PTO Post Hole Digger Auger Sizing for 6" CCA Posts - 9" or 12"?

[SanDucerro]

Like the title says - I'm fixing to order a PTO Post Hole Digger to "plant" 130+ 6" CCA Round Wood Posts. Do I want the 9" or the 12" Auger?

Seems the 9" is only going to give me 1.5" per side for backfill "room". Is that enough to tramp, or should I go 12" so I have 3" per side?

 

[timberland]

9 will be fine.

 

[SSdoxie]

12" auger will give you more room, margin for error. Not every hole is going to be dead cneter where you planned it nor will the all be prefectly vertical. Especially the first few as you learn to sight the auger and move tractor fore & aft to keep the auger straight. There may come the time when a 9" would work better is some cases. If you can afford it get both.

 

[Ed of all trades]

The 9in will go into the ground easier but the 12in will be easier to tamp the post in the hole.

 

[SanDucerro]

Maybe I should add that the ground is sandy loam and I don't think there is a rock any where on the property. I do have a hard pan in some sections about 36" under the surface. When we used a two man auger to plant the post for the house we hit that and literally couldn't go any further. It was almost like a shelf! Most of the property is easily dug though.

 

[gabby]

12 inch

 

[bigbull338]

for what your wanting todo a 9in auger would be just fine.but if your putting in big corner post you need a 12in auger.but honestly you need both the 9in an 12in augers.

 

[EddieWalker]

It's not the size of the hole so much as it is getting it in the exact right place and angle. I have a 12 inch and red clay. I don't have any rocks, but I do have roots. My posts are 5 1/2 inches square. Getting them in a straight line, perfectly spaced every 8 feet exacly with a 12 inch auger is impossible for me every time. In fact, I'm lucky to get one in four just right and not have to use the clam shell diggers to make an adjustment of some kind. A hydraulic post hole digger would be better, but with a 3 pt post hole digger, you have to deal with position, and the angle of the downforce. Then you have to deal with anything that it hits while going down. It is VERY HARD to go straight down!!!!

I would never even consider a smaller auger for fence lines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eddie

 

[TomSeller]

12" for sure. Like others have mentioned, your auger will drift to one side or the other and not go straight down. Plus there are variations between where you intended to dig and where you actually dug as also mentioned by others. Backfilling and tamping is easier as well with a little room to spare.

 

[boggen]

will join the bang wagon, and say go for the 12" auger.

and have a second person acting as spotter, while digging holes, putting posts in and tamping. it reduces work about an easy half. (lots and lots of less leg work, and little bit better accuracy. but even still. a larger auger bit, like others have said, gives you that couple extra inches to tamp and line things up. when handling fence posts all day long, and then dealing with shovels. that little extra space is worth it. so much easier to tamp a little more dirt, than it is to shovel out a bunch of dirt.

hydraulic down force kit for 3pt hitch, for me would be extremely helpful for the various dirt / soils on the farm, but *shrugs* i have gotten on without it. with the old regular hand shovel and regular older two handed post hole digger.

having a reversible 3pt hitch post hole digger, when dealing with a bunch of roots. can extremely nice. so ya not having to break out a large pipe wrench, with cheater bar on it. to back out the auger bit when it gets stuck.

 

[schmism]

6" and press the posts into the holes with the FEL and do no back tamping? (poor mans post pounder?)

 

[TomSeller]

That 6" would work. The posts are going to be crooked and in the wrong spots is all. If that doesn't bother you, it would be fast. Not my style though.

 

[Case485Guy]

I went from 9" to 12" and love the 12". Gives you a big enough hole to adjust the post to get it straight in line. I use cut mesquite posts, just put 54 in the ground last weekend. The 12" hole makes it easier to drop a crooked post in the ground and get it straight for the fence line. Honestly it is not that much harder to dig with than the 9". Couple of yrs ago we did over 200 holes with the 9" and had to "trim" the holes with hand diggers for some of the post.

 

[SanDucerro]

Thanks for all the replies!

I've decided to go with the 12" auger for the initial order. However, I'm pretty sure I'll also order the 9" auger as well. I had almost forgot I also need to drill holes for the trellis - and they're only 4"/5" posts.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for all the replies!

I've decided to go with the 12" auger for the initial order. However, I'm pretty sure I'll also order the 9" auger as well. I had almost forgot I also need to drill holes for the trellis - and they're only 4"/5" posts.

It's a lot easier to fill a bigger hole then it is to change augers.

Eddie

 

[two_bit_score]

Thanks for all the replies!

I've decided to go with the 12" auger for the initial order. However, I'm pretty sure I'll also order the 9" auger as well. I had almost forgot I also need to drill holes for the trellis - and they're only 4"/5" posts.

I'm lucky to have a TLB to drill my post holes with and I use a 12 in auger for everything.
I doubt you will ever use that 9 in much.

 

[two_bit_score]

Maybe I should add that the ground is sandy loam and I don't think there is a rock any where on the property. I do have a hard pan in some sections about 36" under the surface. When we used a two man auger to plant the post for the house we hit that and literally couldn't go any further. It was almost like a shelf! Most of the property is easily dug though.

I realize you are doing this for a vineyard and not a fence but since you are going to be doing so many posts I'm wondering if Round metal posts driven in the ground would work for you?

This would put them in very easily:
Post Drivers - Rohrer Manufacturing

.

 

[SanDucerro]

It's a lot easier to fill a bigger hole then it is to change augers.

Eddie

Once I've done the post for the deer fence (6" CCA), then the rest of the project would be the trellis posts (4" to 5" CCA) - so theoretically I'll only have to switch once. But having said that, I'd have 4" per side with the 12" auger on the trellis posts and that does seem to be that much now that I think about it.

 

[SanDucerro]

I realize you are doing this for a vineyard and not a fence but since you are going to be doing so many posts I'm wondering if Round metal posts driven in the ground would work for you?

This would put them in very easily:
Post Drivers - Rohrer Manufacturing

.

Thanks for the link! Interesting read... Personally, I don't like T-Posts. They tend to discolor with surface rust and do not make for an attractive fence (in my opinion). In my situation we are fencing in the vines in the center of the property - we are not fencing in the perimeter of the entire property. The fenced area will be "part of" the overall experience our customers will see with gazebos and other such vistor draws located inside the fenced area or right next to it. So "looks" in our case are extremely important to the success of the venture.

 

[two_bit_score]

Thanks for the link! Interesting read... Personally, I don't like T-Posts. They tend to discolor with surface rust and do not make for an attractive fence (in my opinion). In my situation we are fencing in the vines in the center of the property - we are not fencing in the perimeter of the entire property. The fenced area will be "part of" the overall experience our customers will see with gazebos and other such vistor draws located inside the fenced area or right next to it. So "looks" in our case are extremely important to the success of the venture.

What I was talking about is ROUND metal posts. Not "T" posts.