I've got a PHD from Everything Attachments that is designed for subcompact tractors that I used on my BX. Even with that, I run into issues similar to yours, especially digging in dry clay in the middle of summer. The subcompacts simply don't have enough 3 point lift capacity to overcome the auger sucking itself down. The majority of my holes have been with a 12" x 48" bit, which is a lot for the little tractor, but the 9" bit didn't seem to be much better. I've learned a few tricks with my setup that may help you, but may not be the safest of easiest on the equipment. This is also only applicable to ground without big rocks and roots. As many others have mentioned, repeatedly cleaning out the hole every few inches is important. I noticed that you were lifting the auger to do so, but you weren't lifting it all the way up. This probably won't help much as the loose soil at the top of the auger probably isn't going to make much of a difference. I also realize that sometimes when the auger bites just an inch or two into hard clay, it can suck itself right down to the bottom no matter how hard you pull up on the 3 point lever. Most of the time at least for me, the the auger will break itself free when the 3 point hitch bottoms out, rather than pick up the front of the tractor, if not, the tractor will stall. I was overly worried about this at first and would kill the pto at the first sign of it sucking itself down. I later realized that I was killing it to quick and for every 30 seconds i spent using the auger, I spent 10 minutes prying it out. I've had some luck with the adjusting the 3 point flow control so that the auger will just barely creep down. Sometimes this added resistance is enough to break it free before it corkscrews down too far. If you're quick enough, you can even close it all the way off, which will prevent the lift arms from going down. This makes for some slow digging, but saves the time of trying to get the auger unstuck. When the auger does corkscrew all the way down and stall the tractor, I've been able to break it free by lifting the front end of the tractor up with the bucket, which lowers the back of the tractor, raising the 3 point hitch as far as it will go, then raising the bucket back up, which leaves the front end of the tractor suspended in the air. Extra weight in the bucket helps with this also. After my first attempt at this, I'll lower the 3 point all the way down, and if there is any sign of loosening, I'll try it again and it usually pops out. If not, I'll try to gently rock the track forward and back, then try lifting the front again. If it gets a little loose, but still won't come up, engaging the pto with the front end up in the air, has always freed it. I haven't needed to get off of the tractor and use the prybar since i started going through the process. I believe someone else mentioned using a railroad jack or similar in the comments. I don't have one, but it seems to me like it would be a better choice than the prybar. The best and probably least practical approach is to wait for the ground to get wet since this makes it so much easier, but when a job needs done, it needs done.

pull the auger out most of the way to spin the dirt off about 4 or 5 times per hole. dont let it go all the way down with out pulling it out. thats what works best for me. when you go all the way down the dirt gets to be too heavy to pull it out then it starts screwing into the ground.

You need to clean out the hole more often. For every 5-10" pull out the auger, that way you will never have more then 5-10" of dirt holding the auger down. And when you are about to pull out, stop the auger. That way it doesn't drop dirt into the hole as much. When you have the auger clear of the hole, restart the auger and rev up to throw the dirt off the auger and away from the hole. Then stop the auger and lower it into the hole again. A bigger tractor and more HP only helps some. Running the auger all the way down without cleaning out the dirt is the same as screwing down a huge ground anchor.

I live in Apple country. When I was a teen I use to help plant apple trees and we used a 12" auger on a Ford 3000. I was told when coming up out of the hole to rev it up to get it spinning, the dirt would fly off the auger instead of falling back down the hole... most times. :-)

You are correct, just because an attachment will hook to the tractor doesnt mean it will work properly. Also when is the last time the frost got down anywhere close to 42 inches in central Indiana?

Tim, my 22 month old son falls asleep watching your videos. Haha. Not that’s it’s a bad thing. I enjoy them. He loves my Johnny. Always says “Tractor”. He enjoys watching these videos before bed.

You done really good with all those holes I have a tax post hole digger on my jd4200 you take it easy never had a problem good luck

No down pressure on most small tractors. Best thing is a skid steer attachment w hydraulic motion forward and reverse on the bit as well as down pressure from loader! Cool videos!

