Post Hole Digger Ballpark

[Tall T]

Or should I say Post Hole Digger Heaven, as I'm on cloud nine about the prospect.

I'm Certifiably attachmental!

I need you folks' advice on what $ I should offer for this Digger so as to not have the owner think I'm trying to take advantage.

I've asked him if there were ever any seal leaks and if it was always kept lube'd, either with grease or an 80W90 equivalent, up to and including the time of it's last use. Has has been lying out under snow and rain for a long while (gear lube could have weeped out) and like that.

It looks to me like a nice medium to heavy duty gearbox
and he says its a 10" auger which is what I was after.

Thanks,
T

 

[Tall T]

Edit:

"I asked, has it been lying out under snow and rain . . ."

I also asked him what shape the screw on the auger tip was in, and how the lower cutting flukes were.

Didn't ask about the shaft joints yet.

 

[John in Mich]

If a seller won't give you a price offer $75-100. If he says no, ask him what he wants. He won't state a price? Walk away. I refuse to bid against myself. Be sure to leave your phone number.
I watched my sister at a flea market yesterday near San Antonio. She offered half what was asked. Seller said no. She walked away and came back a half hour later. Item was still there. Made her same offer again. Seller said could not let it go for that. Sister said she understood and walked away...about 50 feet. Seller caught up to her and seller said "OK". I hauled it to her house.

 

[Tall T]

John,

Right on!
I had a real learning experience a while back.
I picked up a 1950 Dodge car with a perfect body and engine
and started working on it . . . I forget what it needed but I remember stuff like having to pull the motor to pull the trans and the firewall wrapping around the manifold . . . .

Anyway, I was not a Dodge fan for various reasons and so I took it apart and sold the engine to a friend and one day took the doors and hood to an auto swap meet.

Well, I stood there all day and finally got an interested party.
but instead of realizing that this guy must have the same car and NEEDS these parts, me and my big mouth kept sweetening the deal for fear of losing him, while he said nothing and just kept looking things over. He must have been thinking, "this guy is a real pushover".

So after I chopped my initial price down to next to nothing, he says he'll take the doors, hood and trunk lid, and goes off to get some money. His friend stayed behind with me. I said, I had really stupidly let the stuff go too cheap and his young friend says, "Ya, we couldn't believe how low you went."

So having seriously burned myself, I went over to another guy selling stuff. He had a battery charger, a growler, nice dove-tailed mahogany box, etc. So I thought I'd do just like the last guy did with me for the body parts and it worked like a charm.

I looked at the battery charger and asked. "how much?"
He gives me a price and I said, "Hmmm" nothing more.
Then I looked at the box with a great lid which I still have 40 years later, and asked how much.

Here's where it gets good. He says, "Tell you what, you buy the battery charger and I'll throw in the box."

I said, "Hmmm." nothing more.

On and on it went with him throwing all these things in if I just bought the Battery Charger and all because I said NOTHING, and just letting him imagine what I was thinking.

Meanwhile I would have bought all the stuff I was asking about regardless.

 

[tracto-man]

Looked at a snowmobile today. Guy wanted $400. I know it had been posted for more than a month but he had spelled almost everything wrong so it wouldn't come up if
someone did a regular search on craigslist. He kept asking what I was think so I just kinda hummed and hawed. He said $300. I just kept poking around. Finally I got
tired of poking around the same old thing so many times and said, "will ya take $100?" He laughed and said no, $300. I finally said I wouldn't give him anymore than
$200 for it. I didn't say anything. Than he said, $250. I still didn't say anything. Then he says $225 and no lower. "Well thanks bud, good luck" I start walking
away. Almost to the truck. He pops out his door and yells, "ok, I'll take $200." good bargaining advice I guess.

 

[Tall T]

Incredible, a classic in the art of Hagling!

 

[Tall T]

John,

The Post Hole Digger is a 5 Star Mark 3.

According to another forum post where someone has one, he contacted Danuser and they said his was a 5 Star and that the company had been out of business for a long time.

The only other 5-Star Digger I found on line sold via Purple Wave auction for $123.

The owner said that he had only used it for 2 hours in the last 20 years. Too slow, he said and needed more weight bearing down on the gearbox.

