Rental 3 pt. Auger Question

[The Evil Twin]

G'Day all!
I'm planning on adding a farm gate on the rear of our property and will obviously need to bore some holes. I don't own a post hole auger other than a gas powered hand held. So.... looking to rent one at the local Sunbelt. Got a couple questions for those that have rented them:
Do they come with adjustable drive shafts? I'm guessing every tractor will need a different length.
It's a JD brand auger. Will my Kubota catch any nasty viruses from it? Just kidding on that question!
I need to drop 6" posts, so I'll be using a couple size bits to get to 18" for the holes. Maybe 4", 10" and then the 18". Unless it's not necessary. Soil can be hard here. With roots and fist size rocks.

 

[jimh406]

It's a JD brand auger. Will my Kubota catch any nasty viruses from it?

I don't think so. I put JD dye in my hydraulic fluid a couple of years ago, and it still works fine. Maybe it made it better.

Augers and bits are different lengths and widths. I think you just have to ask what lengths they have.

 

[Sidekick]

I think if you use more then 1 size auger the holes will drift. The screw point on my auger seem to be the guide. Not sure about the pto hp needed for an 18 inch auger though.

 

[Daferris]

Really can't only use one size. Think of it being like a holesaw. You need the point to pilot the auger in. Otherwise it's just going to bounce around on the top of the ground. If it's really hard consider renting a mini-ex or skid steer with the hydraulic auger attachment. That's what I used for the posts for the solar array. I had to bore 24" holes 7' deep.

 

[The Evil Twin]

They rent various sizes up to 24". They are all 46" maximum depth according to the website. I only need to go 30- 36. My question was more drive shaft length for the distance to my PTO output shaft. That's why the question was for those that have rented.
Thanks for the heads up on drift. I thought about drilling in steps to reduce the power needed to bore 24". I don't think the 2501 has the juice to drill that in one shot.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Really can't only use one size. Think of it being like a holesaw. You need the point to pilot the auger in. Otherwise it's just going to bounce around on the top of the ground. If it's really hard consider renting a mini-ex or skid steer with the hydraulic auger attachment. That's what I used for the posts for the solar array. I had to bore 24" holes 7' deep.

Can or can't? are you saying that I should use the final size from the get go?

 

[JasonW]

Never rented one but have drilled probably several hundred holes over the years with a 3pt one.
They can/will drift on the way down and not stay plum depending if the auger hits a rock or roots.
Sometimes you have to move the tractor backwards and forwards as it goes down depending of the arc of the 3pt hitch.

I usually set the tractor speed just above idle, and take small bites with the auger, depending on soil type. Go down 8” or so and lift back up to clear the dirt out.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The PTO shaft should expand and contract way more then you need.
They are pretty universal.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I think if you use more then 1 size auger the holes will drift. The screw point on my auger seem to be the guide. Not sure about the pto hp needed for an 18 inch auger though.

that's my experience too plus the risk of bending auger shafts.

 

[hedgerow]

G'Day all!
I'm planning on adding a farm gate on the rear of our property and will obviously need to bore some holes. I don't own a post hole auger other than a gas powered hand held. So.... looking to rent one at the local Sunbelt. Got a couple questions for those that have rented them:
Do they come with adjustable drive shafts? I'm guessing every tractor will need a different length.
It's a JD brand auger. Will my Kubota catch any nasty viruses from it? Just kidding on that question!
I need to drop 6" posts, so I'll be using a couple size bits to get to 18" for the holes. Maybe 4", 10" and then the 18". Unless it's not necessary. Soil can be hard here. With roots and fist size rocks.

You shouldn't have a PTO shaft issue. I ran a heavy duty three point post hole digger for years on a lot of different tractors and never had any PTO shaft issues. If your post are only six inch tops why do you want a 18" hole? If it was me I would hang the gate on 3 or 4 inch drill stem pipe and concrete them end. I have drilled a 24 inch hole with a old A JD with that three point digger no problem. I have never stepped the auger size up. We start with what size we want. Just go slow and raise and clean the hole out a lot. I only use a hyd one on a skid steer now.

 

[JonM]

my corner posts are 8 foot 8inch diameter treated round post. for those i use a 12inch diameter auger. my line posts are 6 inch diameter 8 foot treated round posts. i use a 9 inch auger for those.

i could use 4 inch line posts and 6 inch corner posts but i dont want to do it again anytime soon.

your post holes need to be 3 to 4 inches larger than your posts and you wont need to use concrete if you hand tamp them in.

saves a LOT of effort and cost. if you tamp the dirt in stages its solid like concrete without the rot that concrete creates. the wider the hole the less stable the post will be.

just my opinion from burying posts since 1980

 

[The Evil Twin]

The PTO shaft should expand and contract way more then you need.
They are pretty universal.

Thank you! That's what I was hoping for.

