Posthole Digger Post Hole Digger?

tarious · Jun 8, 2005

I recently was given 200 small pine trees. I am interested in either a post hole digger or perhaps some other attachment that might work to dig a large enough hole to plant small trees.

Anyone care to share any views or brand suggestions?

Thanks

viking65 · Jun 8, 2005

I'm using a Woods PHD25 with 12" bit to plant shrubs and small trees. It works very well even in rocky soil. The PHD25 is sized for sub-cuts like my Cub Cadet 5234D. Woods makes larger PHD's for cuts.

Link

MikePA: Cleaned up long URL. Please review your message before posting it. It's simple not to do this. Just insert a descriptive word or two between the {url=http://whatever}Enter words here{/url} instead of the entire URL. Replace parentheses with brackets in previous example.

tarious · Jun 8, 2005

Looks like exactly what I need!

Thanks for the advice /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

mathey · Jun 8, 2005

( I recently was given 200 small pine trees )

how small is small?

tarious · Jun 8, 2005

I am sorry I don't have a picture...they were dug up with a small treespade. I'd guess the rootballs are 1 foot round with dirt and the trees are 2 to 3 feet tall.

mathey · Jun 8, 2005

ok, gotcha...I thought perhaps you meant seedlings...

proceed as directed...

Henry · Jun 11, 2005

I bought a Tractor Supply PHD specifically to plant trees. Using both a 6" and 9" auger's, I've sucessfully planted 60+ trees, a combination of hardwoods and pines. Some have grown upwards of 10 feet now......

I typically run the auger all the way down, which is way deeper than what the bare-root trees I plant need. Then I back-fill with some really good soil that contains a lot of organtic matter. I always put a fertilizer tablet in the bottom of the hole and water everything really well.

Also, if you have clay soil like I do, the auger will tend to create "smooth" sidewalls in the hole. Take a shovel or digging bar and score the sides of the hole. I've been told that those smoothed-up sides will tend to make it difficult for your trees roots to penetrate.... sorta like being pot-bound.

viking65 · Jun 13, 2005

Thanks MikePA...I think. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I always review every message before I post it. It's easier to me to just copy and paste the URL and be done with it. It serves the same purpose and works just as well. If you like a "cleaner" appearing post and have plenty of time to police such things then feel free to edit away for apperance sake. After all, you're a moderator and you have the power to do so.

JerryG · Jun 13, 2005

viking65,
I don't think that what Mike was saying to do has anything to do with making it pretty. The reason that Mike stress this is because when the entire URL is pasted in both locations, it makes the page so wide that everyone viewing it has to pan left to right just to see each line.

viking65 · Jun 13, 2005

OK Jerry...I had not noticed that because it all fits on my screen without having to pan left to right. Thanks for the tip.

newtothis · Jun 13, 2005

I'm not far enough along yet to have a handle on how many or what size trees I'll plant next spring but it's safe to say it'll be a few hundred white pines minimum. I've been given the verbal okee dokee of acceptance into a federal program for wind breaks next year.

I know this is a dumb retorical question but is it worth the investment? I've past up a couple PHD's at auctions this spring and am kinda kicking myself! I feel like you can never have enough equipment but I'm actually running out of space for what I already have! My tractor sits in the 3rd stall of the garage with everything else outdoors. After major planting is done this coming spring I don't know as though I'd use one much anyway.

viking65 · Jun 13, 2005

I have used my Woods PHD to dig 45 holes so far. At $695 for the PHD and 12" bit that's $15.44 per hole. As rocky as my soil is it's been worth every penny. The cost per hole just keeps getting cheaper the more I use it. With all the landscaping I plan to do I'll have the cost per hole under $5 by the end of the summer. A great investment in my opinion (beats the **** out of a digging bar, manual post hole digger and a shovel). If I get to the point I want to sell it within a year or two (I doubt I will, I hang on to everyting) I could probably get at least half back what I paid for it then the holes will be really cheap.

johnday · Jun 13, 2005

Jack; Please buy the next one you run into, then sell it to me when your done, as long your reasonable. Where in Michigan are you? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dargo · Jun 13, 2005

I've now planted over 5000 trees this year. Most have been white pines and oaks. I planted the last 2000 or so by hand. It was much faster than using a PHD. My soil was very rocky and I was constantly replacing the shear bolt. The PHD itself is a beast. It's just much faster to plant them by hand. If you want a nice used PHD with a 12" auger, let me know. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

johnday · Jun 13, 2005

Hey Brent; If newtothis doesn't want it, what would be good price, and what kind of PHD is it? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

newtothis · Jun 14, 2005

Go for it, it seems like I've got all that I can handle on my plate right now. Got lots of new (used) equipment for planting food plots and haven't even used some of it to date. Very nice of you to even defer to me in the first place.

I'm about 13 miles west of Lansing in the boondocks. Had I known I coulda called you from the auctions I've been to in the last 45 days with real time bidding. I don't remember exactly how much they went for, just have this nawing feeling that I should've bought them for the reasonable prices they both went for. Oh well, ended up with 2 other units I need sooner so it worked out OK.

fractal · Jun 19, 2005

I have a post hole digger on my cut. I would guess a hole takes me 10-15 minutes to auger. That is 4 trees an hour. 8 hours a day is 32 trees a day. 200 trees means the last tree would be dead before I got it planted.

I was involved in a "tree day" at kids school. They dug the holes with a back hoe. Dig a hole, drive the stakes, back fill to height, drop the tree so it is 6 inches above grade, backfill to rootball, cover with mulch, tie to stakes, move to next tree. The kids had a great time. The school got a bunch of trees.

My vote would be a back hoe. You could probably hire a local backhoe operator to dig 200 holes for less cost than purchasing a post hole digger and all the trees would be planted. Then again, you could always just convince the CFO that you needed your own back hoe /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

newtothis · Jun 20, 2005

As luck would have it a backhoe actually came with the tractor when I bought it. The CFO had her doubts about the big expense but it has proven invaluable when we built the house and the chores that come afterward.

FL_Cracker · Jun 20, 2005

( I would guess a hole takes me 10-15 minutes to auger. That is 4 trees an hour. 8 hours a day is 32 trees a day. 200 trees means the last tree would be dead before I got it planted. )

I don't understand. Why so long. I just finished 8 acres of fence and when I digging a series of holes in a streight line it goes fast. I would think you could dig all the holes in 1-2 days.. If you had some follow up labor they could put the tree in and cover as fast as you could dig. When I'm digging it takes longer to get set up on the hole then to drill it......

I would thing the PHD would be the way to go.... Nice round hole (like the pot or root ball) and all the dirt is evenly spread around the whole....