3-Point Hitch Post hole digging

[vivancoj]

I am new at using tractors. I have purchased and used several times a Mahindra 28 HP. Model 2816 4WD. I intend to build a fence with "deer fencing" which is a plastic lightweight type of fence. The fence is to cover an area about 75 feet wide by 150 feet (these are aproximations) where I intend to garden vegetables. I will have to set a whole lot of 8 feet poles probably no deeper than 1.5 feet. I am thinking about buying a post digger for the 3 point hitch to dig the holes. I am located in Kennesaw, GA (northwest GA) where the the soil is composed of a lot of clay. Questions: #1 Will this tractor be able to handle this work? #2 What size auger should I use? #3 There are two post hole diggers advertised in Craigslist, one a new Lienbach, 3 point hitch post hole digger with 9 inch heavy duty auger for $575 cash (no sale tax). The other one: a new Trion 6" auger u-frame, adjustable boom, gearbox pto shaft for $525 plus tax. Can you help me make the right decision?

 

[DT86]

Keep in mind that your 3pt hitch is a category 1 when looking at augers, or any attachment for that matter.

The size auger you need is determined by the size post you will be using. 4" posts I would use a 6" auger, 6" posts I would use a 9" auger.

 

[Steave]

I've never used either of these. The lienbach digger has parts available and are sold by a sponsor here on TBN, Everything Attachments. The other one (I checked the craiglist add) I'm not sure of the brand name but find out if you can get parts for it before you purchase.

There is a dealer in Trion and the same dealer in Marietta that sells these medium duty off brand diggers.

Your tractor will have no problem handling a digger. As far a straight down hole, that's up to you

As of the size auger of course it depends on the size post but I always dig it large enough to have a little moving room while keeping the post inline and I try it keep it small as to not disturb much of the soil around the post. Kind of a happy medium size hole

You might want to go to Everything Attachment's website and see what they have. Good luck.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Just to add a little to what has been posted.

I have the Lienbach and it has worked great, drilled a lot of holes. If you have never used one, remember to let the tractor idle while drilling.

One thing to consider you can buy 8' t-post to use on the fence line and use the auger for the corner wood post. I have a deer fence and used the 8' t post.

 

[texasjohn]

agree, consider strongly using lots of t posts for line posts.... once purchased, they can be reused forever
wood posts tend to get beat up or rot
t posts can be driven by manual post driver into the clay you have. and you can use a FEL bucket to drive or pull t posts as well.
if this is the only fence you will be doing, consider wood corner posts only, manual dug corners and metal line posts.

 

[KennyG]

It's always hard for any of us to pass up an opportunity to buy equipment, but this job doesn't seem to justify a post hole digger. I would hand dig and set the 4 corner posts with bracing (maybe use treated 4x4's if you want to be fancy) and then drive steel T-posts in the fence lines. I guess you'll need an extra large post for the gate but it doesn't look like much of a job. With a good hand post hole digger, I can dig several deep holes in the time it takes to hook up a 3 point digger. (And I'm lazy.)

 

[EverythingAttachments]

We've sold many many Leinbach diggers in the past until we were unable to receive enough to keep up with the demand. At that time, we designed and started making our own EA Post Hole diggers in house and have had really good results. We offer several models that will match up to about any tractor from a subcompact tractor to Category 2 utility tractors. Our compact post hole digger is the best fit for subcompact tractors and small compacts such as the B series Kubotas. The 2816 is a compact that is a little larger than the B Kubota but it still isn't that big so our 6900 Hybrid digger would fit it best because it has an extended hoop that will give it enough lift height. We use 2" output shafts on all of the augers we make and they're also equipped with a standard 2" output shaft. Our Heavy duty ETA augers that come with our post hole diggers also have replaceable tips and cutting edges. All of our ETA post hole diggers and augers(except for the 7500 CAT 2) ship free to your home within 1,000 miles of Newton, NC and no tax is charged if you're outside of NC. Right now, we have a coupon code for 5% off any ETA brand attachment.
Here is a video that outlines some of the differences between the Leinbach phds and the ETA phds:

 

[Guesseral]

If you are going to buy an auger I don't think you will beat that pricing, most PHD are that much and more then you have to buy the auger bit separate. Aaaa just get it its a new implement!

 

[TerryR]

I intend to build a fence with "deer fencing" which is a plastic lightweight type of fence. The fence is to cover an area about 75 feet wide by 150 feet (these are aproximations) where I intend to garden vegetables. I will have to set a whole lot of 8 feet poles probably no deeper than 1.5 feet.

Having installed such a fence, I am a bit concerned about these specifications. Are you planning on 8-ft posts, or posts standing 8 feet out of the ground? My research suggests the fence needs to be around 8 feet tall, so the posts need to be taller. I used 12-ft posts, and set them 3 feet deep. I rented a PTO post hole digger for the job, and it was well worthwhile.

The corner posts especially have to be pretty substantial - the netting wants to sag and has to be pulled fairly tight, and with 8-ft posts you need substantial bracing, which means digging holes for brace posts too unless your line posts are close enough together to brace to them.

Some have suggested t-posts - I don't know that you can get them long enough, and if so I don't think are a good idea for a fence that tall, especially if you get any weather. The netting provides a fair amount of sail area, and will catch the snow if it's blowing, increasing the wind pressure on the fence.

