OT: Post hole digger

[Trevor Wilson]

OK, so I am not looking for a real post hole digger. I want to buy the
missus a digger so she can plant out the garden. Roots and rocks are the
major problem here. The soil type can best be described as 'dirty sand',
mixed with rocks and the afore-mentioned roots. It can take her a very
long time to dig a small hole. I don't want a professional tool for a
bunch of reasons, so I reckon I have a couple of choices:

https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-brushless-planting-and-digging-tool-only-odt1800?list=all_products&list_name=All+Products

I am waiting for Ryobi to get back to me with torque figures.

The other option is one of these, combined with my Bosch battery drill
(80Nm torque):

https://www.bunnings.com.au/sutton-tools-150-x-450mm-garden-auger_p0139210

Dunno if 80Nm is sufficient torque for one of those, so I may need to
consider something a little smaller. Or I could try it in my El Cheapo™
(Ozito) rotary hammer drill?

Any other suggestions will be welcome.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

[Noddy]

On 7/12/2020 10:20 am, Trevor Wilson wrote:
> OK, so I am not looking for a real post hole digger. I want to buy the
> missus a digger so she can plant out the garden. Roots and rocks are the
> major problem here. The soil type can best be described as 'dirty sand',
> mixed with rocks and the afore-mentioned roots. It can take her a very
> long time to dig a small hole. I don't want a professional tool for a
> bunch of reasons, so I reckon I have a couple of choices:
>
> https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-brushless-planting-and-digging-tool-only-odt1800?list=all_products&list_name=All+Products
>
>
> I am waiting for Ryobi to get back to me with torque figures.
>
> The other option is one of these, combined with my Bosch battery drill
> (80Nm torque):
>
> https://www.bunnings.com.au/sutton-tools-150-x-450mm-garden-auger_p0139210
>
> Dunno if 80Nm is sufficient torque for one of those, so I may need to
> consider something a little smaller. Or I could try it in my El Cheapo™
> (Ozito) rotary hammer drill?
>
> Any other suggestions will be welcome.

We have a 2 inch auger bit that I bought off Ebay for 40 bucks or so
that was meant for a petrol powered post hole digger that I modified to
fit in a standard drill chuck and it works fine. Our biggest problem out
here is that after a dry Summer the ground tends to be quite hard, so we
used the Ozito hammer drill to drive the thing.

Auger bits *hate* rocks, so I would advise you against two things:

The first would be to not use excessive amounts of torque to drive the
auger. This may seem counter intuitive but the reality is that no matter
how much torque you apply a decent rock *will* stop the auger from
turning and when it does that torque will be instantly applied to the
operator with predictable results.

Use a drill with a T handle for stability.

The second is to use a small diameter auger bit. The reason why we use a
two inch bit is because it takes a significantly less power to drive
than the kind of things you've linked to, and because the flutes are
quite shallow they're far less likely to grab onto a rock and get stuck.

We've found rather than using a larger auger to drill a big hole we've
had far greater success in using the smaller one to dig the hole and
then move it from side to side to open the hole up after it's dug. It
works well and greatly reduces the changes of injury.

There are devices on the market advertised as "power planters". Have a
look there for ideas. They tend to be over priced in my opinion, but the
concept is what you need.






--
--
--
Regards,
Noddy.

[Trevor Wilson]

**Thanks for the tips. All good advice.

[Clocky]

He's good at digging holes for himself. It's the climbing out part he
has trouble with :-)

[jonz@ nothere.com]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A genuine question is asked, and a genuine and helpful reply is posted. All good you`d reckon?. well yes, but the circle jerk is lurking (At which they excel) and their raison d'être is of course disruption. Oh well, Haters will hate. <Shrug>

[keithr0]

On 12/7/2020 9:20 AM, Trevor Wilson wrote:
> OK, so I am not looking for a real post hole digger. I want to buy the
> missus a digger so she can plant out the garden. Roots and rocks are the
> major problem here. The soil type can best be described as 'dirty sand',
> mixed with rocks and the afore-mentioned roots. It can take her a very
> long time to dig a small hole. I don't want a professional tool for a
> bunch of reasons, so I reckon I have a couple of choices:
>
> https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-brushless-planting-and-digging-tool-only-odt1800?list=all_products&list_name=All+Products
>
>
> I am waiting for Ryobi to get back to me with torque figures.
>
> The other option is one of these, combined with my Bosch battery drill
> (80Nm torque):
>
> https://www.bunnings.com.au/sutton-tools-150-x-450mm-garden-auger_p0139210
>
> Dunno if 80Nm is sufficient torque for one of those, so I may need to
> consider something a little smaller. Or I could try it in my El Cheapo™
> (Ozito) rotary hammer drill?
>
> Any other suggestions will be welcome.
>
>

A small electric jack hammer with a spade bit will go through just about
anything. May be a bit heavy for SWMBO though.

