Posthole Digger All about Auger bits?

[bullbreaker]

Thanks for the info! That’s super helpful! That part is good but the bit isn’t biting. We tried adding water to the hole and it didn’t help much. After it’s dried out some, I can see I might be hitting some roots. Crap. Nothing ever goes as planned for me lol.

Take a step back and analyze project /situation . Make sure you filled gearbox up with 80/90 weight oil to correct level like Coby said . Every Nortrac i seen came shipped bone dry .Have someone with experience check cutting edge etc like Eddie said . Might want to watch some vids on 3 point phd in action . Espiecially from safety standpoint . Hope your not adding water to hole while its spinning . The shearbolt takes a number 5 . Keep people /animals /children ETC WAY away from that auger while working . You can mark the holes with spraypaint etc where you want to dig .I make these suggestions because on and in your first post you claim to have limited experience useing one . Its a very dangerous attachment use patience /wisdom and caution . Not trying to be a safety Sally but we dont want to hear someone got hurt or ?

 

[SmallChange]

My experience is often similar to yours. I have a CountryLine 9" auger and my soil is round river gravel cemented together with clay. It is often hard to get the bit to dig in, especially when starting the hole if the weather is dry. I've used a long masonry bit in a portable drill to start, about 3/4" diameter and a foot long (whenever I do this I spend the whole time thinking, this can't be right!, but it does help). I have also added water to the hole. I'll drill a bit, then add water and move on to another hole, and keep a few of them in various stages of soaking and various depths until I win. I've never tried sharpening the bit but I think that could help -- I'd use a right angle grinder and lay the bit horizontally on a work surface to do this. I also have a ripper/subsoiler, and struggle to get it to bite in too, and I have done a lot of grinding on its tip to give the shape relief behind the leading point to make it bite easier.

The tree roots, yeah, that's ugly. You kind of have to deal with them the wrong way because there is no right way. I'd pay extra for an auger setup that had a reverse gear!

I think I'm at about 150 holes, total, over the years. Maybe 200.

My soil is so hard that I can stand on a pointed spade like a pogo stick, and jump around on it a little bit.

 

[jmc]

...and my soil is round river gravel cemented together with clay. It is often hard to get the bit to dig in, especially when starting the hole if the weather is dry.

My soil is so hard that I can stand on a pointed spade like a pogo stick, and jump around on it a little bit.

I once complained I had hard clay until I met a man who had hard clay with rocks in it.

 

[RjCorazza]

My augers have a replaceable point, as well as cutting edges on each side of the auger. When doing a fence years ago in clay, the auger would just spin after 50 holes or so. Replacing the center tip made a world of difference.
Also, soil types vary, but adding small gravel to the hole seemed to help in my use.

 

[CobyRupert]

Thanks for the info! That’s super helpful! That part is good but the bit isn’t biting. We tried adding water to the hole and it didn’t help much. After it’s dried out some, I can see I might be hitting some roots. Crap. Nothing ever goes as planned for me lol.

Roots, rock, or hard soil?
Sometimes you can hear if it’s a rock stopping the auger from lowering. Most times you can tell because auger goes up and down easily, but hits bottom rather hard. Auger wobbles side to side as tip spins on rock.

I don’t have much experience in hard soil. I imagine lots of water is your friend in that case, or if someone knows a better auger bit.

Roots are a pain. If you hit them dead center they can feel like a rock: Auger lowering comes to hard stop. A good 6’ pry/chisel/tamping bar as suggested is handy for roots and rocks (if small enough). It’s just a good tool to have all around. If you really want to amplify your ego, nothing like a 6’, 20lb steel pry bar. I quit sure you could demolish a house with nothing but that.
Anyways..
The danger with roots, depending on their size, is if you don’t hit them on center and the auger sideswipes them and uses them to actually corkscrew into the dirt (instead of the dirt being screw conveyed up and out). Never let the auger get pulled in too far without lifting it up or going beyond what the tractor can lift back out.