Gas post hole digger?

[daycab]

Has anyone used a one person gas post hole digger? Do they work? What are some desirable features on one? Are they worth the cost? How many HP to dig 100 post holes in moderately rocky clay soil?


PTO driven units are out because some of the fence line is not accessible by tractor.

[mightybooboo]

Originally Posted by daycab

Has anyone used a one person gas post hole digger? Do they work? What are some desirable features on one? Are they worth the cost? How many HP to dig 100 post holes in moderately rocky clay soil?


PTO driven units are out because some of the fence line is not accessible by tractor.

I rented one once,a buddy and I each held a handle,and it drove the holes for a five acre fence no problem at all,very nice machine.I think it was 5 horsepower.They work really well,ours was rocky,DG type soil.
BooBoo

[C@TFISH]

I've used the 2 person post hole digger. It was always getting stuck by stones. I prefer the human powerd hole digger myself. Keeps ya in shape.

[jwulf]

I had to put in a bunch of holes for fencing last year and used one of the tow-behind post hold diggers that I rented. Check out this link...

http://www.equipmentland.com/product...r-mobile.shtml

This isn't the exact model that I rented but it's pretty similar. Man, can this thing dig a hole! Much easier than one of the smaller units that you stand over.

The whole thing cantelevers around the wheels so you aren't lifting the complete weight of the auger everytime. The one I used had a reverse as well. Now it's not the lightest thing in the world to drag, so if you can use your towing vehicle to get it close to your hole site it helps. I've got lots of clay and that puppy just powered right thorugh it with very little effort.

-jwulf
jwulf@cinci.rr.com

[brosil]

I've got one. It's called a one man post hole digger because it will kill one man. I'm the only one that seems to be able to control it. It just about kills me but I manage. It punches holes faster than the manual ones. I can't speak for rocks. We have to buy those if we want them.

[mightybooboo]

Originally Posted by brosil

I've got one. It's called a one man post hole digger because it will kill one man. .

:haha: :haha:

Exactly,thats why it took me and a buddy to handle it, with 2 people,the thing is easy to hold and move.We got the holes dug in about 4 hours if I recall,it was less than a day anyhow,thats super.We each held a handle next to our waists(OK,bellies ) to brace it,with 2 guys its easy to lift it from hole,no problem.
BooBoo

[Oggie]

I rented one a couple of years ago. It had a power unit on wheels and a hydraulic drive head. An approx. 10-foot long steel bar went from the power unit to the drive head. The purpose of the steel bar was to stabilize the drive head so it wouldn't just spin the person using it around instead of turning the bit. The bit fit into the drive head.

It worked better than a clamshell digger, but not nearly as well as a PTO-mounted driller.

Also the power unit was heavy and hard to maneuver from place to place. If you can't drive a tractor up your fenceline, I'm not sure how much fun it would be to try to coax the wheeled power unit into the same place.

[ed/IL]

Even the good portable ones are hard on your body. 100 holes sound bad. Also they cost several thousand to buy. If you rent one make sure it is in good shape. Have you considered a post driver. Use tpost and drive manually or mechanically http://www.agrabilityproject.org/sea...-Post%20Driver Never tried that product. Perhaps you can find some one that rents it.

[KRH]

Ive run a one man 5hp auger from TSC at work replacing grape posts for about 6 years. Briggs & Stratton 2cycle engine. Runs great works hard. But it will beat the living hell out of you.It takes a couple of hours after Im done for my hands to feel normal from the vibration. In rocky clay soil the ground has got to be moist. If its dry once you hit the hard clay you just spin. So yes they work but, so will you.

[Quint]

I would be considered a pretty strong guy and can handle about any type of machinery but I dread using a post hole digger except for a PTO model. They are hard on the old body but better than digging by hand...sorta. I was using an old two man model with a buddy and hit a root which jammed up the bit and sent us flying. I was tossed a good 10 feet and rolled down the hill. My bud who was a good deal shorter than me and on the lower portion of the hill took a nasty shot in the side which broke a rib. I'm told the newer ones have a safety brake of some sort to stop that kind of thing. I have used another rental model that had the motor on the ground and the auger connected to the motor by means of an enclosed shaft. It worked fairly well but for some reason the darned thing seemed to weigh a freakin ton. I drilled about 50 holes and I was positively whipped.

[dale]

Where I work part time at a Small engine repair shop and rental store we have a two man post hole digger. Here in missouri we have rock and rocks and more rocks. My boss will not rent his after the ground has started drying up. Most people will shear the pins in the head of it when hitting a rock. or hurting themselves and with insurance as high as it is its not worth it to him.

if you are going to rent on I would suggest to wait till spring with the ground is soft then they work great.

dale

[mikell]

Like a few said put the post in in the spring when the ground is wet.

mikell

[fordy]

................Those hanhdheld diggers will beat the living Snott out of anybody that is foolish enough to hold on too IT . I've drilled lots of holes , but Never with one of those Rube Goldberg units . A PTO driven digger of some sort is the Only way to go .
................The heaviest , PTO driven digger that is the Best choice for a digger is the.....Danuser , Model-F8 . About $$ ,+\- , 1995. That doesn't include the augers . ..fordy...

[Highground]

I have one of those contraptions.
Works great in northern Michigan where it's all loam and sand.
Won't work in Randolph County, WV where it's all rock. Bout broke my arm when it hit a rock.
Used it in the back yard in southern Michigan where it's sand and clay.
Worked great down to about 2 feet till it hit the clay and sucked itself in and got stuck. Took about 3 hours to dig that G###### thing out of the ground.

You couldn't give me another one.
But it sure is fun to loan it out and watch.

[agmantoo]

I have one that is 2 cycle and the name on the unit is earthquake. It is equipped with a small diameter auger around 5 to 6 inches. The unit only costs a couple hundred dollars complete. I like it. The replacement auger bits are pricey so I make mine from plow points. The unit is used to drill more of a starter hole than a finish post hole. Once I get the power digger to remove the dirt from the starter hole it is very easy to enlarge the hole with a manual post hole digger. I also have a post driver and where the area is accessible it is the best method for installing posts and no compacting is required around the driven posts. It is difficult to get driven post to appear true vertical and in areas where I do not want any off true posts I use the 2 cycle one man machine to make a starter hole for the post driver. Having a pilot hole enables me to get the posts to where visually they appear true vertical.