Post knockers, hit me

[Monkeybusiness]

When I got mine I met them at plantworx when it was at the airfield many years ago, they had it and I had a go, rob told me I would do 300-400 posts a day in sensible ground (I was otterfencing at the time so going in 1.1m) I laughed at him and he told me he would come to my site and show me, rent it for a week and get the full hire cost off of the machine if I purchased.
true to his word he did, then went to an old quarry with ground so hard (gravel haul road) it was snapping the bottoms off of auger flights and he came out with the rock spike and again proved how good it was.
when kit is good it needs to be said as we always quick to say why stuff is s**t.
also had a tracked protech and an awesome machine it was but so much easier set up with the auto guide.

I stood a load of telegraph poles up and placed them into sockets when they were building Bewilderwood (a kids treehouse-theme park) during Covid. The builders drove posts below ground-level with a 3 tonne machine fitted with what I now realise was one of these attachments (they put a galvanised socket on the top of these posts to receive the telegraph poles, to help avoid rotting (but I don’t think it has worked!…)).
It was a very good piece of kit!

 

[DaveDCB]

Venturing off subject slightly.., does anyone use augers much? I’ve a considerable amount of security fence to put up and think augering the holes out is the way to go(beats hand dig).. Digbits have the Digga ones with levelling lights on them now which looks handy. Thinking 300mm for the posts?

 

[hiluxman]

Venturing off subject slightly.., does anyone use augers much? I’ve a considerable amount of security fence to put up and think augering the holes out is the way to go(beats hand dig).. Digbits have the Digga ones with levelling lights on them now which looks handy. Thinking 300mm for the posts?
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I've done a fair bit with the auger now. If find you can start of as plumb as you can but as soon as it hits a decent hard lump then that's it your holes out of line.

You won't need a 300mm flight for palisade fencing either 200mm works well.

 

[Giles]

Those auto guides look good if doing river bank work etc not seen them before but used the vibrating pile hammers and there scarily good at sinking stuff

@DaveDCB augers are great I’ve had 1 15 years a digga and still going strong got full set of flights in 4,5,6,8,10, 12 and 30” there the important bit of and cat scan for utilities

 

[Steve]

I think you are pretty safe with either the Digga or Auger torque. Most difficult ground I find has 4” stones where the auger brings them nearly to the surface before they fall back in & push the auger off line.

 

[Storrsy]

Not tried one of those augers with the levelling lights. I may consider one next time but the auger torque I have had for 13 years won't give up! If you get one @DaveDCB make sure you get a cradle hitch for it, so much nicer for traveling about with it and also for positioning. As for levelling when starting a hole i have it free hanging so that it starts of plumb and then just guage it off the flat bit of the top of the drive unit going in level. Generally get it pretty much straight on my own.

 

[Gunners]

I stood a load of telegraph poles up and placed them into sockets when they were building Bewilderwood (a kids treehouse-theme park) during Covid. The builders drove posts below ground-level with a 3 tonne machine fitted with what I now realise was one of these attachments (they put a galvanised socket on the top of these posts to receive the telegraph poles, to help avoid rotting (but I don’t think it has worked!…)).
It was a very good piece of kit!

I have serious treehouse envy not felt since I was 10 !

Venturing off subject slightly.., does anyone use augers much? I’ve a considerable amount of security fence to put up and think augering the holes out is the way to go(beats hand dig).. Digbits have the Digga ones with levelling lights on them now which looks handy. Thinking 300mm for the posts?

I use my auger a few times a year. Makes light work of fencing, sign post errecting, pergolas, decking legs, litter bins, benches - basically anything that needs a round hole! I've also used some bigger flights for tree planting, but not sure the 600mm flight I have would work in the more rocky ground up north. It does struggle a bit down in the soft south, but go steady and it gets the job done.

Mine is also a Digga, PD3 - technically too big for the 1.5 tonner but works fine. Might be a little slower maybe but that doesn't stop it digging the hole. Lift height is more of an issue with the smaller machines than flow on augers - especially if you need to use the extension to go deeper than 7-800mm which is realistically all you'll get with a standard flight.
Get the cradle hitch - I regret not getting one.
And a 4" square post needs a 300mm flight or its too tight to get the last bit of straightening up done in the hole.
Sure, the HALO system does look good, but I struggle more with the Auger deflecting off rubble in the ground, or "walking" itself off target when you first start, than I do with it not being upright. On sloped ground or banks, you often have to angle the auger to dig into the slope first, then straighten up once you have a hole going or it just slides down the bank! You'll get the hang of it - its not hard.
I've drilled through tarmac with mine several times - works a treat! So they will work their way through anything if you give them enough time. A worthwhile attachment to have in the shed I think.

And a splitter cone works well on them too for breaking up tree stumps