From other videos I’m seen backing out every few inches would work better. It all looked good afterwards and it beats post hole diggers. I has a fence business back in the early 90s and I used a hand power auger, it would beat me to death. The one on the tractor is much better. Thanks Tim for sharing.

Tim, you are just gonna have to give that post hole digger to me. It'll make you feel better not having to mess with it anymore. I will send you video of it in action too

As your digging the hole you need to pick it up some so the auger can clean itself and the loose dirt out of the hole. If you just let go down it tends to pack itself in the hole

Hi , I too needed to dig a little further down. So I welded up an extension out of heavy pipe . It does wobble a bit ,but if the hole is an inch wider who cares. Also the extension makes a good place for a pipe wrench for backing out when it gets good and stuck. Good luck.

3pt post hole diggers work really good, you have the hp but not the weight or hydraulic power. Maybe a weight ballest box on the front end loader would help with the auger pulling its self down. Usually i like to run high rpm and go down taking little bites then come back up with high rpm it tends to throw the dirt more outwards and not back in the hole. Another tip i have learned is to give your helper a plumb bob, use it against the auger and get vertical holes every time.

Tim, Just ordered my 1025r. You’re videos helped me make an informed decision. Thank you. I can’t wait to get it.

I was always instructed to let it drill down a little and pop it back up to clear the dirt. Then drill a little deeper and so on. The tractor was a bit bigger but so was the bit. I think it was a 42 inch bit? But other than that I think you did good. Keep on drilling!

I'm impressed it was still running and didn't blow the gear box! Maybe, Countyline brand isn't as bad as I'm thinking :) Looks like a 'skill' to be learned for sure. For a sub compact, I'm impressed with what you got done! Not too bad, not bad at all!

When you get a 3 series you will love that post hole digger. From experience once the post hole auger gets all the way down you should shovel the dirt away from the hole. Then remove the auger.

I’ve got a bobcat skid steer s250 from 2005 can’t wait to try out an auger with all the power I am excited to do some fun projects

I do despise postal augers as well.... used one quite a bit before finally buying a large heavy-duty post pounder. Makes fence and corral projects 10x easier. Limiting factor though is height of the posts. I think ours can handle 12' posts maximum.

Great stuff Tim !! Need to clean the hole out more often ! Go down a few inches then clean the hole! Also if you go deeper than your auger you need to have someone shoveling dirt away from the hole . After you get the hole the full depth, speed up the auger some to help clean the hole . Finally before pulling off the hole , run the auger down one final time. When you get the auger full of dirt stop the PTO. Then lift the auger out of the hole . That way when you pull to the next hole you take that extra dirt from previous hole. Helps some on using the hand operated diggers. God bless you all !!!!! Eddy

I have a Yanmar 2620D with a ford post hole auger. This set up works great even in clay with floater rocks. I spin the auger much faster and lift quickly several times per hole to clean the bit and throw the dirt a little farther away from falling back in.

Tim, carry a farm jack to use when pulling it out of stuck ground. Something like a hi-lift. That will at least break it out so the tractor can pull it up.

That is a piece of equipment I've thought about getting. Your video has pushed me to the point of NOT getting one. I would like to rent an implement for planting trees though.

i have this post hold digger, it was great oputting in goat fence and for drilling in the garden. 33hp kubota. I like it better than digging by hand

About 20 years ago I installed my iron fence, a reproduction of what would have been used in the 1890's when my house was build. Probably about 60 post holes dug with a gas powered, hand held auger. Pretty sure if I had a 1025R back then with that attachment you have my lower back would still be in good shape! I see that the mini skid steers have a post hole digger attachment and I wonder how well they work? Thanks for taking us along!

Awesome job Sir!

Really good. I was wondering of using one for a task. But, may change my mind now.

