I dug 18 holes today with a 9" auger and it was much more difficult than I expected it would be. We have no rocks, and the auger was brand new but it just did not seem to want dig. The ground was to hard or compacted I guess. I put some weight on the phd by pushing down (Unsafe I know) and it helped considerably. I don't like the idea of being that close to the auger so I was thinking of welding some brackets and adding a couple hundred pounds to the phd right above the gear box. Curious if anyone has done this or has any ideas.
adding weight to a PHD
- Thread starter bdog
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paccorti
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2000
- Messages
- 481
- Tractor
- TC35D with 16LA Loader
bdog,
I too have pretty hard soil and digging with a PHD can be a chore in those conditions. Generally, I wait until the ground is good and wet after a rain and then I go and dig postholes. It's much easier. I've tried using some weights but the amount I put on (100lbs or so) did not make a big diference. My one other idea was to get my friend to come over with his tractor and apply some downward pressure on my PHD using his loader. Now by waiting to dig after the rain I don't need his help. Undoubedly some weight on PHD will help. You might also be able to get a more agressive auger point. I find that is the part that resists digging the most.
Peter
I too have pretty hard soil and digging with a PHD can be a chore in those conditions. Generally, I wait until the ground is good and wet after a rain and then I go and dig postholes. It's much easier. I've tried using some weights but the amount I put on (100lbs or so) did not make a big diference. My one other idea was to get my friend to come over with his tractor and apply some downward pressure on my PHD using his loader. Now by waiting to dig after the rain I don't need his help. Undoubedly some weight on PHD will help. You might also be able to get a more agressive auger point. I find that is the part that resists digging the most.
Peter
Thanks for the reply. Yes it is definitely easier to dig after a rain. Sometimes at home I even soak the area I am going to dig with the hose. The problem I am having now is I am digging holes commercially for other people and they want them done now, and dont have any water source to soak the holes.
I have some wheel weights of of a big tractor and could add several hundred pounds. It would make it hard to move the auger around but I think it might work.
I have some wheel weights of of a big tractor and could add several hundred pounds. It would make it hard to move the auger around but I think it might work.
surfran
Platinum Member
Bdog,
Could you add some sort of hooks that you could hang a longer pipe from and then mount the weights to give it leverage? It would make the weights more productive and leave the need for less as well as be removable.
I hope I was clear on the description.
Could you add some sort of hooks that you could hang a longer pipe from and then mount the weights to give it leverage? It would make the weights more productive and leave the need for less as well as be removable.
I hope I was clear on the description.
Freds
Veteran Member
OSHA safety issues obviously aside /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif...
Awhile back someone on this forum mentioned welding a short piece of pipe to the upper framework that the gearbox is suspended from. This allowed for the insertion of a digging bar into this larger diameter pipe for downward pressure.
At least you are a little further away.
Awhile back someone on this forum mentioned welding a short piece of pipe to the upper framework that the gearbox is suspended from. This allowed for the insertion of a digging bar into this larger diameter pipe for downward pressure.
At least you are a little further away.
Aside from adding weight do they make better augers that might be more suited to my conditions? It took me about 4 hours to dig 18 holes with zero rocks. Seem like they would make a special type of auger of bit that would go through this stuff. Last time I use a 3 point phd before this one was years ago on the other side of the state and it dug holes very quickly. It seemed like it took longer to get into position than it did to dig.
I have two experiences with PHDs that might shed some light. 20 yrs ago, I rented a Bota and PHD to dig 25 holes for my privacy fence. The rental place said (and it looked new) that they had installed a new point on the auger. That thing wouldn't dig through warm butter. In our hard, August weather clay, some of the holes stopped at 18 inches. We had the Bota running at full throttle and a guy was standing on the gearbox (I know--this was NOT SAFE!).
Fast forward to now. I have a new, smaller Bota with a new PHD. It digs holes fast in the same clay (its not august now) at IDLE!
My guess is there is a nack for setting up the auger points to cut better, though I don't know what it would be. The rental unit just seemed to spin and spin and spin, and NOT cut into earth. Mine now seems to dig up dirt with each revolution.
I do plan to take some detail pics and measurements of mine if I ever take it apart so I can re-install it as before.
Hope this helps. If you have more to dig, I might suggest trying to re-adjust the auger cutting edge.
My two cents.
ron
Fast forward to now. I have a new, smaller Bota with a new PHD. It digs holes fast in the same clay (its not august now) at IDLE!
My guess is there is a nack for setting up the auger points to cut better, though I don't know what it would be. The rental unit just seemed to spin and spin and spin, and NOT cut into earth. Mine now seems to dig up dirt with each revolution.
I do plan to take some detail pics and measurements of mine if I ever take it apart so I can re-install it as before.
Hope this helps. If you have more to dig, I might suggest trying to re-adjust the auger cutting edge.
My two cents.
ron
Deerlope
Veteran Member
Bush hog has what is call a double auger, But it really has 2 set of cutting teeth is the only difference I saw in it. I rented a 12" and it worked well in semi frozen ground.
Tom_H
Veteran Member
If you're digging commercially, particularly if augering holes is going to be the primary source of your income, then you need to be able to drill as fast as possible. The faster you go, the more money you make. In that case, it seems that a hydraulic downpressuring kit would be a worthwhile investment. It may cost about $1500. Replacing the auger (not the entire PHD-just the drill bit) with one which is threaded to receive a carbide fish tip would help also. The downpressure kit will lift the entire rear of the tractor onto the auger. The downpressured auger and carbide fishtip together could enable you to drill holes in the hardest hardpan at a rate of one foot per second.
This may seem like a sizeable investment. It is if you're just digging a few holes for yourself. If this is your source of income, however, I think the return on the investment would be highly worthwhile.
This may seem like a sizeable investment. It is if you're just digging a few holes for yourself. If this is your source of income, however, I think the return on the investment would be highly worthwhile.
Poppa
Gold Member
I don't know if this will help but also try various speeds with the auger. That is what I do and it tends to help somewhat. I know guy's with Auger drill rigs slow way down in clayey soils. You want those teeth to try and dig in not just skim over the top and create a skin on the clay.
As far as weight, the Rhino PHD I have came factory equipped with a hook for holding weight. Problem is I am sure you would need at least 500 pounds to do any good at all and I have nothing like that to hang on the hook. Well, nothing feasible. Would be quite a sight to see me out there augering with my Box blade or Rotary cutter hooked to the gear box.
The other poster had it right though. If you are truly looking to be digging holes for money then you are probably going to have to spend some money to get some kind of down pressure. When I put in the fence around my property I rented a skidloader with an auger attachment. Many times I had the front of that little tractor way up in the air trying to get as much weight as possible onto the auger head. I was able to do 189 holes to a minimum three feet deep, in 8 hours with that unit and I would be lucky to get fifty over the same time period with the PHD on my Kubota. And many of those would end up being shallow
Mike
As far as weight, the Rhino PHD I have came factory equipped with a hook for holding weight. Problem is I am sure you would need at least 500 pounds to do any good at all and I have nothing like that to hang on the hook. Well, nothing feasible. Would be quite a sight to see me out there augering with my Box blade or Rotary cutter hooked to the gear box.
The other poster had it right though. If you are truly looking to be digging holes for money then you are probably going to have to spend some money to get some kind of down pressure. When I put in the fence around my property I rented a skidloader with an auger attachment. Many times I had the front of that little tractor way up in the air trying to get as much weight as possible onto the auger head. I was able to do 189 holes to a minimum three feet deep, in 8 hours with that unit and I would be lucky to get fifty over the same time period with the PHD on my Kubota. And many of those would end up being shallow
Mike