Need some help with post hole digger

[coralhead]

I've had grass/sod wrapped on the cutting edges to keep them from biting into the soil and stopping the digging.

 

[bcp]

A few months ago I was looking at a new post hole auger in a store. The cutting edge was ABOVE the flighting it was bolted to. The mounting holes appeared round without adjustment.

I should have taken a photo but I keep forgetting I have a camera in my phone now. Here is a crude drawing.



Bruce

 

[Fallon]

What is 1-2' down? Around here 1-2' down is a layer of clay, above that is nicer dirt & topsoil. When I got my PHD, it had a really nice heavy duty 9" auger on it with frost teeth. Big carbide suckers thicker than your thumb. I'd dig down a foot or 2, hit the clay, then stop. Couple hundred lbs on the PHD, soaking the hole with water, etc. nada. Got a cheap 6" auger & it would dam near corkscrew itself into the ground all the way down. Used it to make pilot holes for a while. I eventually got some much thinner more aggressive teeth for that auger & it does a lot better. I got another cheaper farm store 12" auger & it will still dig more aggressively than the 9" due to the thinner sharper & more aggressively set teeth than the 9".

 

[Rustyiron]

All it takes is a flat rock the size of a cookie under the center point to stop it also.

 

[CADplans]

Adjust the drop rate of the 3PH to "fast" then pick up and drop the PHD in the hole repeatedly.
The spinning auger will move a small rock, or penetrate hard pan.

If that does not work, add 100 pounds of weight to the PHD head,,, and repeat.

If it is a rock, be ready to quickly lift the PHD,,,
a rock in the flighting will cause the spinning auger to go in the ground like a wood screw.

A 9" auger will always be easier to dig with than a 12"

 

[bindian]

The problem may be as simple as soil compaction. This time of year red clay can get as hard as concrete. I've seen, and done myself, welded a piece of 2 inch pipe on the top bar of my post hole, then using a long bar one or two men can pull down applying additional "down weight" to help the auger engage the soil. I've also seen ground so hard it would actually get hot enough you'd see smoke coming out of the hole.
What we did to partially solve that problem was made a more agressive digger point with some steeply angled cutting teeth similar to ripping teeth to break up the smooth surface at the bottom of the hole and enhance digging a little. While not a cure-all it has helped some.
Note too, if it is a hard soil/compaction issue the larger the auger the more pronounced the problem will be.

I rented a PTO auger to set my barn poles. Same thing...........go down about a foot into the hard, red clay and it would just spin and glaze the clay. The point was dull and needed replaced. Water and down pressure helped.
That's when I decided to buy a hyd. auger! Never regretted that purchase.
hugs, Brandi

 

[powerscol]

As stated above check your lower 3pt link arm settings when lowering. Also sharpen you cutting teeth - makes a huge difference

 

[buickanddeere]

Once you use a loader mounted hydraulic PHD you won't go back to anything else.

 

[bindian]

Once you use a loader mounted hydraulic PHD you won't go back to anything else.

Yep..............or on your backhoe.
hugs, Brandi

 

[MF283]

When i hit clay around here, i'd wiggle the auger with a handle that my old Servis model has, it was just enough to get it going.

Ronnie