Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use?

[future_vision]

That terrain looks challenging. There is stuff there that might need moving before a tractor with a 3 pt PHD can do what you want. BTW, a PHD can be a dangerous tool. I would not operate one alone but I have never used one. All the more reason I would want someone else there if things go south.

I have operated a gas powered two man PHD and they get the job done but it will still be a work out. IIRC we rented a 9" diameter unit.

Looking for a solution a week before you want to do the job is going to limit your options. Likely impossible to contract the job out and renting the "right" tool may be a challenge. The military calls it the 7 P's.

Yeah. Curse Home Depot for clearancing all these bushes. What's worse is this heat wave. Got to get these things in the ground.

 

[future_vision]

Eagle and future_vision,

Here is where I get to vicariously spend other peoples money. Future_vision has a Kioti DK6010 which will take a front end loader, but I don't know if loader has the SSQA attachment feature for bucket. With a loader with SSQA and a 3rd function valve you can do all sorts of fun stuff with that 57 hp tractor like use a grapple, 4 way snow plow in New England weather, run a hydraulic auger on FEL, 4in1 bucket, skid steer receiver hitch ( pic attached ). The receiver hitch is the best way to move any trailer around because you can see what you are doing and never any chance of losing a trailer like the bucket clamp on mount hitches.

The implements and attachments to the tractor are what make a tractor useful.

Trust me. I have a list of attachments I eventually want to get. ideally, I'd have the backhoe I bought with the tractor but that is not i yet and no ETA. If I had that....game over. Holes dug!

 

[shooterdon]

Yeah. Curse Home Depot for clearancing all these bushes. What's worse is this heat wave. Got to get these things in the ground.

Might just keep them waterEd until you can do the job.

 

[jfsawatzky]

Yeah. Curse Home Depot for clearancing all these bushes. What's worse is this heat wave. Got to get these things in the ground.

What type of plants are they? What condition are the plants in? How long have you had them?
For the past couple years I have not been able to plant all my trees quickly. Some were potted but others were root stock.
By watering and careful placement of the pots while prepping for them, for example partial or full sun or shade for the root stock, i was able to put off planting for a up to a month.
I still have 10 pots that I need to plant as soon as I finish with my PhD. I had a six hour trip home with the pots and gave a quick watering the next day but several were dying and one basically was dead. Only a couple very small green leaves left and they were shriveling. After several weeks of watering the dying / dead ones came back. These were expensive so I wanted to try and resuscitate them.
I don’t know if that helps but something else to consider.

 

[mapper]

With your ground and all the rocks I think a 3pt post hole auger is going to be a waste of time. Planting trees and shrubs during a summer drought is not a good idea if there is limited water i.e. hauling it in 5 gal buckets.
Put your shrubs in a location as suggested in an earlier post where they are protected and can be watered frequently. If they get a bit rootbound in the pots no big deal, just score them with a knife when planting.
Wait for your backhoe to arrive, it will make the job much easier.
Planting in the fall season after the fall rains start will likely result in a lot more of them surviving than in the heat of summer.

 

[future_vision]

With your ground and all the rocks I think a 3pt post hole auger is going to be a waste of time. Planting trees and shrubs during a summer drought is not a good idea if there is limited water i.e. hauling it in 5 gal buckets.
Put your shrubs in a location as suggested in an earlier post where they are protected and can be watered frequently. If they get a bit rootbound in the pots no big deal, just score them with a knife when planting.
Wait for your backhoe to arrive, it will make the job much easier.
Planting in the fall season after the fall rains start will likely result in a lot more of them surviving than in the heat of summer.

Define "frequently". I get out there a couple of times a week and on the weekends. Plants consist of Old Gold junipers, Gold Mop cypress and Thuja Green Giants and I believe some Blue Pacific junipers. All of these are drought tolerant although I do not know if that also goes for them being in a pot.

 

[future_vision]

Seriously considering forgetting individual holes and just using my loader and bucket to trench the tow rows or one really wide trench to cover the two rows of bushes. Anyone see a drawback to that?

 

[Raul-02]

They are generally expensive even for the cheapo ones and I don't think I can get my hands on one in short order. I'm hoping/needing to get the bushes in the ground sooner than later.

Sounds like you don't have a good mechanized option.
Taking off from the old adage "Plant 'em high they never die" I'm going to suggest you consider laying a row of dirt as a small linear hill into which you can hand dig the holes for the bushes easily enough.

 

[Carl_NH]

We installed 75 fence posts and 40 5-6' Norway Spruce this spring. We have rocks - lots of them here. I rented a Bobcat BT100 (3500 LB) Tracked Mini skid steer with 9" auger for the posts, and 18" for the Norway Spruce. The 18" auger got all the rocks loosened up and then I fihished the holes with my BH (32-36" for 24" root ball).

Tried the 3PTH Post hole digger before and it was no good for our rocky soil. Tri-Rental in Hampton/Portsmouth has the Bobcat for $280/day or $1100 a week - I did a week rental just to get the spacing on the holes done and fence posts in.

Home Depot also rents the Toro Dingo (1700 Lbs) ($850/week) and that comes with three augers and would likely work for you - Portsmouth store has one. Then you can also check MB Tractor - they have the mini skid steers with PHD too with down pressure too.

Also for trees - get a 60 Tree drip irrigation kit from Drip Depot - best $200 I ever spent - hook up to the faucet, and turn the timer to 120 minutes and each tree gets 6 gallons - I do this 2x per week since we installed in May.

 

[MossRoad]

Seriously considering forgetting individual holes and just using my loader and bucket to trench the tow rows or one really wide trench to cover the two rows of bushes. Anyone see a drawback to that?

I would have had all of your plants in the ground with the manual post hole digger two days ago.