Recommendation for a post hole digger for a BX22..

[Junkman]

Since the weather is getting warmer, it is getting closer to the time that I will need to purchase a post hole digger. Any recommendations? I have looked at the Woods 1110 and that is what the dealer recommended, but I have seen pictures of the 1130 mounted on the BX, even though the dealer said it wouldn't fit. I can't find that thread to answer this question... thanks .... the original Junk....

 

[Tom_H]

Hi Junkman,

I've been pleased with my Greene unit which I got from Northern Tool and Equipment. The auger is 42". It has a lot of power on my BX 2200. I selected theirs because it was the best price and I have not been disappointed. As you are so close to them, shipping should not be too much. You might even be within driving distance.

I do have clay soil so the moisture content has to be just right. When dry, it is too hard and I can't dig. When supersaturated, it's like trying to drill a hole in a milkshake. With the right moisture content, it's very easy. If you have silty soil, loam, sandy loam, etc. you should have no problems of this kind.

Beneath my clay I have water impermeable hardpan. My unit cannot penetrate this at all. For this you'd need a unit with downpressured hydraulics and a carbide fishtail auger tip. Land Pride offers a unit that will fit the BX, including the extra hydraulics.

Getting the PHD on and off the small BX 3ph can be a challenge. I suspended a small chain hoist from my garage trusses, just at the edge of the wall. This has made on-off much simpler and faster.

Here's a recent similar thread.

Here's another one.

Good Luck JM
TH

 

[milkman]

Have used a regular PHD bouth from Quality Farm & Fleet when they went out of business, it's the regular length 9" auger and it will lift with a foot of clearance, but I have the PatsEasyChange which lengthens my lift arms almost three inches. Fun punchin' holes. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[MadDog]

Junkman: If where you are is anything like my area, you may want to consider how sturdy any PHD that you consider bjying is. My land must be where a glacial morraine was left, because we have a small amount of sand (usually pretty close to hardpan) binding an endless collection of rocks and boulders of all sizes from gravel to boulders so large that my FEL can barely lift them even when they are completely out of the ground. When the auger hits anything larger than grapefruit sized it puts MAJOR stress on both the PHD and the 3ph. That's why, after comparing specs, I spent the extra $$ for a Danuser, which I concluded was about the best- built out there.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tom_H]

Junkman,

Here's another old BX PHD thread.

Is this or either of the 2 I found above the one you were looking for? How's your shopping around and decision going?

Just f.y.i., A full sized PHD will fit the BX 3ph, and without Pat's easy hitch arm extenders. Begin with all the major parts unassembled. You have to start with the lift arms at mid height, which is where they will spread the farthest. At their top or bottom heights, they won't spread far enough apart. With them at mid height, put the U-bar on first. Now raise the lift arms to full height. Next, attach the J-bar to the top link. After this, connect the U-bar and J-bar. With the drive shaft coupled, plug the gearbox in to the PTO. Lift the gearbox and bolt to the end of the J-bar. Bolt the auger to the gearbox. It's on.

To get it off: 1.) You can get one of those racks. 2.) You could get a less expensive chain hoist and suspend it somewhere. Wrap a short piece of high strength webbing around the goose-neck of the J-bar and attach to hoist hook. Transfer 99% of the weight to the hoist. Uncouple J-bar from U-bar. Move tractor slightly forward. Uncouple J-bar from top-link. Move tractor farther. Uncouple U-bar from lift arms. To re-attach, do all this in reverse.

I've heard of some people leaving the PHD hanging from a strong oak limb like this. The top loop of my chain hoist has a 1 1/2" by 10' steel pipe running through it. This pipe sits on my garage trusses, perpendicular to them. This way I can roll the pipe along the trusses toward or away from the wall. After uncoupling the PHD, I roll the assembly against the wall and rotate it 90 degrees so that the body is parallel to the wall. On the floor there is a 12" 12' x 4" wood block with a small hole into which I lower the auger tip. The Greene gearbox housing has 2 side by side boltholes into which I put eyebolts. The wall is made of logs and has 2 more eyelags which are in allignment with the eyebolts. I push the 4 eyes into allignment, slip in a long hitch pin, then instead of a clevis pin, a padlock through the hole secures everything to the wall. The rest of the weight comes off the hoist. I lock the U-bar to the wall in a similar manner.

When the PHD is on the tractor with a 42" auger, at full lift height, I have
6" of clearance between the tip and the ground. I have 6" dia. and 14" dia. augers.

Good luck with your search and "Happy Hunting" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jpr62902]

Tom,

Thank you so much for this very informative post. I've read quite a few previous posts which comment that a BX 3 pt. hitch can't accomodate a full sized post hole auger and your information puts that "myth" to rest.