Auger won't drill hard clay

[HarryVanderpool]

I don't think that's so much as home made as a modified Rears "Hole Hog". My brother has two of them, they're not very common especially outside of this area (made in Eugene Oregon), pretty sure they were made in the 60's to early 70's, the casting on the one we used says the rear end was a Chrysler 8.something. There's some giveaways, the U frame with the ball mount to the top link, the original loop for the bottom links, and the diff looks modified the same....

That is a modified Rears.
Completely indestructible.
I bought mine used with decades of daily hard use.
That was 30 years ago.
Best PHD ever made in my opinion.

 

[rangerfredbob]

It was pretty impressive drilling 2' diameter holes in one shot, the Ford 4600 had enough 3 point lift to bend the beams lifting clay out of the holes, and took some modification to get 4' of digging capacity and the U joint at the diff didn't appreciate that...

 

[Rebeldad1]

The first set of holes I dug about a month ago went great - the 9" auger sank fast and it was wonderful. Unfortunately the ground has dried enough that even two feet down there's no moisture and a new 6" auger goes nowhere.
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So if you can drill with the 6" why not go right back down then with the 9"???

You can make your own 1/2 or larger drill bit longer by welding it to some roundbar. Used to make these all the time for drilling bridge deck to bolt together.

 

[grsthegreat]

Our only good times to drill post holed is right after snow melts and then we have 1-2 months of great soil. Then its very hard and discouraging even to pound a t post.

 

[drizler]

Pour some water in the hole and let it sit for awhile. Then try to auger again.

That痴 the ticket. Soften it up.
Just don稚 let it screw itself into the ground . We have clay here and twice I致e had to unhook the auger and hand dig all the way down to free it.. not fun. If it starts screwing itself in yank it up fast and clear the hole out. Quick and easy vs. slow and miserable.

 

[ning]

So if you can drill with the 6" why not go right back down then with the 9"???

You can make your own 1/2 or larger drill bit longer by welding it to some roundbar. Used to make these all the time for drilling bridge deck to bolt together.

you'll note i said the new 6" goes nowhere. been there, tried that.

 

[CoyPatton]

you'll note i said the new 6" goes nowhere. been there, tried that.

I really am at a lost for suggestions of using a PHD in hard clay. While as I commented it is similar to drilling cured concrete when baked hard—I would not recommend the hammer drill type activity on either your tractor’s 3PH or the PHD. If only a few holes, you would probably not be using a PHD to begin with, constant down pressure does little (personal experience knowledge).
While it helps little, the best suggestion is yo really plan your times to drill the holes—I know hard to do when you need the fence or whatever when you are in a dry season of the year or a wet season as then clay gives you entirely different conditions (and not better for drill holes).
One other thought
Get a generator that will run an electric jack hammer (or a compressor/generator that will run a jack hammer) or a hammer drill with a hammer only function, get some round stock to make a chisel long enough to reach down in the hole and use that to break up the hard clay. If only a few inches thick it should help, if thickness is in feet—IDK!!!

 

[cdaigle430]

I would also suspect that if you were successful and it got stuck it would be a nightmare to get out-I have experienced this . I also have hard clay and for parts that i need a hole I end up using my backhoe. Its still a PITA because the bucket will fill up with hard clay and its very difficult to clear it out.

I tried modifications with a thick wire so that when the bucket is curled full open it slices through the clay like a wire cutting cheese. So for me the best advice is to using a BH with a small bucket to get it done. Yes the hole will be bigger than what you need but it will be less of a hassle to fill it back in.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Last year I was building a leanto off of my barn and I had to drill some holes when it was super dry and my gas powered 10" wouldn't even scrape dust once it got down about 12" deep. Since it was right next to the barn I got the water hose and a pressure washer and bored them out using high pressure water. I made the hole big enough to barely drop a 4x4 in, used ,y loader to push down and bottom it out and poured a bag of concrete in. Framed up off of those posts what I needed to do and a year later they are still solid.
I figured they horizontal bore lines for hundreds of feet with a machine using high pressure water and use a pothole machine to find buried lines so I figure it would work, it did.

 

[Smokeydog]

I was Rural King yesterday picking up a water trough and looked at their new post hole diggers and augers thinking of this topic. All had twist points and blunt teeth. They might dig in the valley but not on my clay hillsides. My old Ford 3pt phd will dig anything you can dig by hand, thru the toughest clay, shale and rocks. Screw point and sharp teeth. Biggest problem getting stuck by drilling down too fast. You only do this once hopefully to learn your lesson. Blisters help you learn faster. I go slow and watch the bit feed. Only speed up to sling the spoils off the flights to clear the hole.
I remember the bins of different cutter teeth and points at Co-op with knowledgeable people to help you. Not so much now. Use the right tool the right way.