Suggestions for a post hole digger?

[Aquabird]

A SSQA mounted hydraulic auger either on tractor or on skidsteer/tracked loader works really well in rocky soil. I have two different styles of auger bits. One with spade teeth on leading flute edge and others called rock frost bits with carbide tipped cutting edge flutes along with hard edging added to flutes to minimize wear when operating in rocky and sandy soils.

Yes, they can jam but reversing them out is a breeze and NEVER got auger stuck in a hole and my N. Carolina soil is filthy with rocks.

Those rock bits are really pricey aren't they?

 

[Aquabird]

Ok, so after reading about the Everything Attachments' construction problems and knowing they have ooened their new shop, I ordered a phd from them. Will wait for the delivery.

 

[M59]

Those rock bits are really pricey aren't they?

Pricey is relative. A TLB tractor is only as good as the tools that is can use so the rock bits are not pricey because there are only 4 other choices when facing rocky soil. Don't dig there ( not an option in rock infested W NC [ see pic] ), use the back hoe or excavator ( leaves a very big hole to back fill, dig by hand and spend 8 hours+ on each hole, or pay someone else to dig post holes. "Time is money" even though I'm only working for myself so everything is paid for in jobs accomplished. As I've said before. I buy only when 50% return occurs within 3 months and fully paid with 3 years.

Tools to date to manage 60+ acres are: 84" 3PH Paladin power rake, 96" 3PH Evrything Attachments box blade, FEL McMillen hydraulic auger with 12" soil & rock frost augers, 30" tree planting auger, 5,550 pound Virnig long forks, 72" Bradco root rake, SSQA CL fabrication receiver hitch, Custom Quick Attach for backhoe to use the abundant KX series excavator attachments ( 18" & 24" trenching bucket, 30" ditching bucket, root ripper). Ultimately the TLB can only do so much so recently added the KX-080-5 to move serious earth, reach longer, and lift heavier loads. Various dump and flat bed trailers.

 

[RayIN]

I bought a 3 point hitch mounted auger from tractor supply for my 27 hp New Holland. it works great, apparently indestructible. I have 6' and 12" augers. At some point the rocks and pieces of brick wall are to much but not usually. I kept shearing pins until tech support told me to keep the rpm way up, counter to my thinking, and that works way better, I haven't sheered a pin since. Scary though- no bystanders!

Some time ago they made fun of me for running the auger near rated PTO RPM's.

 

[Aquabird]

Pricey is relative. A TLB tractor is only as good as the tools that is can use so the rock bits are not pricey because there are only 4 choices when facing rocky soil. Don't dig there ( not an option in rock infested W NC [ see pic] ), use the back hoe or excavator ( leaves a very big hole to back fill, dig by hand and spend 8 hours+ on each hole, or pay someone else to dig post holes. "Time is money" even though I'm only working for myself so everything is paid for in jobs accomplished. As I've said before. I buy only when 50% return occurs within 3 months and fully paid with 3 years.

Tools to date to manage 60+ acres are: 84" 3PH Paladin power rake, 96" 3PH Evrything Attachments box blade, FEL McMillen hydraulic auger with 12" soil & rock frost augers, 30" tree planting auger, 5,550 pound Virnig long forks, 72" Bradco root rake, SSQA CL fabrication receiver hitch, Custom Quick Attach for backhoe to use the abundant KX series excavator attachments ( 18" & 24" trenching bucket, 30" ditching bucket, root ripper). Ultimately the TLB can only do so much so recently added the KX-080-5 to move serious earth, reach longer, and lift heavier loads. Various dump and flat bed trailers.

That makes sense to me, but did you ever try to explain that to a woman? When I bought this tractor 3 yrs ago, I went from looking(with my wife) at a 30 hp to buying the 54hp tractor with land plane and RT tiller with a loader, 4wd and HST. I liked the idea of those bits, but thought I better get the PHD 1st, then get the better bit if its too rocky here. When I tilled here I found lots of different sizes of rocks.

 

[M59]

That makes sense to me, but did you ever try to explain that to a woman? When I bought this tractor 3 yrs ago, I went from looking(with my wife) at a 30 hp to buying the 54hp tractor with land plane and RT tiller with a loader, 4wd and HST. I liked the idea of those bits, but thought I better get the PHD 1st, then get the better bit if its too rocky here. When I tilled here I found lots of different sizes of rocks.

Yes, I have explained the financial trade ( cost recovery/ saving big dollars ) to my wife more than once and that is why I use the 50% recovery rule as justification in my conversation. Here is another example. Had 27 Leland Cypress, 50-60 foot tall, in front of a decaying fence due to purchase of property with 20 year old privacy fence installed with interior grade ( treated to occasional wet exposure level per UC2 stamps ) posts and 5/4 boards. Cost to remove trees, remove/ replace fence with UC4B ( extreme duty treated), remove stumps, of which 5 directly over top of 400A of buried power to house, install 200+ feet of buried 6" drain to carry away rain water from in-yard drains, add 9 yards soil and regrade for better water runoff management, plant fifteen 8 -10 ft tall arborvitae and 9 Nellie Stevens Hollies ( done by outside contractor ), seed and install some extra sprinklers to maintain new landscape. Total cost outlay was $37K, of which $30K was to tree contractor, which does not include my time. Outside bids for the job ranged from low of $120K to over $200K with majority at 180-190K. This paid for the power rake many times over in the 2 months to get job started to point of just turning the sprinklers on and watching grass grow.

Bottom line. When my wife wants something, its up to me or her to price it out. If she accepts the costs of outside contractor to complete then I look at cost to do myself and if that means buying some tools then that gets thrown into the mix master. If we go ahead with my doing all or most of the job then I get some new tools that have effectively been paid for by job end and we both save some money, sometimes lots of money.

The rock/ frost auger will ONLY work on a hydraulically driven system because you need massive down force to get the carbide bits to chew thru. A 3PH can't generate that kind of force.

Congratulations on buying the 54 hp machine. You've got enough hp and weight to some real work in reasonable amounts of time.