Gas powered post hole auger

[Muir hill 101]

Anyone have a gas powered post hole auger ? Looking at one to put in some fence and not have to. Haul a tractor 100 miles

 

[Moonlite37]

Got rocks? How many holes?

 

[caterpillar guy]

I've never used on but would bet if you hit a stone it would be an unpleasant experience doing so. Rent a skidsteer with one on it and save the hauling. From what I hear about them you would never go back to a PTO operated on again. My pennys worth.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 01:31:47 06/15/23) Anyone have a gas powered post hole auger ? Looking at one to put in some fence and not have to. Haul a tractor 100 miles

borrowed one of those little ones with a two-stroker on it. When it hit a rock it threw both of us off like rag dolls. Never again.

 

[jimg.allentown]

By the time you get to the 4th hole, you'll be wishing that you had hauled the tractor.

 

[wp6529]

(quoted from post at 05:56:12 06/15/23) I've never used on but would bet if you hit a stone it would be an unpleasant experience doing so. Rent a skidsteer with one on it and save the hauling. From what I hear about them you would never go back to a PTO operated on again. My pennys worth.

Second on the skid steer with auger rental, very easy operation and a lot of power. The only negative is a bit more fuss getting in/out of a skid steer vs. on/off a tractor. Just means mark the hole locations with ground paint and then drill them all and go back to stick posts in.

 

[RobCons]

I rented a two man unit once. Only once. Haul the tractor.

 

[glennster]

rent a dingo, mini skidder here is a link.
dingo

 

[RESLLS]

Forget about it! Haul or rent. Of its sand not bad. Clay and rocks? After 2 holes you'll want to blow it up.

 

[BillinCentralMO]

I did that , to save a few dollars. It didnt pencil out. The deductible on the rotator cuff surgery was $2500. The week of missed work was another $2500 or so. And it still hurts. It was summer time and dry. Just like it is now !

 

[Stephen Newell]

Depending on how many posts you need to set, I would haul the tractor. The hand held auger is just for someone that only needs to put in a couple. My son bought one to put a fence around his yard and wore the hand held auger out and then rented a tractor.

 

[grandpa Love]

We have set 1000s maybe tens of thousands posts over 23 years in the fence business, never used a tractor or skid steer, always a one man or 2 man auger. They ain't as bad as folks make them out to be. If you have a one time job rent the tow behind from home Depot. We recently bought a Ryobi battery powered auger, amazing machine. We sold both gas powered ones.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

If you're going to rent one, rent the one that's mounted on a small trailer.

The handheld types are just... abusive.

16 years ago I was putting in that fence I asked about last week. Sandy soil, figured it would be easy digging, so I rented a one-man auger. Well, I just so happened to be digging in the only place on the property where there were any stones at all. The rest is clear sand down as far as you can dig.

When that thing grabbed a stone it would twist me up like a pretzel. You can't let go fast enough and as it twists you up it forces you to pull down on the throttle, causing it to twist harder. How those things can even be legal, I don't know.

This post was edited by BarnyardEngineering on 06/15/2023 at 06:12 am.

 

[Phil Tibbetts]

I agree with Barnyard, I thought I had broke my wrist when it caught a rock. Never again

 

[PJH]

Highway contractors use them a lot for putting in ROW markers when they can't get a tractor to the location. There's usually tree roots, boulders and other unfriendly obstacles to contend with. Heavy two-man diggers sometimes modified with a bigger engine. The handlebars are always bent and I tell them that somewhere there is a laborer whose ribs match the bend in the handlebars. The supposed ''deadman'' switch is aptly named. If you ain't dead yet. . .

 

[Texasmark]

Haul the tractor!

 

[BillinCentralMO]

I made it around two rotations. The auger bit hit a root and stopped. Incredibly the top of the machine and myself immediately began spinning at the exact same speed the auger had been turning a second before. And I made it two turns before the left rotator cuff ripped and I was flung upon the ground.

 

[Ultradog MN]

20 years ago I rented a two man one to put in a deck for a woman. Had a good, strong guy to help. It beat both of our backs up so badly lifting it in and out that we had to take a couple of days off from the job to heal up a little.
Never, ever will I use one of those again!

 

[PJH]

I can easily believe that Bill. I've seen guys get hurt using them. It seems to always happen when they're up on a steep hillside under a bunch of trees and the auger bites a root. The newer ones might be better than the old relics that I remember. The laborers would get it in position and ask me to pull the starter rope for them.

 

[dhermesc]

The ones that have the little two wheel or 4 wheel mount are so much easier to use - especially if you might be running it yourself. I have used the one with the X frame for two men to operate and it can get rough - especially if its more than one or two holes and if you are doing it yourself. The mounted one with a 5 or 7 hp engine is almost easier to use than a tractor mounted one when getting the hole perfect is an issue.