I wonder if Minneapolis had anything to do with the company
considering they have the 5 Star tractor.

 

[wellmax99]

I always wanted a post hole digger, very expensive new, for a piece of equipment you do not use much.
they do not come up for sale often, I got a chance at this one, I jumped.

gave $300 dollars for it, her husband had pasted, her son's did not want it, so I bought it.

a Greenline 5000, not a everyday brand,

as other have said, unless you buy a new one, most of the old ones like mine, the companies have gone out of business.

so note to file: be sure it has the proper shear pins in place, if you hang the auger and bust a gear, you may be taking it to the scrap yard.

also note to file: you will be surprised at how many new friends you have once they learn you have a 3 pt hitch post hole digger.
if they ask to borrow it, tell them the last guy borrowed it and busted a gear, still waiting for him to have it repaired as he is still looking for the gear.

I have a long story of people wanting to borrow mine, what a pain, finally I just learned to say they sell them everyday at the equipment store.

 

[John in Mich]

I don't know anything about a 5 Star. I know that my Ford PHD has a slow auger speed, which is what I want. Too fast and it can screw itself into the ground and the 3 point hydraulics will not lift it out. Guess what. No reverse, on PTO. You shut down the tractor and apply a pipe wrench to the pto shaft to "Unscrew" the auger. This can be particularly troublesome in clay and takes quite a bit of time.
As for digging, good sharp cutting edges help. I have found even with them, I've had to apply some down pressure...CAREFULLY! I have my son use a long bar or 2x4 into the frame of the auger and apply down pressure. I also insist he does not straddle the lever in case we hit a rock or root and the auger jumps up. Further, I let the auger down slowly and work against the hydraulic pressure. That way it can not suddenly go out of site and require the pipe wrench. That only happens once...and you learn. hth

 

[John in Mich]

I would suspect that the gearbox can be replaced if you can find that manufacturer. Most small equipment suppliers buy "off the shelf" parts and assemble to their base with their name.

 

[2ruNgineer]

I have tried a couple of these hole diggers on my 2N over the last several years, but there is not enough down pressure to do much good in my hard clay soils.
I just did the few holes i needed by hand.....and i'm not trying to find space for one of these pieces of equipment in my shed.
If you need to do a bunch of holes, rent a modern tractor or bobcat.

 

[wellmax99]

you are right the cutter teeth must be super sharp for it to dig in hard ground
the new tractors with down pressure on the 3pt hitch are a great improvement in phd operation.

still a nice tool to have for the few times I need it.

I would not take back my $300 for it, guess someday they will sell it at my sale for scrap money, but then I will not need it anymore.

 

[wellmax99]

john, if you have a mf with ground speed pto option
you can jack up one back wheel place the pto in ground speed then place the gear lever in reverse, the pto will turn in the other direction screwing the auger out of the ground.

only use I ever found for ground speed pto on my old MHF tractor, I think the ground speed was designed for pto 3pt hitch hay rake. but a redneck like me is always thinking out of the box.

 

[John in Mich]

That is interesting. I don't own a MF tractor (careful). Without an overrun I think a Ford could do that too, but I've never thought about doing it except when I'm pulling the diffy/trans assy. up to the clutch. Then I use the PTO to help align trans input to the clutch plate.

 

[Tall T]

Hi Maxwell,

You wrote:

I always wanted a post hole digger, very expensive new, for a piece of equipment you do not use much. they do not come up for sale often, I got a chance at this one, I jumped.

[color=darkblue:c808036cfe]Same here. . . been on my wish list ever since I got the Jube.
Scarce as hen's teeth like tillers. As far as jumping I'd better move fast. On the same Farm Equipment sales site for our area on the same page where these folks listed their Dearborn 2-bottom, is an ad of someone looking for a Digger!!
by the way, they sold the Dearborn plow. [/color:c808036cfe]

As other have said, unless you buy a new one, most of the old ones like mine, the companies have gone out of business.