[alvey]

On Mon, 7 Dec 2020 10:20:28 +1100, Trevor Wilson wrote:

> OK, so I am not looking for a real post hole digger. I want to buy the
> missus a digger so she can plant out the garden. Roots and rocks are the
> major problem here.

"problem"? Crikey Trev! Lots of people would love to live where rock and
roots are plentiful...



alvey

[Trevor Wilson]

**Nah. She's tough and strong. She can even use the 2kW one, though
she's not too happy about it. Usually I get the call-out when she hits
rocks and bricks.

Funny story: When she was doing some planting in the front garden, she
hit some bricks about 200mm down. When she called me in with the
jackhammer, I found that the bricks went down another 500mm and were
motared in. I spoke to a neighbour down the street, who has been here
for 50 years. He confirmed that the council raised the level of the road
by almost a Metre. The result was that the original brick fence was
completely covered.

[Lindsay]

On 7/12/2020 7:57 pm, Trevor Wilson wrote:
> On 7/12/2020 6:23 pm, keithr0 wrote:
>> On 12/7/2020 9:20 AM, Trevor Wilson wrote:
>>> OK, so I am not looking for a real post hole digger. I want to buy
>>> the missus a digger so she can plant out the garden. Roots and rocks
>>> are the major problem here. The soil type can best be described as
>>> 'dirty sand', mixed with rocks and the afore-mentioned roots. It can
>>> take her a very long time to dig a small hole. I don't want a
>>> professional tool for a bunch of reasons, so I reckon I have a couple
>>> of choices:
>>>
>>> https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-brushless-planting-and-digging-tool-only-odt1800?list=all_products&list_name=All+Products
>>>
>>>
>>> I am waiting for Ryobi to get back to me with torque figures.
>>>
>>> The other option is one of these, combined with my Bosch battery
>>> drill (80Nm torque):
>>>
>>> https://www.bunnings.com.au/sutton-tools-150-x-450mm-garden-auger_p0139210
>>>
>>>
>>> Dunno if 80Nm is sufficient torque for one of those, so I may need to
>>> consider something a little smaller. Or I could try it in my El
>>> Cheapo™ (Ozito) rotary hammer drill?
>>>
>>> Any other suggestions will be welcome.
>>>
>>>
>> A small electric jack hammer with a spade bit will go through just
>> about anything. May be a bit heavy for SWMBO though.
>
> **Nah. She's tough and strong. She can even use the 2kW one, though
> she's not too happy about it. Usually I get the call-out when she hits
> rocks and bricks.

I'll side with what Noddy said earlier (that should cause a ripple in
the Farce !).. i did mention earlier (6 months ago?) that sticking a
40mm ebay auger in a bosch cordless is fine until it hits a root/rock,
and as was suggested; when the auger hits something and stops rotating,
the opposite happens and the torque is applied to your arm and then
shoulder. You should know the power of Bosch cordless drills, esp if you
cant get your finger off the trigger quick enough.... :-) I've a
cheap-arse 2-stroke post hole digger.. one of the first bits of gear I
bought when I bought my block.. i knew what was coming.. :-) From memory
it was around the $325 mark, and came with 100mm, 200mm and 300mm
augers.I wouldnt dare try the 300mm auger. It's done what it was bought
for, and more. My mates keep borrowing it, but when offered the 300mm
bit, they decline :-)

A 40mm bit and a Bosch drill with a good battery will do what you want.
It does here, anyhow... IMHO.

>
> Funny story: When she was doing some planting in the front garden, she
> hit some bricks about 200mm down. When she called me in with the
> jackhammer, I found that the bricks went down another 500mm and were
> motared in. I spoke to a neighbour down the street, who has been here
> for 50 years. He confirmed that the council raised the level of the road
> by almost a Metre. The result was that the original brick fence was
> completely covered.
>


--

First xeno says "They were deleted. Noddy deleted them".
Then he was asked to show the threads the deleted posts were in.
"I know where the threads are. The posts are no longer there." he said.
So show us the threads, we asked. This is where he goes real quiet..
Then we laughed at the liar who snookered himself with his own lies
"I have redressed it and it's no longer an issue. Simple as that."

[Lindsay]

Soz, I meant to add, the Ryobi unit you mentioned sounds good, till you
add a battery and charger. And it's $270 without both. The 40mm auger
from fleabay will do the job, $20.00, and just take your time on slow
speed. I drill 3 holes, and end up with a hole big enough and deep
enough for plants in 150mm pots. no way known would I put a 150mm auger
(as above) in a cordless drill.

