3 point post hole digger

[nh8260]

Hey guys, I bought a 3 point hitch post hole digger, the decals are very faded so I can't see anything there, I did find a photo of one like mine and it was sold new by Tractor Supply, but some company made this for TSC and that is what I'm trying to find out, when I need parts for it a make and model would help out a lot. This one sorta looks like the Speeco model 70, I heard they made these for tractor supply for a period of time as did other companies. A picture of mine is below, any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ray,IN]

I asked AI, this is the result.
"Based on the specific loop-style shape of the red frame and the layout of the adjustment brackets, this unit strongly resembles a Speeco or Country Pro (a brand manufactured by YTL International and widely distributed through Tractor Supply Company).
Similar models using this exact frame geometry include:

• Speeco Standard/Heavy Duty series 3-point diggers
• Country Pro
  
  
  3-Point Post Hole Diggers (such as the YTL-007 series)
• Older Howse Implement or Leinbach models, which also utilized similar tubular red arch frameworks. [1, 2]"

 

[Ultradog MN]

Edit
Never mind, Ray,IN beat me to it.

 

[Johnnypopper]

Hey guys, I bought a 3 point hitch post hole digger, the decals are very faded so I can't see anything there, I did find a photo of one like mine and it was sold new by Tractor Supply, but some company made this for TSC and that is what I'm trying to find out, when I need parts for it a make and model would help out a lot. This one sorta looks like the Speeco model 70, I heard they made these for tractor supply for a period of time as did other companies. A picture of mine is below, any help would be appreciated.

I have one like that. Mine is a Bush Hog brand, I can look up the model numberi if that would be of any help, I do have the manual that came with it. I do not know who the actual manufacturer was.

 

[Texasmark]

What do you need? Do you work alone? If so the best thing to do is to hang it up somewhere...old swing set cross bar or good tree limb. If the auger won't come off it's more of a problem getting the auger vertical and the tip touching the ground. I have 4 augers for mine: 6, 9, and 12". I have Ford tractors with "Live PTO" and that PTO drive is absolutely perfect for building a fence, or a long, straight string of holes.

If you have operated them before you don't need what I'm fixing to say.....if not here is what I learned over the years:

When the auger tip is lowered to touch the ground the tractor will be in a certain (distance) relationship to the hole. The boom being at approximately a 45* angle. As you dig the hole, that angle decreases to like 0*. If you don't keep inching the tractor forward as you dig the hole it will be slanted toward the rear.

I always preferred slow speeds, at or just above idle. My soil is clay so this dissertation is for hard to remove soil....sandy loam takes a lot less effort.

If digging holes in turf, the first cuts are usually clogged with turf....stop and remove the turf stuck in the blade when you get to clean soil.

I use constant up and down motions to limit the amount of soil accumulated in the blade....PTO running all the time, up and down, up and down.

When you get all the way down...I usually go till the top of the auger blade is even with the top of the soil......stop the auger......on Live PTO just push in the clutch......it's full of dirt.....raise the auger out of the hole, increase the tractor RPM say up to 1500 for a number, and pop the clutch. This will sling the dirt off the full auger and save you a lot if time and trouble to get the cut soil out of the hole.

Then RPMs back to idle, let the clutch all the way out, move forward to your next hole and repeat the process.

What you don't want to do is to start digging the hole and fail to clear the clippings out of the blade as you go down as I mentioned above. If you don't do that, when you get the auger all the way down.....you may lift the front of your tractor or worse, trying to pull the auger "packed full" of soil out of the hole.....in learning this lesson I had to disconnect the auger from the boom and with a very large pipe wrench and a longggg pipe, go through the laborous process of "unscrewing the auger......you don't want to have to do that!!!!!!!

Enjoy.

 

[Tony in SD]

To each their own but as I have said many times, If you ever use a PHD mounted to a skid steer, you will never use a 3pt PHD again. I strongly recommend you buy, beg, borrow or rent a skid steer with a PHD before you consider using a 3pt PHD.

Pros
The work is right in front of you
You can adjust the pitch of the hole in any direction as you are digging.
If you hit a rock, you can simply reverse the auger
The holes are much straighter and cleaner.
Work time willl be count in half
Safer

Cons
You need a skid steef to operate it

 

[joeysmith]

To each their own but as I have said many times, If you ever use a PHD mounted to a skid steer, you will never use a 3pt PHD again. I strongly recommend you buy, beg, borrow or rent a skid steer with a PHD before you consider using a 3pt PHD.

Pros
The work is right in front of you
You can adjust the pitch of the hole in any direction as you are digging.
If you hit a rock, you can simply reverse the auger
The holes are much straighter and cleaner.
Work time willl be count in half
Safer

Cons
You need a skid steef to operate it

I have used a have acess to both an still perfer the tractor when working alone.

Just so much easier to hop off the tractor than climbing out of a skid steer

 

[Ray,IN]

When I was a kid, I seem to remember dad bought a PHD that had a reversing lever on the gearbox.

 

[RBnWA]

When I was a kid our post hole digger had two wood handles. RB

 

[Ray,IN]

When I was a kid our post hole digger had two wood handles. RB

I have 3, 2 traditional handles that pull apart, and one with handles that pull sideways, none of them fit my hands well these days_.

