Advice

[CM1995]

Good deal. I think you will be happy with that set up.

Might be able to pick up other jobs in addition to the new deck. A 12” bucket is a great size for 4” roof leaders.

 

[PeterG]

A 12” bucket is a great

Make sure the mini has a thumb. Excellent to help tear apart an old deck, pull stumps and roots out of the way, and as I'm sure you know, an old concrete patio in the way. Sometimes a breaker is handy for removal of thick concrete pour sections, door stoops, stairs, or to break up rocks.

 

[Georgia Iron]

Maybe you should keep using the track loader so you can get paid to regrade.... or do what we do and take both

 

[Steve Frazier]

I've got an auger attachment for our Cat 304.5 at work. I've run up to 18" holes with no issues whatsoever. The auger is gear reduction so it multiplies the oil flow. I actually picked up a 24" auger at United Rental today to use tomorrow, I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[Welder Dave]

Should work good as long as you clean it often instead of trying to drill the hole in 1 shot. I've ran a 20" auger 5 1/2' deep in clay and it helps to go up and down a little at a time to prevent the auger getting stuck or stalling out.

 

[PeterG]

Two foot dia is not too bad I bet. The auger I think I rented from United Rental was 3' dia. to dig holes for pre-casted concrete lamp post bases. See image I posted earlier in this thread. When I picked up the Auger from United Rental, it was huge! The TB153fr barely had enough height to lift it into the hole. A 9 ton machine would have worked a bit better.

 

[PeterG]

Here is another image.

 

[Vetech63]

 

[CM1995]

View attachment 312241

That may be one of the most dangerous contraptions every invented for sale to the general public...

That little 2 stroke will whoop yo' ass if the auger gets hung up on something.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Completed my job this morning in about 30 minutes, three 24 inch holes 45 inches deep. The soil was clay with rocks, I had to stop twice and pop a large rock with the digging bar because it wanted to kick the auger off course. I didn't have the RPMs cranked, just nibbled at the earth and pulled the drill to clear it when I lost sight of it. It stuck in the hole once, I just reversed it a quarter turn and it lifted right out. Very pleased with how it went!

 

[Welder Dave]

That may be one of the most dangerous contraptions every invented for sale to the general public...

That little 2 stroke will whoop yo' ass if the auger gets hung up on something.

There's a video online of a couple guys trying to stop a hand held auger that's stuck in the hole and the engine is spinning around out of control.

 

[CM1995]

There's a video online of a couple guys trying to stop a hand held auger that's stuck in the hole and the engine is spinning around out of control.

Don't need a YT video to know how dangerous those can be. I've been on one side of one of those 1 too many times. I'd rather have a manual post hole digger.

 

[Georgia Iron]

I let some fence guys I know borrow my tl150, auger and 6" bit they let a big vine wrap around it and it bent the 4" auger shaft like it was made of plastic. It was like a deer in the head lights "what happened". Uhhhh. I don't know it just bent... it moved the whole machine. BS. I can see it swinging around now.

under improper use i could see it bending an excavator arm

 

[Welder Dave]

Don't need a YT video to know how dangerous those can be. I've been on one side of one of those 1 too many times. I'd rather have a manual post hole digger.

The video shows how dangerous they can be while appearing to be funny. I saw some rental auger's at HD but they were basically a trailer with a long arm coming out with the auger. Hydraulic powered and much safer.

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