Posthole Digger Post hole digger - need advise

[acohen100]

I just spoke with my local dealer and he has a Woods unit with a 9" auger that has a drilling depth of about 24" for about $850. That seems kinda shallow to me but I have no experience with this. Post-hole diggers from Northern Tool go from $350 - $615 and all say they drill up to 40" (augers sold separately). I really don't have all that many holes to dig but want the machine for future projects which should be fairly infrequent. Recommendations?

 

[kennyd]

That Woods unit may be for a SCUT (sub compact utility tractor) that has a limited CAT 1 3PH.

Fill you profile out and let us know what machine you have and we can better help you make a decision...

 

[acohen100]

Sry, you are right. It's for a BX24, Cat. 1. But so are the ones I was looking at on Northern.

 

[Dieselmh]

The price sounds a little high, but the drilling depth would be OK for most projects. A 24" depth should be good for a 6' tall post (8 feet in total length, 2 feet in the ground). It would be OK for taller posts if you were cementing them in, or have hard ground. Also, check around, a lot of people buy PHDs for projects, then don't need them a year or two down the road. They're one of those things that are great to have when you need them, but 99% of the time they just take up space.

 

[clovergamecock]

I just bought a Leinbach for my Kubota L2800. I paid $365 +tax for everything including a 9" bit. I used it this past weekend and dug 13 holes in about 10 minutes. Most of that time was spent getting the tractor in the right position. The only knock that I read on the 7200 series was that the bits dull quickly. However the TSC bits supposedly fit the Leinbach and when I looked at what I was going to use it for I just could not justify the $700 for the Woods, $1100 for the BH or even the $560 for the one at TSC. I am happy with mine so far. I will be getting a lot of usage in the coming months fencing in about 8 acres of pasture. If you are like mee and will be using it for special projects and not for commercial use I would recommend you look at the Leinbach brand.

Good Luck!
Wade

 

[acohen100]

Ah thanks rat. That's exactly the kind of recommendation I was looking for. I need it for very light duty and really think I can get away with cheap for this one tool. I'll look into it.

 

[RonMar]

Use the search feature... This same subject has come up several times in the past year...

 

[zzvyb6]

You've been talkin' too much to Miss Communication.

The Woods max auger WIDTH is 24" . Length (depth) is 42". This is the max diameter digger used for planting Sequoias, bridge piers, and pet graves.

One thing you might consider is the digger weight. The Woods PHD25 weighs only 165 lbs. This is worth considering when wrestling the unit on and off the tractor. The easier it is to put on, the more stuff you will do with it. Otherwise, its dreadful to even think about putting it on. Shortcuts will be taken and someone or something will get hurt. You can easily make your own digger teeth from raw steel using a metal cutting circular saw blade and a drill. Be sure to make a pattern from a new tooth because when they are worn out, they don't look anywhere near the same.

 

[acohen100]

Ah well, I wanted it today and $850 sounded steep so I went to TRC and bought the Speeco model. I'll see how it goes. I almost always follow the old adage "buy the best tool you can afford" but in this case it just didn't make sense to do that since I might use it once a year at most.