding lawn mower might have cat 0
if you were a farmer or like, you might have a bigger tractor that may have cat 2 (category 2) 3 pt hitch
3pt hitches on all tractors exception riding lawn mowers, are all spec'ed out to same size and like. the only difference might come up is HP at the PTO
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you might want a "slip clutch" that goes between tractor PTO and PHD gear box. so if you do snag something that stops the PHD dead in its track, the slip clutch will let the tractor PTO shaft keep spinning, but let the PHD auger stop spinning. other words the slip clutch protects the tractors PTO shaft.
NOTE TO ABOVE! most PHD i see normally have a "shear bolt" were the auger bit (drill bit) attaches to the gear box. this removing need for a slip clutch. if you hit something that causes auger bit to stop dead in its tracks, the shear bolt will be cut in half. the shear bolt protects the "gear box" and the tractor PTO shaft. Shear bolts are not run of the mill bolt you can pickup at some hardware store. and pending on PHD you get may require a specific grade of metal the bolt is made out of, to be a shear bolt. ((to strong of metal and shear bolt does not get cut)), ((too week of metal, and you end up going through sheer bolts left and right))
a generic cheap 3pt PHD with no down force kit. does have some problem with small tree roots. and rocks. and keep them from digging any further down. and you may need to pickup the PHD and then drop it down. to get the auger bit to grab ahold and keep on digging down.
you do not need "super fast RPMS" slow and easy works good for me.
the "down force kit" for myself on farm, would be awesome to have, dealing with so many different types of dirt, from muddy dirt, to hard compacted dirt, to dirt that has rocks and tree roots in it. to other. though i have gotten away for now without needing down force kit, buy taking some 8x8x16 concrete blocks and wiring them firmly onto the PHD. so the blocks never get in way of PTO shaft or auger bit.
warning to above, be carefull of a PHD, you can get into some pretty deadly situations with a PHD, due to the PTO shaft and auger bit are so much out in the open and no type of real good shield to protect someone from getting wrapped around the PTO shaft or auger bit.
a riding lawn mower might have cat 0
if you were a farmer or like, you might have a bigger tractor that may have cat 2 (category 2) 3 pt hitch
3pt hitches on all tractors exception riding lawn mowers, are all spec'ed out to same size and like. the only difference might come up is HP at the PTO
================
you might want a "slip clutch" that goes between tractor PTO and PHD gear box. so if you do snag something that stops the PHD dead in its track, the slip clutch will let the tractor PTO shaft keep spinning, but let the PHD auger stop spinning. other words the slip clutch protects the tractors PTO shaft.
NOTE TO ABOVE! most PHD i see normally have a "shear bolt" were the auger bit (drill bit) attaches to the gear box. this removing need for a slip clutch. if you hit something that causes auger bit to stop dead in its tracks, the shear bolt will be cut in half. the shear bolt protects the "gear box" and the tractor PTO shaft. Shear bolts are not run of the mill bolt you can pickup at some hardware store. and pending on PHD you get may require a specific grade of metal the bolt is made out of, to be a shear bolt. ((to strong of metal and shear bolt does not get cut)), ((too week of metal, and you end up going through sheer bolts left and right))
a generic cheap 3pt PHD with no down force kit. does have some problem with small tree roots. and rocks. and keep them from digging any further down. and you may need to pickup the PHD and then drop it down. to get the auger bit to grab ahold and keep on digging down.
you do not need "super fast RPMS" slow and easy works good for me.
the "down force kit" for myself on farm, would be awesome to have, dealing with so many different types of dirt, from muddy dirt, to hard compacted dirt, to dirt that has rocks and tree roots in it. to other. though i have gotten away for now without needing down force kit, buy taking some 8x8x16 concrete blocks and wiring them firmly onto the PHD. so the blocks never get in way of PTO shaft or auger bit.
warning to above, be carefull of a PHD, you can get into some pretty deadly situations with a PHD, due to the PTO shaft and auger bit are so much out in the open and no type of real good shield to protect someone from getting wrapped around the PTO shaft or auger bit.
whistlepig
Elite Member
Redneck in training
Elite Member
I didn't build it but bought it for cost of parts from the original builder. After trying to use it first time I decided to modify it. I added two more wheels, and ballast weight on the rear. It already paid for itself but it is broken right now due to sheared boom pivot pin. When I get some time I will take it apart and increase the size of the pin from 1" to 1.5" and do few more small repairs.
