Auger Technique
- Thread starter MikePA
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centex
Gold Member
Mike, I wish I could average 45 minutes a hole. I started on my fence three months ago and expected to to be finished in two weeks. I still have a long way to go working 6 hours a day 6 days a week. I am averaging about 2 1/2 hours per hole. Each hole is different and takes a different technique. I spent 11 hours on one hole and 6 hours on several others. I feel lucky when I can finish one in 45 minutes. I had a number of holes to dig in bottom land that were very easy to dig. It took more time to move the tractor than to dig the holes so I finished all of them in one morning. The rest are just a challenge. I was told by one of the neighbors that water would help even in limestone but I have not tried it yet. What I found in regard to auger size in rocks is that the larger the auger the quicker the shear pins broke. I had so many shear pins and augers breaking that I had to buy heavy duty augers and a heavier duty PHD. I am talking up to $850 for an auger. I still break shear pins but a whole lot fewer than before. When they start breaking it is time to get the digging bar and get the rock out. Solid rock is easier on shear pins than fractured or embedded rock of larger size. I passed on an option for a $200 pin clutch for my PHD but I wish I had spent the money. I decided it was would be worth $200 but it costs over $500 to buy it separately so I just keep spare shear pins available. Fortunately my deaIer has given me the spare pins and I have only gone through 11 so far. If I were starting over on this job knowing what I do now I would have started out with a hydraulic PHD and two augers: a 9" Beltec heavy duty auger (~$500) and a 9" Beltec rock auger (~$850). The reason I would have two augers is that the rock augers tend to walk around a lot until they are deep enough for the hole to guide them straight so I always start out with a dirt auger and switch to the rock auger when I hit heavy rock. It is a pain since these augers weigh about 100 lbs but otherwise my fence would ziz zag all over the place. Beltec makes a tractor attachment that uses hydraulic cylinders to provide down pressure and has a frame that keeps the auger where you put it. You can even back it up to a fence and dig a hole for a replacement post but it costs $4600 + $1000 for a 9" auger so it is out of my price range.
You have a standard 2" coupler on you PHD. There are other couplers used so you have to specify what yours is.
You have a standard 2" coupler on you PHD. There are other couplers used so you have to specify what yours is.
fractal
Gold Member
After reading your post I feel blessed.
I dug some holes for the neighbor to plant 25 trees last month. I dug 3 holes with the 9 inch augar for each tree in a triangle pattern just missing the other two holes. He finished the job by hand clearing out what was left. Did all 25 trees (75 holes in all) in 2-3 hrs. We ran into a few fussy holes during the job. Those stalled about 6 inches in. The augar sat there spinning on the dirt. I would drive to the next hole while he filled the stuck one with water. The fussy ones were a lot easier when we came back after the water soaked in.
We had very few rocks. I lowered the phd till the tip was just touching where we wanted the hole, made sure he was well clear of the tools, started the pto at idle, ran throttle up to 2500 rpm (540 on the pto) and slowly lowered the augar.
I don't know, but at 1 hr or more per hole I would be tempted to get a quote from someone with better equipment, or from someone with lots of low paid laborers. Your time plus tractor depreciation plus fuel plus ... makes those rather expensive holes.
I dug some holes for the neighbor to plant 25 trees last month. I dug 3 holes with the 9 inch augar for each tree in a triangle pattern just missing the other two holes. He finished the job by hand clearing out what was left. Did all 25 trees (75 holes in all) in 2-3 hrs. We ran into a few fussy holes during the job. Those stalled about 6 inches in. The augar sat there spinning on the dirt. I would drive to the next hole while he filled the stuck one with water. The fussy ones were a lot easier when we came back after the water soaked in.
We had very few rocks. I lowered the phd till the tip was just touching where we wanted the hole, made sure he was well clear of the tools, started the pto at idle, ran throttle up to 2500 rpm (540 on the pto) and slowly lowered the augar.
