What size auger do you use?

[cletus99]

I ended up getting the 9 inch auger and it worked just fine. I can see where a 12 inch may come in handy, but it worked good. Spent the last 2 weeks digging hole and putting up field fence. Worth every penny. I had also read the pros and cons on different threads about driving Tpost with the FEL and thought I'd give it a try. Worked pretty good for about 90% of my post. The ones that didn't my son pounded in by hand. He was thankful for the FEL this time.

 

[bigcut]

I have used mine fairly little, but it's definitely easier to backfill a too-large hole than enlarge a too-small and claw out material from the bottom of the hole... as mentioned, a larger hole gives you wiggle room if the hole is angled or obstructed. I only bought the 12" one, and its worked well for 6x6's & tree planting (small fruit trees).
For tree planting you have to be careful that you don't smear a "hard pan" the roots & water will have difficulty penetrating once they get going if you have a lot of clay. I've felt compelled to "dress up" some of the holes when they look nice & smooth on the edges to (hopefully) give the roots an unencumbered entrance to the virgin soil.
I may feel differently backfilling every cedar post next spring, but I know I don't like trying to scrape & paw out extra from the bottom & edges of a hole!

Brown,
What adjustment steps or measures do you take when you smear the hole in planting trees ?
Any advice appreciated.
John

 

[quadpa1911]

9,12, and 24 the 12 gets the most work

 

[brown40]

Hi John,
It seems to me when I planted the fruit trees I grabbed the claw hammer off the back of the tractor and used the claws to scrape off the smooth areas, but anything to get the smooth smear off so the roots have an "in", and don't turn away. Anything would work... just want to be able to see some soil structure on the hole sides instead of looking like it's been spackled.

 

[FatTire]

Seems to me you have to discuss ground conditions along with bit size. I can imagine a 12 or 15 inch hole would be nice, but around here you have close to zero chance of digging a hole that size without hitting rock. Tough to squeeze a 9 inch bit between rocks. Would like to get a 6 inch bit and try that.

 

[logan97]

I'm thinking about purchasing a post hole digger soon and I was wondering what size auger you all use? I don't need a 12 inch for sure. So I'm torn between a 6 inch or 9 inch. I usually buy the 4/5 x 8 post from Tractor Supply for my fence so I was really just wondering how well a 6 inch auger would work. Thinking I should go with a 9 inch.

I got a 12" for a B7800 Kubota to large for this tractor in hard or rocky soil.