Agree with you Tim & Christy. I would not have done the hole right beside the house for fear of hitting portion of his footings but if the customer wants it and is paying big bucks, then I guess.........follow the money. Enjoyed a full watch on your video. 👍

What we did with our auger is we welded a dually rim on it for extra weight on harder ground and our 50 hp Kubota has no problem

Time for a 2038 or .even a 3 series. Thanks for these videos it shows the real world.

I agree with your comments having done many holes that way myself. It is helpful to have someone pull the dirt back from the edges of the hole with a shovel as you go along - with the auger stopped of course. A final pullback of dirt when you lift almost all the way out the the hole saves a lot of hand digging later. I hate the pipe wrench too so pecking is the way to go.

Fill your bucket full of something to use as ballast to keep the front from being pulled off the ground

Tim Christi thanks for the information seeing this we will pas on the post hole digger to much for us thank you again God Bless PaK

Corky the homeowner sure enjoyed watching the auger drill next to house. LOL! Standing pretty close to that PTO drive shaft, he needs to re-think his common-sense approach to machine safely. Great video, I'm pretty hooked on your channel. :)

I helped a friend with a small tractor bore some post holes years ago. My help consisted of directing him up and back to keep the auger plumb. He told me that pecking the hole was important on a low horsepower tractor and keeping the revs up to sling the dirt away and keep the engine in it's torque range. How deep to peck depended on how hard the digging. Hope this bit of info is helpful. See you in the next one.

Safety Sallies 😂😂 It must be nice to be so perfect that you never have to improvise!

I recently hand dug 64 post holes for 4"x4" fence posts with a basic, hand held post hole digger, a hand shovel, and my hands. Rocks and small boulders are always the issue. There is no escaping the need to use a small hand shovel and your hands when a rock stops the post hole digger. I'd still opt for a hand held unit over an auger that does not have a reverse gear - which no PTO offers. Tractors need a reverse gear on the PTO, if that is possible, to make an auger worth getting.

I agree with Noc, I clean my auger 3 times during a dig like this.

Interesting! Johny has a little more HP than my Mahendra yet it's physically a bit bigger. Like you I'm not big on using my post hole digger but my tractor has almost 2X the 3pt lifting power as Johny. I have drilled through hard clay and sandstone with it and I've never had the trouble with it catching. Maybe it's the lifting cap of the 3pt or something. I've found that if you drill down a bit then pull it up while its still spinning it clears some of that dirt and it's easier on the tractor. I clear the hole 4-6 times when I'm doing a post hole. Keep the bit spinning and it should fling the stuff off the bit at you get above ground level with it. Another trick some farmer showed me was to put the tip of your loader to the ground to help with the rocking motion you can get some times. The post hole diggers for bigger tractors pivot in 3 directions were mine only pivots forewords and back. How can I get a hold of you guys, I was wondering when you planned your trip down the AA in KY to see Christy's family? I'd like to show you my tractor and how it helps me around my property being disabled.

I see the PHD is a country line from Tractor supply. It is not designed for a sub compact tractor. Try the land Pride PD10, or Everything Attachments PHD are designed for subcompact tractors the auger length is 36 inches. And you can buy extensions. Prices run just over 1200 dollars and that includes the auger. When I've had use for a PHD I borrow one and keep moving it up and down and at a greater speed than you were using. I found that way it spins the dirt off into a neat mole hill. Up and down up and down up and down. Sounds like my TI in the army.

Tim, You did an excellent job.

You will get better the more you use it... I run mine at about half throttle, and go in only 4 to 8 inches at a time, then pull up and let the spoils come out. You can make yourself a easy turnbuckle to get the movement out of your hitch. Helps a lot! Good luck!

A few years back, we build one on a forklift. Works much better than on a tractor. A nice video, and good luck with the new house and barn. Looking forward to see the new barn for Johny, Casey and Vinnie.

