County Line Post Hole Digger - Watch which one you get!

fried1765 · Dec 21, 2018

paulfun9 said:
Now I wonç¨š try and tell anyone thier stuff is top notch quality but the fact is at the price point it sure is worth buying.
It seems that everyone one I know who has purchased something has had no or very minor problems. Myself having had no issues with 3 attachments purchased and we are talking having those attachments for 15 years.

For an example:
Compare the TSC (Tarter Gate) rear blade quality with the EA Scrape blade for quality.

When pushing heavy material backward the TSC blade will readily bend the 3pt. attach assembly, the EA blade.... not so!

Yup....the TSC blade is cheaper, but you will likely need to rebuild/repair/reinforce it, if pushing heavy material backward.

paulfun9 · Dec 22, 2018

I have a lot of attachments from different manufacture, for all different size tractors.
So my comparison can’t be put down to scientific format but overall the TSC attachments have served well. Even the lightwieght rear blade and box blade purchased for the little 25 hp JD. Both withstood everything they were put up against for the 10 years they where here. I pushed and pulled anything and everything the machine they were attached to could handle and never once had a failure.
Now surely if I had hooked the same blades to the back of one of my 50 HP or bigger tractors or even ran around in high range banging into things at full speed they would have folded or bent in no time. Fact here is many people don’t know the limits of design and expect the lower priced design to withstand the abuse of the more expensive design and build. It simply doesn’t happen with any brand!
Yes a TSC rear blade is built a bit light and is made for overall light duty and if that all one needs with a small lightwieght tractor they will be more than happy dropping a 100lbs of weight onto one to enhance its ability and get a lot of work out of it for the money with no worries of bends or breaks.
On the same token try and install my 8 ft heavy duty 1000+lbs blade on that same 25 hp tractor. It won’t ever bend it but it also won’t get anyplace near using it to full pontential if it can drag it along at all!

My TSC finish mower, tiller and post hole digger have been flawless with no problems on the back of my 40 and 50 hp tractors going on 15 years. The only real complaint I had was that the finish mower would break the pins holding the wheel adjustment in place when we first got it. A quick fix was to install some springs to keep the wheel from bouncing up and down while cutting at higher speeds. Cost was like 3.99 at the local hardware store for the springs and when one compares the savings compared to the other brands I’d say it was a heck of a deal that I am still happy with 15 years later.

I sold the blades years ago to a friend who had a need for some light snow removal and driveway clean up every spring. He has found many uses for them besides that in the last 5 years but still hasn’t broke them.

Catman8 · Dec 22, 2018

Paulfun9 has hit the nail on the head, if you own a sub compact or compact tractor there is no need to waste your money on this heavy duty or Extreme heavy duty implements, your tractor does not have the weight or horsepower to tear them up. I purchased a heavy duty box blade and I would tear my tractor up or just spin the tires before I ever damaged the heavy duty box blade. You can save yourself a lot of money and shipping cost buying tractor supply implements if you own a compact tractor. Your also able To buy more implements for the money you saved. The key is to operate using commonsense, with the correct size implement for your tractor. When someone says they bent of pretzeled a TSC implement take a look at the size tractor they used, and how they used the implement.

TheMan419 · Dec 22, 2018

fried1765 said:
I suggest: ...Steer clear of the TSC brand!

Depends on your needs. I have Country Line bush hog and tiller. I use them around my 18 acres. So some would say very light use. For the bush hog that is true. I cut about 13 acres a week with it during the growing season around here.

The tiller got a heck of a workout when we first bought it. Those 13 acres or so that I mow were in corn. So after it was harvested I tilled it and planted the wonderful pasture grasses that our horses munch on today. That think performed flawlessly. The only thing I wished it had was a higher HP tractor running it. But I had what I had in terms of a tractor.

OF course if I were running the hog or tiller commercially I do not think they would hold up.

Atchuuu · Dec 22, 2018

I couldn't be happier with the TSC auger. It has worked better than expected. Only broke one shear pin and it was the hole I saved for last due to tree roots. Sure enough the tree won that battle.

The only other issue I had was that I couldn't find the replacement shear pin. Searched everywhere. Then I remembered them with the manual. Searched everywhere for the manual. Was about to go to TSC when I realized both were in the tube where the manual is supposed to be. :mur:

radioman · Dec 23, 2018

Atchuuu said:
I couldn't be happier with the TSC auger. It has worked better than expected. Only broke one shear pin and it was the hole I saved for last due to tree roots. Sure enough the tree won that battle.

