PHD, it's care and use?

[mlmartin]

PHD, it\'s care and use?

Mostly use, really.

I got pretty discouraged fencing in my new paddock using my brandy new PHD. The four posts facing the house (the ones with the highest aesthetic value) were killers. It took two days to place them. The first (why is it always the first) hole was great. I followed the instructions and the hole was drilled and a post dropped in five minutes.

The next three got me some serious experience dismounting the PHD and mounting the backhoe for each and every blessed one of them. The worst of the three filled the FEL with boulders. The other two were a combination of boulders and loose material.

The next six, which run in a line away from the house and have only slightly looser aesthetic requirements, went pretty well. I didn't need the backhoe on any of them. The material there was loose gravel and I often had to soak the material down and wait for it to drain before I could pull it out with the (non-rotating) auger.

Turning the corner for the last four posts brought me another problem. One that made the loose material issue worse. Auger drift. I would start the hole in the correct location with the auger in what I thougt was the correct orientation. All three holes ended up being slanted about 10 degrees with the bottom much closer to the tractor than the top. Since I was placing 4x6 posts and using a 9 inch auger I was in trouble. I ended up trying to enlarge the hole, which made getting the loose material out a much worse problem. It also didn't seem to help as the auger would simply follow the old hole down to the same point. In effect I was only able to move the top of the hole.

The 3ph mount was tight, the only freedom of movement of the auger was towards and away from the tractor. The holes that drifted were on a slope that went down towards the tractor. Was this just the luck of the draw? Am I doing something wrong? Would a 12 inch auger be a partial solution?

I have another 250-300 holes to do and at this rate I'll be a lot older and greyer than I am now.

Matthew

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: PHD, it\'s care and use?

Matt,
First of all your post hole digger won't do a whole lot with rocks in the soil. Like you did take it off and use the backhoe. As far as the holes going crooked that is very common. The digger is going to follow on the path of least resistance. To make it less make sure that the digger is straight each time. To eliminate it though with the kind of soil you're talking about you need a second person to hold the handle and keep the digger going straight. Also dig a little and bring the auger up and then back down. A little more digging and up again. This will get your dirt out better and let you dig straighter. Also start the hole. If you get grass or anything on your starter bit it won't dig at all either. If you've roughed it up on some rocks grind it back.

 

[Rick Jay]

Re: PHD, it\'s care and use?

mlmartin,

I put about 15 fence posts in last fall in our rock-laden clay soil. I used a 12" auger which I think helps on two counts.

First of all, I think the larger diameter of the bit makes it easier for it to pull up larger rocks. Of course, drilling a larger hole increases your chance of hitting rocks, but in my soil I knew I was going to hit some everytime anyway.

Second, the larger diameter hole does give a bit more lattitude in aligning the posts in case the bit does get deflected from it's intended course.

I will also say to raise and lower the bit numerous times when drilling so that it won't screw itself into the ground. This can happen pretty quickly if you let the auger go in too fast. Then, all of a sudden it wedges itself against a rock and you're stuck.

I also wish to urge caution about anyone else being anywhere near the auger while the PTO is engaged. It can be very dangerous, even with the guards installed.

Just some of my limited experience. Due to a back problem I probably won't be doing any more fence work this year, but it's high on the priority list for 2002!

Good Luck,

Rick Jay

 

[Bird]

Re: PHD, it\'s care and use?

Matthew, Cowboydoc has already given you good information, but in addition to that you need to remember that as the boom of the PHD lowers, it's swinging down in an arc from its pivot point on the top link instead of the end going straight up and down vertically. Takes a little practice (and maybe a little luck) to get those holes exactly straight and vertical. Sometimes helps a bit to pull the lower end of the auger back away from the tractor just a little bit past vertical and lower it to touch the ground so it'll stay there before engaging the PTO and starting it turning.

Bird

 

[radman]

Re: PHD, it\'s care and use?

Something I notice about my 3pt PHD is a tendency to tip toward the right once the auger starts digging. To counteract that motion, I change the position of the tractor and digger once digging has started. By moving the front wheels and going backward and forward slightly, I can move the top of the auger slightly to the left. Then I can dig straight down. Also as Bird stated, I move the tractor slightly forward while digging to also get the digger to go down in a straight path. Because of all the problems you mentioned, I recently went to a hydraulic loader mounted digger - works great.