New Post Hole Digger PHD

[NHmitch]

I just bought, attached and used my new Speeco 3 point post hole digger from Country line, at Tractor Supply. This thing is a beast! It was not fun to assemble, because it is VERY heavy, but, once you have it together, and once you fill it with gear oil, then you are ready to go. The PTO shaft locks on to the coupler, and away it goes. :hypnodisk: You have to use it a 540rpm maximum, but that is plenty of rpm to dig deep straight holes. That is the #1 position on the 3 Point gear level. It takes a bit of getting use to to work the dirt out of the hole, but once you have the hang of it, it works amazing! I am not sure how I got by with out this in the past. It fits perfectly on my G154, and there is about 2 feet of clearance below the bottom of the auger tip and the ground when I have it raised up to drive. I just thought I would share how it worked, and that the Countryline PHD, is a very tough PHD for a great price. I have rocky soil, and it cut right through no problem. You just have to ensure that you fill the gear box when you get this unit, because they are shipped dry. I also like that it have the dig safe hotline right on the unit, so you can call before you dig if you need to. Now, if it would just put the posts up, and nail the boards on, and then paint the fence, that would be great!

 

[creekbend]

Congratulations. Nice set up. Enjoyed the pictures. You most certainly have a nice parcel of property. Best wishes.

 

[bullbreaker]

Nice pics ! See you even added solar light on gate post entrance.
Also I have found the container it comes with mounted on PHD main frame pole makes a dandy place to hide $$$$$$$$$$ from the Warden. :tractor:

Boone

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Looks good. Does it come with an auger or is that separate? What size did you get? Would you recommend another size based on your use so far? Thanks!

 

[300UGUY]

I have pretty much the same unit, and I never operate it at 540 rpm. I run it pretty slow, at a low idle, digs just fine. I'd think if it was spinning real fast, it would be harder to control. I built a dolly for it, out of wood. I can roll it right up to the tractor, I don't have to do a lot of lifting that way. Do a search on here, a bunch of ideas out there on how to use them, and how to make them easier to handle. Good luck, and be careful, that thing is pretty dangerous.

 

[Bob77064]

That's a fine piece of equipment, you have some beautiful property.

 

[NHmitch]

Lol, that would be a good place to hide extra spending money for the tractor..The solar lights are really nice because they let you see the gate openings at night and they surprisingly last all night. They were really inexpensive, about $5 at homedepot.

 

[NHmitch]

Looks good. Does it come with an auger or is that separate? What size did you get? Would you recommend another size based on your use so far? Thanks!

Creekbend, Thanks for the compliments! we have a lot of work to do, but it is slowly coming around after 4 years.

Ilikeurtractor, Thanks,
The auger is separate, and it runs about $100 for the auger. The whole unit was about $550, but it was well worth it for us, since I have a lot of posts to put in, and I just can't work a hand held one that well because of too much hardware from the military in my shoulders. I bought the 6in auger because I wanted to have a bit of room on each side, but not too much. It came with the bolt on carbide cutting edge, and auger point that screws in. I have been putting in 4x4 posts and the two at the end of my driveway are 4x6. It works great, and if I need to enlarge the hole, I just lower it and raise it a few more times, moving it a bit to the side. It has been worth every [penny so far, and I am actually pretty impressed with the build. It is very heavy duty, and runs great on the tractor. The PTO boom is self adjusting and locks onto your PTO very easy. Thanks again!

 

[NHmitch]

Bob, and 300UGUY, thanks for the comments! I think that I really need to look at building a dolly because it is not an easy piece of equipment to install yourself. Thanks, and I need to look into adding a pipe type handle, because I read somewhere on TBN, that the top fin with the hole is designed for that purpose?

 

[300UGUY]

Bob, and 300UGUY, thanks for the comments! I think that I really need to look at building a dolly because it is not an easy piece of equipment to install yourself. Thanks, and I need to look into adding a pipe type handle, because I read somewhere on TBN, that the top fin with the hole is designed for that purpose?

I have a pipe handle thingy on mine. It can help a little. I have a 12 inch auger, I don't have to be real accurate with the auger, i leave some wiggle room for the post or whatever. Nice size for small trees also.