The only other issue I had was that I couldn't find the replacement shear pin. Searched everywhere. Then I remembered them with the manual. Searched everywhere for the manual. Was about to go to TSC when I realized both were in the tube where the manual is supposed to be. :mur:

View attachment 584028
View attachment 584029 View attachment 584030

I dunno about you -- but i been using grade 5's bolts in my tsc post hole digger. i just buy them by the box at my local store like lowes or home depot.like the other poster said if you using the tsc stuff on sub compact or compact tractors - i dont think you will be tearing them up. I have drilled many holes for decks builds on my job and i would always break the auger shear grade 5 bolts when it finds a medium to large rock. I am not complaining - i think its doing what it supposed to do.

Cavjock22 · Dec 23, 2018

If you need it for commercial use.... ie Fence builder, every day use... TSC isn’t your place... But like most on here,,, You might drill 20 holes a year or 200 in a month then string her up and never use again.. TSC drill is for you.. I am very happy with my purchase. I drilled 7 holes thru caliche rock with it and she dug very well.. Only sheared one bolt... I was impressed..

As far as the weld original post..
It must have slipped by Quality Control.. lol. it happens..
Like others mentioned.l Its easier too grind/clean and throw a bead on there...

jblac197 · Dec 24, 2018

flashpuppy said:
Careful which one you get from the lot. Check the welds before you take it home. Lots of porosity here. Dang tab was almost broken off after three holes.

View attachment 583333.

Wire wheel that crappy paint off and put a good weld over it, good as new. I have some county line attachments and they've been good for the money in my opinion.

Oldoak · Dec 24, 2018

jblac197 said:
Wire wheel that crappy paint off and put a good weld over it, good as new. I have some county line attachments and they've been good for the money in my opinion.

Yep, I find the same. Country Line attachments are worth what you pay for them.

However, nothing beats an air operated needle gun for removing paint and welding slag. Removes paint much faster and gets into cracks and clevises where a wire wheel will never touch. Cleans the metal better and by doing so eliminates porosity in the new weld.

Threepoint · Dec 24, 2018

My TSC post hole digger (Speeco?) has been going strong for nearly 18 years.

I also have a County Line 6-ft rear blade that I've used to move snow for nearly that long as well on 3/4 miles of access road with my Kubota B2150HST (24 engine hp, approx 3,000 lbs with loader and blade). I consider it a light duty blade. Well worth the money. I probably wouldn't recommend it for a tractor larger than 35 hp/4000 lbs. For my NX4510HST/cab I use a 7-foot 550 lb Woods HBL84-2 rear blade. Woods only describes that blade as a "medium duty"!

orangetree · Sep 24, 2021

considering the cheaper PHD vs the EA digger mentioned in this thread for 50 or so 12inch holes. I'll probably find use for it elsewhere.

TSC CountryLine - $550+$180(12") + store pickup
- https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-3-point-post-hole-digger-602377?cm_vc=-10005
D&B Behlen Country- $600+$190(12") + store pickup
- pictures don't speak to tube wall thickness or weld quality, but this one LOOKS weaker than the CountryLine - anyone seen them side by side?
- Behlen Country 80113000YEL | D&B Supply
EA - CUT model - $1120 w/12" + shipping (rated for up to 18" auger)
- Tractor 3 Point Post Hole Digger For Up To 18 Inch Hole
- also a slightly cheaper one ($1000 w/ 12") only rated to 12" Compact Tractor Post Hole Digger 3 point hitch tall narrow arch 48'' auger length

Is the EA worth the ~$500 more? 50% more for made-in-usa and rated to use an 18" digger?

The 18" digger would be fantastic for planting trees (12" works - but 18" allows for a lot more easy topsoil fill, we have really poor sand/clay soil, little organic matter); but can my ~20pto HP ck2610 handle it?

s219 · Sep 24, 2021

I doubt a 20HP tractor can effectively spin an 18" auger unless the soil is very soft and light. If you have clay soil I will warn you that the spoils that come out of the hole can be a pain to deal with. Yes, the auger takes the work out of digging the hole but then you need to deal with the spoils and it's not easy with clay soil in volumes. When I drill 12" diameter 30" deep holes with my PHD (TSC model), the clay that comes out of the hole is a sticky mess that defies all methods of shoveling or transport. I have learned the hard way to immediately get it shoveled into the front bucket and away from the job site before it starts getting compacted by traffic. It will stick to tires and shoe soles something fierce. It won't self compact or re-compact and is useless for grading or fill.