Tim, you'll want keep one hand hovered over the PTO switch and the other on the rock shaft lever. When the auger starts sucking itself down on its own, it's about to get out of control, possibly stalling the tractor and getting itself stuck in the ground. As soon as you notice it start to happen, IMMEDIATELY raise the auger a bit, and if it does not answer, then IMMEDIATELY hit the PTO switch and stop it turning until you can raise the auger a little and regain control. Re-start the PTO auger and gently lower and use a frequent up-and-down motion to keep it from uncontrolled augering-in. You should be able to do basic digging of the hole with the auger, but real clean-out with a tractor 3-point hitch auger will have to be finished manually with a clam shell post hole digger.

I think you did a fair job of what size of tractor you have.

Did 50 in a loamy soil about 60 days ago. No issues. Used the 3039 because he had other dirt work to do. Used 1025 about 30 days ago to do 15 in mixed ground. Again no issues. In both cases, I don’t go very far without pulling up the auger to clear the hole (not clean the auger). I saw a video from everything attachments and went to school on them. My only issue is being twisted in the seat for long periods of time. Oh an it is definitely a two person job. The spotter is crucial.

Using the post hole attachment with Johnny sure beats doing it by hand. As others have written, you should pull the auger out more often to get rid of the dirt.

I believe you can change the tip of that auger to a less aggressive one. Maby look into that

This may be the most frustrating attachment but in my hard clay my wife and I cannot dig a post hole without it. It is a aback saver!

I believe you have selected a much better post hole digger than I have. It's design allows for more digging depth than the PHD100 I have. When I bought my tractor I bought the PHD100 at the same time with no previous tractor or implement experience. I just knew I could get the 0% financing. Using the PHD100 with my brother in law assisting I operated it from standing at the side of the tractor. I know that is not what is supposed to be done but it allowed me full view of what was going on while still giving access to the the 3 point lift and the PTO control. We operated at idle and listened for the first sign of the auger pulling down too fast or hitting a rock. We have some very large rocks and pull the auger out and manually use a digging bar to remove the large rocks. It is slow tedious work but the only option we have.

Tim now that you have a larger Casey why not get a post hole digger that will attach to Casey it would be able to bored a much straighter hole and not wobble rounders as much and have a lot more horsepower, just something to think about ????

Using the next narrower size auger and lifting the auger out of the hole more frequently to clear the hole of loose soil may help.... Michael

I think everyone is too hard on you.😊. Anytime one can dig that many holes that deep with little hand work. Huge success. What is the fence 10' high. I have never gone over 24" depth.

I feel your sentiments about the PHD, mine is the least liked implement I own and the 1025R is just at the limit for it. I use a different approach than you, I keep the RPM's up and I listen to the tractor, when it starts to bog down, I pull the auger up and this helps keep the dirt out of the hole and off the auger too. I learned the hard way and had to unscrew my auger out of the ground a few times. I also have very hard ground here in Southern Id.

As a digger derrick operator. I reccomend running higher speed with the auger and slowly plunging it. Give it some time before punching deeper. This will prevent the auger from drawing down. I usually start my holes slowly to keep it straight and then kick the auger speed up and puch the holes slowly. Good Luck

I bought one yesterday 10/9/21 I didn’t have issues using but I drilled one hole but I did a little at a time got a feel for that suction and raised 3 point quickly I’ll give more feedback got more to drill

Good old county line - aka tractor supply co... I'm going to pick one of these up next month

Have you tried like drilling a hole in wood go down and up down and up to help clean the auger off

If you change the tip to a paddle type instead of the screw type it will not get stuck as much. I have both kind and the paddle tip works better I hope this helps thanks for the nice videos

While I know you spent the whole day digging those 51 holes,can you imagine how long it would have taken them to do by hand? Also, the few days that it would take for your body to recuperate afterwards. Johnny might be a little under powered for the post hole digger but you seem to have found the happy medium in making it work with just the right amount of pressure, speed and coaxing. Like everything else in life,you just have to get used to it and make it work for yourself. Once again, thanks for the video Tim and Christy. Always a great way to spend a little time watching you both. (and Katriel when she isnt at school or on 'assignment') =)

A Auger for the case would be so much more ideal! Lots of control with them

There should be room for error allowed in the plumness of your post hole though. You are making a bigger hole then necessary with the auger so they will have wiggle room to get their 4x4. I have the same setup with 1025r and TSC post hole digger, and i barely use it. Matter of fact i used my backhoe to dig almost all my fence posts last spring.