 

[The Evil Twin]

my corner posts are 8 foot 8inch diameter treated round post. for those i use a 12inch diameter auger. my line posts are 6 inch diameter 8 foot treated round posts. i use a 9 inch auger for those.

i could use 4 inch line posts and 6 inch corner posts but i dont want to do it again anytime soon.

your post holes need to be 3 to 4 inches larger than your posts and you wont need to use concrete if you hand tamp them in.

saves a LOT of effort and cost. if you tamp the dirt in stages its solid like concrete without the rot that concrete creates. the wider the hole the less stable the post will be.

just my opinion from burying posts since 1980

The gate I'm installing is 16' wide and just shy of 100 lbs. then the weight of the automatic opener on top of that. There will be a good bit of lateral force on the post. That's why I'm going so deep and wide. I want plenty of concrete in there to spread out the load. I see way too many "drunk" gates in these parts.

 

[The Evil Twin]

You shouldn't have a PTO shaft issue. I ran a heavy duty three point post hole digger for years on a lot of different tractors and never had any PTO shaft issues. If your post are only six inch tops why do you want a 18" hole? If it was me I would hang the gate on 3 or 4 inch drill stem pipe and concrete them end. I have drilled a 24 inch hole with a old A JD with that three point digger no problem. I have never stepped the auger size up. We start with what size we want. Just go slow and raise and clean the hole out a lot. I only use a hyd one on a skid steer now.

Pipe did cross my mind except we (the wife mostly) would like for it to look seemless with the fence.

 

[JonM]

The gate I'm installing is 16' wide and just shy of 100 lbs. then the weight of the automatic opener on top of that. There will be a good bit of lateral force on the post. That's why I'm going so deep and wide. I want plenty of concrete in there to spread out the load. I see way too many "drunk" gates in these parts.

im just giving my opinion and i got no dog in your hunt you can certainly do how you want doesnt hurt my feels any.

put in two h-braces which will help a lot and angle the support wire toward the load. so the support wire would be at the top of the hinge side of the post and angle towards the bottom of the brace post. then add a sevond h brace.

my gates are 2 inch round bar 12feet long. my horse likes to stand on and kick the bottom bar of the gate. the gate weighs about 110lbs. my land is mostly soft sand with some small rocks.

packing solid is key. if you are going to cement them in be sure to treat them with a really good preservative and just know digging them out if you need to repair a broken post is a bear without a backhoe or excavator.

while i have a backhoe dealing with cement isnt fun.

in the past ive done cement bases for friends i will mound the cement to channel water away from the post and treat the area to be in contact with the cement. even if you are leaving the cement below ground level make sure its angled slightly away from the center where the post is to prevent water pooling at the base of the post especially under the ground where it will sit far longer against the post

 

[The Evil Twin]

im just giving my opinion and i got no dog in your hunt you can certainly do how you want doesnt hurt my feels any.

put in two h-braces which will help a lot and angle the support wire toward the load. so the support wire would be at the top of the hinge side of the post and angle towards the bottom of the brace post. then add a sevond h brace.

my gates are 2 inch round bar 12feet long. my horse likes to stand on and kick the bottom bar of the gate. the gate weighs about 110lbs. my land is mostly soft sand with some small rocks.

packing solid is key. if you are going to cement them in be sure to treat them with a really good preservative and just know digging them out if you need to repair a broken post is a bear without a backhoe or excavator.

while i have a backhoe dealing with cement isnt fun.

in the past ive done cement bases for friends i will mound the cement to channel water away from the post and treat the area to be in contact with the cement. even if you are leaving the cement below ground level make sure its angled slightly away from the center where the post is to prevent water pooling at the base of the post especially under the ground where it will sit far longer against the post

I appreciate the insight. And the forethought on future removal.
Cement will definitely be domed above grade. I may do a 4x4 diagonal brace to the adjacent fence post. Planning on making this someone else's problem long after I'm gone

 

[#40Fan]

Any spare tractors around to help pull the auger out of the ground when you get it stuck?

If not, dig is 8-12" increments to keep it from burying itself.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Any spare tractors around to help pull the auger out of the ground when you get it stuck?

If not, dig is 8-12" increments to keep it from burying itself.

If it gets stuck, yes.
But that is counter to what others have said about not stepping up the bits.
I don't know either way, but I'm going to find out

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

One trick to keep the gate from becoming drunk.
Near the bottom 1/3 of your post drill a 2" hole and put a piece of schedule 80 pipe though the hole and leave a tails that extends towards and away from the gate, the longer the tails the better.
You can even do a second the goes them the other direction to create and X and that will make a really strong base!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

option 'B'. neighbour uses miniex to dig the holes, then drops in length of 6x6 1/4" wall steel tubing, slides 6x6 post into it, then backfills. doesn't have any issues. the 6x6 steel are cutoff/scraps. we weld into 3-5' lengths as he requires.