Posthole Digger Quality of Gear Box questions

[katesaidan]

I have several hundred fence posts to dig this summer and I'm not doing it by hand. Regardless of gear box I will be getting a John Deere auger.

I have seen several brands of gear boxes - Front Line, King Kutter, Leinbach, and John Deere. They all seem to be exactly the same, and I was told they are exactly the same, except John Deere is charging 2x more than everyone else.

IS there such a substantial difference in the gear boxes that I should spend the extra $500-600 on a John Deere gear box? I want something that is going to survive drilling through rocky soil repeatedly and last for a good long time.

(I was also told that the auger for one machine will go onto the gear box for another).

 

[oldmech]

Hi! For gear box. First look for ratio. And very important Check for HP rating. Some Gear box are 60 hp rating. 80 hp or 100 hp rating are better. If you have a 60 hp tractor look for a 80 hp rating no trouble. If you use a 60 hp Gear box with a 80 hp tractor you can destroy the unit. Good luck! Oldmech

 

[katesaidan]

I have a compact tractor and found several gear boxes with a 24HP rating, which is what my PTO is. I'm just trying to figure out if one brand is better than another. Nothing used in my area so I'm buying new.

 

[RoyJackson]

I have a compact tractor and found several gear boxes with a 24HP rating, which is what my PTO is. I'm just trying to figure out if one brand is better than another. Nothing used in my area so I'm buying new.

Make sure the gearbox rating is 24 HP...I'm thinking the minimum PTO HP might be what you're quoting...

You'll want a gearbox that is rated higher then your tractor PTO HP.

 

[katesaidan]

Make sure the gearbox rating is 24 HP...I'm thinking the minimum PTO HP might be what you're quoting...

You'll want a gearbox that is rated higher then your tractor PTO HP.

The tractor itself is 27 HP, the PTO is 24HP. Isn't it funny that right around the time I think I know something I found out I don't?:ashamed:

 

[RoyJackson]

The tractor itself is 27 HP, the PTO is 24HP. Isn't it funny that right around the time I think I know something I found out I don't?:ashamed:

You're doing fine...no need for embarassment.

A gearbox rated for 40 HP ought to do you fine. That's plenty of margin of safety.
Actually, Kate...if there's a place you can rent a PHD, renting (initially) might be in your best interest.

 

[katesaidan]

if there's a place you can rent a PHD, renting (initially) might be in your best interest.

$50 a day, I have a LOT to put in. Because I can't dig post holes full time it will take me a while to get it done. It's more economical to just buy one, unfortunately.

 

[b2910]

I have several hundred fence posts to dig this summer and I'm not doing it by hand. Regardless of gear box I will be getting a John Deere auger.

I have seen several brands of gear boxes - Front Line, King Kutter, Leinbach, and John Deere. They all seem to be exactly the same, and I was told they are exactly the same, except John Deere is charging 2x more than everyone else.

IS there such a substantial difference in the gear boxes that I should spend the extra $500-600 on a John Deere gear box? I want something that is going to survive drilling through rocky soil repeatedly and last for a good long time.

(I was also told that the auger for one machine will go onto the gear box for another).

I can't directly answer your question about whether a JD gear box is any better, but it probably is not a decisive factor. I am working on a big, big for me anyway, fence project, maybe 250 posts, and started last summer. Where I live, Atlanta area, the summers are dry and the clay is nearly rock hard, but I have almost no actual rocks fortunately. However I do have tree roots that are a problem. I found out as others have mentioned before, that when the ground is dry it is very difficult to dig holes, but at this time of year the auger can really dig them easily. I broke several shear pins when it was dry and have had almost no problems since it started raining regularly. I am using an old 9" Shaver auger with a short bit, 30" hole is max, which the dealer told me was about as large as my 29hp Kubota could easily handle.

I think Roy Jackson's idea of renting an auger might pay off for the first holes just to see what kind of luck you have. If your soil is really rocky you might find that a PTO auger on a compact tractor just won't cut it. It is a real pain getting the auger out of the ground when the shear pin breaks, the 3pt won't pull them out when the bit has engaged a tree root or big rock that breaks the shear pin. Good luck with the project, try to start it while the ground is still workable however, otherwise you might get real frustrated with it.

 

[bigbull338]

if you have alot of post holes to digg,id get a heavy duty bushhogg digger.we have a new bushhog with the bearclaw tipps on both augers.an it diggs like a son of a gun.an we are using a mx5100 kubota to digg when needed.but i wouldnt be afraide to use our 85hp tractor to run it.as for blowing out gearboxes,i havent heard of that happening at all.

 

[Argosy]

I think you'd do more expensive damage using a 60 hp gearbox on a 24 hp tractor than a tractor and gear box that are equally matched. The big gearbox is going to have a big shear pin and the way smaller rated tractor pto is going to be the weak link. If you're going to do something like that you need to get ahold of the manufacturer or an engineer to figure what size/grade shear pin to use for 24 hp.