NCPIPELINE
Senior Member
So I am tempted to buy an auger plate for our mini to help our guys with buffer plantings. The boss fears that it will wear the arm significantly. Thoughts?
What are buffer plantings?
I have an auger for my 303.5e and it works great. I spent much of my youth drilling holes with a PTO tractor mounted auger and there is just no comparison to having one on the mini ex. As for the issue of wear, I don't see it as being much of a problem. There are built in clutches in the auger to prevent too much torque. I believe there is certainly much less potential wear/damage to your machine with an auger on it than either a hammer or tamper.
If you take your own arm and hold it out in front of you and drop it straight down, it will form an arc. The same is true of the arm on your excavator. Position your auger straight up and down and plumb from side to side (by eyeball) and then as you begin to turn and dig with auger you must also move the arm back towards your machine to keep the auger straight. Think about the arc. With a little practice you will get the hang of it in no time. It also helps to lift up the auger before going to full depth to clean out the hole. As for the bent bit, I snapped off an 8" auger on a fencing project recently also. It happens.
If you take your own arm and hold it out in front of you and drop it straight down, it will form an arc. The same is true of the arm on your excavator. Position your auger straight up and down and plumb from side to side (by eyeball) and then as you begin to turn and dig with auger you must also move the arm back towards your machine to keep the auger straight. Think about the arc. With a little practice you will get the hang of it in no time. It also helps to lift up the auger before going to full depth to clean out the hole. As for the bent bit, I snapped off an 8" auger on a fencing project recently also. It happens.