Post Hole Digger Question Wroughtn Harv & Everyone

[LWFrisk]

The insurance company replaced the John Deere 325 with a John Deere 425 that was burned in Firestorm 2003 in Southern California. When I went to pick it up at my local John Dealer, **(EZ Equipment in Escondido), I spotted a post hole digger (Little Beaver) sitting behind everything else. I could not turn down the deal they offered when I asked about it (You can have it if you can use it). It is powered by an 8 HP Briggs sitting on a rolling platform, has a huge flex cable that runs a gear head that is about 8 feet from the platform with controls on a “handlebar setup”. It came with three augers. The Little Beaver factory is located in Livingston, Texas. 80 miles North of Houston, Texas. http://www.littlebeaver.com

My first thought was to do away with the flex cable, and mount the gear head via a universal joint as close as possible to the engine. In turn, I thought I would then revise the platform to mount in the bucket of my John Deere 420 with a Johnson Loader. I even have an electric starter for the Briggs. The controls could be run to a small detachable control panel mounted on the loader frame within reach of the operator (Starter, Throttle, kill switch, etc.)

Before I start the remodel, I though I should check with an expert to see if my idea would work. It would be a hobbyist’s (poor man’s) version and sort of work a bit like Harv’s setup on Iris, If my idea works). Any advice Harv and the rest of you would be greatly appreciated

**(EZ Equipment in Escondido) I would highly recommend these people for anyone in Southern California needing parts, supplies or equipment. They have John Deere, Brinly, Echo, and other name brand equipment, open Saturday mornings, full service and just all around great people. They did not have a used 425 and when I found one near Sacramento, they had it shipped to Escondido and only charged for the shipping –no mark-up, they didn’t profit on the tractor sale and gave me a discount on the hitch and tires as well.

The next few posts will be photos the new, to me, John Deere 425 (271 hours), The Little Beaver Post Hole digger, and the next three are the augers that came with it.

Thanks guys – and gals

Attached is a photo of the burned John Deere 325 with fender deck removed. The transaxle got so hot it sagged to the ground with large gobs of aluminum under the tractor. Carb, fuel pump, oil filter all melted completely.

 

[LWFrisk]

This is the new to me John Deere 425 48” Deck, 3 pt and 26 x 12 x 12 Bar tires coming. It is the replacement for the 325

 

[LWFrisk]

This is the Little Beaver Post hole digger – 8 HP Briggs, Flex cable drive and gear head

 

[LWFrisk]

This is the 11 inch auger. It has the fish tail lead, but I will need to get the two hard surfaced lead bits that fit in the slots.

 

[LWFrisk]

This is the 10 inch auger with what appears to be hard surfaced tool bits imbedded on both the point and full length of the flute. Not real sure what it is used for -- ?

 

[OhioTC18]

Thats great for ......."You can have it if you can use it"

Oh yeah congrats on the new Deere

 

[LWFrisk]

And a nice little 6 inch auger

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I'm very familiar with the Little Beaver products. I have and use often the Little Beaver Hydraulic unit.

Your larger auger has the Pengo head. That's the system I prefer. The ones I have are fitted with carbide pieces on the fishtail and flite teeth. The good thing about this system is your options as far as teeth for the earth situation are almost unlimited.

The next size down one is fitted with Beaver's idea of a rock bit. It works okay in sandstone if you're not in a hurry.

Your small bit looks to me as one that won't fit your auger at all. It appears to me to be a Ground Hog bit out of San Bernardino. They use their own fishtail and Pengo flite teeth.

I wouldn't mess with the system and use it as is. Probably the best reason is the cable drive is only really strong enough to dig based upon the typical man's capability strength wise. On a tractor it'd be prone to die or slip immediately if not sooner.

One thing about the Beaver, besides it being the best one man systems I've ever used. I'm not much on the cable drive though.

But NEVER EVER operate it without the torque bar in place and functioning properly. That puppy is about as friendly to your well being as a ticked off alligator in your bath tub if it's not in place and functioning properly. I can't over emphasize this enough. NEVER EVER is too often. It will hurt you, permantly crippled kind of hurt.

It looks like you did gud Leo. Congradulations.

 

[Junkman]

I used one of these diggers a couple of years ago and it worked very well. I suggest that instead of your trying to change it to something that it was never intended to be, that you consider selling it to some one that will use it the way it was intended. Then you can take that money and apply it toward the purchase of the proper unit that will fit your tractor. Factory made post hole diggers are dangerous enough without someone trying to adapt one to a new design of their own. If it doesn't work, someone may get hurt and being a home made unit, I doubt that your insurance carrier will cover any injury claims that might arise. The final recourse for all financial damages will still rest on your shoulders.... after all, it was your design that caused the accident will be the lawyers claim...

 

[Taylortractornut]

A friend of mine had one one time that he couldnt affod the flex shaft for. He was starting over after losing his business in a divorce so he asked me to help. he picked one up missing the flex shaft and couldnt pay what they asked so I mounted a pump and resiboir to the engine stand and put 2 hoses on it. and dug around and found a nice hydraulicmotor on an ol combine out back. We had 12 hours and about 50 dollars in the conversion using scrapped parts. you could do the same just hook a hydraulic motor to your input shat via a lovejoy coupler and a few lines. You could possibly run it off your tractors hydraulics.