I bought it to dig a ditch across a slope to increase watershed for our pond but we used it to dig holes for tree planting also.
whistlepig
Elite Member
Post hole diggers are not high tech. They basically all work the same way. I bought just enough post hole digger to make it easier for me to put in 2,800 feet of Red Brand No-climb horse fence. I put this fence in five years ago. It's still taught as a banjo string. About 100 dug holes. When I got the hang of it my best day was 13 holes in an eight day. Dug, lined up, concreted, and tamped. I am not a pro about setting fence. But I am better than a few.
boggen
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2011
- Messages
- 3,824
- Location
- Trivoli, IL
- Tractor
- SSTT (Sideways Snake Tain Tractor) and STB (sideways train box) tractor, dirt harvester
remember to double check, and see if the PTO shaft needs to be cut down for PHD you get and tractor PHD will be on.
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it also really does help to have a second person. ya they may have there thumb up there butt most of the time while digging the holes. but having that second person can quickly let ya know if ya need to adjust to keep PHD straight as you dig holes. and they will most likely have a better vantage point to see down the line of fence, to make sure you keep a nice straight line.
have a regular manual Post hole digger. so you can clean out bottom of holes. the tractor PHD does major work, but you bound to end up with more dirt falling back in hole after it was dug. and need to manually remove the dirt.
when it comes to putting posts into the holes. pending on size and weight of posts, second person comes in handy, just to move from trailer or truck and to the hole. while one person holds other person can take look down fence line to get current post lined up. or if hole needs to be made a little bigger.
have a role of tape and a level, and just tape level to post. to help you get it level, without messing around trying to figure out were level went or picking level up and down. note sure name of the level. but use a level that "bends" 90 degrees so i can straight the post up in both directions. without any sort of repositioning of the level.
when it comes to hand tamping the dirt around the post, to compact the dirt. having second person does help. one person takes half side of post while other takes the other half. and you just alternate between each other tamping the dirt with single tamper. it gives both of you breaks as other person tamps.
you can do it one person, but you end up doing extra leg work, having that second person really does help out a lot.
============
as far as stretching fence, and then nailing fence / attaching fence to posts. any extra help i am favor of. it is a lot of pounding, and a lot of twisting of wire around T posts.
============
it also really does help to have a second person. ya they may have there thumb up there butt most of the time while digging the holes. but having that second person can quickly let ya know if ya need to adjust to keep PHD straight as you dig holes. and they will most likely have a better vantage point to see down the line of fence, to make sure you keep a nice straight line.
have a regular manual Post hole digger. so you can clean out bottom of holes. the tractor PHD does major work, but you bound to end up with more dirt falling back in hole after it was dug. and need to manually remove the dirt.
when it comes to putting posts into the holes. pending on size and weight of posts, second person comes in handy, just to move from trailer or truck and to the hole. while one person holds other person can take look down fence line to get current post lined up. or if hole needs to be made a little bigger.
have a role of tape and a level, and just tape level to post. to help you get it level, without messing around trying to figure out were level went or picking level up and down. note sure name of the level. but use a level that "bends" 90 degrees so i can straight the post up in both directions. without any sort of repositioning of the level.
when it comes to hand tamping the dirt around the post, to compact the dirt. having second person does help. one person takes half side of post while other takes the other half. and you just alternate between each other tamping the dirt with single tamper. it gives both of you breaks as other person tamps.
you can do it one person, but you end up doing extra leg work, having that second person really does help out a lot.
============
as far as stretching fence, and then nailing fence / attaching fence to posts. any extra help i am favor of. it is a lot of pounding, and a lot of twisting of wire around T posts.
Better than me that's for sure. Your sig. line reads like paraphrased verses from the Veda or the Bhagavad Gita. Good advice no matter the source. May your tractor run forever.
Ron