Our fence:


Terry

 

[kebo]

My only comments since you are new with a tractor.... if you do buy a PHD, be aware they can be dangerous. Do not let anyone near it while it's rotating. If you find it needs some downforce to dig down in your clay, use a 2x4 about 10 ft long (or a 10ft metal pole). Lay the middle of the board/pole across the top of the PHD, and have a person stand at each end of the board and pull down on it. This will keep them several feet from the moving parts.

If your clay is anything like the clay I've had to dig through here in SC, I would have completely stop the action about every foot or so down the hole, and raise the bit just to pull off big chunks of clay that were stuck to the bit.

Personally, if I were you I would wait and catch one for sale on craigslist, unless you are just in a big hurry to get the fence up now. If you can find a used one, you can use it all you need to, then once you are done turn around and sell it and probably get your money back out of it. Just a thought, but good luck!

 

[plowindeeper]

Jump on that lienbach (if it will fit). Go get it today it's a steal.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I have laid many many a mile of fencing using a 26hp kubota w/ Cl.1 3pt PHD. Some comments are below

- posts ned to be much deeper than 1.5 feet. Long run you will not be happy going that shallow.
- overbracing corner posts is key. Do not scrimp in the corner construction.
- slow rpm and some downward pressure on clay is what will work for you. NOT HIGH RPM. trust me on this.
- auger should be 50% larger than the post. If using a 6" post buy a 9" auger. This is because on your size tractor, w/ Cl.1 on inexpensive equipment for a rookie the chances of you getting straight holes up and down is slim. With really good experiance you creep the tractor as you are drilling the hole and then you can drop down to 25% over post diameter.
- tractor is plent big. Bigger always better but in clay you are fine. Rocks is where you will have trouble.
- I have thousands of holes down with the Tractor Supply PHD with 9" and 12" augers and the unit works really well and looks as new as the day I uncrated it.
- when drilling deep do not plung the length of the auger. Down and up many times keeps holes clean and stops the auger from drilling down to gearbox with not enough up force on the 3pt to pull it back out! a stuck auger is no fun on a hot day.

good luck! drilling holes is not rocket science. Keep your rpms down, creep the tractor forward if you find your holes not going in straight. Lots of U-tube how to videos out there.

 

[300UGUY]

I have a 3 pt phd, I went with a 12 in auger. I like having a little wiggle room when putting posts in. It can be hard to get them in just where you want it, so for me, I put in a bigger hole, I can always put some dirt back in. It might take 30 minutes to set up a phd, they are kinda awkward, I used to put it on in pieces, but I built a dolly, that allows me to roll it up to the 3 pt, it makes it a lot easier. You need to be careful, the rotating auger is basically a big screw, if it catches your arm or pantleg, it won't let go. I do everything from the seat, I don't go anywhere near the auger or shaft when it is rotating. Your fencing idea sounds a little scketchy to me. I'd research that a bit more. Around here TSC has the best deal on fencing. Their catalog has a decent diagram of a fence.

 

[oldballs]

As others have noted, 8 ft wood corner posts and 6 ft metal T-posts is the way I went. I even used T-posts to brace the 6 inch corner posts. To the line posts I added 10 ft pvc water pipe attached with zip ties before attaching the deer netting with zip ties. All of this was added to a previous standing 4 ft field fence, which is laughable at keeping deer out. At the bottom I added two feet of chicken wire to really keep the squirrels and rabbits out.

Note this however, the coons still climb this fence and can really do some damage. So I then use trap/release or just shoot the critters. This fence has been standing for about 6-8 years. In the winter, freezing rain really bows the netting, but the pvc pipe bends with it and keeps it from falling down. Every couple years I replace the zip ties that have popped off. The ends of the pvc are capped.

So I'd say that you don't need a PHD for this project. At 80 years old I can still hand dig a few 3 ft holes..."Thank God".:thumbsup:

 

[Sniggle]

My 2 cents, after in the last couple of years digging many post holes with mmy little tractor and a 3-p auger:

- You will have no problem screwing the auger into the clay, the issue will be getting it out!
- You will need to learn how far you can drill before you need to pop the auger out to clear the hole and keep the auger free. Too deep, and the auger will not want to come out. Too shallow, and the process will be painfully slow and it will be hard to dig a straight hole. The sweet spot can be pretty small, if you are in heavy clay.
- Have some spare shear bolt on you....you may need them. They shear at the auger head if the torgue gets too great.
- When I got the auger stuck a few times, I was able to free it by rocking the tractor. This is a little hard on the equipment, but I did this maneuver a few times and never hurt the auger or tractor.....and it is a lot less painful than trying to dig the auger out by hand.
- 3-feet deep is a lot to ask for from a 3-pt hitch mounted tractor, in my opinion. It can technically do that, but
the 3-pt hitch will not like pulling the auger and dirt out at 3-feet deep. If you really have heavy clay, you may be fine at 2 feet or 2.5 feet.
- Consider a flexible fence like Ramm Fence. That is what I installed and it makes the long runs much easier, as only the corner posts (each corner has 3 vertical posts, 2 diagnal posts and cross braces) need to hold a significant loads.

Do be careful....the spinning auger is dangerous.

 

[Ted Summey]

I built a 7' high tensile deer fence last year. It is electric and works like a charm. Most deer prefer to go under a wire fence than jump so several strands down low work great.

Have you considered a double fence? It is highly effective and lower labor and costs. Google double deer fence. I use a double fence on my food plots.

1. You need deeper holes than 18". More like 30" minimum

2. I've had good luck using an auger closer to the same diameter as my post and pressing the post into the hole with the FEL.