I don't know, but at 1 hr or more per hole I would be tempted to get a quote from someone with better equipment, or from someone with lots of low paid laborers. Your time plus tractor depreciation plus fuel plus ... makes those rather expensive holes.
centex - Wow, your experience makes mine sound like a walk in the park. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif I wish I would have bought a phd with a slip clutch.
fractal - 2500 rpm...shear bolts would be flying like shrapnel in my soil. I will also try watering one of the holes and see if it helps.
I have 12 more holes to drill in the same area. I will finish these and then move to another area of the pasture. If I run into the same rock trouble, I will call some places and see what they'd charge. I hate paying someone else to do this, but I also would like to get the fence in before winter.
fractal - 2500 rpm...shear bolts would be flying like shrapnel in my soil. I will also try watering one of the holes and see if it helps.
I have 12 more holes to drill in the same area. I will finish these and then move to another area of the pasture. If I run into the same rock trouble, I will call some places and see what they'd charge. I hate paying someone else to do this, but I also would like to get the fence in before winter.
TerryinMD
Veteran Member
gbirky,
Okay... you live pretty close I see. I live just outside of Sharpsburg off of Mondell Road.
Limestone and Western Maryland - that's the way it is. I've put in several hundred feet of fencing on my property and have been lucky. I've only hit a couple of spots where I had to adjust a fence pole to the depth of the hole. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Mike - sounds as though this project has taken on a life of its own. Are you saying that you have to be on your tractor to operate the PTO? Wow - that surprises me. My JD4100 has a simple device to disable the seat safety switch to operate PHD and similar attachements. The PTO switch and rocker shaft lever are on the same side which makes things a bit easier. One of our neighbors had an old MF that allowed you to operate a PHD without being on the seat. I cannot remember exactly what he did, but I know that he came off of the tractor and dropped down the PHD. But then again that was a few years back and the memory is getting a bit fuzzy.... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif
Hope you can find an easy solution...
Terry
Okay... you live pretty close I see. I live just outside of Sharpsburg off of Mondell Road.
Limestone and Western Maryland - that's the way it is. I've put in several hundred feet of fencing on my property and have been lucky. I've only hit a couple of spots where I had to adjust a fence pole to the depth of the hole. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Mike - sounds as though this project has taken on a life of its own. Are you saying that you have to be on your tractor to operate the PTO? Wow - that surprises me. My JD4100 has a simple device to disable the seat safety switch to operate PHD and similar attachements. The PTO switch and rocker shaft lever are on the same side which makes things a bit easier. One of our neighbors had an old MF that allowed you to operate a PHD without being on the seat. I cannot remember exactly what he did, but I know that he came off of the tractor and dropped down the PHD. But then again that was a few years back and the memory is getting a bit fuzzy.... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif
Hope you can find an easy solution...
Terry
I just completed 100 posts in very rocky soil in north eastern Oklahoma. I live in what's called the Osage Hills. I have a BX2200 with a Leinbach 7300 PHD using the 6" auger.
Go to the local rental store and rent either a jackhammer 15 amp Makita or similar (as I did) or a pneumatic with the generator. I rented the jackhammer for a week. Picked it up on a Saturday after 3:00 pm and returned on Monday morning a week out. I worked on the holes with the PHD and the jackhammer. I worked the rest of Saturday, Sunday, about 5 holes a day during the week after work and then Saturday and Sunday again. Worked like a charm. Rental cost including tax was about $230.00.
Most often 4" of grass/dirt and then rock. I would have a story like yours had I not gotten the jackhammer. Good Luck !!!
Go to the local rental store and rent either a jackhammer 15 amp Makita or similar (as I did) or a pneumatic with the generator. I rented the jackhammer for a week. Picked it up on a Saturday after 3:00 pm and returned on Monday morning a week out. I worked on the holes with the PHD and the jackhammer. I worked the rest of Saturday, Sunday, about 5 holes a day during the week after work and then Saturday and Sunday again. Worked like a charm. Rental cost including tax was about $230.00.
Most often 4" of grass/dirt and then rock. I would have a story like yours had I not gotten the jackhammer. Good Luck !!!
