3 pt post hole digger.

[Ryan03]

I will be building a pole barn this summer. I will be doing most of the work myself, including drilling the post holes. My tractor is a Farmtrac DTC 270, 27hp W/ FEL. I need to drill 18in diameter post holes 48in deep. The soil type is 2ft of sandy loam topsoil on the surface, and the rest is clay underneath. My questions are, can a typical 3pt post hole digger handle a 18in auger bit, and is 26 pto hp enough to drive an 18 in bit if the operator takes his time and takes a small bite with the digger.


Thanks Ryan.

 

[6011Artist]

yes. I usually use my Ferguson but I have drilled 12 inch holes with my 22 hp Yanmar. Only problem is if I don't raise the auger and sling the dirt off every foot or so it will screw the auger in the ground like a big woodscrew and the little tractor doesn't have enough weight to pull it out. It will raise the front off the ground instead. Then I have to go get the farm jack to jack up by the auger to break it free.

Take your time and sling the dirt off every foot or so and you'll be ok I think.

 

[grsthegreat]

just a quick question.......are you sure only 18" hole?

Ive been under the assumption that a 24" dia hole is required. especially if you have snow loads.

Personally, when i built mine i rented a bobcat skid steer with power down 24" auger ....worked slick

 

[yelbike]

just a quick question.......are you sure only 18" hole?

Ive been under the assumption that a 24" dia hole is required. especially if you have snow loads.

Personally, when i built mine i rented a bobcat skid steer with power down 24" auger ....worked slick

What depth is needed

 

[Ryan03]

What depth is needed

I would like to go 48in. Code is 42in minimum depth. I would like to drill 48in, then pour 6in of concrete in the bottom of each hole.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

If I had to do this job with my JD855 and old Speeco phd, in that kind of ground, I would drill the top sandy part with the 18" drill then if the clay is too hard to drill out with the 18", I would drill a 6-9" pilot hole to full depth and drill out to size with the 18"

You can most likely do it in one shot with a rented skid steer or similar, but that is $ out of pocket when you have these tools on hand already...
Good luck

 

[Sonny580]

Dont know your codes but when we built our 60 x 120, we had to go 2 foot diameter and 4 foot deep then go concrete bottom for the posts to sit on! I did a different backfill to beef up the posts even more than code! thanks; sonny580

 

[6011Artist]

Ryan, not sure I'd pre-drill the holes with a smaller bit. You ever tried doing that with a wood drill bit? Doesn't work except for a small pilot hole. I think it would cause your auger to possible flop and walk sideways.

I think you have the right idea, go slow, take your time and keep raising the auger to shake the dirt and not let it screw into the ground like a wood screw. My phd works with the weight of it pushing into the ground, it's old and heavy, gearbox weighs 100lb probably. It digs well, too well if on the little tractor. Just go slow and check it often to make sure it's drilling and not screwing. I think you'll be ok.

 

[grsthegreat]

What depth is needed

here they require 48"

 

[michael.white]

My TC30 has about the same PTO HP as yours. I finished digging some tree holes with a 2' auger in packed clay. The holes were 2'-3' deep each. I could've gone deeper if I had an auger extension. Just make sure you pull the auger up frequently enough not to bury the auger so deep your tractor can't lift the dirt + auger.