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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 8:45 pm
by ajmoore1
Auger size for post and rail
Going to get a post auger for the takeuchi tb016 mini digger. Main duties will be for erecting post and rail and drilling pilot holes for strainers before knocking them in. What size augers would you recommend. Thinking of 4inch and 6 or 8 inch. Which size would be best for 5x3posts 6 or 8.

Also what is the best way to erect post and rail using 5*3 posts with the auger.

1. Drill 4inch pilot hole and knock in
2 Drill 6inch or 8 inchhole and back fill with concrete or soil.

Many thanks

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 5:41 pm
by GB_Groundworks
we use a post driver, auger only for gate posts. its slow with an auger and not as secure as banging them in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdoAKMFiWG8

but we have a 4" and 6" auger and sometimes in really bad ground have to auger a few post in and either post crete or rammed earth back fill them

we can do 120m+ in a day with post knocker, more so on tractor mounted one, auger is 20m be time back filled and cleaned up etc

on one job we installed 2km of post and rail all with post knocker

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Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1423678276

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 8:33 pm
by ajmoore1
Hi,

What size weight is on your post knocker? Mine is a 200kg, knocks them in but find it awkward as its not got a side shift. If your knocking gate posts in do you auger first ? Got a job coming up to fit eight gates so 16 posts. Posts to be 8inch round by 2.4m, thinking my knocker will struggle so possibly thinking of 4inch auger first then knock in.

Cheers jon

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 8:46 pm
by dig dug dan
i always use a 6" auger then knock the posts in if the ground is not too flinty, otherwise its an 8" auger and back fill

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:19 pm
by GB_Groundworks
p18 on kubota is 350kg, king hitter is 500kg

p18 will knock an 8 inch strainer in but we use square post for gates and auger them in with the 6 inch auger. the above pic was height of summer on rugby pitch rock hard ground needed the extra weight and travel of the king hitter to get them in

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 8:20 pm
by ajmoore1
GB_Groundworks wrote:p18 on kubota is 350kg, king hitter is 500kg

p18 will knock an 8 inch strainer in but we use square post for gates and auger them in with the 6 inch auger. the above pic was height of summer on rugby pitch rock hard ground needed the extra weight and travel of the king hitter to get them in
Hi gb

You say you use 8inch square for the gate posts and use a 6 inch auger. Do you drill the 6 inch hole then knock them in? Never thought of knocking square gate posts in. Does knocking them in damage top as they are chamfered?

Just bought a protech p230 with rock spike and 300kg weight. Will have to save up for the auger now!

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 7:08 am
by dig dug dan
Knock the post in upside down!

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 11:46 am
by GB_Groundworks
depending on the ground the auger cuts a bigger hole it might be an 8 inch auger actually, we might have 8 and 4 have to measure when I'm at the yard got an extension piece as well

has that got the control so you can adjust them on the knocker, only thing i don't like about the digger mounted ones is having to adjust with the machine a lot harder than using the tractor mounted ones

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 7:18 pm
by DNgroundworks
Question.....how do you stop the square posts in your post and rail fencing from twisting as they go in?

Whe ive done post and rail, albeit by hand with an ally sledge the dam things twist as they go in and end up looking crap when the rails are nailed on?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 10:46 pm
by dig dug dan
The post knocker has a plate that rests on top of the post with three spikes inside that plunge into the top of the post. This stops 90% of the twist and keeps them straight. The other trick is to knock a flat bottomed post in, as the spike on the post causes the twist

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 11:15 pm
by GB_Groundworks
as dan says the protect have a spkikes and our king hitter has a metal post cap the same shape as the post head be in 5x3 or 6x3, spiked post have a flat top for post knocker where as the flat bottom ones tend to the angled top to divert rain away from the rail makes it hard to knock em in. in hard ground a flat bottom one won't go in, we use a pair of 36 inch stilton to re align the post if it twist on the first few knocks

Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 7:37 pm
by DNgroundworks
Cheers, funny you should say that actually as i was using my 48" stillsons to straighten them!