My SIL and I are going to be running one of these cross handled 5.5 hp 10” auger units tomorrow. I suspect we will spend most of our time trying to get the clay off the auger. I have always been leery of these things as getting wrapped around the axle has never been one of my preferred methods of operation. Any suggestions?
Hand held post hole dioggers
- Thread starter Jackfre
- Start date
LeonardY
Well-known member
Wear boots. No shorts.
Make sure you both have solid footing before you start to dig.
This pretty much shows you how.
Make sure you both have solid footing before you start to dig.
This pretty much shows you how.
Arkansas COB
Well-known member
Never ran one that big but I have been using a 52cc one man auger almost every weekend for the last 4 months. All I can say is dont force it to dig. I think its best to try to keep it from digging best you can. My small one will wrap you up really fast if you catch a root or a rock. If that happens just turn it loose. Dont try to fight it.
Another thing I think helps is after you reach depth is to stop and just lift it straight up without bit turning. Seems to knock less dirt back in the hole. After you get it out then you can spin it to remove excess dirt.
Just my .02.
Another thing I think helps is after you reach depth is to stop and just lift it straight up without bit turning. Seems to knock less dirt back in the hole. After you get it out then you can spin it to remove excess dirt.
Just my .02.
The suggestion for wearing boots is probably a great idea, along with the other standard safety stuff, like eye protection, no dangling jewelry or long hair.
Be careful and be ready for it to try to kick your ***. When it catches, one of the arms is coming your way.
Be careful and be ready for it to try to kick your ***. When it catches, one of the arms is coming your way.
firebirdparts
Well-known member
I just put a new deck in using a good ol' PHD like we had 100 years ago, and I was amazed to find that it really wasn't that much work. I only had about 15 holes, though. I'm not sure the hand held power auger is actually easier. I wonder.
We built about a half mile of fence when I was about 14 years old and rammed earth around every post, so I'd had the pleasure before, and I thought that was pretty tedious. I was incredibly strong then too. The ramming is more work than the digging it seems to me like.
We built about a half mile of fence when I was about 14 years old and rammed earth around every post, so I'd had the pleasure before, and I thought that was pretty tedious. I was incredibly strong then too. The ramming is more work than the digging it seems to me like.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
If it is clay, you will spend most to the time trying to get it out out the ground ! BTDTGTT !
bassJAM
Well-known member
I'm to the point where I'll either dig by hand or rent a towable auger. The gas handheld augers seem like more work than digging by hand unless the dirt is already soft, with no roots or rocks. Which in my experience is never.
Even the towable auger can be a lot of work, I put in a deck around a mature tree last spring, out of the 8 holes I dug every one had one or more large roots that I needed to cut with a saw and several smaller ones that the auger wouldn't go through, I probably ended up digging as much out with a manual post hole digger as I did the hydraulic auger. An auger on a skid steer is probably the only true "easy" method I've used.
Natty Bumppo
Well-known member
As much as it's nice to do it yourself, sometimes you just hire stuff like this out and be done with it. When I had to drill 17 5' holes for my pole barn a few years ago I had a local landscaper come in with his Toro Dingo auger. He was in and out in about 90 minutes and charged me $150 or so. I had him back last summer to drill 14 more holes for 3 decks I was building....another $200 or so. Worth every penny.
Gunfixr
Well-known member
I have both the old style manual post hole diggers, and a gas powered auger. While i've used used the manual post hole diggers a few times, i've yet to use the auger. I've friends who've used augers, in in my presence. They don't appear to be an enormous amount of less work. It seems to me to be dependent on how many holes you have to make, and what kind of soil you have to make them in.
Good luck. I hope you have very few rocks. My son and I once tried to use one of those two man gas powered post hole diggers in our yard but the soil here is very rocky and some of those rocks are pretty big. It didn't take long to realize there was no way we could control that thing. When a powerful motor is turning an auger and that auger hits a rock it can't dislodge it will rip the machine from your hands. The injury potential is high.
I hate to hire things out but in this case having a guy with a bobcat and auger was the only real option.
I hate to hire things out but in this case having a guy with a bobcat and auger was the only real option.
Viper98912
Well-known member
I guess I was lucky when digging 8 post holes ~48" deep for a deck. Rented a 2-man auger from the hardware store with the biggest bit they had (12" I think). Didn't run into any major rocks and if there were any tree roots in the way, it ripped through them.
The key was to have a bigger guy on the other side that wouldn't get knocked over as easily as I would
The biggest issue we had was lifting the auger from near the bottom; the blades full of dirt made for a REALLY heavy lift. Even when going in and out to get dirt out constantly, there was always the point where it'd just get really difficult to lift because you're so far down. Another thing that stunk was the fact that there was no clutch engagement for the engine and bit - in other words, as soon as you pulled the engine crank, the bit was turning as soon as the engine caught. So it was very difficult to get started and control as it'd suddenly just take off on you.
Made for an interesting morning for a couple hours of work. Would I do it again? Yes. But I was probably lucky as we didn't run into too many issues that others have noted here.
The key was to have a bigger guy on the other side that wouldn't get knocked over as easily as I would
The biggest issue we had was lifting the auger from near the bottom; the blades full of dirt made for a REALLY heavy lift. Even when going in and out to get dirt out constantly, there was always the point where it'd just get really difficult to lift because you're so far down. Another thing that stunk was the fact that there was no clutch engagement for the engine and bit - in other words, as soon as you pulled the engine crank, the bit was turning as soon as the engine caught. So it was very difficult to get started and control as it'd suddenly just take off on you.
