post hole auger problems

[ericlb]

just asking but i got a weird problem i have a post hole digger from farm and fleet, i got it new while passing thru iowa a couple of years ago but it will dig 18 inches and stop what i mean is the lift wont go down any more i can unhook the lift arms and they will lower as usual, this is the only impliment the jubilee does this with so whats in a bind? hydraulics are all rebuilt and the 3 point works normaly on all the other impliments. i got about 100 holes left to drill so this is agravating i need at least 24 inches of hole

 

[Charles Krammin]

Is your PTO shaft "bottoming out" (to long)?

Do you have your over running clutch on, or a PTO extension? These would also make the PTO shaft TOO LONNNG.

I had a similiar problem with a twisted PTO shaft on a bush hog, causing the split pin attaching the overrun clutch to the PTO to split. I cut an inch off the female part of the Pto shaft as a temporary fix, before I could bench the shaft and heat and straighting.

Charles Krammin SW MI

 

[pconnie]

is the draft control lever in the verticle or horizontal poosition

 

[Dell (WA)]

ericlb.........ah yes, gravity down, more WEIGHT. Would you believe your auger needs SHARPENING??? Seriously. You doubt? Try it. ........holy Dell

 

[maxwell99]

I have a post hole digger and have never had that problem.

Like the rest of the guys, I would think your post hole digger pto shaft is too long or is binding.

Did a hole and when the digger stops going in the ground. Stop the pto shaft and try to take the pto shaft off the tractor. If it"s binding and you cannot pull it off the tractor pto shaft, then the post hole digger pto shaft is to long and must be shorten.

That would be where I would start.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

What if you removed the auger, will the gear head go down more?

 

[old]

I agree with Geo Remove the auger and see if it drops all the way. If it does then maybe your hitting rock or some other such thing. If it does not drop all the way look for what is hitting or binding

 

[maxwell99]

eric,

on second thought, if you have not taken the auger off your pdh gearbox in a long while,

then I would test it as others have said, as you need to be sure the auger will break loose from the phd gearbox shaft.

I had to take the shear bolts out of mine and drill a number of holes with it, until it finally broke loose and then it only broke loose after abundant coats of penetrating oil and letting it set for days.

breaking the auger loose from the gearbox shaft, would be very difficult, if you ever busted a gear inside the gearbox and it would not operate properly.

when you put the auger back on the gearbox shaft, I would coat the shaft with anti seize to insure, if you ever did have to take the auger off you could get it apart.

good luck and let us know what you find wrong with the phd.

 

[36 Coupe]

You have to shorten both shafts,just one wont do it.
PTO shaft was too long on my digger.Just a reminder that this is a dangerous tool that can kill you.

 

[8N-Bob]

PTO shaft too long Had the same time problem with my 8N with over running clutch.

Shorted the shaft and sleve and now digging like a champ.

Good Luck

Bob

 

[8N-Bob]

PTO shaft too long Had the same time problem with my 8N with over running clutch.

Shorted the shaft and sleve and now digging like a champ.

Good Luck

Bob

 

[Anonymous-0]

Second that on the can kill you part. Neighbor was helping dig holes by standing along side to position the auger. He is no longer with us. Wasn't pretty when his coat got caught in the auger.

 

[ericlb]

i'll check the shaft , when i disconnect the lift arms they will go down to the normall lower height about 4 inches off the ground the auger is sharp and either dell or old told me how to make some teeth for it to make it dig better which i did several years ago it works well it just doesnt go all the way down like it should

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 07:50:56 09/18/13) i'll check the shaft , when i disconnect the lift arms they will go down to the normall lower height about 4 inches off the ground the auger is sharp and either dell or old told me how to make some teeth for it to make it dig better which i did several years ago it works well it just doesnt go all the way down like it should

ric, if the shaft isn't too long, then there is this little known/understood cause for the problem that you are having. It isn't wide spread knowledge that Draft control can come into play even when Position control is selected. This may be happening to you & stopping further drop of your digger. Here is what happens: as auger digs into the hole, the member from auger gear box to top link becomes more horizontal. This means that gear box must move away from tractor or tractor must move away from gear box (simple geometry). In either case, this action pushes forward on the top link connection/draft control plunger. In a perfect world, the plunger wouldn't move enough to overcome Position control but due to minor adjustments/wear/and a lose or weak draft control spring, it may be moving enough to kick in Draft control, in your case, and try to lift the auger, thus stopping the advance into the hole. Short of working on the lift mechanism, try rolling the tractor slightly away from the hole and see if that allows the auger to drop & dig deeper. Continue to move forward, away from the hole as needed.

 

[8N-Bob]

How I confirmed mine was the shaft was too long was to take the bit off and lift it all the way up and slowly lower with the PTO off. as it lowered I kept the auger out put perp. to the ground and low and behold it kicked out and would not go vertical. Also at that point the PTO shaft had bottomed out. Little off the sleeve, a little off the shaft now it's great.

 

[mattwillson]

Seems like the PTO shaft is too long..