<font color=blue>Are you saying that you have to be on your tractor to operate the PTO?</font color=blue>
I don't have to be on the tractor, i.e., there's no seat interlock, but but I have to press in the clutch with my left foot, move the rear PTO lever to engage then let the clutch out to start the phd spinning.
I don't have to be on the tractor, i.e., there's no seat interlock, but but I have to press in the clutch with my left foot, move the rear PTO lever to engage then let the clutch out to start the phd spinning.
Thank you all for your replies. They have been very helpful. My new plan is to keep using the 9" auger and if I hit rock, spend a little time with the digging iron to see if I can dislodge them. If not, I will move on to the next hole. When I've tried the phd on all the holes, I will rent an electric jack hammer, put my portable generator in the FEL and bust up the rock and finish the holes that had rock in them. Hopefully, the holes I have to use a jack hammer on will be in the minority.
wroughtn_harv
Super Member
Mike I do wish you were closer so I could help. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
The problem with the electric hammer, I have a Hilti TE75, tough mother puppy, is you have to drop the whole thing into the hole which is a bugger bear but doable.
What I do under these circumstances is I rent a hundred cfm compressor and what they call a chipping hammer. One time some years ago while noseying around a rental yard I found some long bits for a chipping hammer. One's five foot and the other's six foot long. They're finer'n a frog hair split three ways. I can drop that bit into the hole and the hammer is still in a comfortable range for working.
It never stops surprising me how a little rock can stop an auger dead. All it takes is a good compaction and the right angle of the dangle and you feel like you've picked up the world.
My technique with the hydraulic Little Beaver is to hand wallow the hole. I move the top of the auger head around so the bits get to attack the rock from a different angle. I use the same technique with the JCB.
Of course with the JCB I have the joysticks for up and down, forward and back, right and left in my hands. And the foward and reverse of the auger plus the power to the auger is under the left foot. So it's all worked together in harmony most days sorta like a backhoe operator rotating the boom as he uncurls the stick and bucket at the same time.
When I hit an obstacle I don't have the glitch of a shear pin to fight. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/wroughtnharv/vwp?.dir=/Iris&.src=ph&.dnm=Iris+with+last+load+out.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/wroughtnharv/lst%3f%26.dir=/Iris%26.src=ph%26.view=t>You gotta love the hydraulic drive.</A>
The problem with the electric hammer, I have a Hilti TE75, tough mother puppy, is you have to drop the whole thing into the hole which is a bugger bear but doable.
What I do under these circumstances is I rent a hundred cfm compressor and what they call a chipping hammer. One time some years ago while noseying around a rental yard I found some long bits for a chipping hammer. One's five foot and the other's six foot long. They're finer'n a frog hair split three ways. I can drop that bit into the hole and the hammer is still in a comfortable range for working.
It never stops surprising me how a little rock can stop an auger dead. All it takes is a good compaction and the right angle of the dangle and you feel like you've picked up the world.
My technique with the hydraulic Little Beaver is to hand wallow the hole. I move the top of the auger head around so the bits get to attack the rock from a different angle. I use the same technique with the JCB.
Of course with the JCB I have the joysticks for up and down, forward and back, right and left in my hands. And the foward and reverse of the auger plus the power to the auger is under the left foot. So it's all worked together in harmony most days sorta like a backhoe operator rotating the boom as he uncurls the stick and bucket at the same time.
When I hit an obstacle I don't have the glitch of a shear pin to fight. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/wroughtnharv/vwp?.dir=/Iris&.src=ph&.dnm=Iris+with+last+load+out.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/wroughtnharv/lst%3f%26.dir=/Iris%26.src=ph%26.view=t>You gotta love the hydraulic drive.</A>
w-h, I wish you were closer, too! I've used an electric jack hammer before but it was a long time ago and you're right, they are heavy /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif. What I may do to take it easy on the back is rig up a sling so the jack hammer can hang off the phd. Lower the jack hammer into the hole, unhook and hammer away. Once the rock is broken up, lift the jack hammer out of the hole with the phd clean the hole out and move on. At least that's today's plan. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
