My County Line post hole digger wants to screw itself into the ground . I am letting the lift down a small amount at a time but when it starts screwing in it will bow the 3" pipe to the point that I am afraid it is going to bend. I am running the tractor at low idle speed. Wondering if a higher RPM would help this. Or other suggestions that might help this thing to dig and not screw in.
PTO Post Hole Digger
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old and tired
Veteran Member
Take smaller "bites"... raise the 3ph more times, before it bites into the ground, raise it up (just do it more often).
Also helps to have a 3 foot pipe wrench for when it does screw itself into the ground!!!
Also helps to have a 3 foot pipe wrench for when it does screw itself into the ground!!!
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
My County Line Auger is the third brand that I bought. The first two brands barely dug. The Country Line is super aggressive, and it digs so fast that it will bury itself. I've done it more times then I can count.
Fortunately for me, I have a backhoe that I can use to pull the auger out of the ground. Sometimes it comes up easy, sometimes it creates a crater!!!
Trying to take small bits, and go slow doesn't work. Once it digs in, nothing will stop it from burying itself.
My solution was to put wood blocks under it. I created a bench kind of thing that sits about a foot off of the ground. When I feel the auger dig in, I stop everything and put the wood under the gear box. It straddles the hole, and stops the gear box from going any deeper. Once the gear box hits the wood, I rev up the RPM's, and the auger breaks free.
That was with my 37HP tractor. I now have the auger on a 65HP tractor, and I've never buried the auger. It's tried to bury itself, but having more HP has allowed me to spin it free and pull it out.
How much HP does your tractor have?
Rock Crawler
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Thank you very much for this morsel of education. I am going to be doing a 10'X60' deck next year at my camp, and I plan to use my auger for the first time to get the 12" wide by 36" deep holes done. Then I will use a hand post hole digger to get the code required 18" diameter. I will absolutely be sure to pre stage your wood block solution before I ever start. That is simplistic genius. I love it. Thanks again.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
You're welcome.
Another trick that I've learned when drilling holes is when the ground is too hard to drill, get out the SDS Max with a shovel bit, and dig a hole to hold water. Fill the hole with water, then fill it again when it drains, and again if you can. Then it will drill easily.
I have a small Honda generator that I use for power.
I started with a 37hp tractor and it was borderline at having enough power to drill holes in hard red clay all year round. July, August and September the soil can be like concrete. I even struggle to dig into it with my full sized 555E Backhoe!!!
With the 65hp tractor, it's a lot easier for me to drill the holes. More power makes a huge difference. But some days, and in some spots, it's not enough. I can drill five holes in a row, every 100 feet, and then the next one, the ground is just solid and impenetrable.
65HP John Deere 5065E with 3pt auger.
Another trick that I've learned when drilling holes is when the ground is too hard to drill, get out the SDS Max with a shovel bit, and dig a hole to hold water. Fill the hole with water, then fill it again when it drains, and again if you can. Then it will drill easily.
I have a small Honda generator that I use for power.
I started with a 37hp tractor and it was borderline at having enough power to drill holes in hard red clay all year round. July, August and September the soil can be like concrete. I even struggle to dig into it with my full sized 555E Backhoe!!!
With the 65hp tractor, it's a lot easier for me to drill the holes. More power makes a huge difference. But some days, and in some spots, it's not enough. I can drill five holes in a row, every 100 feet, and then the next one, the ground is just solid and impenetrable.
65HP John Deere 5065E with 3pt auger.
SmallChange
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I have the County Line (not Country) and my soil is so hard I still have the problem that it won't start. I've often done the bit with water. Beyond that, I often start holes with a masonry bit in a hand drill. My soil is round river bank gravel cemented together with clay. I can jump around on a pointed spade like a pogo stick without it penetrating. My house is surrounded by gravel pits. I've also learned to drill with a 6" auger then switch to the 9" auger. Pilot holes I'm drilling, with this horrible soil.
NoTrespassing
Veteran Member
Increasing the PTO speed might help too. Think "feed per revolution" like on a milling machine. The "chip load" will be less as long as you maintain the same feed rate.
If it's possible to change the "rake angle" on the cutting edge, reducing the angle would help keep the auger from pulling in. When machining brass, a reduced "rake angle" is used to keep the tool from pulling into the metal.
I've used mine in sandy dirt with my 44 hp tractor, and used a jd4455 in clay.
I didn't have any problems with mine in sand.
But it took 800 lbs to get it to dig in the clay.
I don't think the pipe would hold if the tractor just pulled up if it had screwed in.
I didn't have any problems with mine in sand.
But it took 800 lbs to get it to dig in the clay.
I don't think the pipe would hold if the tractor just pulled up if it had screwed in.
