Well today I learned 5 things about post hole augers

[Tony H]

With my previous 3 point auger I set the auger exactly straight, then pulled the tractor forward ever so slightly. By the time the auger was down 36" the hole was straight down. For 6" posts like standard split rail, I use a 9" diameter auger.
I always stored the post hole digger in all separate parts, and installed in the order of yoke, boom, gear box, auger.

I redid my fence this past summer and splurged on a ssqa loader mounted hydraulic auger. That thing is awesome.

Yeah, it's nice to be able to Push Down with the FEL.

 

[ctgoldwing]

As many have already said, I go slow on the rpm, take small bites and lift out often to clear the hole.

Several years and a tractor ago I drilled over 100 holes in our woods for a containment fence for our dogs. I used 8' 4X4's down 3' and drilled them all with a 6" auger. Between the massive amount of New England potatoes and the roots from all the trees I made my contribution to the broken shear bolt society.
With my current phd I found a way to just hang it under our deck with a chain fall - has worked out great!

I remove 1/2 the pto shaft and store inside and really grease the 1/2 left hanging

 

[BackRoad]

Post holes have become so scientifically complicated. I usually just buy mine. A guy comes from town and drops them off.

Keep 'em covered till you use them.

Once they fill with rain water, they're hard to move around without putting more holes in them.

Holes with holes are about worthless...

 

[etpm]

I bought my post hole digger for planting trees and the like. Though I have used it for posts, even for very large posts, drilling holes for planting is so much easier than using a shovel, especially with all the rocks we have here. Living on glacial till means varied geology, your neighbor has sandy loam, and just sandy loam, all the way to the center of the earth, while you have rocks and more rocks interspersed with that wonderful sandy loam. Every time you stick the shovel in you hit a rock. To the center of the earth. The post hole auger protests by getting stuck now and then but is much less work to get unstuck by just pulling the lever up on the tractor.
Eric

 

[Gil A]

First; if you don't know what you are doing (read: there's gotta be an optimal order of operations) then hooking one up to the 3-point is a real beast of a job.
Second; Hanging it by a rope from a tree on sloped ground is not the best storage option.
Third; Go slow stupid. Speed is not your friend when working with powerful hydraulics and heavy equipment.
Fourth; there is a reason they put that little valve under the front of the seat.
Fifth; get yourself an old school manual post hole digger to get the loose dirt out of the last foot of the hole

I did get one post in.

I got a question for the initiated.
Do you bother making sure your angle of entry is as vertical as you can by moving the tractor as youlower the auger? I did but I sort of wonder about the wisdom of it.

Back before 3 point Post hole digger I dug many a hole with a manual digger, and still use it on occasion. Have to smile at some of responses. First used a 3 point digger over 20 years ago when retired and returned to the farm. Have a Bush Hog brand and it came with manual and tips of how to use, also had instructions from a long time farmer/cattleman, my brother in law. First go slow lower til point is on place want hole, move tractor forward so that digger is at approximate 10 degrees. Then start auger. The arc of penetration will give you a straight hole or at least close enough. Dig slowly and lift auger a few times (but not out of hole) to throw dirt out. When hole is deep enough stop auger and lift out of hole. If done as stated very little dirt will remain in the hole. This works for me. Try it or develop your own method. Another tip.... use a low strength bolt on auger mount so it will break if hits an immovable object.

 

[jayhawk238]

 

[Mcdust]

First; if you don't know what you are doing (read: there's gotta be an optimal order of operations) then hooking one up to the 3-point is a real beast of a job.
Second; Hanging it by a rope from a tree on sloped ground is not the best storage option.
Third; Go slow stupid. Speed is not your friend when working with powerful hydraulics and heavy equipment.
Fourth; there is a reason they put that little valve under the front of the seat.
Fifth; get yourself an old school manual post hole digger to get the loose dirt out of the last foot of the hole

I did get one post in.

I got a question for the initiated.
Do you bother making sure your angle of entry is as vertical as you can by moving the tractor as you lower the auger? I did but I sort of wonder about the wisdom of it.

I have been running equipment for years and always favored the gently approach. I bought a tractor supply 3 point hitch digger with a 12" auger for doing post and rail along a 100year old road on an estate. When they built the road apparently it was any thing goes up to the worst - Chunks of mortared bricks for filling the swamp. I laid out for some holes, had a helper line me up and... immediately sheared the pin. After several of these I gave up and called tractor supply. I got a nice guy who said he had used the same auger at length somewhere in rocky soil and the only way to go was high throtlle. I took him at his word and have never sheared another pin. I admit it it's scary at times, don't let any one close to the auger, but it works great untill it tries to suck you into the center of the earth and wont let go! That gearbox is an incredibly tough piece of equipment, well worth $700. I donated an old come along to hanging the set up from the shed rafters and ad a couple of crummy straps to hold it right and its a breeze to hook back up. The only thing for me is I get confused about the quick connect collar.. I think you have to push when you think you should pull, Keep the book around. Good luck, McDust

 

[iptman]

With my previous 3 point auger I set the auger exactly straight, then pulled the tractor forward ever so slightly. By the time the auger was down 36" the hole was straight down. For 6" posts like standard split rail, I use a 9" diameter auger.
I always stored the post hole digger in all separate parts, and installed in the order of yoke, boom, gear box, auger.

I redid my fence this past summer and splurged on a ssqa loader mounted hydraulic auger. That thing is awesome.

Which one did you get? Any advice to share? I have about 100 posts to drop in the spring and might get a hydraulic if my CX2510's flow will run one.

 

[RjCorazza]

Which one did you get? Any advice to share? I have about 100 posts to drop in the spring and might get a hydraulic if my CX2510's flow will run one.

I bought a Land Pride SA20 ssqa post hole digger with the low flow motor. The low flow model requires 1500-3500 psi and 6-15 gpm flow. Medium flow motor needs 10-20gpm, and high flow 15-30gpm.
My Kubota L4060 is 9.4gpm total flow and the auger works fine, but it's slower in rpms compared to my previous PTO driver auger. The only disadvantage to the slower speed is that it doesn't sling dirt out of the hole like I'm used to. What worked best for me was stopping the auger 2 or 3 times and lifting the auger loaded with dirt out of the hole. Not really a big deal, just different.

On the BIG plus side, having down pressure made the work a breeze. I have a lot of chunk concrete from a demolished set of silos on my property. Without down pressure I was busting and removing small chunks by hand in almost every hole. With the new auger it either busted it up, or moved the concrete chunks into the vanes and out of the hole. I only had to pick one piece out of one hole that just refused to come out with the auger.

 

[rScotty]

As the old story goes....We were doing pretty well with the new fencing and making a new post hole about every 5 or ten minutes....sometimes longer..... until I drilled down through what appears to be an old set of bed springs.

That took up the rest of the day.