 

[docmirror]

I have the same model. The post on how to use above is very good info. I'll add. I've welded a post at the top of the boom arc to put weights on. I also slow the auger down in clay. If you go high speed in clay, it just mostly spins. However, when it does BITE at high speed, the whole assembly will tilt and wander around. I never, ever stop the auger spinning deep in the hole. The one time I did that, it wouldn't start turning again, and the lift couldn't pull the bit out of the ground. I always run the bit up while spinning. If I have to clear some dirt by hand after that's fine. But - never leave the bit stuck deep in the hole, or eventually, one of those times you'll be sorry.

 

[m16ty]

To each their own but as I have said many times, If you ever use a PHD mounted to a skid steer, you will never use a 3pt PHD again. I strongly recommend you buy, beg, borrow or rent a skid steer with a PHD before you consider using a 3pt PHD.

Pros
The work is right in front of you
You can adjust the pitch of the hole in any direction as you are digging.
If you hit a rock, you can simply reverse the auger
The holes are much straighter and cleaner.
Work time willl be count in half
Safer

Cons
You need a skid steef to operate it

I took a 3 point post hole digger, added a hydraulic motor, and fixed it where it would mount on my tractor loader. Night and day difference than 3 point. Like the skid steer, I can see the auger much better, you can reverse the auger if needed, and the main plus is hooking and unhooking.

 

[hurleyjd]

When I was a kid, I seem to remember dad bought a PHD that had a reversing lever on the gearbox.

continental - belton had a gear shift that you controlled with a rope. You could set a depth gauge on the machine and when the depth was reached the augur and gear box would raise up and catch at the top of the raise. Also on the types shown by the OP you needed the point of the augur in good shape as this point of the augur pulled the augur into the ground. Like a wood augur pulled the bit into the wood. bit.ii

 

[Russ from MN]

It looks a little like ours, and it's a Bush Hog. And, I agree with Texasmark, make a rack that you can hang it from, I hang the extra auger there too. I can't seem to get the picture right side up, but you can turn your head!

 

[Texasmark]

To each their own but as I have said many times, If you ever use a PHD mounted to a skid steer, you will never use a 3pt PHD again. I strongly recommend you buy, beg, borrow or rent a skid steer with a PHD before you consider using a 3pt PHD.

Pros
The work is right in front of you
You can adjust the pitch of the hole in any direction as you are digging.
If you hit a rock, you can simply reverse the auger
The holes are much straighter and cleaner.
Work time willl be count in half
Safer

Cons
You need a skid steef to operate it

I totally agree. A pipeline was laid through my property and I got to see a skid steer with an auger at work......really a good marriage......problem I have with a skid steer is not much of a requirement for its abilities and cost....way more than my post hole digging things.

 

[hurleyjd]

I totally agree. A pipeline was laid through my property and I got to see a skid steer with an auger at work......really a good marriage......problem I have with a skid steer is not much of a requirement for its abilities and cost....way more than my post hole digging things.

I have wondered about making a hitch for the back of a skid stir to pull a disk or any other implement to plow dirt.

 

[Texasmark]

I have wondered about making a hitch for the back of a skid stir to pull a disk or any other implement to plow dirt.

If you already have one and it's tracked rather than tired, might be something to consider. A drag implement, like a disc harrow/plow only needs a hole in a bar for a pin to connect to the implement. The other needed accessory is a suitable lift of some sort...you have to have the discs up in the air unless you are actually plowing. Do skid steers have remote hydraulic connections with control levers?

 

[Tony in SD]

I totally agree. A pipeline was laid through my property and I got to see a skid steer with an auger at work......really a good marriage......problem I have with a skid steer is not much of a requirement for its abilities and cost....way more than my post hole digging things.

I use my skid steer all the time but sometimes it seem that I have more attachments for it than the dealership. And the older I get the more I use it to lift things.

 

[Dick L]

Hey guys, I bought a 3 point hitch post hole digger, the decals are very faded so I can't see anything there, I did find a photo of one like mine and it was sold new by Tractor Supply, but some company made this for TSC and that is what I'm trying to find out, when I need parts for it a make and model would help out a lot. This one sorta looks like the Speeco model 70, I heard they made these for tractor supply for a period of time as did other companies. A picture of mine is below, any help would be appreciated.

I bought one from tractor supply in the 1970's that looks like it. Used it on my Simplicity badged Allis 5020. Used it to build my pole barn type warehouse, a couple hundred fence post holes, four horse run in shelters and most recently for the poles for my horse barn.

 

[NDIHC]

If you already have one and it's tracked rather than tired, might be something to consider. A drag implement, like a disc harrow/plow only needs a hole in a bar for a pin to connect to the implement. The other needed accessory is a suitable lift of some sort...you have to have the discs up in the air unless you are actually plowing. Do skid steers have remote hydraulic connections with control levers?

I've used my Lahman Little Dipper (22? hp Kohler) to pull a drag disc, an old JD 10 footer, no hydraulics required. We used it to dig up some ground for a food plot. It worked well except for the poor visibility to the rear.