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Thread: post hole digger

  1. #1
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
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    Default post hole digger

    Have always dug holes manually but looking at doing a bit of fencing and landscaping (planting) and wondering what the best way to go is to make life easy.

    Are those one man motorised post hole diggers any good and if so what brand are the kennards ones i.e. which are the best quality? Can they also be used for planting? Is 150mm big enough for post strainers and is 150mm big enough for most of the smaller pot plant sizes?

    Is there any other options out there?

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    Senior Member seliment's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Do you mean the 'pendulum'/'see-saw' type ones - hydraulic powered with auger on one end and engine / pump on other as the counterbalance?

    Be aware that drilled holes have compacted sides and unless this is broken up with crowbar / shovel, then root penetration is poor ( ie plant can become 'potbound' in planting hole).

    Joe.

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    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Thanks joe, What your saying crossed my mind and makes sense.

    it was these I was referring to http://www.kennards.com.au/index.php...thjIqtW3mq0.97

    Anyone used these what are your thoughts on ease of use, how hard are they on your body?

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    Senior Member BeetleJuice's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Not the easiest of things to hold when they hit a solid object.I ended up making a frame with 2 x 12inch wheels at the other end and the machine bolted to the frame which stopped it from spinning in my hands as a 1 man operator.It was suprising on how much power it produced through the gear box.It was a handful even with a 2 man operation not knowing when it was going to grab something

    i used it for my landscaping days for fencing incl brush fences,a must for that sort of continues work
    When it came to holes for plants i'd reach for the electric jack hammer with the wide spade and made the hole wider,it was handy for retaining wall holes to a point but had to have a generator to power it

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    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Quote Originally Posted by BeetleJuice View Post
    Not the easiest of things to hold when they hit a solid object.I ended up making a frame with 2 x 12inch wheels at the other end and the machine bolted to the frame which stopped it from spinning in my hands as a 1 man operator.It was suprising on how much power it produced through the gear box.It was a handful even with a 2 man operation not knowing when it was going to grab something

    i used it for my landscaping days for fencing incl brush fences,a must for that sort of continues work
    When it came to holes for plants i'd reach for the electric jack hammer with the wide spade and made the hole wider,it was handy for retaining wall holes to a point but had to have a generator to power it
    I don't like the sound of it much. Might look into a tractor instead. I'm looking at a hobby farm. No infrastructure. Have to start from scratch. Just curious, I always thought there was a general progression from being a lawnie to a landscaper, sounds like in your case it was the other way around. The reason i ask is that I'm looking at the potential of some of the farm equipment being used as a revenue earner in town. Kill two birds one stone. Can't see much use for farm machinery on lawns and gardens but maybe for landscaping there are more possibilities.

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    Senior Member BeetleJuice's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    I went from VIP franchise to landscaper back to lawns.The landscaping got big with big contracts and a crew of 4 or 5 man crew quarter of a million turn over PA for the first few years,but decided to keep it simple and go back to lawns.
    Started with a Iseki small tractor then to bobcat both can do post holes,a tractor is much cheaper to maintain and bobcats were designed to work on building sites in confined areas.
    Think a tractor is the ideal thing for a small hobby farm plus all the attachments are cheaper to buy

  7. #7
    Senior Member djkgrounds's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    What about something like this (or the Dingo version), you can get them fairly cheap second hand from council auctions etc.:

    http://australianequipmentwholesaler...only-30-hours/

    Best thing about them is their portability, And multiple attachments you can get for them
    DJK Grounds & Gardens
    0416 931 867
    http://www.facebook.com/DJKGrounds?ref=hl

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    Senior Member Bluey's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Mate of mine broke his wrist on one of those one man types. Hooked up on something and threw him off like a wild buckjumper. Funny story as he tells it
    Cheers

    Bluey
    Adelaide Home & Garden Solutions
    http://www.ahgs.com.au


    "Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when everyone is watching."

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    Member urbanpatch's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    I've got this one https://www.bunnings.com.au/homelite...igger_p3380318.

    Purchased from a friend for $100. It has been great. Perfect for post holes, starting big holes and also planting (yes I scratch up the holes).

    Was looking at the kinchrome one as it comes in a box. Every tool is better when it has it's own box.

