Questions of PHD's and Augers

[MtnViewRanch]

How deep do you dig them? My first thought is I'm using hydraulic, I bet I get half the hp to the ground that you do with your big machine.

Main issue is rocks and roots - a big oak root is tough to cut with a backhoe, so I don't blame the auger. "Stuck" rocks are another issue - they don't have to be that big, if they've got nowhere to go but sideways the earth wins.

I can get it done, as the hydraulic doesn't shear, and reverse and up and down is easy. But I usually stall the 24" once a hole. Rarely stall the 12.

I normally dig them 42" deep. I thought that you were getting bogged down in very sandy soil. That is what you you said in your other post. But if you are hitting roots and or rocks in that sandy soil, well that is another problem. I figured that the hydraulic system on the M59 would have been a bit stronger, but if things get bound up, I guess that it is better that it by-passes rather than breaking something.

 

[radman1]

I have a rear pto PHD, and 2 hydraulic Bobcat PHDs (model 15C and 30C). My rear pto PHD is just a very average model and not HD. 10 years ago, I did mount a 24" bobcat auger on my rear PHD. Used a piece of 2" pipe for an adapter. On a rear PHD, a 24" auger spins relatively fast, even at tractor idle. I was using a Kubota 3710 at the time on the PHD. I dug holes about 18" deep and used grade 5 bolt for shear pin. Dug about 15 holes for trees. It worked ok but I have black dirt, no roots and no rocks. I had to dig very slowly, and be ready to stop pto or raise the PHD. With rocks or roots, something will have to give. Shear pin breaks, tractor dies or PHD breaks.

My Bobcat 15C hydraulic auger has trouble turning my 24" or 36" bits below 16-18" in dry, hard soil. My 30C auger will turn them to whatever depth I want.

 

[Charlesaf3]

I normally dig them 42" deep. I thought that you were getting bogged down in very sandy soil. That is what you you said in your other post. But if you are hitting roots and or rocks in that sandy soil, well that is another problem. I figured that the hydraulic system on the M59 would have been a bit stronger, but if things get bound up, I guess that it is better that it by-passes rather than breaking something.

Very sandy soil, but lots of rocks and roots - it was forest a year or 2 ago.

People have posted the horspower ratings around here, can't remember what hydraulic works out to. But m59 is basically as strong hydro wise as a standard flow bobcat. I don't think that's near as strong as the pto.

Yep, just found a calculator online, plugged in 16.9 gpm, 2800 psi, and 100% efficiency and got 27.6 hp. So thats way under pto.

Still worth it for down pressure and reverse.