Post Hole Digger

[mhart]

Hey Guys
I am thinking of buying a post hole digger for my B2920. This will not get a great deal of use but will be handy when needed. For now I am going to use it to dig holes for a deck that I will be building. In future will use it for a shed and likely a fence around a garden. I will probably use it periodically for tree planting etc.

I have a few options, I dont want to spend the $1200 for the Land Pride model from the dealer.

I can get a used Land Pride for around $575, a "CountyLine" from Tractor supply for around $570. Another option is a new "International Equipment" with 12 in Auger for $535.

Any experience with any of these, for the light duy use it will get, which do you all recommend?

Thanks in advance
Matt

 

[Tx Jim]

Most PH diggers because of limited use will last. Just be sure to dig holes at just above idle rpm and don't allow any PH digger to screw itself in the ground. Lift it up at every 6"s of penetration.

 

[Deano]

Most PH diggers because of limited use will last. Just be sure to dig holes at just above idle rpm and don't allow any PH digger to screw itself in the ground. Lift it up at every 6"s of penetration.

Good advice!! Ask me how I know!!:laughing:

 

[newbury]

Check Agri-Supply if you are near one.
Heavy Duty Post Hole Digger
for $360, augers about $150. The red ones are made by Dale Phillips.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I paid $375.00 for a used __________? from a used equipment dealer. It works well so I like it. If you are building a deck and a shed get a 12" auger. It is real nice to be able to move the post around in the hole if you measure wrong, Ask me how I know!!:laughing:

 

[Egbert]

I was going through a bunch of old PHD discussions here on TBN, just doing a little research for myself. It appears the only way to get a "reverse" on the auger is to go hydraulic. Is that the case? I don't quite understand why the gearboxes don't have a simple selector for direction.

Another point was trying to drill a perpendicular hole, instead of having the auger straying into a lean during operation. I saw a few hydraulic versions that feed the auger on rails to prevent this. Anything in a pto PHD similar?

 

[Tx Jim]

Some newer not so popular tractors have a reverse rotation pto to compliment the 2 or sometimes 3 speeds correct rotation pto shafts

 

[BeezFun]

Hey Guys
Any experience with any of these, for the light duy use it will get, which do you all recommend?

If your soil is rocky or really heavy clay I'd think about renting a bobcat when you need it and forget buying your own PHD. A bobcat with a PHD on the front has both down and up force, and is so much faster, also reverses direction of auger. Also allows you to spin a much bigger auger. If you're putting in a deck, a 12" diameter hole is really pretty marginal considering you'll never get it exactly centered, so you'll have a 6" post sitting off center on a 12" diameter pad. I rented a 20" digger on a bobcat when I did my pole barn, drilled all the holes in 1/2 day and it only cost me $150 for the rental.

I have a PHD I bought at Farm and Fleet that works fine as long as I get lucky and hit an area of the yard that is mostly soil, otherwise it's a lot of manual work to break up the rocks, and it jumps around a good bit so the hole seldom ends up in exactly the right spot, which requires me to egg out the hole by hand. Frost line is 42" around here, so it's a lot of work patching up a hole that deep.

 

[chriscos]

I have a 2920 and I went with the tractor supply PHD and their 12" auger.

It is built well. Buy extra shear pins, and the biggest pipe wrench you can find

The 2920 has no qualms about sinking the 12" auger as deep into the ground as possible until the shear pin snaps. It was obviously operator error on my part, and I only needed the pipe wrench a couple of times to manually unscrew the auger The key is to go down slow and clear the hole often buy raising the auger repeatedly. After the 4th or fifth hole you get a feel for it. But do have some shear pins handy.

I went with the "cheap" Tractor Supply one because A) There is a tractor supply right down the road with them in stock and B) I figured I would only be digging a few holes a year, with maybe 20 holes at the outset. I couldn't justify the cost of a nice one for my infrequent use, and I also couldn't justify the cost of renting something, because I knew I had a bunch of holes that needed digging, but I knew I would only do a few of them at a time.

I have rocky new england soil. Most of the rocks are softball sized, and they go on up to soccer ball right through to "unmoveable". Oh yeah, make sure you have a long sturdy pry bar as well. You'll need it to help persuade some of the rocks out.

I have no experience with any of the other PHD's, but I can say that the Tractor Supply one has stood up to my abuse thus far.

 

[PHILIP8N]

I don't quite understand why the gearboxes don't have a simple selector for direction.

Because it is not so simple. It is possible, but cost of gearbox would prevent most buyers from being able to purchase them. I have drilled 100's of holes, and only been stuck once, you learn to work without the reversing option.

Another point was trying to drill a perpendicular hole, instead of having the auger straying into a lean during operation. Anything in a pto PHD similar?

I always drill with an assitant. They tell me to pull forward or backwards (at a creep rate), to keep the hole near perpendicular.

Philip.