Post hole auger.

[Mace Canute]

Here's a interesting idea for a small portable post hole auger.

YouTube - One Man No Hands Posthole Digger

 

[mjncad]

Interesting idea. I doubt it will go through hardpan, and if that sucker ever gets stuck in claycrete or hung up on a root or rock...it could get ugly.

 

[JJZ 109]

that sucker ever gets stuck in claycrete or hung up on a root or rock...it could get ugly.

Exactly what I was thinking. Clay on my land and I know that I'd better be yanking that 12" auger up every so often to let it spin and clean it and the hole out.
Let that sucker run down the length of the auger and the 3 point on the JD 790 I used to have wouldn't pull it up. Kinda thinking the result would be the same with my Kubota B3030.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Everyone should take notice that this was apparantly in a field with nice, deep topsoil. In my younger days(edit.. I believe even now,) I really believe I could have made that hole in that soil with a pair of posthole diggers in less time. Granted, I wouldn't have been drinking water in the middle of the act, but I also wouldn't have had that contraption, the gas can and all that stuff to haul down the line either.

 

[20 20]

would have been funny if it hit a root or something and started cork screwing it's way into the ground. Then of course catching and flipping the whole contraption through the air. Of course only funny if no one gets hurt, maybe just slapped a little

 

[Timber]

That wouldn't fly in New England

 

[BeeferMan]

That's a big 10-4 Timber. I was digging some holes yesterday with a A300 Bobcat and one nasty 12" auger, the type with carbide inserts. I was hitting rocks that would stall that digger - I wouldn't want to be standing next to that contraption in the video when it hooked into one of those rocks! You might have to wait for it to run out of gas before it stopped spinning...

 

[k0ua]

Have him bring it to Branson, Mo, :laughing:
I will bring the popcorn and soft drinks, you all bring your own chairs, and we would have us a "show" when that thing hits the shelf rock, about 6 inches down at most.!
James K0UA

 

[mjncad]

Exactly what I was thinking. Clay on my land and I know that I'd better be yanking that 12" auger up every so often to let it spin and clean it and the hole out.
Let that sucker run down the length of the auger and the 3 point on the JD 790 I used to have wouldn't pull it up. Kinda thinking the result would be the same with my Kubota B3030.

When I had my 3PH PHD, I was drilling a 12" diameter hole down 4' (frost-line is 3') when the dam thing caught on something and wouldn't come out of the hole. It was stuck up to the gearbox. I tried gently rocking the thing back and force like one does with a stuck car in winter. Eventually that did the trick, and I got the PHD unstuck. After I finished the last of the holes for my project I decided I was going to sell or trade that evil thing.

 

[Mace Canute]

Ok, everybody seems to think it's a POS, but compare it to one like this one. Which one would you sooner use under all the same conditions and situations mentioned?

 

[MBDiagMan]

Yep, that's another one that will do just fine in that deep top soil seen in the video. It's another one that in such conditions I would rather do it with a manual post hole digger.

Even in the soil on my place with 9 to 14 inches of top soil, then clay, I tend to use manual post hole diggers if I'm working alone. I have a 3PH post hole digger that hasn't seen action in a LONG time. I dig corner post holes with manual diggers and press in Tee posts with a front end loader. It's not worth the bother to hook up the 3PH contraption most of the time.

My $0.02,

 

[Brad_Blazer]

For what it is I think it's a fine idea. The high dollar ones with the motor on a cart off to the side will resist a lot more torque. On this one I like the winch to pull it out of the hole in case it starts to screw in or gets hooked on a root or rock. In terms of safety, it just needs to resist more torque than the powerhead can supply.

No doubt soil conditions play a big part in the effectiveness of any light duty auger. If you can beat the speed of the example video digging a hole by hand I'm impressed. If you can beat it for 20 or more holes I'm REALLY impressed.

I like my 3-point Lienbach on the Belarus which has downforce. My buddy was going to rent a 2-man auger to add 20 posts to his fence line. I drove the tractor there and we had them dug in about 1/2 hour.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

You want to see some easy digging soil, check out this related video:
YouTube - Drill Driven Posthole Digger

Must have softened it up with the Awesome Auger
https://www.buytheauger.com/

 

[Timber]

looks like a paint miker to me

 

[955er]

These are all toys. Take them ice fishing...maybe.

 

[MBDiagMan]

For what it is I think it's a fine idea. The high dollar ones with the motor on a cart off to the side will resist a lot more torque. On this one I like the winch to pull it out of the hole in case it starts to screw in or gets hooked on a root or rock. In terms of safety, it just needs to resist more torque than the powerhead can supply.

No doubt soil conditions play a big part in the effectiveness of any light duty auger. If you can beat the speed of the example video digging a hole by hand I'm impressed. If you can beat it for 20 or more holes I'm REALLY impressed.

I like my 3-point Lienbach on the Belarus which has downforce. My buddy was going to rent a 2-man auger to add 20 posts to his fence line. I drove the tractor there and we had them dug in about 1/2 hour.

I want to point out that my statement regarding speed with a manual digger was ONLY for the soil conditions seen in that video. The key is that you have no set up time with a pair of post hole diggers as you do with any auger contraption.

In my younger days in the right soil and with the right motivation I could dig post holes all day long. Today, at the age of 61, even though I consider myself to be in really good shape for my age, I would certainly be slowed down at the 20th. hole, but I would have been pacing myself for sure. That said, I would not have been setting the posts and tamping the soil during this contest. If I did that at race speed I would certainly want to have the paramedics standing by.

Luckily, the fencing I do these days only involves doing holes for corner and stretch posts. Tee posts do the rest of it.

 

[Timber]

I was raised a farm boy in New England and I didn't even know what an auger was. I had a spade, clamshell, and a Bar. That was all dad said I needed & I laid miles of fence with those 3 items and an old Pick ax handle for a tamper. When I bought my tractor I bought it with a Land Pride PHD as my very 1st attachment to go along with those 1st 3 items along with and additional 3 or 4 bars and a newer pick ax handle to use as a tamper.I have done 3 holes in 15 minutes and 1 hole in 1/2 a day. Welcome to Massachusetts. Sometimes learning the hard way 1st is the right way. I fear those days are lost for ever.

 

[JJZ 109]

When I had my 3PH PHD, I was drilling a 12" diameter hole down 4' (frost-line is 3') when the dam thing caught on something and wouldn't come out of the hole. It was stuck up to the gearbox. I tried gently rocking the thing back and force like one does with a stuck car in winter. Eventually that did the trick, and I got the PHD unstuck. After I finished the last of the holes for my project I decided I was going to sell or trade that evil thing.

Got mine stuck nearly as deep once also. I set the 3 point hitch to pull up and slowly turned the shank of the auger backward with a pipe wrench. It actually worked smoother than I imagined.
That wasn't nearly as fun as the time I hit the 1 inch copper village water line to my house! :laughing:

 

[Movintgt]

I have drilled some 80 holes with my PHD with about 90 more to go. Here in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia, we have limestone everywhere and lacking that, some wonderful clay. I have to drill somewhat slower than 540 rpm and hope that I don't catch a rock of shelf or I'll be up to the powerhead in 90 % of the holes. If I do get stuck, I do the pipewrench thing with a 4 foot cheater pipe on the handle. My neighbor tried a post pounder for his fence, I doubt if he has a dozen post more than 18 inches in the ground. The long and short of it is that I wish I had soil like that guy had. My fence would have been done a month ago! But hey, my view is nicer...I think.

 

[Timber]

anything bigger than 9 inches is to big, thats my cut off