Post Hole Auger 2020

[Bearsixty7]

Get the tractor supply PHD, because it looks stronger and you should have an easier time selling it. If its 100% clay your drilling, expect 15 to 18 holes per day. Any sandy content to your soil will greatly increase speed of drilling and auger extraction.

Been decades since I ran one or helped where we used one but I seem to recall on decent ground where you can just drive the tractor straight on a new fence row, you can drill one in 15-20 minutes which is 36 in a 12.5 hour day. That was a Danuser PHD on a IH 574 or 464. Now if you have to back up to an existing fence and position it a lot or on hilly ground, yeah, much longer.

 

[MechE1]

Bought and used the EA 6900 PHD earlier this year. 12in auger. 46HP (engine) and ran at just above idle. Black dirt/glacial till with clay about 20 inches down. Smooth and easy. Was also the first time using a 3 point PHD. As for taking on and off. Well, top link (cylinder) had to be removed but was quite easy with the quick connects. Work smarter and think about levers and lifting when installing and it's not that bad. 15-20 minutes to swap with the quick hitch. I'm larger than the average bear and could lift the PHD mast and gearbox and move it where I needed, like into my bucket to store in the shed. I took off the auger and PTO shaft to avoid any rust issues as it wont' be used often. Note that you can rent 3PT PHD at the green rental store. However, this "region" didn't have one and I'd have to pay freight both ways to rent it. Otherwise it was pretty cheap. EA's cost was just over your budgeted amount. Seems like they are close to you too....

 

[jhendric]

Ha, my fence will be through the woods in rocky clay soil I'm counting on 10 holes a day...I really like the idea of Everything attachments especially since they are 2.5 hours from me, but they are pretty significantly more expensive. Is it worth the premium?

 

[MechE1]

Woods. Rocks. Clay. I'd say yes to the premium. But then again, I don't go the less expensive route on something I will likely abuse and/or keep for a long time. I have no experience with smaller/lesser gear boxes. I can say the structure is a beast, and based on photos I've seen much more significant than less costly options.

I have no idea if EA would give a "pick up" price. You can always send an email and ask if you are willing to make the trip. Mine came in 4 boxes that would easily fit in any pick up or SUV if seats fold down.

 

[rademamj1]

Ha, my fence will be through the woods in rocky clay soil I'm counting on 10 holes a day...I really like the idea of Everything attachments especially since they are 2.5 hours from me, but they are pretty significantly more expensive. Is it worth the premium?

Using a chainsaw for access along your fence line, will slow things down alot. I did 800 feet of property line fence last year, and cleared most with saws. To speed up the fencing part, instead of drilling every post, I only set every 3rd post as a 6' 5" long 4" diameter top treated post, set 18" into the ground and and 25' apart. Set them vertical with a level.

This was not a barbed wire fence. My fence was 5' high welded wire fence in 330 foot rolls, stretched with a tractor and then nailed to the anchor posts. Then two Tposts were pounded into the ground between the wooden anchor posts, and the fence secured to the Tposts. Averaged 45 minutes per anchor post, and 6 minutes each Tpost. Using Tposts reduced the fence installation time, without significant compromise on strength.