[Noddy]

On 7/12/2020 8:53 pm, Lindsay wrote:

> On 7/12/2020 7:57 pm, Trevor Wilson wrote:
>
>> **Nah. She's tough and strong. She can even use the 2kW one, though
>> she's not too happy about it. Usually I get the call-out when she hits
>> rocks and bricks.
>
> I'll side with what Noddy said earlier (that should cause a ripple in
> the Farce !).. i did mention earlier (6 months ago?) that sticking a
> 40mm ebay auger in a bosch cordless is fine until it hits a root/rock,
> and as was suggested; when the auger hits something and stops rotating,
> the opposite happens and the torque is applied to your arm and then
> shoulder. You should know the power of Bosch cordless drills, esp if you
> cant get your finger off the trigger quick enough.... :-)  I've a
> cheap-arse  2-stroke post hole digger.. one of the first bits of gear I
> bought when I bought my block.. i knew what was coming.. :-) From memory
> it was around the $325 mark, and came with 100mm, 200mm and 300mm
> augers.I wouldnt dare try the 300mm auger. It's done what it was bought
> for, and more. My mates keep borrowing it, but when offered the 300mm
> bit, they decline :-)

Heh :) Don't blame them :)

I have a 300mm auger for the PTO driven post hole digger that clips onto
the back of my tractor, and even using it on that is a cunt of a job.
Hit a basketball sized rock and the bloody tractor just about gets
thrown over onto it's side in a big hurry.

The digger has a "clutch" that's supposed to slip as soon as there is an
obstruction, but it's never worked properly. If you try backing off the
spring pressure to allow it to slip it just slips all the time and
doesn't grip when going through hard stuff. Fortunately my tractor has a
hydraulic tilt on the 3 point linkage, and rocking the auger back and
forth to get it started combined with chucking a bucket of water into
the hole once it is helps enormously.

Still risky shit but. I hit a rock once and though I was going to get
thrown off the thing, but it twisted the drive shaft instead.

> A 40mm bit and a Bosch drill with a good battery will do what you want.
> It does here, anyhow... IMHO.

Same. Less chance of getting caught up on something, and fairly easy to
maneuver.

[F Murtz]

On 7/12/20 10:20 am, Trevor Wilson wrote:
> OK, so I am not looking for a real post hole digger. I want to buy the
> missus a digger so she can plant out the garden. Roots and rocks are the
> major problem here. The soil type can best be described as 'dirty sand',
> mixed with rocks and the afore-mentioned roots. It can take her a very
> long time to dig a small hole. I don't want a professional tool for a
> bunch of reasons, so I reckon I have a couple of choices:
>
> https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-brushless-planting-and-digging-tool-only-odt1800?list=all_products&list_name=All+Products
>
>
> I am waiting for Ryobi to get back to me with torque figures.
>
> The other option is one of these, combined with my Bosch battery drill
> (80Nm torque):
>
> https://www.bunnings.com.au/sutton-tools-150-x-450mm-garden-auger_p0139210
>
> Dunno if 80Nm is sufficient torque for one of those, so I may need to
> consider something a little smaller. Or I could try it in my El Cheapo™
> (Ozito) rotary hammer drill?
>
> Any other suggestions will be welcome.
>
>

I have a similar thing to this,it is nt industrial strength but works in
small doses.

https://tinyurl.com/y4v7qw2z

[Noddy]

I have one of those myself which is used for turning the soil over on
the veggie patches. It works well as a rotary hoe, but I'm fucked if I
can see how it would be any good as a post hole digger.

Perhaps you can enlighten us? :)

[Xeno]

You mean you don't know the *relevance* of a rototiller to the current
convo? How utterly unsurprising.


--

Xeno

First they ignore you,
Then they ridicule you,
Then they fight you,
Then you win.

Mahatma Ghandi

[jonz@ nothere.com]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AHhh, just fuck off you irrelevant POS!!!!....

[F Murtz]

The original question was for implements for planting out a garden.

[Xeno]

Precisely. It wasn’t *limited* to an auger. The only thing I’ve ever used
an auger in the garden for is planting *fenceposts*. There was one time I
used one for planting a rotary clothesline post, worked very well for that.
One like this, to be precise, and I still have it.

https://www.mitre10.com.au/cyclone-auger-earth-post-hole-digger-150mm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_se1-Oq97QIV-sEWBR3e3wAIEAQYBCABEgJzcvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Only used it once in the past 7 years here, for a single fence post.
Doesn’t occupy much space in the shed, no battery to go flat, no fuel to go
stale. ;-)


--
Xeno

[Trevor Wilson]

**Read the header.

[felix]

a mate is using one to plant the supports for the deck

--
"A mans got to know his limitations"- Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry

[Xeno]

Indeed, very handy jigger for that. Only use mine every now and then but
it’s downright handy when it is needed.

--
Xeno

[Noddy]

Read the message header. The original question was for post hole diggers.

Rotary hoes are handy tools, but they're completely useless when it
comes to digging planting holes in a garden.