Right of Passage...

[Henro]

Well it happened. I knew it was a possibility...and tried to be careful and avoid it. I knew the risks and took care not to go beyond the limits...I pulled it out constantly before I needed to. I repeatedly inserted and withdrew to be sure everything would go as expected...

But it happended anyway. I got my auger stuck!

Fortunately I remembered posts by other's here and did not bend it by trying to rock it back and forth in an attempt to break it free. I stopped and decided to just get a pipe wrench and screw it out while it was attached to the PHD gearbox. Probably a bad idea as it must have been bound up a bit...a conclusion I reached one broken pipe wrench later... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

No problem...just take the auger off the gear box shaft and turn it out by itself. Wait...I can't get the wrenches on the bolts...that guard is in the way...That guard that WAS there was in the way. But before I could get to the past tense, I had to get the auger off before I could get the guard off... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Power up the tractor again, and screw the auger in a little deeper to get the two bolts for the auger to line up with the holes in the guard...hope this is the right thing to do...already broke one 18" pipe wrench. Lucky me got the bolts lined up with the holes on the first try...

Auger is now naked in the ground...my 14" pipe wrench is too small to grab the shaft...put the bolts back in the auger and that gave the smaller wrench something to grip on...the 4' cheeter bar was enough to get it turning backwards. After it gets turning it seems easier to turn each revolution.

Funny thing was how fast it screwed itself in when it grabbed on that root. Like right NOW! Talk about down pressure. There must be a lot of down pressure when one of the flutes is under a strong root or rock!

Sorry Rhino, but those guards at the top of the auger are history now. Why could they not be more easily removable when needed to be? The one on the end of the PTO shaft at the PHD gearbox input shaft is.

Nothing intersting about seeing an auger screwed into the ground...so instead attached is a pic of my cheap "drop forged jaws" pipe wrench...now two pieces. Drop forged jaws...maybe...drop forged handle...nope, cast iron by the looks of it. And I was only using a 3' cheeter pipe to boot! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Egon]

Think Rigid and 36 0r 48. May be heavy. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And then start looking for a heavier longer cheater pipe.

And never push. Only pull with one foot well back as a brace.

And don't even think Aluminum and cheater bars.

Do not ask how I know these things.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Wannafish]

Henro,

By the looks of it, you didn't have the cheater all the way "up" the handle. It "appears" the end of the cheater was probably right at the point where the handle broke. Had it been up further it might have not broken...or not. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[creeper]

Just went thru this myself.Glad you got it out with no bends, my auger is at the welding shop having surgery now.

 

[hobbyfarm]

Bill,
If that happpens a lot, even better than egon's suggestion is a <font color="orange">Ridgid Chain Tong </font>. With one of those, you'll be able to easily twist it with no cheater pipe. These are what we used in the oilfield to twist large pipe.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree with egon.. no aluminum cheater bars.. no thin wall pipe cheaters.. and no wimpy pipe wrenches. An 18" pipe wrench should pretty much take anything that a 180# man and a cheater paipe can do to it, and at worst, the jaws should strip the bolt round, or whatever you are hooke dto should cave in without the wrench going.

Soundguy

 

[DKinWA]

I've found an easier way to get my auger out of the ground when I stick it. We don't have real rocky ground around here, but roots have a tendency to grab the auger flutes. I just remove the two bolts on the auger so I can lift up the three point and turn around. Then I stick a much longer grade 8 bolt through one of the bolt holes on the auger and wrap a chain around it. Once that's done, I run the chain over the bucket hook and lift it right out of the ground. Some times I'll rock back and forth lightly and it usually comes right out. I've also found it works better to just lift the auger free, but not out of the hole. It makes it easier to spin the tractor around and line up the gearbox shaft up on the auger. Drop it back down and put the bolts back in and away you go.

 

[johnk]

I use a 24" aluminum.....Nice and light and good leverage.........

 

[kmdigital]

You need a brand name wrench, such as Ridgid, and you will never be able to break the handle like that. I have seen a few bent handles, but they won't snap. But you already know that........

 

[California]

Henro - the HF alarmists are slow getting moving this evening! I'm sure they will be along in a moment.

I have an ideal cheater bar - a 6 foot length of military surplus aluminum radio mast. It will take all the force I can apply and doesn't weigh much. There is a second length that will couple to it and I've used them together a couple of times to pry under a boulder. That bent the crowbar that was slipped into the tip but the mast segments are still fine.

 

[Henro]

Like everyone said...I need to get a good wrench... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If (when.../forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) it happens again I may try DKinWA's method of lifing with the chain/bucket hook, even if only a little to loosen the auger up so it turns easier...

That wrench did not come from HF, but it just as well could have. It was from some kind of cheap local store...it was only a 3' piece of pipe that I was using, probably 2" ID...not sure how far it was on the handle.

The broken wrench does illustrate the variability in these cheap tools. The 14" (which probably came in same box as the 18") that I used with a 4' cheater bar did not break, but I think the handle on that one may have bent a little... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Bob_Young]

Nuts! That broken wrench looks exactly like my 'Good' wrench; the one I've been saving for a really tough job. Inherited it from me Dear Old Dad, I did. Think he got it down around Pittsburgh somewhere /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

Woodenchaknow.
Bob

 

[frank_f15]

Bill : you really need to get some better pipe wrenches, i may have a ridgid 24" still around here.