Made for an interesting morning for a couple hours of work. Would I do it again? Yes. But I was probably lucky as we didn't run into too many issues that others have noted here.
acer66
Well-known member
Not a big fan of these things but it is doable.
I would have a couple of the safety bolts that snap to prevent accidents handy.
Last job we did not have any and …
Be aware in which direction it will go and brace yourself.
I would also recommend hearing protection and like it was said before these things are a work out and are not very forgiving.
I would have a couple of the safety bolts that snap to prevent accidents handy.
Last job we did not have any and …
Be aware in which direction it will go and brace yourself.
I would also recommend hearing protection and like it was said before these things are a work out and are not very forgiving.
jar944
Well-known member
For a 10" I'd see if you can upgrade to the towable auger. They are a lot nicer to use.
I have a 6" one man auger that is small enough to fight with and not powerfull enough to throw you off.
jar944
Well-known member
Power auger beats hand post hole every time no matter the situation.
Power auger has a throttle …….use it wisely.
Yes, power auger needs some precautions ………..
just like garage door springs, chain saws and stump grinders.
Power auger has a throttle …….use it wisely.
Yes, power auger needs some precautions ………..
just like garage door springs, chain saws and stump grinders.nateo
Well-known member
About half a lifetime ago I spent a summer building decks and sunrooms, so we had plenty of opportunities to screw up operating a two-person power auger. As others have said, know which way the handle is going to move when you hit something solid and be ready for it. You might think you're being smart by bracing the handle against your thigh but you'll change your mind when it the bit grabs on a rock or a root. Much better to have the handle jump out of your hands and spin than to add black and blue decorations to your body.
You mentioned working in clay, so make sure you take the smallest of bites. Basically work to hold the auger up the whole time and barely let the tip make contact with the ground, clearing the hole often. You want to pull dirt up, not drive the auger down. Once we were working on a site with lots of clay and weren't paying enough attention. The auger got a hold and screwed itself straight down until the handles were flush with the ground (with our fingers underneath). Happened in a flash, suddenly we were just pulled down to our knees. Obviously there was no lifting it out of that hole, so the next while was spent with a 10' 2x4 jammed through the handles walking in circles like Conan to screw it out. Not the best use of anyone's time!
You mentioned working in clay, so make sure you take the smallest of bites. Basically work to hold the auger up the whole time and barely let the tip make contact with the ground, clearing the hole often. You want to pull dirt up, not drive the auger down. Once we were working on a site with lots of clay and weren't paying enough attention. The auger got a hold and screwed itself straight down until the handles were flush with the ground (with our fingers underneath). Happened in a flash, suddenly we were just pulled down to our knees. Obviously there was no lifting it out of that hole, so the next while was spent with a 10' 2x4 jammed through the handles walking in circles like Conan to screw it out. Not the best use of anyone's time!
Dumber than lumber
Well-known member
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- Dec 19, 2015
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That is such a brilliant idea!! Those Toro machines with all the attachments are in the category of "for the guy who has everything".
If anyone here wins a big lottery jackpot, get this kind of equipment for when you build your super garage/shop.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Wow, that's some sister in law!
first time I used a service to dig post holes was the time I decided I would never again dig a post hole myself.
but a 1 man auger is much better than the 2 man augers
but a 1 man auger is much better than the 2 man augers
Jazz1
Well-known member
My first house we punched 60 fence post holes in a couple hours…all sand. My current house hit clay a foot down…and shale. Not hand auger ground!!
Guy with bobcat did 80 holes for $250!! That was a bargain.
Guy with bobcat did 80 holes for $250!! That was a bargain.
rburke65
Well-known member
Been there...done that...advise...HOLD ON!
Well, I got down to the place and decided to see how it would be to dig the holes by hand. Had the utility our for “dig safe” and with all underground utilities in the area water and gas were a problem. Then of course on the test hole the sprinklers were right on the property line when they weren’t on the neighbors and then, given that it is a wet clay area the area drain lines for the perimeter and downspouts went right down the line of the fence. The diggin was easy but with all the underground decisions need to be made and they are way past my pay grade. So, anyway, I did not have to rent the machine.
I used an old type hand operated digger for years. Late in life I bought a 3 ph tractor mounted and smiled every time I used it. It did grab a root once and break a universal joint, simple to repair and better than tearing up a gear.
KEH
KEH
I've held one way too many times when I used to install fences. Trick is knowing when to lift it up to extract clay, etc. or when you can just go to town. Also, make sure you have a pipe wrench in case you get stuck and need to back it out.
I found a guy in my area that will come out an do post holes for $5 a hole. Couldn’t beat it, had him dig me 20 holes with an auger 2ft deep, handed him $100 and thanked him for saving me the trouble. He just used a gas auger from harbor freight, actually broke halfway into the job, he went there and warrantied it for another and came back.
When I built our deck, I rented a walk behind Bobcat with a 12" auger. Total including the trailer for 4 hours was around $125. I drilled 16 holes 48" deep in 45 minutes. Given these results, I would never consider one of those widowmaker hand held augers.