You should get a post hole digger attachment for Casey

I think I've watched almost every video you have put out. I started out with a kioti 2510 and can understand your pain when it came to the post hole digger, my 2510 I always felt it was biting off more than it could chew.... I switched it out last year for a 2610 I really like the size now but would like a few more hp.... I guess in hindsight I would of gone 3510 I think it's a good size frame and not to huge but not to small... tractors men's best toys.

I mounted a platform on top of my auger head so I can stand on it or in my case jump up and down on it to get more down pressure. I’ve learned I can accomplish more with a Manuel post hole digger than I can with my auger. Kinda stinks because they aren’t cheap.

Hi Tim, Great videos I have never used a auger on 3point hitch but have drilled 1000+ holes with auger on an excavator, to stop the dirt falling back in your hole you need someone with a shovel to pull the dirt away from the hole. Form what i could see of the Auger bit i believe your problem of the auger pulling itself is due to the type of pilot bit of have on the Auger, it is to screw like. (It is working as a screw and pulling itself) From the augers i have used that only have 1/4 twist. It is like a spade drill bit for timber that is designed to pull itself into the timber to enable it to cut.

Going to be using a auger on my RK19 Sub Compact this summer, should interesting. Definitely must be used much slower on a SCUT.

When I was looking for an auger, I came across one from everythingattachments. They had noticed similar problems with small tractors using augers and went and designed one specifically for them. Their videos are impressive. I don't have any first hand experience with them however. I do with the DandyDigger though.

I agree with your assessment of the lack of power to drive a ph auger. By appearance I have the same ph digger from Tractor Supply, and my 1025r is from May 2018. I find that running a faster speed with smaller "bites" works best for me. But, the sub-compacts were just never expected to run this size of implement. I had an 850 JD years ago that was 29 hp and it was perfectly matched for driving the ph digger. But, like you said, in spite of the hassles, the 1025r driving one is MUCH better than my arms driving one!!! I also try to have a helper with a garden hoe to pull dirt back from the hole as I go. Of course, I stop spinning as they work. It helps a lot to keep the perimeter of the hole cleaned off, and when I get to the bottom, stop the auger in the bottom, then pull it out, IF YOU CAN. Much cleaner bottom this way. I agree,.....worse attachment of all! But, useful!

Have you thought about getting a hydraulic driven post hole digger to go on the fel instead. It would give you more control and also the ability to reverse the auger

tip - use large washers to shim both sides of the boom when you attach the boom to the back of the tractor it takes a lot of the side to side play out of the boom. on my tractor there is room for two washers on each side of the boom. I welded two washers together and added a small 3" long bolt to the washers for a handle to keep my fingers from getting pinched when inserting the washers.

I was just looking these up on tractor supply. They have special small sized ones for subcompact tractors now. The one you have is meant for larger frames I think. Well… it is better on larger frames anyways. Obviously it works on the sun compacts as well.

Great video buddy! An Excellent attachment do the drill well! Thanks for sharing! Have a good one!

I love my auger on my JD 3032e. Pacific NW with rocky soil and lots of roots doesn’t seem to be an issue. I think you’ll have a different experience once you upgrade your tractor.

The country line post hole digger has been the vain of my existence since I install fences for a living I took the gearbox attached a hydraulic motor and now run it on my front end loader cost me $700 using a really good motor And it’s the best thing ever having reverse as well as the down force from the loader my Massey gc1710 TLB likes it a lot better very smooth You could probably convert it for less than $300 if you bought everything off line I went to my local hydraulic shop Only took me about 3 hr and some welding

Nice video tim and a lot of holes to drill . The best sulution should be a right and left turning axle 👍

Can you shorten the lift arms on Johnny at all ? Also, can you use the closest mounting hole to the end of the auger to give Johnny more mechanical advantage ? Lastly, put some dirt in the bucket of the front end loader or possibly some block or sakrete to give some front end ballast...

