Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:33 pm
I had never used one of these powered hole diggers before today. But as I had a family member who needed a field refenced, she hired one today from HSS for £80 for 24hrs delivered.
It is powered by a Honda engine and has a corkscrew which you push down where you want to make the hole.
I thought it was utter crap. It came with several corkscrews but even the largest is no good for her 6"x6" gate posts and she was told it would be. It was also advertised as suitable for one man on his own. I managed to drag it across a muddy field but I don't reckon your average DIYer would. But then I found I needed another person anyway as we both had to put our full weight on top of the machine to get it to actually dig any soil out. As soon as it hit a stone, it would stop and we would have to dig the stone out by hand.
Are these machines a waste of time? Do professional fencers use them? There must be some really heavy duty ones that do a better job? I am thinking of digging all the holes by hand now. Unless I can find a man with a tractor and a hole digger. I presume that when powered off the PTO they will be much more effective?
It is powered by a Honda engine and has a corkscrew which you push down where you want to make the hole.
I thought it was utter crap. It came with several corkscrews but even the largest is no good for her 6"x6" gate posts and she was told it would be. It was also advertised as suitable for one man on his own. I managed to drag it across a muddy field but I don't reckon your average DIYer would. But then I found I needed another person anyway as we both had to put our full weight on top of the machine to get it to actually dig any soil out. As soon as it hit a stone, it would stop and we would have to dig the stone out by hand.
Are these machines a waste of time? Do professional fencers use them? There must be some really heavy duty ones that do a better job? I am thinking of digging all the holes by hand now. Unless I can find a man with a tractor and a hole digger. I presume that when powered off the PTO they will be much more effective?