Any tips for getting a PHD to dig thru hardpan?

[warhammer]

I'm using a Rhino PHD with 9" auger. I am having a problem getting it to dig thru some hardpan.
I have spent a few hours at it and am down to about 16-18".
I have tried taking a tamping bar and sledging it in a bit, breaking the dirt up and then going at it again with the PHD. It works but is really slow and I would rather not spend another 8 hours making this one post hole if there is a faster way to go about it.
Any help is appreciated.

Warhammer

 

[mjncad]

Any chance you can rig up a weight box or something similar you can attach to the PHD frame to help the auger bite into the hardpan?

 

[Carykong]

fill your hole with water. wait. try again

 

[moloss]

this can be safe if done correctly but you must and I mean must stay clear.....what we have done from time to time is us a very long crow bar (mines almost 6'), wedge the long end between the boom and the the box and pull down it's amazing how much this can help....remember stay away from the phd while it's moving and never wear lose clothing....we have also got the bobcat out and put it's bucket on top of the phd and it did great but that requires two machines....the water in the hole helps as well.

 

[sixdogs]

I actually used to dig through shale ledge by "bouncing" the boom up and down. Once it "caught" I would just keep on going. If I let up the hole would polish and I would be unable to get traction.
Not all auger tips worked equally--I recall one made by Speeco with a cast screw tip did a great job. In clay I would think pouring water into the hole would help.

Be careful fooling with a spinning auger--it can rip your arms off. Worse, you could catch a piece of clothing and twist yourself into a pretzel and die from chest compression.

 

[Blagadan]

What kind of cutting face is on the rhino auger?

The reason I ask is I've used a couple of different types of auger before on my clay soil and the mose effective auger I used had several carbide "V" shaped teeth on the cutting face which put all previous augers I've used to shame. Instead of putting a hard shine on the bottom of the hole like regular knife cutters, the teeth ripped the bottom of the hole all to **** and removed material at a fierce rate. The name of the auger escapes me right now but I'll think of it once I hit the "submit reply" button....!

Please be very careful about how you use your PHD. Dont become a statistic.

 

[mikim]

water is the way to go -- and weight -- In Bastrop I tie weight on and fill the hole with water and wait about 30 minutes --sometimes need to do it more than once. Also make sure your tips on the auger are sharp.

 

[warhammer]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give water a try.
I have two more postholes to go and I really want to be done with this part of the job.

Warhammer

water is the way to go -- and weight -- In Bastrop I tie weight on and fill the hole with water and wait about 30 minutes --sometimes need to do it more than once. Also make sure your tips on the auger are sharp.

 

[john_bud]

Bring a file and sharpen the cutting edges of the bit. Just like a metal drill bit that won't cut. The tip can also be changed to one that is more aggressive. But that takes time to get. Dirt can and does dull the bits.

You may also try and bring a battery drill and drill the ground with a junk extra long bit. You know, the 18-24" long kind you use for drilling thru walls for wiring. Drill the hole in the center for the auger pilot to follow (and to give the water a place to go.

 

[chadincolo]

DO NOT be tempted to hang on the boom or gearbox, with a lever or not. Keep everyone completely away. I know of too many cases of people doing that "just one time" and bad things happen...could really scare people with some of the stories...

What brand of digger do you have? Some companies offer a hydraulic downforce kit, and they are very effective, but pricey... Speeco offers a weight kit that allows you to hang weigh lifting weights or anything with a two inch hole on the boom. Soaking the ground definitely helps too. And of course, sharp cutting edges are a huge help.