  10. #10
    Senior Member seliment's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Steveo
    Those sorts of machines can be nasty if they hit a rock/root as others have said.

    If you are looking at a hobby farm situation, then a tractor or dingo are a good machine to have, as one of the more useful things to have is a hydraulic 'bucket' for moving soil, lifting etc.
    You can also fit auger for holes.
    Unless you are doing lots of fencing, almost easier & cheaper to get a contractor in with hydraulic post driver (for pine posts) and you can put in the steel star posts by hand or get one of the mechanical (compressed air, electric or petrol powered) for driving them. (operate them while standing in back of ute and posts go in easy).
    Not sure what you plan for with fence design, but many farm fences now use pine posts 20-30 metres (or more) apart with steel star posts as intermediates.

    Also take a look at a Slammer Tool as it far beats a crowbar for ease of use -- badically it's a slide hammer powered crowbar with a diamond shaped blade. Kiwi designed

    Joe

  11. #11
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Quote Originally Posted by seliment View Post
    Steveo
    Those sorts of machines can be nasty if they hit a rock/root as others have said.

    If you are looking at a hobby farm situation, then a tractor or dingo are a good machine to have, as one of the more useful things to have is a hydraulic 'bucket' for moving soil, lifting etc.
    You can also fit auger for holes.
    Unless you are doing lots of fencing, almost easier & cheaper to get a contractor in with hydraulic post driver (for pine posts) and you can put in the steel star posts by hand or get one of the mechanical (compressed air, electric or petrol powered) for driving them. (operate them while standing in back of ute and posts go in easy).
    Not sure what you plan for with fence design, but many farm fences now use pine posts 20-30 metres (or more) apart with steel star posts as intermediates.

    Also take a look at a Slammer Tool as it far beats a crowbar for ease of use -- badically it's a slide hammer powered crowbar with a diamond shaped blade. Kiwi designed

    Joe

    I like the look of those slammer tools.

    Got to do about 1.5km frontage boundary fencing to start with. I better get a quote from a pro.

    Gone off the idea of tractors and ATV's for now till I see how it all pans out. There are a few guys out there modifying Daihatsu Terios AWD with diff locks to be used as ATV's. They are small enough to fit on the back of my K2900 light truck. That will at least get me mobile and able to do some weed spraying at a fraction of the cost of a new ATV and with arguably more capability, air con, power steering etc .

  12. #12
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    for anyone interested in farm vehicle conversions


    http://www.risingsunbuggies.com/#!ab...-buggies-/c3r5

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    Member Redeye's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    they're pretty cool ^^




    http://curraronggardening.com/

    "All sin is washed away in the Holy goodness of Beer"
    Book of Redeye, Psalm 69

  14. #14
    Member urbanpatch's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    I've got the slammer. Good for digging a hard hole or 2, wouldn't be using it for heaps. Small auger is great for posts and plants. A lot of them have a spring to ease impact. You don't need to use them at full revs. I just lightly rev it so that if i hit something it doesn't buck like a horse.

  15. #15
    Senior Member seliment's Avatar
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    Default Re: post hole digger

    Quote Originally Posted by steveo View Post
    I like the look of those slammer tools.

    Got to do about 1.5km frontage boundary fencing to start with. I better get a quote from a pro.

    Gone off the idea of tractors and ATV's for now till I see how it all pans out. There are a few guys out there modifying Daihatsu Terios AWD with diff locks to be used as ATV's. They are small enough to fit on the back of my K2900 light truck. That will at least get me mobile and able to do some weed spraying at a fraction of the cost of a new ATV and with arguably more capability, air con, power steering etc .
    Take a fools advice (wearing my farming hat ) ... get a contractor to do the lot, or at least get a contractor to drive the (treated pine)
    posts for you and put up the wire / ringlock mesh yourself.
    Pilot hole drilled and then rammed, the posts will be much more solid than what you can ever get by digging or drilling and then backfilling, (even if you ram them well).
    A good (home made) rammer is about a 1.8m length of 20 - 25mm waterpipe, weld / fix a short piece (about 60-70mm long) of about 40-50 mm pipe on end (or use gal pipe reducer fitting) and fill it (the ramming end) with lead or lead shot.
    I inherited one that grandfather had and it sure beats for ease of use, the rammer knob on end of a crowbar.

    Joe.

    Joe.

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