orangetree · Sep 24, 2021

s219 said:
I doubt a 20HP tractor can effectively spin an 18" auger

That was my intuition (no direct experience) - however this afternoon i talked with Everything Attachements, and they thought that it would be no problem, given the gear-down in the unit. The limiting factor in soft soil they said would be letting the drill get ahead of you and suddenly be too heavy to extract; or in hard soil the drill itself and/or downforce to get it through something. YMMV

strantor · Oct 9, 2021

orange tree said:
TSC CountryLine - $550+$180(12") + store pickup

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-3-point-post-hole-digger-602377?cm_vc=-10005

D&B Behlen Country- $600+$190(12") + store pickup

pictures don't speak to tube wall thickness or weld quality, but this one LOOKS weaker than the CountryLine - anyone seen them side by side?

Behlen Country 80113000YEL | D&B

Those two look exactly the same to me. They probably come off the same assembly line.

GKChesterton · Nov 8, 2021

I have the EA 6900 and have used on ck2610 with a 12 inch auger. No problem with it. No issues with it getting stuck but I do lower and lift a couple times when digging to clear the soil. My soil at my house is basically a light sprinkling of dirt over limestone. Prior to the auger I needed a rock bar to dig a hole deeper than 6 inches. After tearing up my shoulders putting in some posts, I got the auger. It really helps but once or twice I hit a large rock and it just wouldn’t dig deeper. I used it around my place for a couple years and never needed to replace the shear pin (30 holes or so). I took it to my hunting property in Oklahoma in the kiamichi mountains to plant trees. My property is very rocky with lots of slate rock. I have an older b7800 up there. Them Oklahoma rocks are tougher than Texas rocks. I went through three shear pins in a day digging about fifteen holes. But it dug the holes in very tough soil conditions. The b7800 did have a little more trouble lifting the auger out of the ground than the ck2610. As to the 18 inch auger question, I dug all of these holes with a 12 inch auger and never went above 1800 rpm on the tractors. Never needed to and never came close to bogging down the tractor. So there was quite a bit of power to spare.

jyoutz · Nov 8, 2021

Oldoak said:
Evidently, it wasn't that TSC's PHD was cheaply built.

Speed, RPMs, that's what I really don't like about the Tier 4 tractors. You are compelled to run them at a much higher RPM in order to keep the emission system from clogging. Not good when running such implements as a post hole digger or even in some cases operating a backhoe.

That’s not true. Yes, you need to run them periodically at maximum RPM, but not for every use.

rScotty · Nov 9, 2021

jyoutz said:
That’s not true. Yes, you need to run them periodically at maximum RPM, but not for every use.

""Oldoak said:
...SNIP...
Speed, RPMs, that's what I really don't like about the Tier 4 tractors. You are compelled to run them at a much higher RPM in order to keep the emission system from clogging. Not good when running such implements as a post hole digger or even in some cases operating a backhoe. ""

I've heard that before about Tier 4 tractors.... that they should be run at high RPM.

But is that really the case? Has anyone run their Tier 4 like a traditional diesel tractor, one that idles a lot and then revs up to meet a load.

Would it just regen more often? If so, why care?
What are users finding out?
rScotty

bullbreaker · Nov 9, 2021

Dont know how there welds , steel quality , guage etc was but King Kutter used to have a "pro line " side of there implements . Hardly seen in stores had to be ordered .

As we are aware most PHD come shipped empty and requires filling to correct measure .

Hey just a thought those struggling digging there holes even with water "tricks " and down pressure kits etc , have you all double checked to make sure you didnt get a PHD meant to be used for " south of the Equator " ?

King Kutter. Professional Products

www.kingkutter.com

ROUSTABOUT · Nov 9, 2021

flashpuppy said:
So far... it has survived behind my M7040. I’ve probably lost half a dozen shear bolts and I haven’t dug at above idle.

It took some tightening up of all the movable points. Changed the “hoop to boom” pivot pin to a bolt with washers between all surfaces. Allowed me to tighten that up and take a lot of sway out of it. Cinched it down really tight, then backed off a quarter turn. Jam nutted the bolt to keep the tension I put it at. Seems to have helped a lot. I also put some washers on the top link connection to remove the side to side slop.

I am about 24 holes into an 80 hole project. If it survives, then I guess it did okay. Even it doesn’t survive, it was worth $10 a hole to not do it by hand. I definitely am ordering a post driver before I start on the other 500+ holes but this will get my fence up before the weekend.

We don't use shear bolts. Just get a live stock panel and cut it up with bolt cutters. Lots of shear pins in a panel. Hammer in and tap the ends over and back in business.