[color=darkblue:c808036cfe]Good to know also. This one does have a nice industrial look to it . . . the hanger at the top of the box is like yours and a nice heavy sliding clamp to change the top link orientation -- not quite as convenient as the multiple hole positions but who cares.[/color:c808036cfe]

so note to file: be sure it has the proper shear pins in place, if you hang the auger and bust a gear, you may be taking it to the scrap yard.

[color=darkblue:c808036cfe]I certainly will. I've studied that Everything Attachments Digger tutorial a few times.[/color:c808036cfe]

also note to file: you will be surprised at how many new friends you have once they learn you have a 3 pt hitch post hole digger. if they ask to borrow it, tell them the last guy borrowed it and busted a gear, still waiting for him to have it repaired as he is still looking for the gear.

[color=darkblue:c808036cfe]That's a good one! I always say I have only have one friend who I'd lend a chain saw to, and the feeling is mutual. I figure the only guy worth lending something to, is the one who brings it back better than when he borrowed it. I restored the bunged up trailer ball cup on that Hydraulic splitter I borrowed just after my broken hip. Funny but Russ out of the blue said, "There's not many people I'd make this offer to, but if you want I'll lend you my splitter."

And you're so right again. The guy across the street is already hounding me to do a row of post holes for him. One thing I want to do with it is drill holes for a Leyland Cyprus tree hedge.[/color:c808036cfe]

[color=darkblue:c808036cfe]So here's the up-to-date skinny . . .
I followed John's lead and offered him $123. last night via email and will phone him today. Hope I didn't make him mad with that low-ball offer. He uses a Case crawler, so he's no babe in the woods re equipment.[/color:c808036cfe]

Thanks for the great advice,
Terry

 

[Tall T]

Hi John,

You wrote:
I don't know anything about a 5 Star. I know that my Ford PHD has a slow auger speed, which is what I want. Too fast and it can screw itself into the ground and the 3 point hydraulics will not lift it out.

[color=darkblue:94595e2d95]Ahh so! I don't have a clue as to the shaft to auger turning ratio.[/color:94595e2d95]

Guess what. No reverse, on PTO. You shut down the tractor and apply a pipe wrench to the pto shaft to "Unscrew" the auger. This can be particularly troublesome in clay and takes quite a bit of time.

[color=darkblue:94595e2d95]Yep . . . got apprised of that "clay" scenario from the Everything Attachments Digger video. From the first video I watched of some guys digging holes, I thought, why the heck aren't you pulling up the auger periodically to clear it; or grinding away on a big rock forever without a clue!! [/color:94595e2d95]

As for digging, good sharp cutting edges help. I have found even with them, I've had to apply some down pressure...CAREFULLY! I have my son use a long bar or 2x4 into the frame of the auger and apply down pressure. I also insist he does not straddle the lever in case we hit a rock or root and the auger jumps up. Further, I let the auger down slowly and work against the hydraulic pressure. That way it can not suddenly go out of site and require the pipe wrench. That only happens once...and you learn. hth

[color=darkblue:94595e2d95]Helps for sure! I was thinking of rigging up a nice secure heavy weight of some kind like one I saw on line last night.
Or maybe a removable extension pipe out beyond the auger that a 6 cyl engine head I have can be hung from. Also I see advice to shut the PTO off after pulling out before going back into the hole.

As i said to Max, I offered him $125 as you suggested.

After what i had to do to my fixer-upper Rotary Cutter to repair the output seal housing, and my plow, I'm not as quick to assume something is going to be good to go right out of the gate.[/color:94595e2d95]

Thanks much,
Terry

 

[Tall T]

Is it advisable to use my overrunning coupler with a digger?

That's a nice looking Massey Ferguson! Heavy looking rears.
Didn't know about the ground speed PTO option.

Maxwell,
Is your whole hood forward-hinged like the grey Fergies?
Ford should have done that too.

T

 

[wellmax99]

Yes hood folds forward, also has a center flip hood to access gas tank and radiator,

As far as I know all to35 and MF 135 have the ground speed selection on the pto lever, for driving the Ferguson 3 pt hitch hay rake, I do not
know of any other use for it,

Have been told if the corn picker binds up you can select ground speed pto, place tractor in reverse, when you back up the pto will turn in
reverse direction and many times unplug the picker, nice feature,