BX23/Post Hole Digger

[ultrarunner]

Is there anyone who has used a Post Hole Digger mounted on a BX23/22 with the "Down Pressure" option?

In my area, the drilling contractors have told me that down pressure is needed to use an auger efficiently.

When drilling through the "hard pan" the spoils come out of the hole looking like gravel road base material.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Jim_Becker]

I use a Woods 1120 PHD with my BX22 and it works just peachy. Granted, I have no "hardpan" experience with it, however...our property is either loam or clay or a mixture of the two. The only downside to this particular BS-sized PHD is the limit to 30" depth. With a little creativity on the BX's 3pt links that was shown in a recent thread you can get enough lift to use a "regular" sized PHD on the BX and get more height. I was unaware of any "down pressure" option, anyway!

 

[Tom_H]

I have a BX2200 and a post hole digger. For a description of my hardpan, go back & find my post "BX23 Backhoe Ripping Power". It's very bad pan. I can auger through the clay topsoil when moist but when I hit the durapan, it just spins around. Even when I chisel to the underlaying claypan, it does nothing. Guys with 50 hp tractors talk about this hardpan almost wrecking their backhoes. Most work involving cutting the pan is done by bigger tractors here.

A friend of mine has a Bobcat with a downpressured auger (with carbide tip) on front. He can cut through pretty well. With extender, he can go 6' down. The thing is, if you don't bust through the bottom, you still don't get drainage-ok for fenceposts, but water still pools up & it kills plants. We can't use septic leach fields. Giant rigs drill 3' dia., 33' deep dry wells to get into drainable soil. It's slow going.

I'm not sure a BX23 weighs enough to cut the pan, even if you could set all 1500 lb right on top of the auger. Most downpressured units are larger than this simple digger I have & it barely fits my 3ph. I'd recommend renting something or hire a guy with his own rig to come try a few test holes before I bought something then found out it wouldn't work.

 

[ultrarunner]

I decided to go with the Land Pride PD10, 12 inch pengo auger and the Land Pride Down Pressure Kit this evening.

I should have it in about two weeks.

My dealer said that he would like to call several of his BX23 owners with PD10's and show them the Down Pressure Kit if it is ok with me. This is the first one he is getting and I told him no problem.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Ken_f]

Over the past few weeks I have drilled over 1,900 two foot deep holes with my PHD to plant trees. I have a B2410 and a regular sized Farm Star digger with a 9in auger. When I started this I did not have the mid mount mower on the tractor and drilling went ok. Then I needed to mow so I took off the PHD put the mower deck on. After mowing I said what the heck and just put the PHD on to drill some more holes and I was shocked how much better the PHD did. What I am thinking is that the weight of the MMM is pushing down on the PHD and making it take much bigger bites.

I did not figure out if I was to drill say a 4ft hole if the mower deck would get in the way. Since these holes were less than 2 I did not have any clearence problems.


I live in SE Pennsylvania and we have a mix of soil types. On the 16 acres that I planted the trees it ranged from clay to sand and small to big rocks.

Ken

 

[jpr62902]

What a great tip! I never would have thought to leave the MMM on for PHD down pressure. Chalk up another "Attaboy!!" for the TBN membership.

 

[Tom_H]

Ultrarunner, Please post when you get this rig. I don't live too far from you (Wilton: 20 mi SE of Sacramento) & I want to know how it does. 1) Does it fit? 2) Does it have carbide tip on auger? 3) Does it cut your hardpan? 4) What'd it cost? 5) Who's your dealer? 6) If it doesn't cut your pan, will the dealer take it back?