I use the frontier made for the 1025r. Dug a bunch of 6” holes. I rev up the rpm after initial 6” and slowly drop (I don’t let the bit pull) and pull up two times per hole. Only problem is hitting the loader stick with my knee.

Excellent video as always with TTWT, they really need a reverse function on that post hole digger before I would even consider purchasing one for my 1025r, or even a larger tractor.

Nice to meet so beautiful and amazing

I haven't read down the comments yet but how about an auger for Casey? They have hydraulic driven for skid loaders and a wide assortment of boom mount attachments for excavators. As always your content is great as usual and thankyou for all you give us .

This is one tool that the simple up or down three point lift control on my JD 1023E is better. I just give a little bump down and the lift catches itself after dropping about 6 inches. After a few bumps I bring it back up the clear the soil out before going back down. I am digging in Florida sand so even with a 12 inch auger it goes down easily. I am thinking about bolting a rod on top of the gearbox and hanging some chain from the top to use as a pendulum to tell when the auger is perfectly vertical.

You need to have Case lend you the auger for the CX37C I would like to see how that works!

May have to rent bigger equipment off and on till you can get something with more horse power. the other scary thing i would have is doing damage to a drive shave link. All one can do is work with witcha got until the time for bigger stuff comes about. I’d look at what your getting into before deciding on equipment.

Tim. I had the same issue with my Kubota 29 hp. The auger would be sucked down and my hyd's would not pull it up. I had to use a handyman jack on every hole. Needless to say! I don't own a post hole auger any more. That said, I had a 55 hp Ford, and it would act the same way. Just not worth owning a post hole auger, unless you have a larger hp tractor. Again! My 2 cents. Keep those video's coming! Love them, my friend.

That’s the worst part with HP weight and flow in a hydraulic system, we can always use more! But with that said I am impressed with Johnnys ability’s! Good job and thank you for sharing!

A lot easier than digging them by hand haha

You should contact the company that makes those post hole diggers and see if they can figure out how to make it work for an I match hitch

Make a wooden collar and frame that prevents the auger from sucking itself completely down. If all else fails, you have something rigid to pry against to force the bit out of the ground.

I have an older b6000 with loader, probably weighs a bit less than your jd, and it has 10 pto horsepower. Never had an issue with my post hole digger with pto power or hydraulic power. I "empty" the hole 2 or 3 times over the course of the hole.

Can you get a auger for your mini excavator?

i find a big difference drilling about 1to2 ft stop auger pullit out then spin off dirt works great especilly in clay and rock

Don't you think if you gave it more R? PM's it would turn faster. Then the drop of the three point hitch, which will break the dirt up faster and pull it up.Does that make sense

Love your videos! Keep them coming!

Tim you can make a vertical angle measurer by using a tin rod on the boom and then a mark or a bolt on the pto shield much like the bucket leveler on your boom arms on the front bucket..

This showed up as a live show, and I just missed it by about 45 minutes... out riding my Motorcycle in this weather (Dayton Ohio).. lol It sounds like Johnny is just not quite heavy enough for that big of an auger, and of course you could not use an even bigger one either. That is where your bigger tractor will come in handy..

This was very helpful. I am looking into buying 1023E Tractor Package Tractor + Loader + Rotary Cutter + Box Blade + Trailer, switching something out for the auger. I have an acre of rocky soil I want to fence and a hand post hole digger just won't do. Maybe I will have better luck with a smaller bit.

I think the finance committee needs to consider a skid steer.😬

The auger can be cumbersome to use but definitely beats post-hole diggers. I used one with my old Ford NAA but haven’t used one with my Kubota B2650.

Higher rpm, and pull up/clean off auger.. gotta have the rpm for hydraulic power but not let it bite too much before pulling back up to clean. Really tough to do without around 25+ horse It will always feel in the seat like your about to be digging really well but by then it's too late to get it back out and manually clean