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 | JonB
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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1999-12-11 10911
Today I experimented with the post hole digger. With the auger 3 feet into the ground and the engine at operating speed, the 3PH wouldn't raise the auger. I walked back and added my physical help and it slowly came up. Apparently the dirt on the auger weighed enough to keep it down. The next hole this didn't happen as I kept bringing the auger up and "unloading" the dirt before it became too heavy. Does this sound reasonble, or is my 3PH under performing? The tractor is a JD 4100, the post hole digger a Bush Hog 2102 with down pressure. I've never had a lick of problems with the 3PH otherwise, it lifts other implements weighing around 6-700 lbs without trouble. Thanks in advance for your help.
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| Roger L.
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 0
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1999-12-11 10915
Sounds to me like the auger got into a bit of a bind. Because the 3pt travels through a section of an arc when it goes down it is impossible for a post hole digger to drill a straight vertical hole unless you simultaneously move the tractor.... Binding is common until you learn to do this as the auger goes down,(and when raising it as well).
Even if you don't get in a bind, you can also get the auger stuck by drilling around rocks or roots, or into old lumber, or worse yet: a set of bedsprings 3 feet underground. Been there. ....
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 | lsheaffer
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 1082 Northern Illinois 
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1999-12-11 10917
It is normal on smaller tractors for the posthole digger to pull itself into hole so fast that the 3 point can't lift it out. Let the 3 point down slowly, instead of pushing the lever down all the way at once or do like you were doing- pulling it out as you dig. Of course the bigger the auger , the more of a problem this will be. ....
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| Jack in IL
Join Date: Posts: 1
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1999-12-11 10918
You are doing it right by raising the auger several times for clearing before reaching final depth. The only thing to be careful about is to not raise fully and allow the auger tip completely out of the hole. If it just barely comes out the cutting edge on the auger can catch on the edge of the hole causing the auger to flail around madly. This can damage the boom or the draft links if you don't get the PTO stopped in time. I had this happen when using a 24 inch diameter auger for tree planting. Of course the same kind of thing can happen when you are drilling a hole in wood or metal with a power drill. ....
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